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meat-smoked-msg - 2/12/10

 

Medieval smoked meats. Smoking meats.

 

NOTE: See also the files: canning-msg, food-storage-msg, pickled-foods-msg stockfish-msg, pickled-meats-msg, roast-meats-msg, ham-msg.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

 

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

   Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                         Stefan at florilegium.org

************************************************************************

 

From: "gabrial" <gabrial at prysm.net>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Smoked salmon SCA feast

Date: 8 Jul 1997 19:30:33 GMT

 

> I have a few questions:

>

> How think of meat and salmon to you use?

> How long do I smoke it?

> How do you store it after you smoke it?

>

> Any other tips for making smoked products for Pensic?

 

There is a Web ring called the Smoke Ring I believe and one of the sites

has a page about smoking salmon,  I checked it out once as I was going to

try it.. <but never did>  But it tells all about it,  I believe that I

found the ring by searching yahoo for bbq sauces..   if you have problems

finding it, mail me and i'll give it a shot after I get off work.

 

gabrial

 

 

From: rmorrisson at aol.com (RMorrisson)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Smoked salmon SCA feast

Date: 21 Jul 1997 00:56:51 GMT

 

Greetings from Myfanwy!

 

My lord has been making smoked salmon (and occasionally poultry) for

events and for Pennsic for a number of years.  He *always* cooks things

thoroughly afterwards -- 10 minutes per inch of thickness for the fish

(don't know the oven temp) and an hour at I think 400 degrees F. for the

birds (generally game hens).

 

Basically, the fish is soaked in a saltwater and sugar brine with a bunch

of spices and white wine and soy sauce, overnight in the fridge, then

smoked for some length of time (usually 4-6 hours for the fish, then

brought inside and cooked.  (The brine recipe came with the smoker -- yes,

we know soy sauce isn't period in Europe, but we haven't found a period

brine recipe anywhere yet).

 

Incidently, there is a reference in _Fast and Feast_ to the use of alder

wood for smoking fish in period.

 

Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon

mka Ruth Morrisson

 

 

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 16:57:14 -0400

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Smoking Questions

 

Kea ErisDottir wrote:

> In addition, I have plans to built and make an attempt to run some kind of

> small smoke house.  I would love information on what we actually know about

> period methods and structures so that i may build something and play with

> the fire :) :) :)

 

This is a tough one. We know that, for instance, Smithfield hams from

Virginia were made from some time in the 17th century, with little or no

change in the process. It's a pretty safe bet that smokehouses existed

in period. Unfortunately there are few written accounts (in fact, none

that I'm aware of, but I'm trying to hedge my bets here ;  )   ) of

smokehouse operation. What we do have are recipes for various smoked

foods, from ancient Roman sources like Cato the Elder and Apicius, and

later sources like Sir Hugh Plat. They all describe smoking meats over

an all-purpose cooking fire, and by hanging sausages up in the chimney,

in the case of Plat. Obviously this suggests that these recipes aren't

intended for mass production. I seem to have misplaced my copy of Le

Menagier de Paris, so I can't tell you if there's a description of the

smoking process there.

 

Much as I hate to do it, I recommend you check some modern sources on

the subject. Apart from the occasional suggestion that some kind of

anti-oxidant or preservative other than salt be included in some of the

pre-smoking cures, at least we have a fair sense that the modern process

is pretty similar to the period one in most cases, but also probably

safer in the long run. Generally you know when something has been cured

and smoke-dried enough when insects don't try to land on it (smoke tars

repel them), and when it has lost a certain amount of water weight

(generally about half, in the case of meats).

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 00:08:54 -0400

From: "Robert Newmyer" <rnewmyer at epix.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Ready to smoke!

 

Sorry no recipes but I have found a good source for smoking and

sausage-making supplies:

 

The Sausagemaker

1500 Clinton Street, Bldg. 123

Buffalo, NY 14206

Phone: 716-824-6510

 

Also this site sells smoking chips, sounds very interesting.

Woodbridge and Vintage Barrel Chips - made exclusively from recycled 100%

American French Oak wine barrels, which for years have been used in the

aging of fine wines.

 

http://www.woodbridgechips.com/

 

                                                 Griffith Allt y Genlli

                                        Bob Newmyer

                                        rnewmyer at epix.net

                                        http://www.epix.net/~rnewmyer

 

 

Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 06:02:54 -0500

From: Maddie Teller-Kook <meadhbh at io.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Ready to smoke!

 

When ever I smoke meat, I use either hickory or mesquite chunks that are

well soaked to produce lots of smoke..  I put a pan of water under the

meat to help keep it moist and also to flavor the meat. I've used wine

or beer with herbs (usually fresh rosemary, oregano, thyme, etc).  I

have also just taken large twigs of rosemary and placed them on the

coals. I slow cook the meat (especially brisket) for at least 6-8

hours. This is how its done here in Ansteorra. (aka Texas)

 

meadhbh

 

 

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 08:05:51 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Par Leijonhufvud <parlei at algonet.se>

Subject: Re: SC - Re: Sweet jerky recipe

 

On Wed, 15 Jul 1998, Korrin S DaArdain wrote:

> A "li'l smoker" or a dehydrator uses heat that will "cook" the meat. My

> dehydrator uses the maximum setting of 145F for making jerky. I think a

> smoker would be even hotter (Don't know, Don't have one). My book on

> dried foods says that 140F is the minimum heat required for the first 3

> to 4 hours and that would likely kill the nasty "wee-beastie's".

 

The temperature depends on whether you want to dry-smoke the meat for

longer lasting, or smoke it as a method of cooking. The latter can be at

higher temperatures, while the former must be at low temps (about what

you give, I'd say).

 

/UlfR

 

 

Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 14:58:46 -0400

From: "Nick Sasso" <njs at mccalla.com>

Subject: SC - Gas Grill Smoking (long)

 

       Niccolo wrote:

       On a different subject, I have had great success recently with

smoking on my gas grill.  I did 12 # of pork shoulder as well as 12 # of pork

sausage that I stuffed using the Le Menagier 'recipe'.  It took about 3

hours to hot smoke the sausages and another 4 hours for the pork hunks (too

small a grill to do all at once).  Apple smoke is the bomb for pork!!

       <<<<<SNIP>>>>>

 

Sounds delicious. How did you smoke them on the grill?

 

Al Vostro e al Servizio del Sogno

Lucretzia

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lady Lucrezia-Isabella di Freccia   |  mka Tina Nevin

 

Goode Lady,

 

I am most pleased to offer what I have learned in using modern grilling equipment to smoke meats and anything else one wants to smoke: peppers, crawdads, watermelon, Moors, Jesuits, etc.

 

items needed:  grill thermometer, food, gas grill with at least two burners, wood chips, aluminum foil or smoker box, disposable aluminum baking pan that will fit in half of grill, boiling water, meat thermometer.

 

The key is indirect heating setup.  On my gas grill, I have a right and left burner. This is so terribly convenient, and can still be done with front and back burner elements with some effort.  You only use one burner (on mine it was the one on the left as it is the one that goes right to the gas), and the food is on the grill away from the heating element.

 

1) Put the disposable aluminum roasting/baking pan rectangular in shape on the side of the grill I will call COLD.  The burner will not be lit on that side. Fill it with boiling water. . . it must be hot water or the grill heat will be sucked up in heating the water rather than you food.  This should be checked periodically to keep water in as it is the heat regulator that keeps your grill from making charcoal.

 

2) Turn on your one burner on the HOT side on high and let it heat the grill for 15 minutes (your milage may vary).

