[Closed] Smoking meat - anyone done it?

I used to have a "gentleman's interest move" called smoking meat when I were a lad. 😀

Not in a rizla mind

damn you and your crushing of my bad joke dreams before i even get a chance to post.

I haven't had smoked meat in ages. I am married.

[url= http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Beef-Jerky ]http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Beef-Jerky[/url]

The internet's a wonderful thing.

Yes, but only smoked tea duck breast, it was amazing, had to do it outside on a bbq though, lot's of smoke. I assume jerky is cured aswell and then smoked over a very long period 24hrs +

@ poisonspider - interesting, so jerky is just dried

Cheers poisonspider, good link, but was thinking of doing something smoked as well and most of the links i've found seem to be aimed towards American red necks preserving things that they shot, was wondering if anyone had any personal experience.

My gran and her boyfriend do it all the time - dead easy - so long as you have a smoke box.

Make sure the wood's properly dry and cook it plenty (I think the last smoked duck we had was in there for a good 6 hours, maybe longer).

[img] [/img]

there's some good stuff in Hugh Fernle-Hair's MEAT book on smoking.

Ive smoked fish, cheese and sausages and had a go at making salt beef (didnt go very well 🙁 )

Not tried jerky, but do remember being fascinated by a bit of TV where Ainsley Harriet was back in the west indies and they showed some jerky being made on a huge smouldering wooden thing that was like a sacrificial bed...

[img] [/img]

(My Apologies 😳 )

you can make jerky/biltong with a wooden box & a 60watt light bulb!

Mr Richard's is the man with the skills, he's been threatening to release shedfire jerky on the world for too long!

i hot-smoked salmon on the (gas) barbie last year. took about 6 hours and was a right faff but it was bloody lovely. Maybe thats because it was midnight and i hadn't eaten, but i thought it was good..

the key it seems to to get the temp right and keep it there and make sure you dont run out of smoke. sounds easy but quite hard in reality.

Mr Richard's is the man with the skills, he's been threatening to release shedfire jerky on the world for too long!

He told me he'd dried meat in a fan oven on the lowest setting, with the door propped open.

I used to smoke fish, that was lovely. A smoke box, some pine or whatever wood you can source, food, patience. Beer helps a lot (lots of beer help even more).
Although, if you have [i]wood[/i] and [i]get smoked[/i], you'll be smiling without a box.

Mike I think you're correct, I also seem to remember him doing something with seals? 😀

had to do it outside on a bbq though,

that's hot smoking. cold smoking is more labour intensive but worth it.
my parents used to have a smoker, it was about the size of an outside privvy.
they used to do herring to make bloaters, eels or salmon. the results were fantastic and if i had the time and space i would look at building a smoker. things like salmon take a long time and would mean 2-3 'smoke sessions. you need good sawdust too from non resinous wood so oak or ash.

you have to brine to stuff beforehand. they also made salt beef but the brine solution was different and they had to get that from the butchers.

i wouldn't bother with those hot smoker tin things.

the tin smoker is the one Ive used and had good results with the cheese and sausages. (good sawdust is vital though - I sometimes use the chainsaw to make some 😉 ) The smoked trout is effectively cooked but it's great for salads, its not like a smoked salmon. And If I want to cure a salmon I make gravadlax instead anyway, I much prefer it and it's faster and easier.

An interesting method of doing salmon I heard was to nail a side to a plank of wood, sat on end in a dish in the fire place. Gently cooked in the heat of the fireplace and basted with the fat that runs down the flank into the dish...

i made jerky the other week, it came out pretty good although a little too salty. the initial salting should only be for a short period.

other items i make on a semi regular basis are, gravlax, salt beef, ham, dry cured bacon and a cheats pastrami (i need to slow roast it with smoked paprika to get a similar effect to smoking).

when i return to the UK my intention is to make some sort of cold smoker. hmmm might put some beef in a brine this weekend.