Kitchen Essential

Dry salting and other methods

In addition to the strong brines which I favour for use in most of my own smoking and curing operations, and the sweet pickle brine already described for use during other processes, I will also outline alternative brining methods and seasoning techniques, and dry salting methods for fish curing which you may prefer since dry salting removes more water from the fish during the curing process than does brining. The smoking process can then be shortened, as the fish only needs to make half the total required weight loss during actual smoking as the other half has already been lost during dry salting. Continue Reading »

Salmon farming in Scotland has become a new industry. Farmed salmon are excellent to eat but muscle tone is flaccid compared to wild fish, which continually exercise their bodies in the normal course of their existence. Farmed salmon may tear under their own weight when hung, so it is recommended that the fillets are smoked flat on wire racks.

The ribs can either be left intact until the sides are smoked, or can be removed at this stage by taking them out along with a thin layer of flesh. I favour the former course in the case of frozen salmon, as I believe the less the sides are disturbed before smoking the better, to avoid damage. Continue Reading »

Some time ago, I had a commercial association with a North Country farmer who, as an expanding sideline, had a smoked food business, supplying many first-class hotels, mainly in the western half of the country. He did not process smoked foods himself but had it custom smoked for him by people like myself. He was particularly keen to put smoked beef on the market — what type or how processed, he did not specify. The idea was left in abeyance for some time, as in any case I was fairly well occupied in smoking ducks, quail and pheasants for him, and it was not until the matter of smoked beef was raised by a first-class butcher of my acquaintance, who had enjoyed my smoked quail, that I pursued the matter further. Continue Reading »

The herring, which of course is what the kipper is before it is processed, is seldom the quarry of the sea angler in Britain. The Swedes and the Norwegians traditionally fish for herrings with hand lines from small boats at the mouths of their fjords, often making good catches, particularly when night fishing. Nevertheless, although as a British home smoker you are unlikely to catch your own herrings, if you live close to a port where these fish are landed, you may well decide to smoke your own kippers. If so, you will be able to make certain that you only obtain the freshest of fish. Continue Reading »

Shrimps can either be cold smoked whole or as peeled meats. For the former method, the shrimps should have the heads removed and are then washed and drained for 30 minutes. They are then brined for 30 - 60 minutes (according to preference) in 40% brine (1 lb 3 oz salt to 1 gallon water), then boiled in the brine or in plain water, again according to taste, for 30 minutes. The shrimps are then allowed to air dry on racks for 2 hours.

Smoking

The shrimps are then placed in the kiln and smoking is carried out for 1 - 1¹/2 hours at a temperature of 80^° F. The yield of smoked meats after shelling is approximately 36% of the whole raw shrimp weight. Continue Reading »

Ham is thicker than bacon, so penetration by either sweet pickle or dry cure takes longer: 3 days per lb should be allowed. If the brine cure is used, it is a good idea to inj_ectaround the bone with the brine pump before the ham i_stotally immersed in the pickle, after which it should be tur_nedevery 2 days and the brine must be stirred. The rule applies about temperature as in all protracted cures, namely that it is far safer to keep it around 35^° F. After the curing period, the ham should be washed and hung up to drain at a: and 38° F for 48 hours. Continue Reading »

There are three varieties of quail in Britain. There is the European quail which occasionally spends the summer and early autumn here, sometimes breeding successfully before migrating back to the continent before winter sets in. For many years, even before the Protection of Birds Act came into being, the quail has been a completely protected bird in Britain, which is no bad thing considering the persecution they suffer at the hands of our French and Italian neighbours. Continue Reading »

The Scottish town of Arbroath is famous for two things: the Declaration of Arbroath, when the King of the Scots and hissubjects told the King of England exactly what he could do with himself, and Arbroath smokies. These are manufactured from small haddock or whiting which have had their heads removed and their guts pulled out along with the head, the bellies being left intact. They are tied together in pairs by their tails and can thus be suspended over rods for smoking.

Traditionally, smokies were smoked in barrels set over fires and the final product had a dark, tarry appearance which cannot be achieved in modern mechanical kilns. Continue Reading »

The idea that it might be a feasible proposition to smoke pheasants was entirely my own. I am not a fisherman myself but I do shoot and cc^-isequently have a fair quantity of game through my hands every season.

We are quite fond of pheasants, but after a time we become tired of them. My wife has managed to purloin a recipe from the daughter of one of the hereditary Scottish clan chiefs, which involves doing a roast pheasant up, off the bone, with cream, garlic and button mushrooms and serving the result on a bed of savoury rice. Continue Reading »

Razor clams should first be steamed for 10 minutes to open them. The meats should be shaken out and the clams should be cleaned by removing the stomachs and splitting open the necks. They should then be washed and cut into sections. The clams should be soaked in 60% brine (1 lb 14 oz salt to 1 gallon of water) for 5 minutes, then rinsed in cold water and drained on racks for 15 minutes. Continue Reading »

Red and roe venison can, for all practical purposes, be dealt with together. The treatment is identical, the only differenc_es being in brining and cooking times on account of the differences in size and weight. Only the haunches and saddles are suitable for smoking as the more frontal areas have n_ot sufficient depth of flesh; in fact the saddle of a roe has only just enough depth of flesh to render smoking a viable proposition.

Venison should have hung a minimum of 1 week before brining, but on no account should it be allowed to go ‘high’. A haunch of roe will require brining for 3 hours in 80% brine, a saddle of roe 2 hours, whereas a haunch of red deer will require 6 hours in the brine and a saddle from the same animal will need 31/2 hours in the pickle. I am assuming that the red deer venison will come from ordinary hill beasts, and it is surely a matter of commonsense that a haunch from one of those monsters from Thetford Chase would require considerably longer in the brine. Continue Reading »

Woodcock are something of a delicacy at any time. They are not normally obtainable in any significant numbers and, roasted on toast in the traditional manner, are appreciated by sportsmen gourmets.

However, I can thoroughly recommend smoked woodcock, and one or two can easily be smoked alongside other species, such as pheasants or quail. When in good condition the woodcock is a fat, moist bird and will retain a good proportion of moisture during smoking. Continue Reading »

Hamburgers

Equal quantities of good quality beef and pork should be minced and bound with egg yolk and basic seasoning to form cakes. These should be placed on a wire rack, with a dripping tin underneath, in a smoke oven pre-heated to 200 - 225^° F. There should be plenty of dense smoke as the hamburgers will only be in the oven for about 30 minutes. They can either be left in the same position for the whole process, or can be turned halfway through. Continue Reading »

Cold smoked trout

Many anglers fish lakes and reservoirs for large trout, usually rainbows. These fish are sometimes less than prime specimens. I am no expert on marine biology but under some conditions it would appear that the fish wish to spawn but are unable to do so. They produce normal quantities of spawn and milt, which as it is not utilized is absorbed into the system again. The fish turn an unpleasant colour and the actual flesh tends to turn pale, so the best possible destination for this type is the inside of a cold smoking kiln. Needless to say, prime fish, as always, will produce a superior finished product, particularly in appearance but this is still the best method to utilize poorer quality trout. Continue Reading »