Often, when people talk about smoking meat, we need to specify whether it is cold, warm, or hot-smoked. This will often dictate whether you need to cure the meat or not. After studying, teaching, and learning about cured and smoking meats, this article will dive into what I have learned and how it can be effectively categorized. Curing meat before …
Wood Types for Smoking Cured Meats
I’ve used about 15 different kinds of wood to smoke-cured meats. Often, I’ve found it easier to categorize wood used for smoking into light, medium, and intense flavors. The best woods for smoking-cured meats are often found locally in abundance and sustainable. Local, Non-resin-filled, deciduous wood is often the best wood for smoking cured meats. This has been evident for …
Cured and Hot Smoked Trout Recipe
I want to dive deep into what I’ve learnt and also about tips and tricks on how to cure and hot smoke trout at home or when you are outdoors. I’ve been curing and smoking trout for 25 years, as well as, catching probably over a thousand trout across New Zealand. The odd one also in Scotland when living on …
Can you Cure Meat with Just Smoke?
Curing and Smoking is often seen as a similar or the same process and are often related or depending on the recipe. However, the question is – is smoking meat a type of curing? Let’s get into this in detail! I have cured all different types of meat whether it’s red meat or different types of fish. For some things …
Different Cuts and Meat to Use for Making Bacon
Pork is the main type of meat you can use for bacon, however, there are many different meats and styles with various cuts, let’s go into some detail and explore the options. I have been making bacon from farmed and wild meat for over 20 years. I have used many different methods and styles, basically every style there is I …
Difference Between Sausages and Salami (Not That Simple)
The difference between sausages and salami comes down to how extended the process is, in essence, all salami were sausages at some point during the process. To really explain this properly, I am going to define what sausages are, as well as salami. To give some insight into the subtle and not-so-subtle variations. I have been making, crafting, and eating …
4 Ways to Smoke Bacon (Even Without a Smoker)
I thought it would be helpful to write about the main different ways and methods you can use to get smoked bacon, as I’ve started structuring my masterclass in bacon making. You can choose a variety of ways and equipment, depending on what set-up you currently have. To be hopefully helpful, I will include a method to create smoked bacon, …
The Online ‘Every Bacon Style’ Course
Bacon-making at home can be done in many ways, I am putting together an online course that will show you literally every way possible that I know and have learned over 20 years. I’ve noticed online content has a massive variation in how bacon is made, also there is confusion over the ways you make it. Showcasing it has a …
How to Cure Ham so it’s Not Salty
The question is – how to avoid the ham being too salty; because after brine curing or wet brining the ham you want the result to be perfect. Buying a big chunk of ham or using a precious piece from a pig you’ve reared – it’s a beautiful thing! It should not be too salty to be enjoyed. This blog …
Does Cured Meat Need to be Cooked?
Because cured meats come in many different types and variations, whether you have to cook them or not depends on a few things. Meat curing has fascinated me for a long time. I’ve gone across Europe (especially Italy) purely to savor the types of cured meats they have there. For example, Calabrian Njuda (a spreadable pork sausage, or Parma from …
How Does Meat Cure?
The meaning of cured meat seems like a pretty simple question, but due to the variations and different types of cured meat, I want to discuss it in more detail. For instance, some cured meats, like dry-cured meats, are ready-to-eat, like prosciutto or dry-cured picante salami. Then, on the other hand, you have dry-cured cold smoked bacon, which is, of …
How to Smoke Bacon With a Pellet Tube Smoker
Using a pellet grill for smoking bacon is pretty straightforward when using a pellet tube smoker. However, there are some key points that I’ve learned over the years that can help make things easier and more straightforward. Of course, like most things, experience and going through the learning curve is part of the process. The bacon we normally eat at …
Why Does my Bacon Taste Like Ham?
Bacon can definitely taste like ham, and there is one main reason why this happens. It comes down to the technique that’s used to make the bacon. I’ve been making bacon and ham for nearly 20 years and have tried many different techniques. Hams come in many varieties, and so does bacon! But the main reason is this one below: …
Do you Need Curing Salt to Make Bacon?
