| Cold smoking is an age old
process that takes place at low
temperature over a period of several hours to days. Die hard fans of
cold smoking say this method of smoking is still the best for
preserving and brining out the full flavor of smoked food.
Cold
smoked meats experience total penetration of the smoke flavor.
Is it cold smoked meat really that good? Let's
have the market speak
for itself. Well known smoke houses continually sell out of
their meats
at prices one would expect to pay for lobster or the finest steaks!
You
probably eat cold smoked food and don't even know it, many smoked hams
and salmon are cold smoked.
True
cold smoking occurs between 52 and 72 degress farenheit and
lasts for 1 - 14 days. Don't confuse this with warn smoking which
happens at slightly higher temperatures. This process applys thin smoke
with occasional breaks in between.
If
you do the math it's apparent that you cannot produce cold smoke
if it is 90 degrees outside. Some industrial smokers cool and smoke the
meat at the sametime so production can take place year round. So if you
want to cold smoke meats it will have to be done in the winter months.
If
you want totally smoke penetrated meats cold smoking is the best
answer. However you will see a significant weight loss, about 5 to 20
percent of total poundage. Smoking cold need not be a continuous
process, it is stopped (with no smoke applied) occasionally to allow
fresh air into the smoker. Big advantages of cold smoked meats are
virtually no spoilage fo fats and increased shelf life. Foods smoked
this way are often drier, saltier, and have a smokier flavor.
For
good results meat should be smoked near 75 – 85 % 80 percent
relative humidity. Anything much higher will allow bacterial growth,
canceling the preserving effect. And on the other side of the coin very
low humidity will result in "over-dry" meat.
Most
standard charcoal and wood fired smokers on the market today are
too hot for cold smoking. So you are faced with either buying a type of
smoker capable of cold smoking or building your own. When we
find
some good plans for a cold smoker we will pass those
on. However, for
now your best option may be simply to buy one.
Great deals on Bradley Hot and Cold Smokers!
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