Cold smoking technology - principles and differences from hot smoking

Many people know and love the taste of smoked meat, but the products sold in stores are very far from ideal, so you have to dodge and prepare the products yourself. To prepare the right smoked meats, the correct smoking technology is very important, compliance with which is a guarantee of obtaining a quality product. Despite the fact that the types of smoking are approximately similar, the structure of the smokehouse differs significantly. All this will be discussed in the next article.

Smoking meat

What is smoking?

This is a process that results in the heat treatment of a product using ordinary smoke, which affects the food and imbues it with a special smell. This type of cooking increases shelf life and gives the dish a unique taste and aroma.

There are two types of smoking: cold and hot. For the first, it is necessary to treat the product with low temperature smoke (20-25 degrees) for several days. And for the second, the smoke will already remain at 100-120 degrees, but the dish will be completely ready in a couple of hours.

The significant difference between types of smoking lies in the shelf life and the design of the smokehouse. The cold method guarantees that the product can be stored for about six months, but making cooking equipment yourself is quite difficult. A hot smoker is easy to make, but the food needs to be eaten within the next few days.

The difference between hot and cold smoking methods

Smoking method	Temperature at which cooking occurs	Cooking time	Storage conditions
Hot	45–120 degrees	Few hours.	In the refrigerator for up to 4 days (with special treatment up to 1 month), in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Cold	20 –25 degrees	A few days.	In the refrigerator up to 10 days, in vacuum packaging up to 1 month, with special processing up to 3 years.

Omul on the ramparts

Now that we have prepared the products, all that remains is to choose a smoking method, or rather, a device. Three components are important here: the hearth where sawdust or firewood smolders, the chimney, the length of which depends on the temperature of the smoke, and, finally, the product itself, suspended on a hook or placed on a grate. In addition to special smokehouses in the country, it can be an old barrel without a bottom covered with burlap, to which they dig a ditch from the hearth, covering it with roofing iron. At home, a regular grill with a hood (hot smoking) or a short chimney with water cooling (cold smoking) is suitable. The rest is details that you can easily come up with yourself.

For example, one of the types of hot smoking can be considered cooking fish (for example, omul) on rods, which Baikal fishermen once introduced us to. First, 3-4 oblique cuts are made on the fish - from the ridge to the belly, so that it is better smoked and fried, then rub it with salt. The larger one, which cannot be completely skewered, is cut into pieces. Rozhon is a splinter, split in half at the top, the fish is strung on it head down and stuck obliquely near the fire, as close to the fire or coals as possible. Turn the horns periodically so that it cooks evenly. The wood should not be charred, so larch is most often used. In properly cooked fish, the scales are easily separated from the flesh. It’s better to eat it right away – “hot, hot.”

To cold smoke omul, dig a hole, fill it with sawdust, and lay a chimney from it 3-4 m to the smokehouse. Combustion products are deposited on the walls of the pipe, and cold smoke without soot eventually enters the smokehouse. The sawdust smolders continuously for 2–3 days. For hot smoking, the chimney is made much shorter - up to 1 m. Therefore, the fish reaches readiness much faster. Hot smoked omul “lives” without a refrigerator for a maximum of a day (you can’t even get it home by train), but cold smoked omul allows you to treat distant friends with the delicacy.

By the way, our friend successfully uses a bix (in which doctors sterilize instruments) for hot smoking fish, installing a grill on legs in it. Place sawdust on the bottom, put fish on the grill, close the lid on top, snap the locks and onto the brazier (or fire) - after 20-30 minutes you can serve.

How does a cold smoker work?

Cold smoking lasts several days and throughout this time moisture is gradually removed from the product. This effect is achieved by treating food with cold smoke, which is not an easy procedure to obtain. After all, the design of a cold smoked smokehouse is quite complex, and therefore to manufacture it yourself requires following many rules and technologies.

Device composition

1. The smoking chamber in which the product is located;
2. Firebox or smoke generator;
3. Smoke pipe.

Operating principle of a cold smoked smokehouse

• High-quality sawdust or wood chips are placed in the firebox. You can choose from different types of wood to give the product the desired aroma. Most often, the choice falls towards fruit species, but linden or alder will also provide the dish with the desired aroma. But it is better not to use coniferous trees, as they contain a lot of resin, which can spoil the taste of food;
• The sawdust is set on fire, a draft is created and the smoke enters the pipe (the length should be 2-2.5 meters), passing through which it cools and enters the smoking chamber, where the product is located.
• Constantly being treated with smoke, the product loses moisture and acquires the desired properties. But you need to ensure that the smoke is constantly in the chamber.

