Wednesday 10 June 2009

Cold smoking.


I'm a fan of smoked cheese, but have always struggled to create cold smoke for long enough periods, without buying expensive equipment... most I ever achieved was about 1 hour, which is ok for some things, like garlic, but way to little if you want to make smoked bacon or salmon (smoked cheese usually takes about 2 hours).
This got me thinking (not always a good idea) that there must be a way to produce smoke, without creating heat, for a much longer time period and several months later I am almost there.
Initial tests on the "ProQ Cold Smoke Generator", produces smoke for around 7 hours using just 120g of wood dust. This device will work in just about every BBQ/ smoker, as long as it has a lid.
Patent has been applied for and is "pending" on the design and as soon as I can, I will post more details.
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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).