Smoked meat

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Smoked meat
O Piornedo, Donis, Cervantes 10.jpg
Smoked meats
TypeMeat or fish
Main ingredients red meat, white meat, fish, spices, smoke
17th-century diagram for a smokehouse for producing smoked meat Chambre de boucanage.jpg
17th-century diagram for a smokehouse for producing smoked meat

Smoked meat is the result of a method of preparing red meat, white meat, and seafood which originated in the Paleolithic Era. Smoking adds flavor, improves the appearance of meat through the Maillard reaction, and when combined with curing it preserves the meat. [1] When meat is cured then cold-smoked, the smoke adds phenols and other chemicals that have an antimicrobial effect on the meat. [2] Hot smoking has less impact on preservation and is primarily used for taste and to slow-cook the meat. [3] Interest in barbecue and smoking is on the rise worldwide. [4] [5]

Contents

Smoking with wood

Generally meat is smoked using hardwood or wood pellets made from hardwood; softwood is not recommended due to increased PAH from the resin. [6] [7] Wood smoke adds flavor, aroma, and helps with preservation. [3] There are two types of smoking: cold smoking generally occurs below 90 °F (32 °C) and has more preservative value. Hot smoking generally occurs above 160 °F (71 °C). [8] Most woods are seasoned and not used green. [9] There are many types of wood used for smoking; a partial list includes: [10]

Types

African fish smoking

Smoking fish near Dakar, Senegal Smoking fish near Dakar, Senegal (west Africa) (2290515874).jpg
Smoking fish near Dakar, Sénégal

Close to 80% of all fish caught in most African nations is smoked. [11] Traditionally the processing and smoking of fish has been done by women. [12] The primary method of smoking is hot smoking, the flavor from hot smoking preferred by local consumers. [11] [13] Traditional smoking methods include using bamboo racks over smoky fires, mud ovens and placing the fish directly on smoldering woods and grasses. [11] [13] Modern methods of smoking include using re-purposed oil drums, brick ovens, and Chorkor ovens. [11]

American barbecue (smoked)

American barbecue Smoking Meat.jpg
American barbecue

American barbecue's roots start with the Native Americans who smoked fish and game to preserve food for leaner times. [14] [15] When Europeans first came to North America, they brought with them smoking techniques from Europe and Central Asia and combined those with the Native American techniques. [8] American barbecue has distinct regional differences: North Carolina Piedmont style is pork shoulder with a vinegar & ketchup-based sauce; Eastern style is the whole hog with vinegar & pepper-based sauce; South Carolina is whole hog or shoulder with a mustard-based sauce; Western Tennessee and Memphis are famous for its dry rub ribs, but wet is also available; Kentucky is known for their mutton, pork shoulder and whole hog are also very popular; Kansas City barbecue is more about the sauce, often used with smoked pork, lamb, chicken, beef and turkey. Beef ribs, smoked sausage, brisket are the prevalent meats in Texas. [16] [17]

Bacon

American "streaky" bacon American Bacon.jpg
American "streaky" bacon

Bacon originated with petaso, a Roman version of what is now called bacon. [18] The etymology of the word bacon has four possibilities; the Franceis word bacon, the Althochdeutsch word bahho, the Old Low Franconian word baken, and the Common Germanic word bakkon. [19] John Harris of Calne, England, was the first to commercialize production of bacon in the 1770s. [20] Bacon is primarily pork, depending on the type; it can come from the belly, back, loin or side. [21] The preparation of bacon varies by type, but most involve curing and smoking. [22] Some of the types of bacon include American (a.k.a. side bacon or streaky bacon), buckboard (shoulder bacon), Canadian (back bacon), British and Irish (rasher), Australian (middle bacon), Italian (pancetta), Hungarian (szalonna), German (speck), Japanese (beikon), and Slovakian (oravská). [23] [24] Bacon can also be produced from beef, lamb, and wild game. [23] [25]

Country ham

Country ham Country ham.jpg
Country ham

Country ham is a popular ham originally developed by American Colonists who took traditional Native American fish smoking practices and used them for pork. [26] Country hams traditionally were made in the American Southeast from Virginia to Missouri. [27] Most country hams are trimmed, wrapped, cured in salt, sugar, pepper and various spices. In modern times, some preparations add nitrates for food safety. [27] [28] After curing the hams are smoked for at least 12 hours, then hung to dry for 9 to 12 months. Some traditional processes can take years from curing to being ready to consume. [29]

