Tuesday 16 November 2010

Thanksgiving/ Christmas meal on the ProQ Excel

Christmas is approaching fast, why not do your Christmas meal on your BBQ?
Watch the video to see how we did it a couple of years ago...

ProQ™ Eco Smoker

This has to be the easiest and most cost effective way to cold smoke food at home.
If you love foods such as smoked cheese, smoked bacon, smoked salmon, kedgeree, you'll love this product! It is without a doubt the cheapest and easiest way to cold smoke at home.
It can also be used for smoking your own garlic, chillies and salt. Although it is made from cardboard, it will last a long time (just remember it won't last very long if you get it wet).


Smoked Foods

There are 2 types of smoking, Hot and Cold. These processes are 2 completely different methods for preparing food. Hot smoking cooks the food, whilst Cold smoking is a part of the process designed to cure food that will, in most cases, be cooked at a later stage. No one can be sure of when it all started, but it was probably discovered, by accident, sometime during the Stone Age. In the case of Hot Smoking, you can imagine a group of hunters bringing meat back to their cave and hanging it above the fire they used for warmth. Cold Smoking/ Curing may have been discovered in this manner... picture freshly caught sea fish, being filleted on site and then left to soak in a rock pool for a few hours, before being returned to the cave where it was hung further away from the fire, possibly nearer to the roof, where the smoke gathered. In both scenarios, man might have been pleased with the resulting flavour (he may even have been given a hearty smack on the back, known as a pat, from the people sharing the meal, to show their approval). He may have also noticed, in the case of the fish, that the food lasted a lot longer, without spoiling. As with most men, he more than likely got impatient, whilst waiting for his meal and ended up by first moving the meat closer to the fire (Barbecuing) and finally, by throwing meat directly onto the fire (Grilling).