Adding curing salt to your bacon is one of those things that many new meat curers ask. It’s also a question that often comes up on this resource site, so I thought I would share many years of research and give you some facts about it. I’ll go into it, how I do it, and how I approach it. I …
5 Ways to Cook a Trout on the Campfire (Methods)
I love fishing, catching, and cooking trout on an open campfire, either at home in the backyard or in the bush. After 20 years of cooking and smoking trout, I’ve used so many ways you could try any of these of course. I’ve tried many ways, and I’ll review each below. Summary Whether it’s a piece of wood, pan, rack, …
Dry Curing Vs Wet Brining for Meat Curing
The two main methods of curing meat are dry curing and wet brining. I have done both methods in various ways over the years, and it will be helpful to provide explanations about how I do it. As well as which method suits different types of meat curing better. I start with a quick summary of each method and then …
Smokai Cold & Hot Smoke Generator Video & Review
Being a super keen guy on curing and smoking all kinds of stuff, I’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours smoking over the years (not just meat, either). As I’ve learned many of the ins and outs of cold smoking over 20 odd years, like everything, I’m still learning. But it’s kind of become second nature, too. Smokai is …
Difference Between Cured Meat vs. Smoked Meat
Cured meat and smoked meats cross over in some ways but are also different, let’s look at both in detail. While both methods offer their own unique advantages (and flavors) to meat, curing vs.smoking meat has unique properties that make them quite distinct from one another. I’ve been keen on all types for year like dry cured meats made in …
Inkbird Wifi Probe Thermometer (Honest) Review (IBBQ-4T)
The Inkbird Wifi IBBQ-4T Thermometer has a few worthy features worth highlighting. I’ve used many thermometer probes since I created content around meat curing and smoking in all its forms. What got me interested in this Wi-Fi thermometer is its simplicity (small compact, simple – hey it’s just a thermometer come on) and also I was getting some other Inkbird …
Simple Way to Smoke Trout in a Portable Smoker
Over the years, I’ve smoked hundreds of trout, & used a portable smoker in quite a few different ways. I wanted to share my ‘simplest’ way and easiest style of hot-smoking trout on a portable, simple smoker. Simple Way to Smoke Trout in A Portable Smoker I couldn’t find it online, so I thought I would post this easy-to-follow guide, …
Equipment to make Make Delicious Bacon
There are so many options when it comes to equipment for making your own delicious bacon. When I first started planning this write-up, it got a bit scary writing down all the different equipment that you could use- there are so many options! But hopefully, it helps whether you are smoking/cooking the bacon and then cutting it into nice thick …
The Most Useful Dry Curing Meat Curing Books I Have Read
Here is a helpful rundown of the best books I have found on meat curing, dry curing, and smoking food; these are books I have re-read and used as references throughout this site, the best of the best! Best Most Useful Meat Curing Books These ‘go-to books‘ are very useful for someone trying to learn dry curing and smoking; they’re …
Gift Ideas for Meat Curing & Smoking
Here are my top picks for novel suppliers to try, useful tools, and books for information or inspiration that are worth giving to someone or giving to yourself! I’ve tested many different tools and equipment over the years, and I thought it would be useful to share some of the all-time most helpful and practical equipment I have used, tested, …
Portable Smokers for Camping with Analysis
I would love to bring a portable smoker camping. I’ve checked out a lot and reckon I’ve come across the best. A fair bit of analysis went into portable smokers, and some smokers are best for different types of scenarios. As an update, I’ve now included RV camping options and expanded on what would suit different styles of camping, whether in …
How Does a Pellet Smoker Tube Work? (Smoking Guide)
How a pellet tube smoker is simple, there are quite a few different ways that you can use it, which I want to go over. I’ve had a lot of fun playing around with pellet tube smoking both cold smoking and hot smoking on various different types of smokers for 20 years. I looked around for the right type of …
Some Charcuterie Idea Recipes for Beginners (Meat Curing & Smoking)
When you start with charcuterie as a beginner it can seem overwhelming with all the variations out there, in our very online connected world (low information diet is the key I reckon). The definition of charcuterie encompasses a lot more than dry-cured meats for most people, which I guess now becomes whatever you want to highlight your charcuterie board (but …
Cold Smoked vs Hot Smoked Bacon – Which is Better?
