Smoking Food The Ultimate Beginner's Guide

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Copyright © 2008 by Chris Dubbs and Dave Heberle

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Dubbs, Chris.
Smoking food: a beginner’s guide/Chris Dubbs and Dave Heberle. p. cm.
9781602392571
1. Smoked meat. 2. Smoked fish. 3. Cookery (Smoked foods) I. Heberle,
Dave. II. Title.

TX609.D8 2007
641.4’9—dc22
2007020077

Photos courtesy of istockphoto, stock.xchng, and The Brinkmann

Corporation.

Printed in China
Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER II - SMOKERS AND THEIR FUELS
CHAPTER III - EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS
CHAPTER IV - CURES AND MARINADES
CHAPTER V - SMOKING FISH AND SEAFOOD
CHAPTER VI - SMOKING BUTCHER MEAT
CHAPTER VII - SMOKING POULTRY
CHAPTER VIII - SMOKING WILD GAME
CHAPTER IX - MAKING AND SMOKING SAUSAGE
CHAPTER X - SMOKING CHEESE, NUTS, AND EGGS
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 RECIPES
APPENDIX 2 TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR SMOKING PROBLEMS
APPENDIX 3 SPICES, HERBS, AND BLENDS
APPENDIX 4 TIPS ON HANDLING GAME MEAT
APPENDIX 5 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
INDEX
CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION
The history of preserving food is a long and cloudy one. Eons ago, the
struggle for survival was largely a matter of man eating anything that didn’t
eat him. Foods were neither grown nor cooked—let alone preserved.
But the years brought man weapons and caves—and fire, which became
the primary means of cooking and preserving food. The first primitive
recipes would hardly be appreciated today, as the only ingredient was fresh-
killed game and the only instruction to throw it on the fire.
 Slowly, the practice of preserving food became more sophisticated. By
the dawn of civilization, when there were already 200,000,000 mouths to
feed, the elementary forms of food preservation—pickling, salting, and
smoking—were already being practiced.
Smoking was eventually to establish itself as one of the most convenient
and reliable methods of preserving meat for long storage. It was no surprise,
therefore, that smoking became an integral part of Colonial America.
Almost every home had a separate smokehouse and many cabins had smoke
holes incorporated into their chimneys, where meat could be suspended and
smoked using the cabin hearth as the source of smoke and heat.
The popularity of smoking remained relatively high until 1803, when a
Baltimore, Maryland man placed a small carton covered with insulation
within another box. He stored ice and food inside and called the contraption
a “refrigerator.” This new, more convenient method of storing food caught
on rapidly.
The ice box, the freezer, modern methods of processing meat, all these
conspired against the age-old custom of home smoking. Since fresh meat
from the Midwest could be shipped east daily in refrigerated cars, and
freezers could keep food fresh for months on end, operating a smokehouse
seemed an unnecessary bother.
Although food smoking faded from view for many years, it was never in
any danger of dying out completely. Many foods just tasted too good when
smoked—bacon, for example, and ham, sausage, and all kinds of fish,
especially salmon. The smoking of food moved into the big, commercial
smokehouses. The availability of smoked food became a problem, and what
was available was often of dubious quality, filled with chemical
preservatives and coloring and even “artificial smoke flavor.”
Home smoking held on through the years mostly among enthusiastic
sportsmen, who would fabricate smokers out of old refrigerators, barrels,
garages, wheelbarrows, anything—just so they could enjoy the fresh-
smoked flavor of fish and game.
Since the 1970s, the portable, electric smoker has grown in popularity,
helping to spark a revival in food smoking. Because of its convenience and
modest price, this appliance is returning food smoking to the masses.
 In spite of this renewed interest in food smoking, there has been a
