Absolutely everyone loves smoked delicacies. But what is needed in order for the hams, bacon, sausages, fish and many other homemade delights taken out of the smokehouse to be an amazing gorge?
Smoking begins with the choice of fuel, which is judged by its ability to produce a lot of fragrant smoke. Hard wood is better for this than soft, good smoke is given by oak and beech chips, slowly smoldering oak leaves, alder, hazel, maple, worse - birch (without birch bark). Some people think that apple firewood is good for smoking, as it gives the smoked meats a golden color. But the best combustible material, which has no equal, are cherry leaves. Their pleasant subtle smoke aromas the meat, giving it a delicate and delicious taste. Pine and spruce, on the other hand, give the meat an unpleasant aftertaste.
If the combustible material is not dry enough, then the smoke will be abundant in water vapor, which, settling on the meat, saturates it with moisture, which slows down drying and the taste of the product deteriorates. One of the rules of smoking is that the fuel should produce a lot of smoke, but not wet, but dry and, moreover, fragrant.
The smoking process begins at low heat with a gradual increase in it, this is necessary so that all meat is saturated with bacteriostatic substances of smoking smoke. With strong smoke from the very beginning of smoking, it quickly dries up the top layer, and the active smoking process is limited only by the surface.
In order for the firewood not to burn out quickly, sawdust of hardwood is poured on them, straw is also added for the smell, which should also not give heat, but only smolder.
The smoked product is ready when it turns brown and shiny. To prevent the sausages removed from the smokehouse from becoming moldy, it is recommended to powder them with a thin layer of red pepper and rub it in with your hand. Bags are sewn from old fabric and each ham is placed separately for long-term storage.
All kinds of smoked meats are preserved very well in dry sawdust. You can also protect meat products from spoilage in dry fragrant hay. It is best to store smoked meats in a ventilated area at a temperature of 4-8 degrees.
