Smoking meat

Content

To step
Part 1 of 3: Installing a smoker
Part 2 of 3: Preparing the meat
Part 3 of 3: Smoking the meat
Warnings
Necessities

Smoking is originally a way of preserving meat. While there are now better ways to keep meat fresh, the popularity of smoked meat has never waned. It's the best way to bring out the deep, rich flavor of the brisket, ribs, and other cuts of meat that taste best when smoked until the meat falls off the bone. You can marinate, brine or grease your meat first, use a coal grill or an electric smoker. You can also choose from different types of wood, each of which gives the meat a different taste. No matter how exactly you do it, the meat is always cooked slowly, for many hours until it is smoked to delicious perfection.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Installing a smoker

Choose a smoker. Meat smoking experts like to say that all you need to smoke meat is a hole in the ground. While that is true, using materials intended for smoking will make the process smoother and produce better results. If you want to try smoking meat, but aren't sure if you're going to do it more than once, use your barbecue to smoke the meat. In other cases, you may want to consider investing in one of the following types of smokers:
- A wood smoker. Wood smokers are known for delivering the most flavorful results. They work on hardwood logs and chips, which transfer their powerful flavor to the meat during the smoking process. Wood smokers can be tricky to use, however, as they need to be monitored closely and keep adding wood to keep the temperature stable.
- A cabbage smoker. This is a good choice for both beginners and experts. Cabbage smokers work on a mixture of coal and wood. Coal burns longer and more stable than wood, making coal smokers easier to use than wood smokers. You can make a cabbage smoker yourself from your old barbecue.
- A gas smoker. These are very easy to use - you don't have to monitor the temperature all day - but the final product doesn't have as much flavor as meat smoked in a coal or wood smoker.
- An electric smoker. With an electric smoker, you can simply place the meat in the appliance, turn it on, and then forget about it until your meat is ready hours later. However, electric smokers do not give the best taste and are often quite expensive.
Decide what kind of wood to use. Meat can be smoked on a variety of hardwoods, each of which gives a unique flavor to the meat. Some flavors are more powerful than others and some are better with certain meats. You can combine different types of wood with properties that you like. Depending on the type of smoker you are using, you will either need to collect enough wood to burn all day, or just enough wood to flavor the meat while the coal, gas, or electric smoker does the rest. of the work. Choose from the following options:
- Mesquite gives your meat a delicious, but very smoky taste. If you only want to use mesquite, use it with small cuts of meat that don't have an extremely long cooking time. For larger cuts of meat that need to smoke all day, it is better to mix mesquite with a milder wood.
- Hickory has a strong flavor and goes best with red meat.
- Oak is suitable for the preparation of large pieces of red meat that need to be smoked all day long, as the taste is more subtle than that of mesquite or hickory.
- Cherries goes very well with beef or pork.
- Apple has a sweet taste that is delicious for pork or poultry, but also for smoking fish.
- Maple is also a sweet wood that is delicious with pork or poultry.
- Els is light and sweet in taste, perfect for poultry and fish.
Decide whether to smoke wet or dry You can use water to control the temperature in the smoker while the meat is smoking. There are even certain smokers who do water smokers these are designed to use water in the process. However, you can also use water in a normal coal or wood smoker. All you have to do is place a pot of water in the smoker and keep it filled all day long.
- Smoking with water can help regulate the temperature when smoking a large piece of meat for several hours. For smaller pieces of meat that do not have such a long smoking time, it is not necessary to use water.
- If you are buying a smoker, make sure to read the instructions before deciding to use water.
Soak wood chips, but let larger pieces of wood dry. If you are using a small coal grill or other type of smoker, where you are not using the wood as the primary fuel, you can use wood chips instead of large pieces of wood. Since chips tend to burn up faster, you should soak them in water to make them last longer. Larger pieces, such as logs, can stay dry.
- To prepare the wood chips, soak them in water and then wrap them in aluminum foil. Poke holes in the top so the smoke can get out.
Prepare the smoker. Every smoker has different instructions regarding how to prepare for smoking meat. If you are using wood or coal for fuel, light the material in the grill and wait for it to burn up and stop producing flames. The meat should not be placed directly in high temperatures, it is better to push the glowing coals aside so that the meat cooks slowly, at a low temperature and with indirect heat. During the cooking process you will add coal and wood to keep the smoker going. The goal is to keep the smoker at 95-100 degrees Celsius throughout the process.
- If you're using an electric or gas smoker, just turn it on according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place the wood chips or pieces of wood where they are to be placed - again, you will need to follow the manufacturer's instructions to make sure you are doing it right.
- It is good to invest in a thermometer that you can place inside the smoker to monitor the temperature.