scarcity of information on the subject, amounting almost to a conspiracy. It
is as if no one is supposed to know how to make delicious smoked salmon
or succulent, sugar-cured hams. Published information has often been
conflicting. Most magazine articles seemed to imply that their instructions
were only relevant at a campfire in the mountains or in a garbagecan
smoker. No wonder more people weren’t smoking food!
One thing that was clear in all the jumbled, distorted information of the
past was that many people were smoking food in many different ways, and
all were apparently satisfied with the results. If nothing else, it indicated
that smoking is hardly an exact science. Smoking food is, in fact, an art. A
great many variables influence the flavor of the finished product and most
of them are under the control of the person doing the smoking. Fortunately
for everyone who enjoys the unique flavor of smoked foods, smoking is an
easy art.
Beneath all the individualized approaches are but a few simple
procedures that anyone can master in short order. Working within these
guidelines, the novice smoker can produce an astonishing array of
masterfully smoked foods, turning even lowly, inexpensive cuts of meat
into gourmet fare.
Smoking Food: A Beginner’s Guide is written with the idea that smoking
food is something anyone can do. Every effort has been made to simplify
and modernize age-old recipes and procedures without compromising
quality. Since it was the electric smoker that brought the art back to the
people, many instructions are written with that appliance in mind. Each
recipe and procedure, however, is applicable or easily adapted to any other
smoking device.
One thing a book on smoking cannot do is give precisely detailed
instructions. Personal taste and smoker idiosyncracies are the two biggest
reasons, but there are a host of factors that influence how you handle a
particular meat, some of which may change each time you smoke. What is
the size of the cut of meat? Is it to be eaten immediately or put in storage?
How much time do you have to prepare it? Does it need tenderizing? How
much salt flavor do you prefer? How much smoke flavor? These are only
some of the factors involved.
 A set of instructions appropriate for one occasion might be all wrong for
the next. Obviously, instructions cannot be provided for every possible
combination of circumstances. Therefore, most directions throughout the
book are given in ranges. For instance, smoking or curing times might be
given as “one to four hours.” This is usually done to provide a range of
flavor from mild to strong. When uncertain about your taste preferences, it
is always best to start with the shortest time. If you then desire a stronger
flavor, the meat can be returned for additional smoking, or you can increase
the time on your next effort.
The equipment you use will also determine how you apply the
instructions of this book. Sometimes smoking times and temperatures may
seem unnecessarily ambiguous, but this is partly to account for differences
in smokers. The fact is, not all smokers can produce the same amount of
heat. Makeshift smokers, especially, vary in the temperatures they are
capable of producing and sustaining. Portable, electric smokers will be
influenced by outside air temperatures.
To allow for personal taste and equipment performance, numerous
methods of smoking have been detailed for each kind and cut of meat. You
need only select the procedure that best suits your needs and the
circumstances.
The key to finding true happiness with your smoker is to experiment.
Producing good smoked food is easy; producing great smoked food takes a
little imagination. Hints are provided throughout the book on how to vary
taste with cures, marinades, seasoning, and smoking times. Use these
suggestions as guidelines. As you gain experience, you will quickly learn
that the time ranges and recipes here provided in no sense represent the total
possible ways of smoking food—that uncharted, gastronomic universe can
only be determined by you.

