People have been smoking meat since the discovery of fire. If your ancestors could do it, you can do it too!
Basically there are two types of smoking techniques; hot and cold. Hot smoking is very simple and is nothing more than using heat/hot smoke to cook your food item. It is usually done at temperatures above 180F and can be done in just about anything including an electric smoker, a BBQ pit, a charcoal briquette/gas grill or over a camp fire on a spit. Usually the food is cooked low (185-350F) and slow (1+ hours). Smoke/cook food item till its done. Time varies per food item and cooking apparatus.
Cold smoking is a different animal. Here you kind of âprecookâ the food item by soaking it in a brine solution/dry curing for a given number of days. The brine/dry cure basically dehydrates and denatures the proteins in the food item similar to cooking it but without the heat. The salt from the brine solution keeps the bacteria and molds away from your food item. After brining, you will basically wash the food item and let it dry for about a day or so then you give it a good dose of smoke to add flavor and some preservative qualities. Cold smoking can be done at any temp between 65-180F using anything that will hold smoke. I have seen smokers made from everything from barrels, cardboard boxes, refrigerators, to outhouses. All you really need is a heat source and a method to contain the smoke. How long you smoke your food item will depend on numerous factors including your smoking equipment, your smoking fuel, your heat source, the item being smoked and how much smoke flavor you like and the temperature of your smoke. My little book indicates that brine cured bacon should be cold smoked (75-85F) for at least 24 hours, more if you want a more intense smoke flavor. The same book indicates that dry or brine cured ham should be cold smoked (75-85F) for at least 48 hours. In a smoke shed/house where smoke intensity is less the ham can smoke for up to 30 days with intermittent smoking.
Basically there are no hard rules for cold smoking meats. It is almost impossible to screw up. In a worse case scenario you will end up with too much or too little smoke flavor. Apple wood is excellent for smoking. It is very mild and adds an almost âsweetâ flavor. It would be hard to over-smoke using apple but too much can impart a bitter taste. I prefer hickory but its flavor is very intense.
If you are still having trouble see if you can find a smokehouse in you area that will give you a hand. Good luck.
The plan is to slice and freeze the bacon after smoking, freeze the picnics and hang and age the hams in the basement.