 

3) While grill is heating, prepare the wood chips.  You have two options to maximize the smoke from your chips:  a.  soak 2 cups chips for twenty minutes in water to cover and wrap in small package of aluminum foil with several air/smoke holes poked in. . . place this close to heat element, right on the rock grate or whatever is down under food grate;  b.  place 2 cups dry woodchips in same aluminum package and place on the cooking grill on the HOT side.  Either method will keep the wood from burning up and produce a slow smolder that gives lots of smoke.  I recommend Apple or Hickory for most meats. You will want about 1 gallon of wood chips (no idea how many cubic inches that is, sorry).

 

4) When the grill is preheated, turn the burner down to medium or so and put the food to be smoked on the COLD side over the water pan.  You want to keep the temperature around 200-220F (use your grill thermometer to keep it in this range) in order to move the food exterior through the danger zone quickly enough and still slow cook your meat (the water vapor keeps the environment moist).  after about the first 45 minutes I add a wood chip package to the HOT side of the grill grate, same level as food (or below the grate if using wet chips).   It can take a few minutes for smoke to start (10 or so).

 

5) Add a new wood package about every 45 minutes when smoke begins to thin.  My 12 at  of link sausages were on three levelrack and smoked about 3 1/2 hours.  Your meat thermometer will be indispensable for smoking meats.  Check the interneal temperatures for doneness.  The three racks of spare ribs were about 4 hours (dry rub and apple smoked).  Large, thick pieces of meat will need far longer times.

 

These are the fundamentals of smoking on gas grills.  Same principles apply when using charcoal or wood, just doifferent applications like banking the coals and putting the soaked chips and/or chunks directly on the coals.  An interesting link on the web is http://barbecuen.com/     It offers a wide range of reading on cooking and equipment.

I hope this has been of help in getting started.  There is lots more to discuss what with gelatinization of callogen tissues, moiture retention and saucing. . .oh my!!

 

niccolo difrancesco

 

 

Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2000 10:24:25 -0500

From: "RANDALL DIAMOND" <ringofkings at mindspring.com>

Subject: SC - RE: Period cookshop at Pennsic?

 

The question is asked:  >>>What is the volume

you can expect from such a rotisserie? You can

only cook how many chickens at once. And if

you serve half-chickens how many is this? Even

if you can cook 12 chickens at once, giving 24

servings, they take a while to cook. I don't think

this is feasible, although the idea is nice.<<<

 

The way the large numbers of chickens/ whatever

to cook for large numbers of people is being handled

in a very different way at Glaedenfeld Centre. We are

building a Scandinavian late period smokehouse (at

least the folks who designed it say it is period, I haven't

seen the docs on it yet) to cook as many as we need.

The fellow who came up with this builds period saunas

and happened to mention that they used similar structures

for cooking.  I jumped on him for details rather quickly.

The one we are considering (after I ok it as reasonably

period) will have two chambers each about the size of

one of the HC access port-o-johns.  One will be for slow

smoke foods like hams, sausages, traditional smokehouse

stuff. The other will be running much hotter and will have

hanging racks/ spits for lots and lots of birds and pierced

racks for things like whole trout or salmon.  A drip pan will

cover most of the tile floor.  This would cook exactly like the

yuppified smokers you can get at any Gaulmart.

I think that this kind of setup at Pennsic would be ideal.

With spit roasting you often get dry meat on the outside

and half cooked on the inside when you are dealing with

any quantities due to the unevenness of the heat.  The

wet heat of the smoke will cook very evenly and when one is

done, they all are.  You should be able to cook 200 or more

birds in one of these at a time without the problems of

an open flame and having to turn everything constantly.

It works largely like a convection oven with smoke added.

If you are cooking all the same fowl, you should have a

drip pan full of fats and juices for seasoning/ flavouring

rice or something as well.   I think this method of cooking

would be extremely suited for Pennsic type cooking.  Using

apple or pear wood would make some yummy birds and it

is mundane enough (but period) to appeal to most folks.

 

Akim Yaroslavich

 

 

Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 07:18:41 -0400

From: "Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Also sprach Stefan li Rous:

> What do we know about period smoke houses? Do we have any still

> existing ones? Or diagrams, pictures or illuminations? Do we have

> any written information on them that might, for instance, tell us

> which woods they used or preferred to use?

> I know we have records from the 19th and 18th centuries. We have a

> re-created farm community here called Pioneer Farms, which has one.

 

At the risk of giving what appears to be a maddeningly frustrating

non-answer, I'll point out that much of the culture, overall, of the

earliest settlements of the US in places like Virginia, has remained

largely unchanged (at least, certain aspects of it) from 17th-century

England. I suspect some of the smokehouse designs seen in The Foxfire

Books are pretty similar to designs used in period.

 

On the other hand, to add to the mix, it also seems likely that there

might have been fewer dedicated smokehouses in period Europe than

there were in early American settlements, or even today, both because

salting was so necessary a preserving process that many foods were

salted and left at that. These people were probably not smoking their

foods for flavor, generally, and I doubt the particular climate and

insect population (the creosote layer acquired by smoked meats is an

insect repellant) justified using fuel for such a frivolous purpose.

Surely the period recipe corpus, in general, refers frequently to

salted and, less frequently, pickled, meats, and not often, if at

all, to smoked foods. In fact, if you look at recipes which go into

detail on ways to keep the smoke off a given food, it suggests that

at least some period cultures might have viewed smoky meats as

something to be avoided.

 

But we know they did it: there are both Roman and 17th-century

recipes that call for hanging foods up to smoke in the kitchen fire

or chimney. It may be that the smoke is incidental, and that the

warm, dry, updraft is the aspect of the process these cooks were

going for.

 

I think, for what you're looking for, we would need a period book on

pig farming for a really detailed description.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 11:32:00 -0500

From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: "'sca-cooks at ansteorra.org'" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Taking a quick look at some of the online references to smoking meat, I

think that no one has taken a serious look at the subject of when, where and

how meat was smoked between the late Roman Empire and the Early Modern

Periods.  What do we know about the subject?  What are the references?

 

Charlemagne's Capitulary De Vilis contains a reference to smoked meat and

the inventory of Asnapium, one of Charlemagne's estates, references 10 sides

from last year which may be salted or smoked meats.  A kitchen is referenced

in the inventory, but no smokehouse. Since the separate buildings are

inventoried, if there is a smokehouse present, it is probably and adjunct of

the kitchen.

 

A quick run through half a dozen primary sources on households hasn't

yielded any more.  This may turn into an interesting research project.

 

Bear

 

> <clipped>

> Surely the period recipe corpus, in general, refers frequently to

> salted and, less frequently, pickled, meats, and not often, if at

> all, to smoked foods. In fact, if you look at recipes which go into

> detail on ways to keep the smoke off a given food, it suggests that

> at least some period cultures might have viewed smoky meats as

> something to be avoided.

> But we know they did it: there are both Roman and 17th-century

> recipes that call for hanging foods up to smoke in the kitchen fire

> or chimney. It may be that the smoke is incidental, and that the

> warm, dry, updraft is the aspect of the process these cooks were

> going for.

> I think, for what you're looking for, we would need a period book on

> pig farming for a really detailed description.

> Adamantius

 

 

Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 10:10:57 -0700

From: "Lorenz Wieland" <lorenz_wieland at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Decker, Terry D. wrote:

> Taking a quick look at some of the online references to smoking meat,

> I think that no one has taken a serious look at the subject of when,

> where and how meat was smoked between the late Roman Empire and the

> Early Modern Periods.  What do we know about the subject?  What are

> the references?

 

I'm starting work on a Beowulf-themed feast, and I've found at least one

reconstructed Viking-era smokehouse:

 

http://www.foteviken.se/engelsk/art_english/e_viking_art17e.htm

 

A few other non-primary sources (the primaries they reference are in Swedish

and Norwegian) seem to agree that this design is correct for early period

Northern Europe.

 

-Lorenz

 

 

Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2003 18:37:01 -0400

From: Alex Clark <alexbclark at pennswoods.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

At 10:54 PM 9/10/2003 -0500, Stefan wrote:

> I thought some of the fish was smoked. Or was this just dried? . . .

