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 …
What Does Cold Smoked Mean? (Sausage, Bacon, Cheese Yum!)
The meaning of cold smoked has really changed in our modern commercial times, with a focus on flavor – hey that’s a good thing I think. Cold smoking is an ancient form of preservation and nowadays a way of flavoring instead of preservation – since we now have modern refrigeration to take care of our foods. Cold Smoked experimentation seems …
How Long Does it Take to Cold Smoke – Meat, Vegetables & Cheese
The time it takes to cold smoke, will, of course, depend on how much smoke flavor you want and what food your cold smoking. I have experimented using a whole bunch of different food types and kit. So I thought I would quickly give a rundown below on cold smoked meat, vegetables, cheese & of course bacon times. I recently …
How Much are Cold Smokers? Easiest & Thrifty Equipment
It’s actually quite surprising how cheap a basic cold smoking setup is, There are some variables for cold smoking, but generally, doing it at home is easy. Hopefully, I can highlight the best options depending on what you want to cold smoke and where you are on the cold-smoking journey. I started cold smoking about 15 years ago, talking to …
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 …
Is Salami Ready to Eat? ( Uncured, Genoa & Beef Salami)
I’ve made every variation of salami and some are ready to eat, however, it’s after the salami is in a dried state that this happens. For any salami you buy it should definitely be ready to eat. Ready-to-eat salami is found all over the world, but there are some variations that I thought need to be clarified. It seems a …
Does Cold Smoking Preserve Food? (How Does it Work?)
Cold smoking food is a passion, the preserving effects on the food I have experienced first hand for quite a few different foods. It’s been amazing cold smoking various meats and also different types of dairy & vegetables. It’s one of those questions that so many people ask when I tell them about cured meat, “is it cold smoked?”. Dry …
The Delicious World of Cured Meat, but is Cured Meat 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. Since I have a deeper understanding of cured meats than most folks, here is, hopefully, some helpful information that elaborates since cured …
What is Dry Cured Meat? Dry Cured Bacon, Ham, Sausage
One of my passions is dry curing meat it an old craft that can create amazing results, I get asked a lot about what is dry curing meat, many people think it has something to do with smoked meat. Sometimes it does get smoked, most of the time it doesn’t, depending on the recipe and outcomes one desires. Traditionally, dry-curing …
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 …
How To Cure Meat to Make Jerky & Biltong (with Pictures)
Jerky and biltong are similar in some ways, whilst also being different. I want to highlight how I do both methods in detail. I don’t often buy much red meat; I use a lot of venison and other red meats, which I harvest and cure to make cured meats, and I definitely love making jerky and biltong. I’ve made dozens …
Getting to Know the Main Ingredients for Curing Meat
The main ingredients for curing meats vary between the different styles and methods, but one ingredient is always present 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 …
Methods 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 …
What is Salt Pork (How to Make it & Use it) – with Pictures
Salt pork is a form of cured meat, originally used for long term preservation before refrigration. In the sailor & prairie days, salt pork was very popular, I love to make and use it because it’s easy and tasty. It’s a simple recipe which you can do at home with really just sea salt. You can definitely give it some …
How to Cure Meat at Home – Complete Illustrated Guide
Curing meat at home can be done in various ways, the result can be fantastic and you don’t need elaborate equipment. It is a mixture of craft, skill, patience, and using your senses. In some ways, it is more than just following a recipe. I wanted to create a resource that was useful for someone new to the glorious world …
How to Choose a Meat Slicer for Thin Cuts (with Pictures)
Choosing the right meat slicer took me some time, I did a lot of research and found a few pitfalls. So I thought that I would share some info to help avoid getting the wrong piece of kit. The day I bought a proper meat slicer for cured meats, I got so excited over my first wafer-thin piece of dry-cured …
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. Being a huge bacon lover, I’ve tried quite a few techniques and styles on how to make bacon at home. I have showcased …
How to Cure Meat Before Hot Smoking (Dry & Wet Curing)
Most of the time when you hot smoke meat you want to cure it first to get teh most out it. It’s easy and doesn’t take much effort. Curing the meat before will mean you can hold more moisture and get more flavor from the smoke. This is what I call ‘fast’ hot smoking, low & slow BBQ 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. I guess sometimes you just want to know what other equipment could help bring out the best in your cooking. Depends on what you have …
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. …