Kitchen Essential

The traditional smoked foods of Britain and Europe are not normally eaten straight from the smoker. In all cases it is usual to allow the food to ‘mature’ for at least 24 hours after smoking, so that the best possible flavour can be enjoyed. Hot smoked foods are almost invariably eaten cold, as are some cold smoked delicacies such as salmon, cod roes and fillets of beef. Others, like kippers, cold smoked mackerel or finnan haddocks, not to mention ordinary smoked bacon, are cooked before eating, but even these products are not used straight from the smoker.

Almost unknown, then, in Britain and Europe, but common enough in America, are the smoke roasting processes, in which meat or fowl is seasoned and slow roast in a smoky atmosphere at temperatures normally between 200° F and 225° F but never over 250^° F. Higher temperatures are likely to case harden the meat, leaving the interior underdone, so the process must never be hurried by using higher temperatures than those recommended. When smoke roasting, the oven should always be pre-heated to the required temperature so that the meat begins to cook right away. The smaller the pieces of meat, the quicker they will cook but they will also tend to dry unless care is taken: after seasoning (see below), they should be well coated in olive or vegetable oil, or have pieces of fat bacon laid over them. Any type of hot smoking oven is suitable for smoke roasting, but an interesting piece of equipment which is very convenient and easy to use is the wheelbarrow smoker.

A steel wheelbarrow should have a 4-in. layer of sand or small stones put in the bottom. An oven grid is supported by bricks or concrete blocks, to stand about 1 ft above the bed of sand; better still is a specially constructed barbecue grid standing on its own legs. A charcoal fire is lit under the grid, and, when glowing well, sawdust is placed at one end of the coals to provide smoke, but not in such quantity that the charcoal is covered and therefore unable to give off sufficient heat to cook the meat. The fish or meat, well oiled, should be laid on the grid, and a sheet of aluminium foil formed into a cone-shaped cover which is then fitted around the grid to cover the food. A few holes should be made near the point of the cone to allow steam and smoke to escape.

According to wind and weather conditions, it may be necessary to build a shield of tin or bricks around the grid to conserve the heat and to prevent the smoke being blown away by a strong wind. Halfway through the cooking process, the cone should be temporarily removed and the meat or fish turned to ensure even cooking.

Basic seasoning for smoke roast meat

31/2 lb salt

8 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons onion salt

4 tablespoons celery salt

2 tablespoons garlic salt

4 tablespoons paprika

8 tablespoons black pepper

8 tablespoons white pepper 4 tablespoons crushed dill

Steaks

Four cuts of steak are normally used for quick cooking: rump, sirloin, fillet and T-bone. The latter, as the name implies, is left on the bone, and in effect is simply a cross section cut from a piece of sirloin on the bone but with the flap or ’skirt’ piece removed, as this is too tough for quick cooking.

Fillet is very tender, even when it comes from sub-standard animals, and cooks very quickly. Rump is the most solid- textured of all, and must come from a young animal if it is to cook reasonably quickly. Cooking times for sirloin or T-bone steaks fall some way between those for rump and fillet. They should be rubbed well with basic seasoning half an hour before cooking, then have oil applied immediately before being placed in the pre-heated smoke oven or on the wheelbarrow grid. Fifteen to 30 minutes is usually sufficient, depending on the cut of steak.

Spareribs

Spareribs should first be cold smoked for 12 hours before cooking. Bacon spareribs are already salted and cured, but pork spareribs should be soaked in 80% brine for 30 minutes, air dried for 12 hours, then smoked. Alternatively, they can be well rubbed with basic seasoning instead of being brined. A large batch of spareribs can be cold smoked and deep frozen for future use. The spareribs should be smoke roast at 250° F until crisp, and should be turned occasionally.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Smoke roasting

• The Kitchen Store Cupboard: Herbs, spices, flavourings, colourings and decorations continue...
• Kitchen Essentials AND Utensils Part 1
• Smoked woodcock
• Smoked quail
• The Ultimate Kitchen Planner Part 2 (Appliance)
• THE ABC OF COOKWARE Part 3
• Bonfire Night a bright festive tea party
• THE Perfect Kitchen Layout (Major Traffic Position)
• Spice up your Kitchen with Colour (Compact & Rero)
• Look my grandma’s smokers part 3

Trackback URI | Comments RSS