THE SMOKING PROCESS

Smoldering hard wood is the source of smoke in a food smoker. Borne on
the vapors of smoke are countless microscopic droplets of chemicals, the
most important of which are aldehydes, phenols, ketones, and acetic acid.
These chemicals, released from the burning wood, are instrumental in
killing yeast, mold, and bacteria, and retarding their future growth. As a
supply of fresh smoke circulates around food in the smoker, these
components are deposited on the surface and absorbed into the moisture of
the food. Moisture allows the chemicals to penetrate the food, distributing
their preservative and flavoring effects.
Food is also affected by the hot air accompanying smoke. Even at room
temperatures, food loses moisture. This loss is greatly accelerated at the
higher temperatures associated with smoking. Partial dehydration is an
important part of the preservative function of smoking. If there is no
moisture in food, bacterial growth is practically nil, and food does not spoil.
Many foodstuffs have a surprisingly high moisture content, as much as
80 percent in some fish. By using low temperatures, smoking can greatly
reduce the moisture content of meat without cooking it. Aside from offering
protection against spoilage, this also tends to make the nutrients in the meat
more concentrated.

Cold Smoking and Hot Smoking

The temperatures inside most modern smokers will range anywhere from
the temperature of the outside air up to 225ºF. Smokers with substantial heat
sources, such as those fueled by natural gas, can more consistently hold
higher temperatures. Smokehouses that existed years ago operated at
relatively low temperatures, usually below 120ºF. At such low temperatures,
food only accumulates the beneficial effects of smoke without cooking. As
with old-fashioned hams, meat could remain at these smokehouse
temperatures for several days and would still require cooking before being
eaten.
When smoker temperatures climb above 120ºF., meat is partially cooked
as it smokes. At the higher temperatures of 170ºF. or 190ºF., the upper
limits of most smokers, it is entirely feasible to cook meat completely in a
smoker; 120ºF., is the somewhat arbitrary division between the two
different types of smoking. The lower temperatures are referred to as “cold
smoking,” and the higher temperatures as “hot smoking” or “smoke
cooking.”
In the past, lengthy periods of cold smoking were an important method of
processing meat to be stored for a long time without refrigeration. Today,
the preservative quality of cold smoking has taken a back seat to its
flavoring capabilities. When placed in cold smoke, meat will quickly
acquire a smoke flavor. This makes cold smoking a useful supplement to
the regular kitchen preparation of meat. Without complicated alteration of
cooking time, meat can be given the exotic flavor of smoke, either before or
after cooking.
Smoke cooking is a relatively recent development. It combines smoke
flavoring with cooking for greater convenience. This method is possible on
almost any makeshift smoker in which the source of heat is in the same
compartment as the food. Hot smoking has only truly come of age with the
advent of the electric smoker, which generally provides for higher and more
stable temperatures.

Wet Smoking
Smoked foods lose a portion of their weight during the smoking process,
due to dehydration. A 10 percent weight loss is not unusual. Traditionally
cured and smoked foods have a characteristic dryness. For years, some
commercial smokehouses have countered this by either pumping their
smoked meats with water or recirculating moist air through the smoker
during the smoking process, thus reducing weight loss. Done to excess, this
procedure produces those little puddles of water found floating beneath the
plastic wrap on grocery store hams. The meat can actually be mushy.
However, done in moderation, “wet smoking” can make some cuts of meat
more palatable. Thin cuts of meat, inexpensive cuts, and wild game often
benefit if they retain their natural juices.
Some modern smoking appliances include a water pan to produce water
vapor during the smoking process. This reduces water loss. These
appliances are also designed to have the condensed moisture drip from the
smoker lid back onto the meat to provide continuous basting.
Of course, the chief purpose of traditional smoking is to remove moisture
not add it. But, if you own an appliance so designed for wet smoking, this is
another option to consider.
CHAPTER II

SMOKERS AND THEIR FUELS

In the wilderness, it may be a gridwork of sticks above a campfire; a
handyman might build himself a plywood shack; manufacturers offer a
variety of electric, charcoal, and natural gas models. Whatever alternative
you choose, acquiring a smoker is your first move if you want to smoke
food.
The creative ingenuity that private individuals have expended in the
development of the makeshift smoker has been phenomenal. Many of them
work as well as, or better than, commercially available units. If you’re a do-
it-yourselfer, this chapter will provide you with details on some of the more
successful homemade smokers.
Of course, you can also buy one. Portable electric smokers are now
widely available in sporting goods and hardware stores. Their efficiency,
reliability, ease of handling, and modest price make them an ideal
investment for home smoking.
Each one of the following smokers has its advantages and disadvantages.
Consider your circumstances and your smoking needs and choose the one
that’s right for you.

ELECTRIC SMOKERS
If you buy an electric smoker, study the directions included. The first piece
of advice should be to break in your new appliance with a dry run by
burning several pans of wood without actually smoking any food. This will
impart a smoke aroma to the inside of the smoker and eliminate all chances
of tainting your first batch of smokables with a metallic or paint flavor.
An electric smoker will not only smoke food, it will also smoke-cook
food. Old-time smoking processes required extended smoking periods of
days or even weeks; the electric smoker speeds things up considerably by
cooking meat as it adds the distinctive flavor of smoke. In this day and age,
when time is at a premium, an electric smoker will provide products as
customized and as mouth-watering as those meticulously prepared by long-
gone generations, and for a surprisingly minimal time investment. A typical
electric smoker consists of:

A smoke box of aluminum or steel. Aluminum won’t rust, but

then it’s not quite as sturdy as steel. You have a choice of several
sizes, the largest of which will accommodate a medium-sized
ham and a heavy turkey. Some smoking appliances advertise a
capacity of up to 50 pounds.
 Electric smoker

A ceramic or metal heating element. Installed at the base of

the smoker, the heating element provides temperatures hot
enough to singe wood fuels into smoke and to help cook food.
A vent at the base to provide draft control and heat regulation,
and vents that allow stale smoke to escape at the smoker’s top.
These latter also make convenient thermometer check holes.
A tray to catch drippings, food racks, hooks for suspending
items such as sausages, and a pan to hold fuel over the heating
element.