 

According to Janet Hinson's translation of _Le Menagier de Paris_, salmon

should be smoked; (p. M-28) James Prescott's translation of the very

similar entry for salmon in _le Viandier_ agrees about smoking, though the

next phrase seems to disagree with Hinson's translation (30). _Le Menagier_

also says that pork sausage should be smoked for four days or more. (M-44)

This is from the odds and ends that I just reread today; I don't know if

there might be other foods in these books that were also supposed to be

smoked.

 

(The phrase after the bit about smoking is "and leave the backbone in for

roasting" in Hinson's _Menagier_ and "keep the chine for roasting" in

Prescott's _Viandier_.)

 

Hinson, Janet (translator). _Le Menagier de Paris_. Part of _A Collection

of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks_. Cariadoc, 1988.

 

Prescott, James (translator). _le Viandier de Taillevent_. Alfarhaugr,

1988.

 

Henry of Maldon/Alex Clark

 

 

Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 23:00:16 -0700

From: david friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Stefan asked about smokehouses and Adamantius replied:

> ...

> But we know they did it: there are both Roman and 17th-century

> recipes that call for hanging foods up to smoke in the kitchen fire

> or chimney. It may be that the smoke is incidental, and that the

> warm, dry, updraft is the aspect of the process these cooks were

> going for.

> I think, for what you're looking for, we would need a period book on

> pig farming for a really detailed description.

 

Here are a few relevant bits from Le Menagier:

 

To Salt Beef Tongues. In the right season for salting, take a

quantity of beef tongues and parboil them a little, then take them

out and skin them, then salt them one after another, and lay them in

salt for eight days or ten, then hang them in the fireplace, leaving

them there for the winter: then hang them in a dry place, for one

year or two or three or four.

-------

In Gascony, when it begins to get cold, they buy the tongues, parboil

and skin them, and then salt them one on top of another in a salting

tub and leave then eight days, then hang them in the chimney all

winter and in summer, as above, dry; and they will keep thus for ten

years. And then they are cooked in water and wine if you wish, and

eaten with mustard.

------

To Make Sausages. When you have killed your pig, take some chops,

first from the part they call the filet, and then take some chops

from the other side and some of the best fat, as much of the one as

of the other, enough to make as many sausages as you need; and have

it finely chopped and ground by a pastry-cook. Then grind fennel and

a little fine salt, and then take your ground fennel, and mix

thoroughly with a quart of powdered spices; then mix your meat, your

spices and your fennel thoroughly together, and then fill the guts,

that is to say, the small gut. (And know that the guts of an old

porker are better for this purpose than those of a young pig, because

they are larger.) And after this, smoke them for four days or more,

and when you want to eat them, put them in hot water and bring just

to boiling, and then put on the grill.

------

 

Elizabeth of Dendermonde/Betty Cook

 

 

Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 13:24:36 -0400

From: "Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Also sprach Olwen the Odd:

>> To some extent, these snippets kind of demonstrate my point, which

>> is that the concept of building a smokehouse specifically for the

>> preservation of meat might have been an unknown, or at least an

>> unusual, concept, for many Europeans in period. Note that the

>> tongue recipes don't even mention the word "smoke" (although the

>> meat acquiring some degree of smoke flavoring seems pretty likely

>> in the process). But I still think that smoking, in a smokehouse,

>> is the result of a particular combination of climate, the need to

>> process a relatively large amount of meat, and insect population,

>> and that not every period European culture shows that combination.

>> 

>> Adamantius

> Then how do you account for the viking smokehouses?

> Olwen

 

High humidity, a plentiful fuel supply (if not lumber; remember the

Vikings largely deforested Ireland to build ships); possibly a

particular type of insect problem some other parts of Europe didn't

exactly share. And it's still possible that the Viking smokehouses

were in fact intended for drying, like an oasthouse used for malt or

hop drying, and the smoke factor may have been incidental, where, for

example, the smoke in the smokehouses in, say, Smithfield, clearly is

an effect deliberately tried for.

 

But even so, I never said that smoking wasn't done, I just said it

may not have been as universal as someone researching food

preservation in a refrigeration-less period Europe might be led to

assume. There are lots of preservation methods these people had the

technology to do, but that doesn't necessarily mean they did them.

 

Even something so seemingly obvious as some of the salting techniques

we take for granted now were apparently developed in period, and the

imposition of fish days and Lenten observances might have been very

different without them; one might say that Basquaise fishermen, and

later, the Hanseatic League, made Lent possible for the rest of

Europe, but we just can't assume that the techniques they used were

applied universally. Not everyone had the need or the means.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 12:28:41 -0500

From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: "'sca-cooks at ansteorra.org'" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

>> But I still think that smoking, in a

>> smokehouse, is the result of a particular combination of climate, the need

>> to process a relatively large amount of meat, and insect population, and

>> that not every period European culture shows that combination.

>> 

>> Adamantius

> Then how do you account for the viking smokehouses?

> Olwen

 

During the summer, sub-arctic regions have more insect life than a

Mississippi swamp.  I've been both places and will attest to the fact.

 

If you smoke meat other than summer, then you need some kind of structure to

retain the heat.  The colder the weather, the faster the heat dissipates.

 

Bear

 

 

Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 06:57:52 -0500

From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

> But if you are only smoking the meat and not drying it, why do you need

> to retain the heat? I can see where you probably need something to

> retain the smoke, though. Or is it always a process of either drying

> and smoking the meat or drying it only but never smoking it only?

> Stefan

> --------

> THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra

 

The heat is an integral part of the smoking process.  It reduces moisture

and fat thereby improving the odds against spoilage and kills bacteria.

Roughly the same as drying meat.

 

Smoking adds a crust and the smoke flavor.

 

Bear

 

 

From: "widener" <wideners at hilconet.com>

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 11:34:58 -0500

 

Heat is not necessary to smoke meat and smoke is best absorbed by meat at

around 55 degrees. That is why you slaughter on the first cold day of

Autumn. Also the brining process was an intergral part of preserving the

meat. It was neccessary to boil hams before eating them to remove the salt.

A smoked salted ham braised with mirapoix veges and a lot of red wine makes a

flavorful mild meat. I don't know about the anti-bacterial nature of smoke

by itself but it seems to work. Plus you are using a whole muscle meat with

only surface exposure to bacteria.

 

Bro Stephon

 

 

Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 14:53:16 -0500

From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: "'sca-cooks at ansteorra.org'" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

I've never encountered an operating smoke house that was anywhere near

55 degrees.

 

Smoke houses are designed for "cold smoking."  The temperature of the heat

source is normally around 180-200 degrees F and the meat is left to smoke

until it reaches an internal termperature of around 160 degrees F.  The

smoke coats the meat rather than is absorbed by the meat.  Heat kills the

bacteria, cooks and dehydrates the meat (especially the outer layer).  

Smoke builds a crust.

 

The back yard smoker is for "hot smoking".  The heat source is 225-300

degrees F.  The meat, depending of type, is brought to standard internal

temperatures of 145-180 degrees F.  In hot smoking, the meat is not

adequately smoked for preservation and needs to be refrigerated.

 

In either case, the air temperature by the meat must be at or above the

internal temperature of the meat.

 

Bear

 

 

Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 17:20:06 -0400

From: "Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Also sprach Decker, Terry D.:

> I've never encountered an operating smoke house that was anywhere near

> 55 degrees.

> Smoke houses are designed for "cold smoking."  The temperature of the heat

> source is normally around 180-200 degrees F and the meat is left to smoke

> until it reaches an internal termperature of around 160 degrees F.  The

> smoke coats the meat rather than is absorbed by the meat.  Heat kills the

> bacteria, cooks and dehydrates the meat (especially the outer layer).  