Finnan haddie

Smoking Finnan haddie FMIB 38894 Smoking Finnan Haddie.jpeg
Smoking Finnan haddie

Finnan haddie is a cold smoked haddock that originated in medieval times in the Scottish village of Findon. [30] Traditionally the haddock is smoked with green wood and peat. [30] [31] Smoked finnan haddie is the colour of straw, newer commercial methods of drying without smoke produce a gold or yellow colour. [30] [31] Until the 1800s when regular rail service was established, finnan haddie remained a local dish, now it can be found in markets worldwide. [30]

Katsuobushi

Katsuobushi Ku Ben Bei Jie  (8517415760).jpg
Katsuobushi

Katsuobushi is a key umami ingredient in Japanese cuisine, with bonito flakes among its many applications. [32] Katsuobushi is made from skipjack tuna that is washed, quartered smoked with oak, pasania, or castanopsis wood, and cooled repeatedly for a month. [33] Some producers will spray the fish with Aspergillus glaucus to promote further drying. [34] After one to 24 months the fish will be katsu (hard) and ready for use. To make bonito flakes it is shaved very thinly using a Katsuobushi grater box.

Montreal-style smoked meat

Montreal smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz's. Schwartz smoked meat montreal.JPG
Montreal smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz's.

A type of kosher-style deli meat product made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices. The brisket is allowed to absorb the flavours over a week, is then hot smoked to cook through, and finally is steamed to completion. The preparation method may be similar to New York pastrami, but Montreal smoked meat is cured in seasoning with more cracked peppercorns and savoury flavourings, such as coriander, garlic, and mustard seeds, and significantly less sugar. [35]

Pastrami

Pastrami Pastrami by Wise Sons. (14519474073).jpg
Pastrami

Pastrami is most often made with beef brisket; it can be made with other cuts of beef. [36] [37] The meat is cured in a brine (most often dry), after drying, it is coated in spices and smoked. [37] Smoking can be done by either cold smoking or hot smoking. [37] Pastrami evolved from the Turkish Huns who would tenderize and dry meat under their saddles.[ citation needed ] Armenians saw what the Huns had done and created basturma that was spiced and air-dried meat. [8] Romanians first started brining, spicing, and smoking the beef and created what is now called pastrami. [8] When Romanian Jews immigrated to the United States, Canada, and Great Britain in the late 1800s, they carried that tradition of pastrami with them. [8] The Romanians that immigrated to the United States, mostly settled in New York City area and developed the classic New York Pastrami. [38] Those that immigrated to Canada mostly settled in Montreal used a different brining technique and spices and called it smoked meat. [39] Pastrami is still produced in Southwest Asia and the Middle East and is called Pastirma, basterma or basturma. [36] While customarily made with beef, in other regions it can be made with lamb, goat, buffalo, and camel. [36] Corned or salt beef uses a similar brine and spices, but is not smoked. [37]

Zhangcha duck

Zhangcha duck Zhangcha tea smoked duck.jpg
Zhangcha duck

Zhangcha duck is a dish from Sichuan Province in southwestern China made from the Chengdu Ma duck. [40] The duck is marinated in a pickling liquid then smoked with camphor and tea leaves. [41] After smoking, the duck is deep fried, boned and served over rice. [41]

Health concerns

One study has shown an association between the frequency of consumption of smoked foods and intestinal cancer. [42] However, the study was restricted to a small Slovenian population in Hungary, where the local smoke curing process produces levels of contaminants roughly eight times as high as standard processes elsewhere. [42] The use of soft woods is discouraged, as the resins in softwood increases the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are known carcinogens. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ham</span> Pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking

Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking. As a processed meat, the term "ham" includes both whole cuts of meat and ones that have been mechanically formed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of the Southern United States</span> Regional cuisine of the United States

The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several subregions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Ozarks, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, African American Cuisine and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread to other parts of the United States, influencing other types of American cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoking (cooking)</span> Exposing food to smoke to flavor or preserve it

Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Meat, fish, and lapsang souchong tea are often smoked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sausage</span> Meat product

A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Creole cuisine</span> American regional cuisine

Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana, United States, which blends West African, French, Spanish, and Native American influences, as well as influences from the general cuisine of the Southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisket</span> Cut of beef

Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, though the definition of the cut differs internationally. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing or moving cattle. This requires a significant amount of connective tissue, so the resulting meat must be cooked correctly to tenderise it. According to the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, the term derives from the Middle English brusket which comes from the earlier Old Norse brjósk, meaning cartilage. The cut overlies the sternum, ribs, and connecting costal cartilages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pastrami</span> Meat preserved by partial drying, seasoning, smoking, and steaming

Pastrami is a food originating from Romania usually made from beef brisket. Later recipes use lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. The raw meat is brined, partially dried, seasoned with herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed. Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before the invention of refrigeration. One of the iconic meats of Eastern European cuisine as well as American Jewish cuisine and New York City cuisine, hot pastrami is typically served at delicatessen restaurants on sandwiches such as the pastrami on rye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional variations of barbecue</span>

Barbecue varies by the type of meat, sauce, rub, or other flavorings used, the point in barbecuing at which they are added, the role smoke plays, the equipment and fuel used, cooking temperature, and cooking time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoked fish</span> Fish that has been cured by smoking

Smoked fish is fish that has been cured by smoking. Foods have been smoked by humans throughout history. Originally this was done as a preservative. In more recent times fish is readily preserved by refrigeration and freezing and the smoking of fish is generally done for the unique taste and flavour imparted by the smoking process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curing salt</span> Salt used in food preservation

Curing salt is used in meat processing to generate a pinkish shade and to extend shelf life. It is both a color agent and a means to facilitate food preservation as it prevents or slows spoilage by bacteria or fungus. Curing salts are generally a mixture of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite, and are used for pickling meats as part of the process to make sausage or cured meat such as ham, bacon, pastrami, corned beef, etc. Though it has been suggested that the reason for using nitrite-containing curing salt is to prevent botulism, a 2018 study by the British Meat Producers Association determined that legally permitted levels of nitrite have no effect on the growth of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria that causes botulism, in line with the UK's Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food opinion that nitrites are not required to prevent C. botulinum growth and extend shelf life..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curing (food preservation)</span> Food preservation and flavouring processes based on drawing moisture out of the food by osmosis

Curing is any of various food preservation and flavoring processes of foods such as meat, fish and vegetables, by the addition of salt, with the aim of drawing moisture out of the food by the process of osmosis. Because curing increases the solute concentration in the food and hence decreases its water potential, the food becomes inhospitable for the microbe growth that causes food spoilage. Curing can be traced back to antiquity, and was the primary method of preserving meat and fish until the late 19th century. Dehydration was the earliest form of food curing. Many curing processes also involve smoking, spicing, cooking, or the addition of combinations of sugar, nitrate, and nitrite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cured fish</span> Fish subjected to fermentation, pickling or smoking

Cured fish is fish which has been cured by subjecting it to fermentation, pickling, smoking, or some combination of these before it is eaten. These food preservation processes can include adding salt, nitrates, nitrite or sugar, can involve smoking and flavoring the fish, and may include cooking it. The earliest form of curing fish was dehydration. Other methods, such as smoking fish or salt-curing also go back for thousands of years. The term "cure" is derived from the Latin curare, meaning to take care of. It was first recorded in reference to fish in 1743.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbecue in the United States</span> Culinary tradition originating in the southern United States

Barbecue is a tradition often considered a quintessential part of American culture, especially the Southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbecue in Texas</span> Regional style of food preparation in the United States

Texas Barbecue refers to methods of preparation for barbecue unique to Texan cuisine. Beef brisket, pork ribs, and sausage are among the most commonly known dishes. The term can also include side dishes that are traditionally served alongside the smoked meats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal-style smoked meat</span> Style of smoked meat corned beef created by Jewish immigrants in Montreal, Quebec

Montreal-style smoked meat, Montreal smoked meat or simply smoked meat in Quebec is a type of kosher-style deli meat product made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices. The brisket is allowed to absorb the flavours over a week. It is then hot smoked to cook through, and finally is steamed to completion. This is a variation on corned beef and is similar to pastrami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cured pork tenderloin</span> Meat delicacy

Cured pork tenderloin is found in various cuisines in Mediterranean Europe and South America. It is typically salted or brined then dry-cured or smoked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speck</span> European cured pork product

Speck can refer to a number of European cured pork products, typically salted and air-cured and often lightly smoked but not cooked. In Germany, speck is pickled pork fat with or without some meat in it. Throughout much of the rest of Europe and parts of the English-speaking culinary world, speck often refers to South Tyrolean speck, a type of Italian smoked ham. The term "speck" became part of popular parlance only in the eighteenth century and replaced the older term "bachen", a cognate of "bacon".

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