Cold smoking technology is simple, but you can make a lot of mistakes in it that will not allow you to achieve the desired result. More on all this a little later.

Cold smoked smokehouse device

Useful tips

1. When cold smoking, you should definitely add chopped cherry and apple branches, which add a special aroma to the delicacies.
2. Recently slaughtered game should be kept in the cold for 3 days, and only then begin cold smoking.
3. It is best to start smoking in the morning on a clear and windless day. It is also recommended to find out the weather forecast for the next 3 to 4 days in advance. You should not start smoking in inclement weather.
4. In the smoking process, you definitely need trays that are installed at the bottom of the chamber. They will protect fallen pieces or carcasses from contamination, and also prevent drops of fat from falling on smoldering wood chips (sawdust).

Source

How does a hot smoker work?

The hot smoking method has many advantages:

1. The smokehouse is easy both to use and to build;
2. The smokehouse can be used anywhere;
3. The food preparation process is quick and uncomplicated;
4. There is no need to process the resulting product.

If we talk about the design of a hot smoked smokehouse, it is extremely simple. You need to take a large container, place a wire rack in it, put the food there, and then the preparations will be completed. It is necessary to weld special corners inside in advance, on which the gratings will be placed. You also cannot do without a tray, which is placed above the source of smoldering; it is necessary so that the fat flowing from the meat does not fall on the coals and does not burn, as this can spoil the taste of the product.

Important! The lid of the device should cover the entire container, but at the same time be easily removed in order to be able to regulate the smoke output.

And the hot smoking technology itself is based on maintaining a certain smoke temperature. To do this, you need to put well-smoldering wood at the bottom of the container, previously crushed to the state of sawdust. But it is important to remember that you need a lot of wood, and therefore this should be taken into account when chopping. There are different types of hot smoked smokehouses; if the container size is small, then a few branches will suffice, but larger sizes should be approached individually.

Hot smoked smokehouse device

Comparison of hot and cold smoking methods

Very often the question arises: “What is better – cold or hot?” It is quite difficult to answer this definitely, since it all depends on individual taste preferences. But, as mentioned above, these technologies differ in the temperature of heat treatment, and, accordingly, in the final taste of the products and shelf life. Cold smoking technology involves heating the oven to no more than 350 degrees, and for the hot method it will require approximately 950 degrees. It is on this run that the final choice depends.

Of course, both smokehouses are very similar to each other, one is more complicated, the other is simpler, but they both cope perfectly with the tasks. Therefore, there are not so many differences between cold smoking and hot smoking, except for shelf life and taste characteristics. But you should also know that with the cold method, most of the beneficial microsubstances remain intact, while products obtained by the hot method cannot boast of this, but are still far ahead of frying or boiling, according to this criterion.

Freezer storage

The freezer can increase the shelf life of delicacies. How long smoked meat can be stored in the freezer depends on the selected temperature.

1. Temperature in the range - 8 to - 10 ° C, shelf life up to 120 days;
2. The freezing mode from - 10 °C to - 18 °C will ensure freshness for up to 8 months;
3. They remain suitable for consumption for up to a year at temperatures ranging from -18°C to -24°C.

Subtleties of storage in the freezer

• Select the correct fast freezing mode. You can prepare the camera. Turn it on and let it run for two to three hours. Only then add homemade smoked meats.
• It should be packed tightly, preferably using a vacuum device.

The correct defrosting technology must be followed. It is recommended to proceed in stages: from the third mode to the second, wait 4 hours, then raise the temperature to -8o, let it warm up. And then to zero. After this, place it in a chamber with a temperature of about +10°C and wait until it is completely defrosted.

Main rules of smoking

The entire smoking process is based on three pillars that have been used at all times. Therefore, regardless of the choice of smoking method and location, you must adhere to the following rules:

1. Heating and the flow of smoke should occur gradually. The meat must be evenly immersed in smoke and heat, otherwise any product will lose most of its components, which will spoil the taste and significantly add harmfulness;
2. The smoke contains both light and heavy substances, and if in the case of the first, they will be welcomed in the smoking chamber, they will be useful and it is with the help of them that cooking will be carried out, then all the soot from the heavy components must settle on the pipe, or leave into condensate. Otherwise, the result will be the same as when cooking meat over an open fire, only there will be no fire, and only smoke will remain;
3. Smoke should not leave the smoking chamber ahead of time. It is possible to achieve unique taste and aromatic qualities only when the smoke evenly enters the product, lingers there until it fizzles out, and only then leaves the meat and is replaced by fresh meat. It is not difficult to provide such a scheme, since at high temperatures the smoke is light and goes up on its own; you just need to hold it in the right place.

