Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food [Paperback]

Warren R. Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 2006

Here is an exceptionally complete guide to making real smoked food at home that tastes far better than commercially made products.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anderson, a self-taught food-smoking "hobbyist," is enthusiastic about his subject, but his exhaustive tome suffers from an excess of explanation. Clear to the point of stating the obvious (e.g., "oven mitts... are very useful for handling things such as hot smoker racks"), his descriptions of techniques are redundant and read like a technical manual, although Cook's Illustrated fans might welcome the excruciating detail. In the first half of the book, the author defines smoking, explains the difference between hot and cold smoking, describes a variety of smokers and covers food safety and equipment. The book's second half is more enticing: it includes useful information on curing and brining meat (to enhance flavor); recipes and techniques for preparing such dishes as Peking-Style Chicken, Golden Goose, Lamb Ham, Scotch-Style Smoked Salmon, and Italian Shrimp—Marinated; and a chapter on making sausage. Though directed toward nonprofessionals, this book isn't likely to please armchair chefs. But for those who plan to make a habit of smoking food, Anderson delivers. 24 b&w photos, 24 line drawings. (Apr.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Burford Books (February 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580801358
• ISBN-13: 978-1580801355
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to learn to smoke foods, this is the book!, August 7, 2006

By 

Garry Howard (Rincon, Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food (Paperback)

This is probably the most complete, detailed book available on smoking food. It's not a barbecue book, it's a smoking book. Written by Warren Anderson, a food enthusiast and long-time food smoker, It covers both cold and hot smoking and includes detailed instructions for building your own smoker, or using commercial smokers. Warren shares everything he has learned through years of smoking food. A chapter covers smoking woods, where to get them and the characteristics of different types of woods. The chapter on cures and marinades covers brines, dry and wet cures, and marinades. Detailed recipes and instructions are included for making smoked bacon, ham, pastrami, jerky, cheese, turkey, fish, shellfish, sausage, nuts, and even smoked Peking duck. It's interesting that the Publisher's Weekly review is critical of the book for being TOO detailed. According to Publisher's Weekly, the descriptions and techniques "read like a technical manual, although Cook's Illustrated fans might welcome the excruciating detail. Though directed toward nonprofessionals, this book isn't likely to please armchair chefs." So, if you are an "armchair chef", this book may not be for you, but as Publisher's Weekly says "for those who plan to make a habit of smoking food, Anderson delivers". If you are serious about smoked food then this book is for you.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simply superb and "user friendly" reference for the preparation of smoked meats, May 2, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food (Paperback)

One of the oldest methods known to man for preserving meat, smoking over a controlled fire is a technique mastered by every human culture we have knowledge of. Mastering The Craft Of Smoking Food by Warren Anderson is a new and expansive instructional guide for properly cooking in the tasteful culinary style of smoking. Inclusive of master strategies for making bacon, ham, pastrami, jerky, sausage, smoked cheese, salmon, beef and so many more delicious meats, Mastering The Craft Of Smoking Food features a culinary wealth of expertise and do-it-yourself tactics for smoking any and every kind of meat. Enhanced with illustrations and recipes for their preparation, Mastering The Craft Of Smoking Food is very highly recommended for aspiring amateur kitchen cooks and seasoned professional chefs alike as a simply superb and "user friendly" reference for the preparation of smoked meats.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A source for hard to find information, October 20, 2008

By 

Amis (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food (Paperback)

After some disappointing experiences with hobby wood smokers and flashier and often more attractive texts on curing and smoking, I was delighted to find this book (I bought the English edition - at a signficantly higher price - in the UK after browsing it in a hunting/fishing shop on a wet day).

The author does tend to be a bit obsessive but clearly his instructions are written from exhaustive, first hand experience. He encourages a flexible approach and rightly says that recipes will need to be adapted for individual use or taste(factors which may have deterred some previous reviewers who felt the text was too basic or lacked specifics). The discussion and comparison of smoking techniques (hot, cold and water smokers)is helpful in deciding what type or types to buy or make.

Finding reliable guidelines on small scale curing and cold smoking meat is difficult, this little book is a mine of useful information for a hobbyist like me (the family particularly misses UK style bacon in the USA). We have also tried a few of the fresh sausage recipes (which don't need smoking)and have been more than pleased with the results. More importantly, after reading this book, I now understand why we had some really inedible results with previous attempts at curing and smoking.