Smoking (cooking) 52995 225827417 2008-07-15T16:13:00Z 70.112.17.96 /* Hot smoking and cold smoking */ {{Nofootnotes|date=August 2007}} {{Cookbook|Smoking}} '''Smoking''' is the process of [[seasoning|flavoring]], [[cooking]], or [[food preservation|preserving]] [[food]] by exposing it to the [[smoke]] from burning or smoldering plant materials, most often [[wood]]. [[Meat]]s and [[fish]] are the most common smoked foods, though [[cheese]]s, [[vegetable]]s, and ingredients used to make [[beverage]]s such as [[whisky]],<ref>McGee p. 767: "Malt whiskies from Scotland's west coast have a unique, smoky flavor that comes from the use of peat fire for drying the malt."</ref> [[Rauchbier]], and [[lapsang souchong]] [[tea]] are also smoked. [[Image:Porksmoke1.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Pork ribs being smoked.]] In [[Europe]], [[alder]]wood is the traditional smoking wood, but [[oak]] is more often used now, and [[beech]] to a lesser extent.<!--Lesser extent than oak, or alder??? --> In [[North America]], [[hickory]], [[mesquite]], oak, [[pecan]], alder, [[maple]], and fruit-tree woods such as [[apple]], [[cherry]] and [[plum]] are commonly used for smoking. Other fuels besides wood can also be employed, sometimes with the addition of flavoring ingredients. Chinese [[tea]]-smoking uses a mixture of uncooked [[rice]], [[sugar]], and [[tea]], heated at the base of a [[wok]]. Some North American [[ham]] and [[bacon]] makers smoke their products over burning [[corncob]]s. [[Peat]] is burned to dry and smoke the [[barley]] [[malt]] used to make [[whisky]] and some [[beer]]s. Historically, farms in the western world included a small building termed the ''smokehouse'' where meats could be smoked and stored. This was generally well-separated from other buildings both because of the fire danger and because of the smoke emanations. The [[buccan]] is a smoking device used by some [[Native Americans in the United States|aboriginal Americans]]. ==Hot smoking, smoke-roasting and cold smoking== '''"Hot smoking"''' exposes the foods to smoke and heat in a controlled environment. Although we often reheat or cook foods that have been hot smoked, they are typically safe to eat without further cooking. [[Hams]] and [[ham hocks]] are fully cooked once they are properly smoked. Hot smoking Occurs within the range of 165°F/74°C to 185°F/85°C. Within this temperature range, foods are fully cooked, moist, and flavorful. If the smoker is allowed to get hotter than 185°F, the foods will shrink excessively, buckle, or even split. Smoking at hight temperatures also reduces yield, as both moisture and fat are "cooked" away. '''"Smoke-roasting"''' refers to any process that has the attributes of both roasting and smoking. This smoking method is sometimes referred to as "barbecuing" or "pit-roasting". It may be done in a smoke-roaster, closed wood-fired oven or barbecue pit, any smoker that can reach above 250°F/121°C, or in a conventional oven (one you don't mind having smokey all the time) by placing a pan filled with hardwood chips on the floor of the oven so the chips smolder and produce a smokebath. '''"Cold smoking"''' can be used as a flavor enhancer for items such as [[pork chops]], [[beef steaks]], [[chicken breasts]], and [[sacallops]]. The item can be cold-smoked for a short-period, just long enough to give a touch of flavor. Such foods are ready to be finished to order by such cooking methods as grilling, sauteing, baking, and roasting, or they may be hot smoked to the appropriate doneness for an even deeper smoked flacor. Smokehouse temperatures for cold smoking should be maintained below 100°F/38°C. In this temperature range, foods take on a rich, smokey flavor, develop a deep mahogany color, and tend to retain a relatively moist texture. They are not cooked as a result of the smoking process, however. ==Wood smoke== [[Hardwood]]s are made up mostly of three materials: [[cellulose]], [[hemicellulose]], and [[lignin]]. Cellulose and hemicellulose are the basic structural material of the wood [[cell (biology)|cell]]s; lignin acts as a kind of cell-bonding glue. Some [[softwood]]s &mdash; especially [[pine]]s and [[fir]]s &mdash; hold significant quantities of [[resin]], which produces a harsh-tasting soot when burned. Because of this, these woods are generally not used for smoking. Cellulose and hemicellulose are aggregate [[sugar#Chemistry|sugar]] molecules; when burnt, they effectively [[Caramelization|caramelize]], producing sweet, flowery, and fruity aromas. Lignin, a highly complex arrangement of intelocked [[phenols|phenolic]] molecules, also produces a number of distinctive aromatic elements when burnt, including smoky, spicy, and pungent compounds like [[guaiacol]], [[phenol]], and [[syringol]], and sweeter scents like the [[vanilla]]-scented [[vanillin]] and [[clove]]-like [[isoeugenol]]. Guaiacol is the phenolic compound most responsible for the "smokey" taste, while syringol is the primary contributor to smokey aroma. (Hui 512) Wood also contains small quantities of [[protein]]s, which contribute roasted flavors. Many of the odor compounds in wood smoke, especially the phenolic compounds, are