> Smoke builds a crust.

 

Huh. You sure about that? One of the reasons you couldn't, until

recently, import real prosciutto di Parma into the U.S. was that it

was raw. Same for (I think it is) Westphalian ham and a number of

others. Serrano, etc.; I don't recall if the laws have changed or if

the stuff is irradiated now. I can't see Smithfield ham having the

soft translucency it has if it is cooked...

 

I do think surface dehydration is an issue, though. Hams like

prosciutto are air-dried in the curing process, but the aging they go

through is sufficient to, after the moisture has more or less

equalized throughout the joint (if you can call a boned ham a joint)

to give it that slightly waxy texture throughout.

 

> The back yard smoker is for "hot smoking."  The heat source is 225-300

> degrees F.  The meat, depending of type, is brought to standard

> internal

> temperatures of 145-180 degrees F. In hot smoking, the meat is not

> adequately smoked for preservation and needs to be refrigerated.

> In either case, the air temperature by the meat must be at or above the

> internal temperature of the meat.

 

Well, yeah, otherwise the meat is heating the air, and not vice

versa. I'm reminded of the old joke (my Dad was of an age to have

witnessed vaudeville firsthand, and it tends to color my speech,

more's the pity) about the young wife who tried to boil water by

putting the pan in the oven set for 212.

 

Badda boom, badda bing!

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 14:38:51 -0700

From: "Lorenz Wieland" <lorenz_wieland at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:

> Also sprach Decker, Terry D.:

>> I've never encountered an operating smoke house that was anywhere

>> near 55 degrees.

>> 

>> Smoke houses are designed for "cold smoking."  The temperature of

>> the heat source is normally around 180-200 degrees F and the meat is

>> left to smoke until it reaches an internal termperature of around

>> 160 degrees F.  The smoke coats the meat rather than is absorbed by

>> the meat.  Heat kills the bacteria, cooks and dehydrates the meat

>> (especially the outer layer). Smoke builds a crust.

> Huh. You sure about that? One of the reasons you couldn't, until

> recently, import real prosciutto di Parma into the U.S. was that it

> was raw. Same for (I think it is) Westphalian ham and a number of

> others. Serrano, etc.; I don't recall if the laws have changed or if

> the stuff is irradiated now. I can't see Smithfield ham having the

> soft translucency it has if it is cooked...

 

I've seen the term "cold smoking" used both ways.  U.S. barbecuers often use

the term to refer to cooking meats (usually pork or beef) over smoke at over

100 degrees farenheit.  This results in cooked, smoked meat.

 

In other contexts, cold smoking means drying and smoking meat at under 90

degrees farenheit.  This results in preserved smoked meat that isn't cooked,

like Smithfield ham, nova salmon, and proscuitto, as you correctly point out.

 

Epicurious goes with the second definition:

 

"Smoke-curing is generally done in one of two ways. The cold-smoking method

(which can take up to a month, depending on the food) smokes the food at

between 70° to 90°F. Hot-smoking partially or totally cooks the food by

treating it at temperatures ranging from 100° to 190°F."

 

Another article on this here: http://www.ochef.com/26.htm

 

-Lorenz

 

 

Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:55:19 -0400

From: "Phlip" <phlip at 99main.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: smoking meat

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

> It just occurred to me that in a stove wood doesn't start to burn until it

> is over 212 degrees F and that it begins emitting smoke about 300 degrees F.

> Oxidation is somewhere around 500 degrees F, IIRC.

> That means that the source of the smoke in a smoke house needs to be close

> to 300 degrees F and that over time it will attempt to raise the temperature

> of its surroundings to that level. Hmmm, I need a smokehouse and a bunch of

> thermocouples for a little research into "Thermal Efficiencies of

> Carbonaceous Vapor Dehydration Structures."

> Bear

 

Bear, the temperature at which wood burns is incidental- although if you

think a minute, paper burns at 451 f. Now why would I expect you to know

something embedded in the culture like that?

 

;-)

 

What happens with a cool smoker is that the smoky wood burns, yes, but aside

from and below the foods to be cool smoked. It's quite possible to enter one

and check on the foods- it's warm, but not terribly warm- just hold your

breath. A properly set up smoker has the drafts set up so that the smoke

cools before it contacts the foods being smoked. If the smoke ISN'T cooled,

the whole thing would burn down, since most are made of cheap wood on a

cinderblock base.

 

Saint Phlip,

 

 

From: "Phlip" <phlip at 99main.com>

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: smoking meat

Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2003 08:57:47 -0400

 

> A thermally efficient building would rise to just below the temperature of

> the heat source (a thermal mass oven?).  As you point out, smokehouses

> aren't thermally efficient.  The meat is hung at a distance above the heat

> source so the surface temperature of the meat is probably a function of the

> inverse square of the distance with a number of other variables tossed in.

> Color me weird, but I think it would be fun to measure the temperature of

> the heat source and the surface and internal temperature of the meat in a

> smokehouse to study the process and check the various numbers that are  

> out there.

> Bear

 

Honestly, Bear, I suspect the temperature of the heat source is incidental-

once it reaches a critical temperature, the temperature for the fuel to both

emit smoke and to maintain a self-sustaining fire (fuel being added as

necessary, of course) you're set. After that, you need sufficient distance

to maintain the foodstuffs at a preferred temperature. I'm sure there's a

formula, but the folks I know who use smokehouses do it by experience.

 

Most recommendations for smoking fires are for a small, hot fire, made of

fruitwood- the major difference in a smoking fire for Smithfield hams is

that corn cobs are added for flavor. What IS important, is making the fire

hot enough that there isn't _too much_ smoke- otherwise, you might as  

well dip the foods in creosote, and be done with it.

 

Part of the reason for the long, slow smoking is to give the flavoring

elements an opportunity to penetrate the meat fibers. If you notice, most

foods which are hot-smoked have the flavor on the outside, whereas properly

cool-smoked foods have the flavor throughout- and I'm not just talking  

the salt from the preparatory brine soak.

 

Fires are funny things- they may _start_ at a certain minimum temperature,

but differences in fuel and air input can make wide differences in the

amount of heat they put out. As an example, coal generally burns hotter than

wood or charcoal, all things being equal. During my pilgrimages with my

forge this summer, the most frequently asked question I got from people

visiting my forge, was if my preferred fuel, charcoal, would get hot enough

to weld. Not only was I welding on that fire, but my usual method of

disposing of little bits of scrap steel, useless for any application, was to

throw it into the fire and burn it up, thus avoiding leaving trash  

around at my sites.

 

The difference between the fire most of you use on your barbecues, and my

barbecue-with-an-attitude (as I called it, to relieve the minds of nervous

autocrats and site owners) is that I was forcing air into the fire, and

increasing the temps from about 500 f to about 2000 f. And, of course, I had

them all bewildered when simultaneously heating my coffee pot over the fire

without burning it ;-)

 

Incidently, as Adamantius was mentioning smoking jalepenos to make them

chipotles- that's another cool-smoke method, intended for preservation,

although, obviously, it takes much less time to smoke a few peppers than an

entire ham. The reason chipotles are smoked is because of their fleshy

nature. Most hot peppers are fairly thin fleshed, and can be easily

sun-dried. Chipotles, however, because of their thicker flesh can't be,

without risking molds and such invading them during the drying period.

 

Saint Phlip,

CoDoLDS

 

 

Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2003 09:33:53 -0400

From: "Avraham haRofeh of Sudentur" <goldbergr1 at cox.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: smoking meat

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

> What happens with a cool smoker is that the smoky wood burns, yes, but aside

> from and below the foods to be cool smoked. It's quite possible to enter one

> and check on the foods- it's warm, but not terribly warm- just hold your

> breath. A properly set up smoker has the drafts set up so that the smoke

> cools before it contacts the foods being smoked. If the smoke ISN'T cooled,

> the whole thing would burn down, since most are made of cheap wood on a

> cinderblock base.

