Smoking meat traces its origins way back to the prehistoric era. People resorted to this curing technique long before electricity and refrigeration were discovered. Smoking is done to preserve protein-rich foods like meats after the animal is slaughtered and before it reaches spoilage. Therefore, its longevity is lengthened and shelf life is preserved. In smoking, water is drained. That is why the growth of bacteria that causes spoilage is minimized. Men in the early ages also discovered a very good preservative to complement smoking – salt! The meat is immersed in brine or simply a salt-and-water solution for a long period of time so it can properly absorb the liquid preservative. But as a mental note, it is important to keep meats in a cool place while in this state to allow the curing process to properly take place. The smoking process results in a drier and saltier product but with an improved taste, look, and flavour. People from long ago never realized the vulnerability of raw meat as a thriving ground for bacteria, molds, and other harmful microbes. They just thought of smoking and curing as ways to preserve their meat supply after days of hunting. Nowadays, smoking is an important process in enjoying regional cuisines.
There are two basic methods of smoking: the cold smoking and the hot smoking. In cold smoking, the meat is preserved longer while hot smoking is more ideal for home consumption. The cooking temperature range matters a lot in cold smoking. It is usually set at 80°F to 100°F and takes about four hours to four days smoking time. This is the case if larger quantities of meat are smoked and varies with what type of meat is used. But this smoking method is not reliable during summer days because the surrounding atmosphere is likely higher in temperature than what the smoke actually produces. Consequently, cold smoking is ideal in winter months. A typical setup of this method is where the fire is made in a separate medium and smoke is transferred through a pipe where controlling the temperature is more convenient. Charcoals are considered the best source of fire for this because it can be lighted one coal at a time. Therefore, temperature is more regulated.
Hot smoking is not advisable for curing and smoking of large chunks of meat that need to be stored for a much longer period of time. It is the most common method of smoking used. The meat is exposed to continuous smoking at a higher temperature range between 113°F to 131°F. But the temperature is raised higher in the last stages of hot smoking and ranges from 167°F to 194°F.
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