Smoking bacon either with the cold or hot smoked method can both lead to some excellent outcomes. There are quite a few differences and remember, pretty much all the bacon you buy will be cold smoked. I have tried both hot and cold smoking using various different techniques and equipment. So I thought I would share what I’ve learned over …
How to Match & Pair Smoking Wood for Flavor to Meat
Matching wood to meat can be simple, so I like to use universal smoking wood as a first choice. I’ll explain this in detail; it’s a simple and effective method of pairing smoking wood with different types of meat. Some flavors are better suited to the more substantial types of smoking hardwood available. From my experience, I think they all …
The Delicious World of Cured Meat: Can Cured Meat be Keto
Cured meat has many forms, and keto is a diet that has some cross-over, it needs some explaining, however. I’ve been involved in keto as a lifestyle and personally tried many of the other diets and lifestyle programs. Summary Since I have a deeper understanding of cured meats than most folks, here is, hopefully, some helpful information that elaborates since …
How to Cure Wild Game Meat (Know How, Pictures & Tips)
When I first started curing wild game meat a few decades ago, I based my ideas on the techniques used for lean, dry curing, and Italian recipes. The results were fantastic! At the end of the day, meat is meat, and wild meat is generally leaner. Curing the meat allows a whole other level of appreciation from what you harvest …
Getting to Know the Main Ingredients for Curing Meat
The main ingredients for curing meats vary between the styles and methods, but one ingredient is always sea salt. I love all the different styles I have discovered for cured meat and use rivals in them at home. I’ve savored many years making recipes and using the craft of cold smoking, hot smoking, low & slow to dry curing meats. …
Steps on How to Cure Meat with Salt (with Pictures)
There are a handful of methods to cure meat with salt, I’ve studied and tried many of them. Curing meat has so many different variations; the meat curing world is infinitely much larger than Italian classic salami or salumi. This post is an overview to explain each step and how I use salt to cure meat in different ways. When …
How to Make Awesome Bacon at Home- (Variations & Guide)
After a few decades of studying and making bacon, I want to share what I’ve learned to help you discover how to make bacon with accurate salt perception so you can enjoy it exactly how you like. Key Article Points: Being a colossal bacon lover, I’ve tried several techniques and styles on making bacon at home. I have showcased below …
How to Cure Meat Before Hot Smoking (Dry & Wet Curing)
This completely depends on your interpretation of curing; some experts say it’s a salt-curing effect, and others say it’s the nitrates/nitrites added to a dry or wet/brine-curing mix. Hence, the confusion. Hot Smoking, especially cooking and baking meat until the internal temperature is cooked and safe to eat. Warm Smoking, which is in between cold smoking and hot smoking, is …
Tools & Equipment for Smoking & Grilling Meat
I get asked a fair bit what ideal gift ideas someone who loves smoking meat would want. So here is a breakdown of what I find super useful for someone who loves smoking and grilling. Sometimes you just want to know what other equipment could help bring out the best in your cooking. Tools for any Style of Meat Smoking …
Beginners Guide to Smoking Meat (Techniques & Pictures)
As a beginner, once you get your head around the basics of smoking food it just gets easier and easier. Rather than dealing with each different smoke technique, this is a beginner guide to go over all the approaches you can do at home that I have learned over the years. I’ve learned, practiced, and taught people all the different styles possible. …
Methods of Curing Meat
The different methods for curing meat date back thousands of years. Although the methods have been refined over the years, the essence of curing meat still remains the same. Dry curing and smoking meat is all about the preservation effect of salt. I researched its history and have used these methods for several decades. This site offers many articles based …
Complete Guide to Tea Wok Smoking Food
When I started smoking food in a wok with tea and wood, it was awesome to try out all kinds of flavor combinations. Because you can do this inside without a smoker, many people can give it a go. Fish fillets turned out amazing, but then I realized there were so many other options available for light smoking. So I …
How Much Does a BBQ Smoker Cost? Charcoal, Electric or Gas
I am always interested in all kinds of smokers and how much they cost. I spend too much time in the BBQ stores, that’s for sure. I’ve been to many BBQ conferences, festivals, and events. I love smokers and the flavors you get from them, with meat but also heaps of dairy and vegetables. The old kettle classics and the …
How To Smoke Salmon – 2 Methods (Quick, Easy or Slow and Subtle)
I started smoking salmon many years ago, I’ve experimented and tested many different ways over the decades, and it can be one of the tastiest basic smoking recipes that I know. Will go through all the ways to smoke salmon, which create awesome results as you will see in the pictures. I will also cover some of my favorite rub …
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