 

Alton Brown suggests a two-chamber setup for a cold smoker, with the firebox

set to one side, and connected to the smokebox with vent ducting and a small

fan. http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season5/EA1E12.htm

 

Avraham

 

*******************************************************

Reb Avraham haRofeh of Sudentur

      (mka Randy Goldberg MD)

 

 

Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 04:42:56 -0400

From: James May <james.may at mchsi.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoked fish and meat--questions

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

>>   How about the commercially packaged smoked salmon?

> Any experience on how long it keeps without refrigeration?

I've bought it at Sam's club, in a wooden case, that had been

In the store for months with no ill effects.

 

Jehan Yves

 

 

Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2003 23:29:22 -0400

From: "Christine Seelye-King" <kingstaste at mindspring.com>

Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Smoked fish and meat--questions

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

  I had some smoked salmon jerky that was shelf-stable and kept for a couple

of years (we ate most of it right away, then it got put away and forgotten

for a while.  When we found it again, it was still fine). I just threw it

away, but because I love you guys, I just went and dug it out of the  

trash.

:)

The package reads:

SnackMasters California Style Natural Salmon Jerky - Hickory smoked flavor

Added. Sliced from solid fillets of salmon 97% Fat Free.

Ingredients: Solid Fillet of Salmon, Worcestershire Sauce (water, corn

syrup, vinegar, molasses, hydrolyzed soybean dna wheat protein, salt,

caramel, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, tumeric, flavors), Soy

Sauce (water, wheat, soybean, salt), water, Liquid Smoke, Honey, Vinegar,

Pepper (black), garlic powder, spices.

 

For additional information please write or call:

SNACKMASTERS

P.O. Box 70

Ceres, CA 95307

(209)537-9770

 

Christianna

 

 

Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 17:45:56 +0000

From: "Olwen the Odd" <olwentheodd at hotmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smokehouses

To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

 

> I am in the process of reorganizing my backyard.  I can get access to

> limestone/granite stones and would like to build a small medieval-like

> smokeouse.

> Has anyone seen any pictures or diagrams somewhere on the net?

> Kateryn de Develyn

> Barony of Coeur d'Ennui

> Kingdom of Calontir

 

Look here for one example:

http://www.foteviken.se/engelsk/art_english/e_viking_art17e.htm

 

 

Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 06:27:36 -0500

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"

        <adamantius.magister at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoking

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Also sprach David Friedman:

> Have you, or anyone here, experimented with smoking as a method of

> preservation? Nowadays it seems to be mostly just for flavor--and

> you specified putting your sausages in the freezer. It would be very

> nice if we could use it as one more way of solving the problem of

> having food at Pennsic without a cooler.

 

This is a conjectural response, but I'm sure it would work if done

right. The typical one-two-three punch often dealt to spoilage when

curing and smoking foods is that salt (and sometimes sugar) retards

certain bacteria growth, a reduced moisture level (drying is

frequently a byproduct of smoking, or smokeless drying can be used

independently, as with prosciutto and hard salamis) also retards

bacteria and mold growth, while both pepper and the various tars and

creosote associated with smoking retard insect infestation (well,

what did you expect when you hang your ham or sausage up in a cave or

a dark, unsecure shed?).

 

So, that said, I've never cured, smoked and dried a food for long

preservation without expecting to use refrigeration, but the

technology is, and has been for centuries, out there. The process for

making, say, Smithfield Ham, which is salted, treated with pepper

(I'm pretty sure), and cold-smoked/dried until it has lost at least

30% of its weight in water mass, is pretty much designed to keep a

meat product free of bacteria, molds, and maggots, and the process

pretty clearly works. On the other hand, I don't think even that

process was tailor-made for working in the kind of temperatures

commonly found at Pennsic. I think rancidity of fats might become an

issue, but probably some of the really skinny dried sausages, such as

Polska kabanosy (a specific kielbasa variant which is thin and

generally eaten fairly dry, and looking a little like a Slim Jim, and

a.k.a. a TV Kielabasa), or some of the North African merguez

variants, which are both lean and well-dried in finished form, might

work well. Maybe some kind of bastourma (a cured beef product which

appears to be the Turkish ancestor of pastrami) would work for

Pennsic conditions.  I know I've brought kabanosy to events like the

Southern Region War Camp in Eisental -- not quite as warm as Pennsic,

nor as high up, but not that far from it -- and kept them for up to

48 hours without refrigeration and no ill effects after eating them.

I'm sure they would keep for longer, but for how much longer, I don't

know.

 

Overall, I think a region's conditions cause the predominant

preservation method to evolve in a certain way. Northern Europe,

whose ambient air temperatures rarely get much higher than the 80's

Fahrenheit, also has/had enough lumber or other ignitable plant

matter (including peat, turf, straw, etc.) to make smoking a natural

product of both need and expedience. Desert climates which might lack

the kinds of fuels used in smoking might also lack some of the insect

life that makes such smoking necessary. Yes, I know there are flies

and maggots in the desert, but still.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 16:18:35 -0500

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"

        <adamantius.magister at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoking frozen meat

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Also sprach MD Smith:

> I scored an 8.68 at  picnic shoulder of pork at the market this

> morning. It's currently in the deep freezer - which is warmer than

> today's outside temperature.

> Can this thing be thawed and cold smoked, or should it be hot

> smoked? This won't happen until April or May at the earliest.

 

I'd hot-smoke it, treat it like barbecue or pernil al horno... I'm

not sure how the water-loss brought on by freezing and thawing will

affect its ability to remain fresh in the smoke, if you cold-smoked

it.

 

Adamantius, on a big pernil al horno kick lately...

 

 

Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2005 22:14:53 -0500

From: "Denise Wolff" <scadian at hotmail.com>

Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] smoking sausages inyour fireplace

To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

 

> From: Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com>

> Andrea,

> I'd be interested in more details about how you managed to smoke your

> sausages in your fireplace. I know that this was done in period, but most

> fireplaces these days are built as ornaments and "atmosphere". Not

> something so utilitarian as cooking or food smoking.

> Did you have to modify or add anything to your fireplace to do this?  How

> did you keep the rest of the house from smelling like a smokehouse?  What

> kinds of wood did you use? Or are you referring to an outside fireplace

> rather than one inside your living room?

> Stefan

 

Well. It should be said that I'm a bit crazy.. (see previous notes from me).

I often cook in my inside fireplace for experiments. My previous house had a

fireplace I used, but this new house has a better one.

 

I have a medium to large size  stone fireplace (Adirondack/Dutch cottage

style - I live in a heavily Dutch colonial area in the Hudson Valley of New

York). The fireplace dominates the living room. It has a clearance of about 3

and 1/2 feet high with a depth about 3 feet and width about four feet.  It

has a stone floor with a red ceramic tile floor front ( to drag out coal

ash). It draws well, so there was little smoke in the house.

 

I have the pleasure of a deeply wooded area next door and a previous tenant

who left a mountain of good old apple wood to burn. I built the fire on one

side of the fireplace and placed the sausages on a rack at the other end. I

enclosed the sausages on three sides with metal trays to keep in the smoke,

while allowing the smoke out the back (and up the chimney instead of into

the house). I built the fire in small amounts and worked for coals to

smolder. I added wood as the coals died out keeping the fire to smolder

level... no bright flame. I kept this up for 10 hours.

 

I will say that when I was done, all I could smell on me was smoke, but the

sausages turned out quite wonderful. I can't wait to share them next week.

