You can smoke:
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recipes and lists for group cooking
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Our assorted odd recipes, hard-to-find for oui gourmands
The Kamado Smoker (a 3,000 year old tradition)
Western Civilization Smoking info:
The difference between smoke cooking and curing is that smoke cooking is done at higher temperatures in order to cook the meat, while smoke curing is really just smoking cured meat or sausage.
Although smoking meat does provide some preservative effect, it alone is not sufficient to allow long term storage.
Smoke is a very complex material, with upward of 200 components that include alcohols, acids, phenolic compounds, and various toxic, sometimes carcinogenic substances.
The toxic substances inhibit the growth of microbes, and the phenolics retard fat oxidation, and the whole complex imparts the characteristic flavor of burning wood to the meat.
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Proper temperatures for smoke cooking meat:
Try to keep the temperature around 200-220F. This means the temperature *at* the meat. Some use a large log burning smoking pit with an offset firebox so it's easy to maintain this. In an upright water smoker you will have trouble keeping the temperature this low, since the heat builds up at the top where the meat is.
You can achieve decent results with a water smoker, but the cooking time will be shorter and the depth of smoke penetration will be less.
Briskets and pork shoulders smoke for 16-24 hours; pork ribs and pork loin roasts take less time.
If you are smoking sausages, excess heat will melt the fat out and leave the final product dry and crumbly.
For curing meats we're talking about temperatures around 140F, although it varies from recipe to recipe. This is very difficult to maintain in a wood burning smoker. Most have a slow smoking section farthest away from the fire. With experience, you can learn to control the temperature in this section without overdamping the air inlet. Some other meats, like bacon and ham, are a little more tolerant of higher heat, but it can affect the quality of the final product.
If you keep the temperature low by closing down the inlet dampers, the smoke gets thick and sooty and produces an unattractive and bitter coating on the surface of the meat. Instead, try to keep the fire burning more freely and control the temperature by providing some draft between the fire and the meat.
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Various woods used for smoking:
Alder
The traditional wood for smoking salmon in the Pacific Northwest, alder also works well with other fish. It has a light delicate flavor.
Apple and Cherry
Both woods produce a slightly sweet, fruity smoke that's mild enough for chicken or turkey, but capable of flavoring a ham.
Hickory
Hickory is the king of the woods in the Southern barbeque belt, as basic to the region's cooking as cornbread. The strong, hearty taste is perfect for pork shoulder and ribs, but it also enhances any read meat or poultry.
Maple
Mildly smoky and sweet, maple mates well with poultry, ham, and vegetables.
Mesquite
The mystique wood of the past decade, mesquite is also America's most misunderstood wood. It's great for grilling because it burns very hot, but below average for barbecuing for the same reason. Also, the smoke taste turns from tangy to bitter over an extended cooking time. Few serious pitmasters use mesquite, despite a lot of stories about its prevalence in the Southwest.
Oak
If hickory is the king of barbecue woods, oak is the queen. Assertive but always pleasant, it's the most versatile of hardwoods, blending well with a wide range of flavors. This is highly used with beef.
Pecan
The choice of many professional chefs, pecan burns cool and offers a subtle richness of character. Some people call it a mellow version of hickory.
.........methods used for traditional-style "cool" smoking
information to follow...
...............Recipes and related info
Smoked Duck
The biggest problem with smoking duck is dealing with the fat (as with all "game"). Water birds have a lot of fat that has a strong flavor and won't melt away easily. Now a general rule of smoking is that fats liquefy and render from meats. This isn't true of duck.
There are however a few things you can do to help render the fat and maintain the flavor.
The first rule should be to smoke ducks breast side up. This helps drain the fat away from the breasts. You can also pierce the skin in several places making it easier for the fat to drain out. The skin of ducks is designed to be very insulative and makes it so that fat can't escape. You may also wish to smoke waterfowl longer than you would something like chicken. This will also reduce the amount of retained fat.
Another way to prepare duck for the smoker is to use a brine. By placing a duck in a brine overnight you will tenderize the meat and add in the rendering of the fat. Typically brine can be as simple as 1 to 2 cups of iodine free salt in a gallon of water to the flavor-enhancing recipe.
A third way to prepare duck is to steam it first. This method works particularly well for duck that has been cut into pieces. For a couple of duck breasts you would want to steam them for about 20-30 minutes and then smoke for about 2 hours.
The last method would be to smoke ducks for a very long time at about 180-200 degrees. I mean we are talking about 6 hours or more. This will allow enough time for the stubborn fat to break down and drain away. This is best acheived in the older, traditional-style smoking; older and more modern adaptations of this while be presented in another room.
Remember, no matter which method you use. Poultry isn't cooked until the center of the thickest part reaches a temperature of 160 degrees.
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1 3-4 pound duck
1 orange
1 onion
5 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
pepper to taste
Preheat smoker. Mix the juice of 1/2 of the orange with the honey, wine vinegar, sherry, soy sauce and pepper. Bring to a boil and let cool. Pierce the skin of the duck in several places with a sharp fork and pour about a gallon of boiling hot water over it. Stuff with the onion and the other half of the orange. Let sit and dry; then place in smoker for about 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Glaze with 1/2 of the sauce every 30 minutes during the smoking process. Serve with the other 1/2 of the sauce.
Eastern Civilization Smoking info:
The Chinese developed a smoker in a ceramic form over 3,000 years ago, and that very form is still in use to date even outside of the Asian Theater, by many non-asian enthusiasts. For example, The Kamado is currently being marketed by one company calling their version of it: "TheBigGreenEgg". It has modern ceramic materials and glazes. You can check it out through their link up above in our links section. Also though, there is a style of Chinese cooking which is called "Tea-smoking". A typical style recipe follows, although often duck is smoked and not chicken like this recipe:
Serves 6
Directions:
Remove fat from within cavity and rinse chicken under cold tap. Dry well inside and out with paper towels.
Combine wine, soy sauce, salt and sugar and rub well inside the cavity and over the chicken. Put the slices of ginger and the spring onion into the cavity. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes.
Prepare a large pan with a well-fitting lid, pour 5 cm (2 in) water into it and bring to the boil. Place chicken in a heatproof plate and put it on a trivet over the water. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from pan, pour away water and line the base of the pan with heavy-duty foil, taking it a little way up the side of the pan all around to protect the pan from the smoking mixture.
Combine the dry tea leaves, rice, brown sugar and star anise (crushed). Sprinkle it evenly over the foil, return trivet to pan and place chicken on it, this time without the dish. Cover pan tightly and place over medium heat. When smoke escapes from under lid, turn heat very low and smoke chicken for 15 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted into the thigh enters easily and the juice that runs out is clear, not pink.
Serve hot, cold or at room temperature, accompanied by Flower Rolls, steamed chinese buns, or mongolian pancakes.