Part 2 of 3: Preparing the meat

Choose a type of meat to smoke. The smoking technique can be applied to any type of meat, but is usually best for cuts of meat that require a long and slow cooking time. The slow cooking breaks down the fat and connective tissue, making the meat very tender. It is also good to choose meat that will also be tasty with a smoky taste. Here are some meats that are delicious smoked:
- Beef ribs, brisket, corned beef
- Ham, pork crown, pork spare ribs
- Turkey and chicken legs
- Salmon, trout, lobster, tilapia
Consider brining, marinating, or greasing the meat. Typically, brining, marinating, or smearing is used to add moisture and / or flavor to the meat before it is smoked. The smoke itself will of course impart a lot of flavor, making it unnecessary to use these preparation methods - it can, however, add a little depth to the flavor and ensure that the resulting meat is as juicy as possible.
- Brining is usually used for smoking ham and poultry. If you plan to brine your meat, make a brine mixture and leave the meat in it overnight, or at least 8 hours. Place the meat in the refrigerator while it is being brined. Take the meat out of the fridge on time and let it come to room temperature before starting the smoking process.
- Marinating is often used on brisket and other cuts of beef. Use the same technique as above for marinating the meat. You can further incise the meat in a few places to allow the marinade to absorb better. Drain the marinade and let the meat come to room temperature before cooking.
- Basting is generally used on ribs before they are smoked. The lubricant usually consists of a combination of salt and spices. It is applied to the whole piece of meat, which is then left for a few minutes before cooking.
Let the meat come to room temperature. This is an important smoking step for any type of meat. It ensures that the meat cooks evenly and can reach the correct internal temperature towards the end of cooking. Depending on the size of your piece of meat, let the meat sit on the counter for 0.5-2 hours before smoking it.

Part 3 of 3: Smoking the meat

Calculate the cooking time. How long it takes to cook your meat properly depends on how hot the smoker is, the type of meat and the size of the meat. You should count on at least 6-8 hours of preparation time, and sometimes many hours more. Check out the recipe to determine how long to smoke your meat.
- Pork and beef ribs usually need to be smoked for 8 hours, while a large brisket sometimes takes up to 22 hours. It is very important to review your recipe and determine how long you should cook meat so that you can plan ahead.
Place the meat in the smoker. You can place the meat directly on the grill or place it in a shallow aluminum tray. However, do not wrap the meat in foil as this will prevent the smoke from coming into contact with the meat. The smoke must be able to surround the meat during the smoking process.
- The positioning of the meat will be different depending on what you are preparing. For example, if you are making a smoked brisket, place the meat with the meat side down and the fat side up.
- Do not allow the meat to receive direct heat. As indicated, the hot coals of a barbecue should be pushed aside so that the meat doesn't overcook.
Brush the meat if necessary. Depending on what you're cooking, you can brush the meat in between to keep it juicy. This technique is popular for brisket and ribs. Read the recipe before deciding whether brushing is required in between.If you cook your meat slowly and at a low temperature, the result should be juicy and tender with or without brushing in between.
- Smoking meat can be brushed with a thin solution such as water or a combination of water, vinegar and spices. This must be applied with a special barbecue brush.
Cover the meat if necessary. Some recipes follow one 3-2-1-process: the meat first smokes for 3 hours, then you cover it with foil for 2 hours and then let the meat cook uncovered for another 1 hour. First, the meat absorbs the smoky flavor, then the meat is heated internally for 2 hours, after which a crispy crust is formed in 1 hour. Check the recipe to see if it is recommended to cover the meat at any given time.
Remove the meat when it has reached the correct temperature. You should monitor the temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer to determine when it is cooked. Poultry should reach 75 degrees. Pig and ground meat must reach 70 degrees. The internal temperature of steak, roasts and chops should be 65 degrees.
Check for the smoke ring. During the smoking process, a pink ring will form just below the tasty crust of the meat. This is the result of a chemical reaction that occurs when the smoke penetrates the meat; the pink color is caused by the formation of nitric acid. If you cut the meat and you see a pink smoke ring, you know you did it right.

Warnings

Prevent disease from bacteria. Keep the cooking area clean, including your hands. Avoid contamination by not touching cooked and uncooked foods at the same time, and by not using the utensils you have used on raw meat on the smoked meat without cleaning it first. Cook the meat to the correct temperature. Store all food immediately.
Avoid using treated wood. Treated wood contains toxins that are harmful if it gets into your food. You can buy special wood for smoking, in blocks, chips and even sawdust.