 

I have an old picture of me cooking in front of the previous fireplace, and

I took some yesterday of my experiment (I don't have digital though, it  

will be a while before I get them posted)

 

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sca-authenticcooks/vwp?.dir=/Andrea+Attempts+Medieval+Mindset+Cooking&;.src=gr&.dnm=Cooking+in+my+fireplace.jpg&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.groups.yahoo.com/roup/sca-authenticcooks/lst%3f%26.dir=/Andrea%2bAttempts%2bMedieval%2bMindset%2bCooking%26.src=gr%26.view=t

 

It was alot of fun, and I learned I could do it. It felt really cool to  do it the way our ancestors did it.

 

Andrea MacIntyre

 

 

Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 11:52:15 -0700

From: "Dan Brewer" <danqualman at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] preparing foods at tourney side over

        braziers-OT

To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Some information on smoking fish

Dan in Auburn

 

Parasites In Fish

Freshwater and marine fish naturally contain many parasites. These parasites

are killed during the hot-smoking process, if the temperature reaches 140F.

Use commercially frozen fish for cold-smoked fish and lox, or freeze the

fish to -10F for at least 7 days to kill any parasites that may be present.

Freezing to -10?F is not possible in most home freezers.

 

Smoking Tips

Any fish can be smoked, but species high in fat (oil) such as salmon and

trout are recommended because they absorb smoke faster and have better

texture than lean fish, which tend to be dry and tough after smoking.

 

Use seasoned non-resinous woods: hickory, oak, apple, maple, birch, beech,

or alder. Avoid: pine, fir, spruce, etc. or green woods. If heavier smoke

flavor is desired, add moist sawdust to the heat source throughout the

smoking process.

 

Control heat by adjusting air flow.

 

Control temperature:

 

   * Hot-smoking--90?F for the first 2 hours; 150?F for remaining smoking time

   * Cold-smoking--80-90?F for 1-5 days or more

   * Lox--70-80?F for 1-3 days

 

Preparing Fish For Smoking

Use only freshly-caught fish that have been kept clean and cold. Fish that

have been handled carelessly or stored under improper conditions will not

produce a satisfactory finished product. Do not use bruised, broken, or

otherwise damaged flesh.

 

If you catch your fish, clean and pack them in ice before starting home.

When you get home, store the fish in the refrigerator until you are ready to

prepare them for smoking.

 

Different fish species generally require specific preparation methods.

Salmon are split (backbone removed); bottom fish filleted; herring headed

and gutted, and smelt dressed. The following preparation steps can be

applied to any fish:

 

   1. Remove scales by scraping against the grain with the dull edge of a

knife.

   2. Remove head, fins, tail, viscera.

   3. Wash body cavity with running cold water to remove all traces of blood

and kidney tissue (dark red mass along the backbone).

   4. Split the fish by cutting through the rib bones along the length of

one side of the backbone.

   5. For large fish, remove the backbone by cutting along the other side of

the backbone to produce two fillets or boneless sides. For small fish, the

backbone can be left attached to one of the sides.

   6. Cut the sides of large fish into uniform pieces about 1 1/2 inches thick

and 2 inches wide. Small fish halves can be brined and smoked in one  

piece.

 

Preparing Brine

Prepare a brine of 3? cups table salt in 1 gallon of cold water in a

plastic, stainless steel, or crockery container. Red or white wine can be

substituted for a portion or all of the water, if desired. Stir the salt

until a saturated solution is formed.

 

Spices such as black pepper, bay leaves, seafood seasoning, or garlic, as

well as brown sugar, may be added to the brine depending on your preference.

 

Use 1 gallon of brine for every 4 pounds of fish. Brine fish in the

refrigerator, if possible.

 

Keep the fish covered with brine throughout the brining period. A heavy bowl

can be floated on the brine to keep the fish submersed, but do not pack the

fish so tightly that the brine cannot circulate around each piece.

 

Cold-Smoking

 

   1. To cold-smoke fish, follow steps 1-6 under "Preparing Fish for Smoking."

   2. Brine ?-inch-thick fillets for ? hour; 1-inch-thick fillets for 1

hour; and 1?-inch-thick fillets for 2 hours. Brining times can be lengthened

if the cold-smoked fish are to be preserved for long periods of time.

   3. After brining, rinse the fish briefly in cold running water.

   4. Place the fish skin-side down on greased racks in a cool shady, breezy

place to dry. The fish should dry for 2 to 3 hours or until a shiny skin or

pellicle has formed on the surface. A fan will speed pellicle formation.

   5. Place the fish in a homemade or commercial smoker. The temperature of

the smoker should be kept at about 80?F, and should never exceed 90F. If a

thermometer is not available, the temperature may be tested by hand.  If the

air in the smoke-house feels distinctly warm, the temperature is too high.

   6. Smoke the fish until its surface is an even brown. Small fish that are

to be kept 2 weeks or less may be ready in 24 hours. Salmon and other large

fish will require 3 to 4 days and nights of steady smoking. To store longer

than 2 weeks, smoke all fish a minimum of five days; for larger fish, at

least a week or longer.

   7. The smoker should not produce a lot of smoke during the first 8 to 12

hours if the total curing time is 24 hours, or for the first 24 hours if the

curing time is longer. When the first part of the smoking ends, build up a

dense smoke and maintain it for the balance of the cure.

   8. If cold-smoked fish has been brined for at least 2 hours and smoked

for at least 5 days, it will keep in the refrigerator for several months.

 

Lox

Lox is similar to cold-smoked salmon, but is moist, lightly salted and

lightly smoked. Much practice and experience are needed to prepare

satisfactory lox. The appropriate length of brining and smoking to produce

lox that suit one's taste is determined mainly through trial. Lox can be

prepared following the instructions for cold-smoking with the following

modifications:

 

   * Smoke at 70-80?F for 1 to 3 days (temperatures above 80?F will cook

the fish).

   * To give a sheen to the surface of lox, rub with vegetable oil after

the smoking is completed.

   * In the refrigerator, lox will keep for 1 to 2 weeks. It will keep

longer, if frozen.

 

Hot-Smoking

 

   1. To hot-smoke fish, follow steps 1-6 under "Preparing Fish for Smoking."

   2. Brine ?-inch-thick fillets for about 15 minutes, 1-inch-thick pieces

about 30 minutes, and 1?-inch-thick pieces about 1 hour. Brining times can

be adjusted to give the fish a lighter or heavier cure.

   3. After brining, rinse the fish briefly in cold running water.

   4. Place the fish skin-side down on greased racks in a cool, shady,

breezy place to dry. The fish should dry for 2 to 3 hours or until a shiny

skin or pellicle forms on the surface. The pellicle seals the surface and

prevents loss of natural juices during smoking. A fan will speed pellicle

formation.

   5. Place the fish in a homemade or commercial smoker. For the first 2

hours, the temperature should not exceed 90?F. This completes the pellicle

formation and develops brown coloring.

   6. After the initial 2-hour period, raise the temperature to 150F and

smoke the fish for an additional 4 to 8 hours. The length of time will

depend on the thickness of the fish, and on your preference for dry or moist

smoked fish. Generally, ?-inch-thick pieces are smoked for 4 hours,

1-inch-thick pieces for 6 hours, and 1?-inch-thick pieces for 8 hours.

   7. Store hot-smoked fish in the refrigerator. Freeze hot-smoked fish if

it will be stored longer than a few days.

 

The authors are Robert J. Price, Ph.D., Extension Seafood Technology

Specialist and Pamela Tom, M.Sc., Staff Research Associate Department of

Food Science & Technology, University of California, Davis, California

95616-8598

 

Honey-Cured Smoked Salmon

 

   * 1 quart water

   * 1/2 cup salt

   * 3/4 cup honey

   * 1/4 cup golden rum

   * 1/4 cup lemon juice

   * 10 cloves

   * 10 allspice berries

   * 1 bay leaf

      1 large fillet of salmon

 

Combine all the ingredients besides the salmon to make the brine.

Place the salmon, skin side up, in a non-reactive dish and cover with

brining liquid. Allow fish to brine for 2 hours.