unstable, dissipating after a few weeks or months. A number of wood smoke compounds act as preservatives. Phenol and other phenolic compounds in wood smoke are both [[antioxidant]]s, which slow [[rancidification]] of animal fats, and antimicrobials, which slow bacterial growth. Other antimicrobials in wood smoke include [[formaldehyde]], [[acetic acid]], and other organic acids, which give wood smoke a low [[pH]] &mdash; about 2.5. Some of these compounds are toxic to people as well, and may have health effects in the quantities found in cooking applications. The compounds best demonstrated to have long-term health consequences are the [[polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon]]s, or PAHs, many of which are known or suspected [[carcinogen]]s. Hotter wood fires make more PAHs; hot-burning [[mesquite]] produces twice as much as cooler-burning [[hickory]]. Since different species of tree have different ratios of components, various types of wood do impart a different flavor to food. Another important factor is the temperature at which the wood burns. High-temperature fires see the flavor molecules broken down further into unpleasant or flavorless compounds. The optimal conditions for smoke flavor are low, smoldering temperatures between 570 and 750 °F (300&ndash;400 °C). This is the temperature of the burning wood itself, not of the smoking environment, which sees much lower temperatures. Woods that are high in lignin content tend to burn hot; to keep them smoldering requires restricted [[oxygen]] supplies or a high moisture content. When smoking using wood chips or chunks, the combustion temperature is often lowered by soaking the pieces in water before placing them on a fire. ==Preservation== [[Image:Kipper.JPG|left|thumb|180px|Salted and smoked ([[kipper]]ed) [[herring]].]] Smoke is a decent antimicrobial and antioxidant, but smoke alone is insufficient for preserving food in practice. The main problem is that the smoke compounds adhere only to the outer surfaces of the food; smoke doesn't actually penetrate far into meat or fish. In modern times, almost all smoking is carried out for its flavor (see also [[liquid smoke]]), not its preservative qualities. In the past, smoking was a useful preservation tool, in combination with other techniques, most commonly [[Curing (food preservation)|salt-curing]] or [[drying (food)|drying]]. For some long-smoked foods, the smoking time also served to dry the food. Drying, curing, or other techniques can render the interior of foods inhospitable to bacterial life, while the smoking gives the vulnerable exterior surfaces an extra layer of protection. For oily fish, smoking is especially useful, as its antioxidant properties delay surface fat [[rancidification]]. (Interior fat isn't as exposed to [[oxygen]], which is what causes rancidity.) Some heavily salted, long-smoked fish can keep without refrigeration for weeks or months. Such heavily-preserved foods usually required a treatment such as boiling in fresh water to make them palatable before eating. ==Some smoked foods and drinks== <!-- Sorry about the list. Hopefully it's an interim thing to better organize the thoughts here, before converting to prose. --> [[Image:Pastrami.png|right|thumb|190px|Slices of [[Pastrami]], a smoked and cured beef product.]] * [[Fish]] ** [[Lox]] ** [[Smoked salmon]] ** [[Kipper]]s ** [[Arbroath Smokies]] (haddock) * Many [[pork]] products are cured and smoked ** [[Ham]] ** [[Bacon]] * [[Pastrami]], pickled, spiced and smoked [[beef]] [[brisket]] * Various [[sausage]]s * Traditionally-prepared [[jerky (food)|jerky]] * The [[malt]] used to make [[whisky]] * [[Rauchbier]] * [[Lapsang souchong]] [[tea]] leaves are smoked and dried over pine or cedar fires * [[Prunes]], which are dried [[plums]], can be obtained through smoking *''Wumei'' are smoked [[ume]] fruit * [[Chipotle]]s are smoked [[jalapeño]] [[chili pepper|pepper]]s * [[Smoked Cheese]]s, such as smoked [[gouda (cheese)|gouda]] * [[Smoked salt]] * [[Paprika|Smoked paprika]] ==Other home food preservation methods== {{cookbook|Smoking}} * [[Pickling]] * [[Canning]] * [[Drying (food)]] {{Cooking Techniques}} ==References== *{{cite book | author=McGee, Harold | title=On Food and Cooking (Revised Edition) | publisher=Scribner | year=2004 | id=ISBN 0-684-80001-2}} pp 448-450, "Wood Smoke and Charred Wood" *{{cite book | author=Hui, Y.H. | title=Meat Science and Applications | publisher=Marcel Dekker | year=2001 | id=ISBN }} ==Notes== <references/> ==External links== * [http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/cure_smoke.html National Center for Home Food Preservation - How Do I...Cure & Smoke] * [http://www.mexican-barbecue-recipes.com/smoked-fish_wiki.html Smoked Fish from A to Z] [[Category:Cooking techniques]] [[Category:Food preservation]] [[Category:Smoke]] [[Category:Garde manger]] [[cs:Uzení]] [[de:Räuchern]] [[es:Ahumado]] [[eo:Fumaĵado]] [[fr:Fumage]] [[is:Reyking]] [[he:עישון מזון]] [[lb:Reez]] [[nl:Roken (voedsel)]] [[ja:燻製]] [[no:Røyking (mat)]] [[nn:Røyking]] [[pl:Wędzenie]] [[pt:Defumar]] [[ru:Копчение]] [[fi:Savustus]] [[sv:Rökning (matlagning)]] [[tr:Tütsüleme]] [[zh:熏]]