How To Smoke Meat – Information For People Who Want To Smoke Meat

The art of smoking meat has a tradition that is based on three concepts. Preservation of meat is the first concept and by far the oldest. The second is appearance or texture, and this is a set of old techniques used to smoke meat that is continually modified through invention and industry. The third concept is a by-product of smoking foods, and that is flavor.

For most of us, learning how to smoke meat is a tradition that is passed down from one generation to the next generation and can involve keeping the family secret smoking methods. For those of us who’s families have lost the know-how of how to smoke meat, there are many resources available to teach us the tricks of smoking meat safely. The benefits of learning how to smoke meat is the decrease in molds, preservation of flavors by decreasing rancidness that can often accompany aged meat. Benefits also include additional flavors and enhanced appearance of meats.

Learning how to smoke meat involves mastering three basic steps. To smoke meat really means to smoke and cook meat. Hams are a type of meat that are traditionally smoked. Fish is also a type of meat that is traditionally smoked. To smoke a ham using the following techniques will take about 24-30 hours.

To Smoke Meat: Use a traditional smoker with dampers. Dampers allow air and moisture to flower in and out of a smoker. They are important to the smoking process because they allow the smoker to maintain a specific temperature.

How To Smoke Meat-Step 1:

The first step to smoke meat is to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. This is accomplished by opening all of the dampers. The goal of this first stage is to dry the outer shell of the meat and seal in the flavors. The open dampers allow extra moisture to be removed with the rising warm air. Remember that water when heated, turned to gas. The water vapors then rise and exit the smoker. This period of drying lasts for about 8 hours, and during this phase, there is no smoke applied to meat. The result is that the outer portion of the meat dries out. This help to reduce mold and bacteria from growing on the surface of the meat.

How To Smoke Meat-Step 2:

The second period of smoking meat is also 8 hours long. The temperature in the smoke house is raised to 135 degree Fahrenheit, and smoke is added to the smoking chamber. To achieve the rise in temperature the dampers on the smoke house are partially closed. This may take some tinkering with to get the position of the dampers just in the right spot to maintain the temperature. This step of the smoking process continues to dry the meat while adding in the smoke flavors. The smoke itself is a drying agent, and as it absorbs into the meat it brings with it flavor.

How To Smoke Meat-Step 3:

The third phase of the smoking process begins by shutting all of the dampers and raising the temperature of the smoke house to 180 degree Fahrenheit. The smoking process is finished when the internal temperature of the meat has reached 142 degrees Fahrenheit. To reach the fully cooked status of in-store products, allow the internal temperature of the meat to reach 148 degrees Fahrenheit. This process may vary between different types of meat and is recommended for hams.

How To Smoke Meat-Wood:

Wood that is used to smoke meat is typically hard wood from trees such as Oak, Walnut, and even Maple. Softer woods such as Apple wood, Plum Wood are also good to use. Avoid using any type of wood that has a strong fragrance such as Pine. Woods that have a heavy resin do not work well in smoke houses because they tend to smoke black and not grey. Black smoke is sooty, and it often carries with it a bitterness that can be transferred to the meat. Woods that have a high fragrance such as Pine will also taint the meat with that fragrance.

There are many good books out there that can help people understand the smoking process for meats. For those who are interested in learning how to smoke meat, it is recommended that a quality smoke house be used in conjunction with good information. The combination of these two aspects of smoking meats will keep you safe and very well fed.