Rinse the salmon in fresh water and pat dry with paper towels.

Place salmon on a drying rack (or grill rack that you will use to smoke the

salmon on) and allow to air dry for about 1 hour.

Smoke salmon skin side down for about 1 1/2 hours, keeping temperature at

160 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 

Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 23:10:49 -0700 (PDT)

From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] smokers was preparing foods

To: hlaislinn at earthlink.net, Cooks within the SCA

        <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

--- Stephanie Ross <hlaislinn at earthlink.net> wrote:

> I have a traditional smoker that I don't know how to use. It belonged to my

> mother who is now in a nursing home. I don't think she quite has the

> capacity to tell me how to use it. It's a shame for it to sit and rust

> away. Does anyone know how to use it to smoke meat? It is shaped like a

> cylinder with a dome roof, a door in the side, and two enamel bowls  

> that fit inside it somehow.

> ~Aislinn~

 

That sounds very similar to my smoker.  Does she still have the racks for it?

Is there a temperature gauge on the dome?

 

If it is like mine, the bigger enamel bowl is were you put the hot coals and on

those hot coals you put your wet wood chips to create the aromatic smoke.  The

other smaller enamel bowl is for water, which helps keep the direct heat from the meat and also create some steam that keeps the meat from drying out.  

The door should be where you can keep track of the coals and put in more wood  

chips.

 

Any good smoking cookbook on the subject can help you with how to use  

your smoker.

 

Huette

 

Here are a few:

 

Smoke cooking / [editor, Jan Miller].

1st ed.

Des Moines, Iowa : Better Homes and Gardens Books, c2001.

96 p. : col. ill. ; 27 cm.

ISBN: 0696213567

 

Anderson, Warren R.

Mastering the craft of smoking food / Warren R. Anderson.

Springfield, NJ : Burford Books, 2006.

ISBN: 1580801358

 

Black, Maggie. [Yes, That Maggie Black]

Smoking food at home / Maggie Black.

Newton Abbot ; North Pomfret, Vt. : David & Charles, c1985.

176 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.

ISBN: 0715384848

 

Jamison, Cheryl Alters.

Sublime smoke : bold new flavors inspired by the old art of barbecue /

Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison ; [illustrations by Paul  

Hoffman].

Boston, Mass. : Harvard Common Press, c1996.

vii, 392 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

ISBN: 1558321063

1558321071 (pbk.)

 

Langer, Richard W.

Where there?s smoke there?s flavor : real barbecue--the tastier alternative

to grilling / by Richard W. Langer ; illustrations by Susan McNeill.

Expanded ed.

Boston : Little, Brown, c2001.

ix, 272 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

ISBN: 0316513377

 

Park, Lue.

The smoked-foods cookbook : how to flavor, cure, and prepare savory  

meats, game, fish, nuts, and cheese / Lue & Ed Park.

1st ed.

Harrisburg, PA : Stackpole Books, c1992.

216 p. ; 24 cm.

ISBN: 0811701166

 

 

Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2006 00:34:54 -0700 (PDT)

From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] smoked fish was preparing foods tourney side

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

> On the other thread:  the heating method may differ but the timing and

> result should be the same, whether live coals, propane or an  

> electric coil warm the wood chips.  Yes, no, maybe?

> Selene

 

As for smokers, I have the charcoal type and Etienne had an electric  one, when we smoked ducks for the Viking banquet.  We did all the ducks in the two  smokers. Several batches. The electric one needed less tending, but didn't smoke  nearly as much as the charcoal one, even though we used exactly the same amount of wood chips.  But the charcoal needed replenishing during the smoking.  All we had to do was chuck in more charcoal, through the door.  Both needed to have more chips added from time to time. And the water in the electric one boiled away faster, even though they both were at the same temperature...  From the amount of smoke that came out of mine, I would say that the charcoal was the better smoker, but the electric one probably was cheaper, because you didn't have to buy charcoal.  And you didn't have to check to make sure there was still enough heat. I haven't used a propane smoker, so I don't know about them.

 

Huette

 

 

Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2006 11:36:15 -0600

From: "Georgia Foster" <jo_foster81 at hotmail.com>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] smoked fish

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

Works best with fresh-caught-through-the-ice fish

 

I generally use apple wood chips.  I add some sliced apple to the chips, and

a clove and a cinnamon stick.  Soak the chips, fruit and spice for about an

hour or so.  Set up the smoker.  add the smoke blend to the pan and smoke

fillets of 1/2 inch thickness for 20-30 min.  I use Mackinaw Trout when I

can get it because Rainbow flesh is too soft.  Bake the smoke fillets for

another 20 min just to make sure they are done through.  This ensures the

fish is done, but without overpowering the fish flavor with smoke  

flavor.

 

Malkin

 

 

Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:22:51 -0700

From: Susan Fox <selene at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] speaking of smokers...wood?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Barbara Dodge wrote:

> I recently had a branch fall from the pecan tree in my backyard.  Does

> anyone know of any special processes I should take into  

> consideration before turning it into chips for smoking purposes?

> Felicia

 

Make sure it is not poisonous or otherwise un-tasty.  Fruit and nut

woods are the usual preference.  I got a ton of plum and mulberry

branches in my parents' yard I need to use!  Oh but you said it was

pecan, so that's just fine.

 

Hack it up into small bits, the size of average human fingers or

smaller. Sawdust itself will do admirably, just don't mound it on so

heavily that your coals are smothered.

 

Soak in water and go to it!  I have also heard of soaking the

smoking-wood in beer and such.

 

Selene

 

 

Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 21:37:29 -0400

From: "grizly" <grizly at mindspring.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] speaking of smokers...wood?

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

-----Original Message-----

>>>> Should the chips be dried first rather than using the "green" wood? I don't

think the branch was quite dead yet.  We've had a few wind storms in the

area, and I think that that is what brought the branch down.

 

Felicia < < < < < < <

 

Green wood might actually smoke a lot more (smolder more before burning),

and give a little more residue due to the resins, ergo more flavors.  So,

you can use green wood, and you get to decide your personal emotional

sensitivity to the carcinogens issue . . . mine is nearly non-existent since

there are so many other nasties around that are far more insidious than a

little pecan smoke.

 

niccolo difrancesco

 

 

Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 00:03:10 -0400

From: "Saint Phlip" <phlip at 99main.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoked Meats in Northern Europe

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

On 10/8/06, David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com> wrote:

> Reluctantly shifting the thread from fat chipmunks back to smoked  

> meat ...  .

 

Oh dear, and here I was hoping for a recipe for smoked chipmunks ;-)

 

> Does anyone here have experience with using smoking of meat and fish

> for reasonably long term preservation? My impression is that the

> smoked meat and fish commonly sold uses the smoking mainly for flavor

> and still requires refrigeration. Are there good sources for fish and

> meat that doesn't, and so would help solve the problem of managing

> Pennsic and other long events without a cooler?

> --

> David/Cariadoc

> www.daviddfriedman.com

 

Since last we discussed this, I've been reading and looking around. I think

I have an adequate plan for a smoker that would do the job, that you

could make yourself fairly easily, so you could smoke whatever you

wanted. The reason I'm thinking this would be your best bet, is

because the only commercially smoked item I'm aware of is the

Smithfoeld Ham, and somehow, I think that might conflict with your

persona ;-)

 

Now, forgive me for going over what we discussed last time around, but

I'm repeating because I figure there are new folks on the List, and

I'd like them to be on the same page as the rest of us.

 

The more usual commercial smoking is actually a cooking process,

designed to add flavor to the meat, as you mentioned. It's a hot

temperature process, usually running about 200 degrees or higher. What

you want for preservation smoking is cool smoking, usually in the 80

to 100 degree range (I'm using Fahrenheit, btw). In order to make a

smoker, you need a box with hooks to hold the meat at the top, and

possibly grill type shelves, so that the smoke can reach all parts of

the surface of the meat you're cooking.

