When you smoke cold, the temperature in the grill should not exceed 25 degrees – so it is best to cold smoke in the fall, winter or spring when the temperature outside is low. There is a wide choice of products that can be cold smoked; fish, pork, beef, veal, poultry, sausage, and game, as well as some cheeses, vegetables, salt, and more. The most popular cold smoking ingredients are; pork fillet, bacon, salmon and halibut. The smoking process can vary from a few hours to a maximum of 3 weeks, depending on the product and the desired smoke intensity.
Fishermen and others who like fresh fish are usually well acquainted with cold smoking. Smoking has been used for generations mainly by fishermen to dry the fish and protect it from rancidity and bacteria. The smoke is usually not enough to preserve the food 100%, which is why the smoke is combined with other preservatives such as salting and drying. It is recommended that cold smoked fish be frozen at a maximum temperature of -20°C for at least 24 hours before use. Raw fish can contain parasites, which can lead to illness if eaten. The parasites will die if you freeze the fish according to the instructions.
Good hygiene is especially important when you smoke cold, as the temperature of the meat should not exceed 25 degrees. Therefore, remember to wash all kitchen utensils thoroughly with washing-up liquid and boiling water, both before and after use. It is also important that you only use fresh ingredients that have been kept for cooling. Regular hand washing is absolutely necessary.
Salt the product using one of two salting methods:dry or brine salting. Salting method, mixing ratio and salting time are listed in the recipe.
Dry salting (for fish, small pieces of pork and poultry)
Make the salt mixture from salt, sugar and one spice. Rub and coat the meat with the mixture.
Brine salts (larger cuts of pork, beef, veal, lamb and poultry)
Bring salt dissolved in water and soak the meat.
To both mixtures sugar is added for taste reasons and to maintain the tenderness of the meat.
Tip: Use coarse salt – not table salt, which is usually fortified with chemicals.
After salting, rinse the salt mixture well under running water before letting the meat dry. Let the meat dry for a few hours or several days, or hang it up, depending on the recipe. You can dry the meat in the fridge or outside in the grill, if the outside temperature does not rise above 5 degrees. During drying, the meat develops a slightly greasy surface to which the smoke adheres well and thus gives a very good taste.
Place a thick layer of shavings in the cold smoker so that it is completely full. Light and place the meat on the grid. The valves on the charcoal grill should be open – but if it's windy, you can close the top lid almost completely. The smoke will simmer for 8-10 hours – fill the cold smoker with more smoke chips if needed.
Tips: Use a wireless thermometer if you want to monitor the temperature in the grill - this will prevent you from opening and closing the lid too much. If the temperature in the grill rises above 25 degrees, you can place a water bowl with ice cubes to lower the temperature. If the temperature is too low, you can light a briquette and place it in the grill.
900 g fish (salmon or halibut)
Herb mixture
1 dl salt
½ dl sugar
1-2 sprigs tarragon
Equipment:Cold smoker, smoke curls and grill pan for fish
Clean the fish. Cut it into six slices of about 150 g. Crush the sprigs of tarragon and mix them with salt and sugar. Sprinkle the salt mixture over the fish and make sure the whole fish is covered. Let it cool with the salt mixture for 8-12 hours, until the fish is firmly seated in the meat. Place the fish on the fish pan before placing it on the grill.
Fill the cold smoke mold completely with smoke chips and light the chips.
Place the cold smoke mold on the grill under the fish. Close all valves on the grill again almost completely. Let it smoke for about 10 hours.
