Smoking meat.

[husker77c]

So I just read an article about a guy building a backyard smoke house.   I thought we could open a discussion about smoking meat.  Not smoking for a BBQ but smoking for longer term storage.   I've been thinking a lot lately about grid down scenarios (happens when I'm laid off with too much time on my hands). I'm probably going to buy some hard copy books on preservation but figured I'd see what people thought here. 

In the article the guy built an outhouse looking building with a firebox a few feet away from the main structure.  He ran the chimney to structure so there would be very little heat other than the smoke affecting the meat. 

How is this for longer term storage. Not talking years but you could smoke a deer and have it last at least a few weeks I would think.


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[Nate]

slow down a sec here.  because what you are wanting to talk about is a VERY VERY broad subject.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_(cooking)

the smoke process you described above is called "cold smoking".  you use cold smoke to basically impart flavor (because it should never reach above 100deg F) and not as an actual preservation technique.  a lot of folks use this technique on cheese and fish.

now the other thing that you talked about above was preserving meat for long term storage.  there are several methods for this and you will have to have 1 of if not all three of the following.  cure #1, Cure#2 and curing salt (mortons tender quick).  please keep in mind that these 3 things are completely different and cannot be substituted for the other. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_salt

the 3 basic meat preservation techniques are

1. dehydration - think jerkey

2. canning - canned meats like tuna, chicken etc

3. charcuterie - think summer sausage, pepperoni etc

so where would you like to start?

[husker77c]

Lets start with #1.

Dehydration with no electricity.  I've always wanted to build a solar dehydrator for veggies.  Can the same technique be applied to meat?


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[Farmer Jon]

When I think smoking meat I think a pork loin or a hunk of beef to eat now not preserve. With the smoker I am building now I should be able to do that. We have not worked on it a couple months and wont probably get it done until later this winter.

[Nate]

so here are a few links (because I do not want to re-invent the wheel) on meat drying. 

this is a bit long, but the information contained in this one document is more than I have seen in one place in a long time, and it covers just about any sort of technique you can/could think of. 

http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai407e/AI407E18.htm

here are 2 videos that I have found of people making jerky.  #1 is with alton brown, #2 is using a weber smokey mountain smoker.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3JetOoEngs

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhF65Op1l1s

the next link is a box fan method.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Box-Fan-Jerky/

and just for good measure, here is the main link to the meat processing information I posted above.  this is an actual book.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC BANGKOK, 2007

http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai407e/AI407E00.htm#Contents