 

You then need a firepit, perhaps a closed barbecue grill, that you can

cut a hole in for the hose to lead from the firebox to the box. And,

you need a hose (I'm thinking dryer hose would work fine) to get the

smoke from the firepit to the smoke box. A couple of thermometers, one

at the top, the other at the bottom, would let you make sure you've

got your temps right.

 

Basicly, the idea is to start your fire in the firepit, throw your

smoking wood (well soaked) on top, and adjust the length of your hose

until the smoke going into the box keeps the temp where you want it,

and let 'er rip. If you use a fire, obviously you'll hafta tend it.

You do need, however, an outlet in the box, but if you set it up

right, it'll work like a chimney draft. I intend to make one here-

once I have it done, I'll show you pictures.

 

Things to keep in mind is that the box needs to be fairly high in the

air, with the firebox on the ground, for a good draft, and the meat

would need to be well brined before you do this. And, if you can sorta

see in the drawing, the firebox needs to be offset from directly under

the food box, with the hose at a 45 degree angle for a good draft.

Also, IIRC, you're in Southern California, and you'd need to keep it

shaded.

 

The one I improvised at Pennsic, by using my big soup pot and putting

it over the fire with the apple wood in the bottom of the pot worked

very well, but the temps were too high for cold smoking, so I've been

planning since how to distance the heat from the food and still get

plenty of smoke. Simple gates in the hose and the upper vent should do

a good job of ventilation control.

 

Whole thing should be much cheaper than the commercial ones I gave you

the URLs to, and a lot more fun ;-)

--

Saint Phlip

 

 

Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2007 11:21:54 -0500

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] 12th Night 2007 Stories

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

On Jan 7, 2007, at 10:14 AM, ranvaig at columbus.rr.com wrote:

 

> If everything you ate was a little too smoky, perhaps you wouldn't

> enjoy it quite as much.

> Ranvaig

 

Bingo. Among other things, see Gervase Markham's remarks on

carbonadoes, to the effect that only losers cook their steaks over

fires (sorry, I've been hanging out with my kid too much lately),

which allow fat to drip onto the flames and coals, and smoke, (non-

losers apparently cook their carbonadoes in front of the fire on an

inclined gridiron) plus instructions about baking things wrapped in

paper to protect them from the ashes and smoke, in both Markham,

Elinor Fettiplace's receipt book, etc.

 

Of course, one might argue Brian Boru is removed from these sources

by several centuries, but if you depend on a wood-burning fire for

cooking, the problem is potentially endemic, and the solutions are

common sense... the real question is whether you see it as a problem.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:34:37 -0400

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] OT/OOP Oven Smoker Bags???

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Has anyone heard of or used these?

 

Apparently it is a disposable, reinforced foil bag with a partition

for some kind of wood chips or sawdust, and another for the food you

want to [hot] smoke. It all gets sealed and placed in a hot oven.

 

Basically, a disposable version of those small stovetop smoking pans.

Clearly not intended for a whole brisket for eight to twelve hours,

but perhaps not as inherently pointless as a lot of the potlatch

cooking equipment out there today.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Sat, 30 May 2009 19:18:41 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoker was: Bread Questions

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Might I suggest taking a look at Harold McGee's volume On Food and Cooking.

He goes into the limitations of smoking and the bibliography suggests a

number of sources that offer good follow-up advice.

 

Johnnae

 

David Friedman wrote:

<<< Have you experimented with smoking as a method of preservation,

rather than only flavoring? I've wondered if it would be a useful way

of having meat at Pennsic without a cooler. >>>

 

 

Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 06:54:23 -0700 (PDT)

From: Louise Smithson <helewyse at yahoo.com>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] Smoking for preservation: was Smoker

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

David/Cariadoc wrote:

<<< Have you experimented with smoking as a method of preservation,

rather than only flavoring? I've wondered if it would be a useful way

of having meat at Pennsic without a cooler. >>>

 

I haven't personally, but my apprentice has (and does). He has taken chicken, beef, pork all to pennsic, hung them up in his shade fly then eaten them later. He also has a period food preservation class on his website.

http://giles.freehostia.com/pantry.htm

 

Helewyse

I can direct queries to him as he is not on this list.

 

 

Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 22:33:37 -0400

From: Daniel Schneider <macbrighid at campus.ie>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoker

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

The thing to remember about preservative smoking is that it's aimed at

insects, not microbes.We did a fair amount of smoking at Sturbridge, and as

I recall (CAVEAT: this was about ten years ago, so I may be off on some of

the details), food that was cured by dry salting would be hung in *cool*

smoke to have a layer of smoke residue (we used corn cobs) laid down on the

surface, to keep bugs from laying eggs in the meat. It's possible that the

smoke *may* have had some effect in pulling any residual moisture from the

meat, but considering thefact that the meat would have been buried in salt

for several weeks previously, I wouldn't think there would have been much

residual moisture in the first place... The biggest problem I'd forsee with

using a modern smoker would be keeping the meat from getting too warm. We'd

do the smoking in the late fall, and we'd try to keep the temp inside the

smokehouse about the same as the ambient air temp: The smokehouse was about

the size of a single-occupant outhouse, with the meat hung near the roof,

and the smoke coming from corncobs smouldering in a (approx)3-quart iron

kettle on the floor. I'm not sure how you'd be able to get the low

temps with a small modern smoker

 

Dan

 

 

Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 02:03:02 -0400

From: Sharon Palmer <ranvaig at columbus.rr.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoked and Pickled: Sources and Recipes?

 

<<< A third approach is smoking. One can get hard

sausages that keep without refrigeration,

although most of them have pork, making them

unsuited to my (muslim) persona. Does anyone

have sources for smoked meat or fish that will

keep? Most modern smoked food seems to be smoked

only for flavor, and not enough for preservation. >>>

 

This recipe from Rumpolt that describe smoking

meat to be kept.  (Several others describe

smoking meat that is then cooked/served

immediately).

 

Ochsen 11. Smoked stuffed tongue. Take a raw

Tongue and cut the meat out from the Skin/ slice

meat of the ox/ that is not fat/ also Pig meat

that is well softened (cooked to jelly?)/ one so

much as the other nicely small/ and that no water

comes in/ grind salt in a mortar/ and beat a

little pepper/ and take twice so much salt as

pepper/ and rub it with the hands/ before you it

stuff/ put it then into the tongues/ and tie it

tightly/ dont hang it in the chimney/ but in

smoke where no heat comes/ let it hang in there a

week or four/ like this the inside is nicely red/

and keep it for a year or two/ put not make in

summer but instead in the winter when it is cold.

And when you wish to eat it/ then let boil an

hour or two/ pull out/ and let become cold/ and

when you it wish to slice it/ then pull the skin

off/ as then you will see if you filled it firmly

or not. If you it filled that it so that it is

firm so let it be sliced/ if it is not hard/ then

give it whole on a table/ like this it is a good

meal.

 

Rumpolt also mentions these smoked foods, but doesn't give directions:

bacon (Speck), meat (Fleisch), goose (Gaen?),

sturgeon (Stoer) , capon, pork (Sp?nsaw), venison

tongue (Hirsch Zungen.), pork sausage (Schweinen

W?rst.), salmon (Salm), pheasant (Fasan), tongue

(Zung, beef (Rindtfleisch), veal (Kalbfleisch),

calves feet (K?lbernfue?), mutton feet (Fue? von

dem Hammel), rabbit (K?niglein), trout (Foren).

pike liver (Hechten Leber), pike (Hecht), carp

(Karpffen), lamprey eel (Neunaugen), mutton

(Hammelfleisch), chicken (Hennen), turnips

(Stickelruben), whitefish (Renken)

 

Ranvaig

 

<the end>



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