And, of course, you need to remember that the size of the smokehouse does not affect anything. It will be enough to strictly follow the construction technologies - there should be 2 or more cm from the product to the wall.

Cold storage

Before placing home-smoked food in the refrigerator or freezer, the products should be prepared. It is best to wipe the surface with fat and wrap the pieces in parchment. This will ensure air flow and circulation. The simplest and most practical way is to wrap the delicacy in foil and put it in a plastic bag or container.

Recommendations for how long to keep smoked meat in the refrigerator, depending on the temperature.

• Temperature in the chamber from 0°C to +5°: 24 - 36 hours;
• Temperature range from +5 to +7оС: 12 – 15 hours;
• Light freezing from -3 to 0°C: 48 - 72 hours.

Gourmets believe that the refrigerator affects and changes the taste and aroma. Delicacies should not be kept for more than three days. Applies to all smoked and dried products.

How to make a cold smoked smokehouse

Miracles begin with installation. And proper installation is impossible without a detailed drawing, which will show all the dimensions and details. That is why, before starting to build a smokehouse, you need to study the installation diagram. According to the drawings, the arrangement of parts of the equipment cannot be changed; the design may not be effective, or even worse, it will not work at all.

First of all, you need to dig a hole to place flammable substances there. Dimensions – 50 by 50 cm. Sheets of tin must be laid out at the bottom to ensure even burning. Afterwards you can install the chimney. Visually, it looks like a trench about 30 cm wide and 2 to 2.5 meters long. This recess must be covered with slate or any other material that is not subject to combustion, and earth should be poured on top to ensure tightness.

Advice! You can avoid loss of smoke by using bricks to line the walls of the chimney. This approach will reliably strengthen the system and prevent heat loss.

After the final construction of the chimney, you can build the smoking chamber. For the simplest manufacturing method, it is allowed to use an ordinary iron barrel. The bottom is detached and an iron mesh covered with burlap is fixed in its place. This design ensures effective soot filtration, and for greater reliability you need to secure a dense grille.

Inside the smoking chamber you need to fix a metal grate on which the products are laid out. You can also use hooks to hang fish.

If you don’t have a full-fledged smokehouse...

I have a comrade Vitka Shtutser. So, he doesn’t bother with all these super-duper smokehouses, takes a simple frying pan, foil, crushes oak sawdust, and works wonders. Here's the magic in a nutshell:

• Pour sawdust into the bottom of the frying pan.
• Pierce a sheet of foil in several places with a fork and cover the sawdust with it.
• Place a suitable metal mesh on top of the foil, on which we will place the products.

• Place the frying pan on the fire, when light smoke appears above the foil, place the chicken wings or legs.
• Cover the pan with a damp cloth or the same foil, and a lid on top. Reduce heat to low.
• In 10-15 minutes the product will be ready. All you have to do is fry it a little until it’s ready – and then serve!

This is one of the options of which you can find an incredible variety. For example, I have already shared my experience of smoking chicken in a disposable smokehouse - you can take a look. In general, it’s inexpensive and fast, exactly what tourists and fishermen need. Use your imagination, experiment and get interesting dishes.

Felix Okorokov

Making a hot smoked smokehouse

The construction of a hot smokehouse is not as difficult as a cold one, but it requires strict adherence to the three main smoking rules indicated above. And all because the process happens much faster, and therefore even the slightest mistakes can lead to fatal consequences and the product will not be able to obtain the proper smell or taste.

• The first thing to remember is that the smoking chamber must be placed in a smoke casing, which gradually tapers towards the top. This approach ensures uniform penetration of smoke to the products.
• Secondly, the smoking chamber must have a solid bottom, this is necessary in order to avoid boiling fat from contacting the source of smoke. It is worth saying that the smoke casing must be sealed, that is, all joints and seams should be coated with a good sealant that will not “float” at high temperatures.
• Be sure to get a thermometer that shows temperature changes up to 250 degrees. After all, going beyond 90 - 120 degrees threatens spoilage of the product and the appearance of many harmful substances in the finished dish.

