COLD SMOKING THE RAW MEAT FIRST

[Paul Carder]

Folks, I’ve had my SmokinTex model 1400 for almost 5 years now, and one of the things I love about it is it’s cold smoke function. I am making my first attempt at Pancetta. I’m following the UMAi video and recipe. The only difference was that I cold smoked the raw side pork in my SmokinTex with apple wood first before the 2 week curing process. When the 2 week curing process was over, it still had a great smoked aroma. It’s now been in the UMAi bag for a week. When it’s dried down, I’ll let you know how it turns out. If you want that smoke flavor in your Coppa, Bresola, or any of the dry cured sausages, cold smoke the raw meat first. Also after you dry age your New York Strips or Ribeyes, cold smoke the steaks before you freeze them. That way, you’ll get a great wood smoke flavor even on a gas grill.

[Jim]

That is an outstanding idea. The smoke stays in the bag and doesn’t make the fridge smell overly smokey. Can you smell any smoke in the fridge?
We have been wanting to try this for a while.

[Bob]

The smoke will definitely add flavor!

However the meat should be cured first and then smoked.

Smoking at temperatures lower than 170f puts you in the DANGER zone as that creates ideal conditions for the growth of Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

Curing with nitrates will prevent this, (food poisoning known as botulism). :cheer:

http://www.meatsandsausages.com/meat-smoking

[Paul Carder]

I’ve cold smoked raw steaks several times before cooking on a gas grill or vacuum packing for freezing. I haven’t had any ill effects so far. That’s why I cold smoked the raw side pork first. The heating element and wood chip box is covered by an insulated plate, then a pan of ice is set on top. The meat is on a rack above the ice. The smoker is only on for 20 minutes then shut off. No heat reaches the meat. I’ve attached a picture showing the cold smoke process on 8 oz. blocks of cheese.

To see if there are any flavor differences, the next time I will try the cold smoking after the cure, before the meat goes into the UMAi Dry bag.

[Paul Carder]

No smoke aroma is evident in the fridge. The UMAi Dry bag seems to have kept the smell in the bag. None of the spices I used in pepperoni and coppa have come through either. I’ve attached a picture of the smoked and cured side pork ready for the dry curing process.

[Jim]

That’s awesome. One of the side effects of drying truly smoked meats in the fridge is the smoke smell may permeate the fridge. Looks like by smoking before bagging you solved the issue. I am with Trebor on this one though, I would definitely cure before smoking. Not everyone has a cool set-up like yours.

[Author]

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