To ignite fuel, you must use means that provide a high initial temperature. For example, a gas stove, a blowtorch, a burner. This is the only way to achieve uniform ignition without losing important properties. You cannot use kindling; it will damage the taste of the product. You need to use heating all the time during smoking, as effective temperature regulation in the smokehouse is achieved.

In addition, a smokehouse operating on self-smoldering has a huge disadvantage in the form of moisture entering the smoking chamber from the fuel. It is impossible to get rid of this, because even if you dry the wood chips to a powder state, moisture will still form, as this occurs due to chemical reactions. Therefore, constant heating must be used.

Food preparation

Before you start smoking, you need to properly prepare the product. The following solution works best: mix salt with water until it stops dissolving. After this, the product is placed in a container with “brine” (that’s what a similar solution is called) and kept there for some time. If the piece is small and the meat is tender, then 4 hours will be enough, and for the leg of a domestic pig it will take about 3 days, while a bear ham will be salted for about 5 days.

After harvesting, pat the meat dry with a paper towel and dry it until it is completely dry and the top layer becomes tough. Drying is easiest done in uniform light at room temperature; the meat should be covered with gauze or placed in a wire cage.

During drying, meat must be protected from flies. Since maggots develop very quickly in such conditions and the entire batch will be spoiled.

Spicy pickling

A certain category of lovers prefers to combine the aroma of smoking and the exquisite taste of spices, and therefore recommends marinating the meat. Marination differs from pickling only in technology. The goals of these two procedures are absolutely the same.

To marinate fibrous and tough meat, you will need a higher concentration of salt. Three liters of water will require 250 g. The brine must be boiled for 5 minutes, while adding all the desired seasonings to it. Parsley, garlic, basil, thyme, and lemon go well with the taste of meat.

You should not use all of the listed components, since together they form a not entirely clear bouquet of aromas.

Before you marinate the meat, you should cool the marinade. Place the pan with the semi-finished product in a cool place for 3 days.

How to store smoked products

Cooking smoked products occupies a special place in the life of every food lover, but it is not enough to prepare a high-quality dish, you also need to be able to preserve it to prolong the pleasure. Therefore, the storage of products prepared by smoking must be approached in a special way.

If the food was obtained during hot smoking, then the product can simply be stored in the refrigerator, but no more than 4 days, since such food is intended to be eaten quickly. But if you need to increase the storage time, you can take a saline solution, soak a cloth in it, and then pack the finished product in it. To preserve the aroma, parchment paper is used, which is also used to wrap the food.

Cold smoked products are stored much longer - about six months, but be sure to rub the food with salt; using this method will not only increase the shelf life, but also preserve all the beneficial substances.

If the smokehouse was assembled independently, then after cooking the food should be thoroughly cooled and placed in a place that is slightly humid and well-ventilated. With this storage method, products can be stored for several years.

It is important to remember that you cannot store smoked meats in places of high humidity. Because in such conditions mold forms. If a white coating with a bad smell appears on the food, you should rinse the food well with brine and then smoke it again.

With each smoke treatment, the product dries out more and more.

If smoked meat gives off an unpleasant odor, then you should not eat it. Most often, such products spoil from the middle, so you can pierce the meat with a knife in the center and make sure that there is no smell, and only after that you can eat it.

Interesting video

Simple Ambassador

It's time to consider a recipe that is popular only among true connoisseurs of cold smoking. The main positive quality of this recipe is that the fibers of fresh meat remain virtually untouched. Smoked meats turn out to be elastic and quite tough, but if you slice them thinly, you get a simply gorgeous snack that has absorbed the smells and tastes of aromatic meat and wood smoke.

First you need to make blanks in the form of briquettes. You should not smoke a whole piece of meat, as it is difficult to salt, and it will take too long to cook, but this will not eliminate uneven smoking. The optimal thickness and width of the piece is 5 cm. We will salt the meat by simple salting, that is, a method in which salt is directly applied in the form of a dry marinade. You can add a mixture of black and red pepper to the salt. The resulting composition is thoroughly mixed and scattered on a horizontal surface.

Each piece of meat is carefully dipped in a dry marinade and placed in a bag. This kind of salting is somewhat different from salting under pressure. In the first case, the juice is released more naturally, so the meat will not be as fibrous. Depending on the type of meat, the duration of salting varies from two to five days. Once the process is complete, the meat is removed from the bag and immersed in clean cold water. This is necessary to remove excess salt. But after such “baths” you will have to dry the meat by spreading it out or hanging it in a ventilated room for 5-6 hours.