Most books on smoking just give some elementary information and then are filled with recipes; this book is the reverse, scholarly information and theory as it applies to smoking meats and a few recipes that will get one started. While various recipes usually get the spotlight, it is the authors' opinion that the technical know-how behind preparing meats and sausages is far more important. There is a section with some basic recipes, but after reading the book one should be able to create his own recipes without much effort. The book explains differences between grilling, barbecuing and smoking. The sections on smokehouse design include over 200 construction diagrams and photos that cover most known methods: masonry, portable, wood, concrete, and drum smokers. After reading this book a reader will fully comprehend what can be expected of any particular smoker and how to build one that will conform to his individual needs. The book will benefit the serious smoker as well as the beginner.
Meat Smoking And Smokehouse Design
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About the Author
Stanley Marianski, born in Poland, left the country at the age of twenty to start his never ending voyages that took him to countries like South Africa, Argentina, Chile, The Caribbean and all of Europe, before finally settling down in 1979 in the USA. Such a lifestyle helped him master six languages and also learn a variety of methods of food preparation. One passion remained with him throughout his travels-the art of smoking meats and sausages, a skill he had learned as a child from his parents.
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1.3 Smoking, barbecuing, and grilling.
A lot of people don’t understand the difference between smoking, barbecuing, and grilling. When grilling, you quickly seal in the juices from the piece you are cooking. Grilling takes minutes. Smoking takes hours, sometimes even days.
Don’t be fooled by the common misconception that by throwing some wet wood chips over hot coals you can smoke your meat. At best you can only add some flavor on the outside because the moment the outside surface of the meat becomes dry and cooked, a significant barrier exists that prevents smoke penetration.
A properly smoked piece of meat has to be thoroughly smoked, on the outside and everywhere inside. Only prolonged cold smoking will achieve that result. Smoking when grilling is no better than pumping liquid smoke into it and claiming that the product is smoked now.
Let’s unravel some of the mystery. All these methods are different from each other, especially smoking and grilling. The main factor separating them is temperature
Smoking – almost no heat, 52° – 140° F, (12° - 60° C), 1 hr to 2 weeks
Barbecuing – low heat, 200° – 300° F, (93° - 150° C) few hours
Grilling – high heat, 500° F, (260° C), minutes
The purpose of grilling is to char the surface of meat and seal in the juices by creating a smoky caramelized crust. By the same token a barrier is erected that prevents smoke from flowing inside. The meat may have a somewhat smoky flavor on the outside but it was never smoked internally.
Barbecuing comes much closer, but not close enough. It is a long, slow, indirect, low-heat method that uses charcoal or wood pieces to smoke-cook the meat. The best definition is that barbecuing is cooking with smoke. It is ideally suited for large pieces of meat, like whole pigs. The temperature range of 200° –300° F is still too high to smoke meats since the fat that binds meat in sausages will melt away through the casings, and the final product will taste like bread crumbs.
Smoking is what it says: smoking meats with smoke that may or may not be followed by cooking. Some products are only smoked at low temperatures and never cooked, yet are safe to eat. Generally we may say that smoking in most cases consists of two steps:
Smoking
Cooking
After smoking is done we increase the temperature to about 170°F (76° C) to start cooking. We want to cook meats or sausages to 152 F° (67° C) internal temperature and here the quality and insulation of the smoker plays an important role. Nevertheless the main smoking process is performed below 140° F.
There are important differences between smoking and barbecuing. Barbecued or grilled meats are eaten immediately the moment they are done. Smoked meats are usually eaten at a later date. When smoking foods a higher degree of smoke penetration is needed and that can only be achieved at lower temperatures. Furthermore, smoked meats are eaten cold. Many great recipes require that smoked products hang for a designated time to lose more weight to become drier. It is only then that they are ready for consumption. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
A lot of people don’t understand the difference between smoking, barbecuing, and grilling. When grilling, you quickly seal in the juices from the piece you are cooking. Grilling takes minutes. Smoking takes hours, sometimes even days.
Don’t be fooled by the common misconception that by throwing some wet wood chips over hot coals you can smoke your meat. At best you can only add some flavor on the outside because the moment the outside surface of the meat becomes dry and cooked, a significant barrier exists that prevents smoke penetration.
A properly smoked piece of meat has to be thoroughly smoked, on the outside and everywhere inside. Only prolonged cold smoking will achieve that result. Smoking when grilling is no better than pumping liquid smoke into it and claiming that the product is smoked now.
Let’s unravel some of the mystery. All these methods are different from each other, especially smoking and grilling. The main factor separating them is temperature
Smoking – almost no heat, 52° – 140° F, (12° - 60° C), 1 hr to 2 weeks
Barbecuing – low heat, 200° – 300° F, (93° - 150° C) few hours
Grilling – high heat, 500° F, (260° C), minutes
The purpose of grilling is to char the surface of meat and seal in the juices by creating a smoky caramelized crust. By the same token a barrier is erected that prevents smoke from flowing inside. The meat may have a somewhat smoky flavor on the outside but it was never smoked internally.
Barbecuing comes much closer, but not close enough. It is a long, slow, indirect, low-heat method that uses charcoal or wood pieces to smoke-cook the meat. The best definition is that barbecuing is cooking with smoke. It is ideally suited for large pieces of meat, like whole pigs. The temperature range of 200° –300° F is still too high to smoke meats since the fat that binds meat in sausages will melt away through the casings, and the final product will taste like bread crumbs.
Smoking is what it says: smoking meats with smoke that may or may not be followed by cooking. Some products are only smoked at low temperatures and never cooked, yet are safe to eat. Generally we may say that smoking in most cases consists of two steps:
Smoking
Cooking
After smoking is done we increase the temperature to about 170°F (76° C) to start cooking. We want to cook meats or sausages to 152 F° (67° C) internal temperature and here the quality and insulation of the smoker plays an important role. Nevertheless the main smoking process is performed below 140° F.
There are important differences between smoking and barbecuing. Barbecued or grilled meats are eaten immediately the moment they are done. Smoked meats are usually eaten at a later date. When smoking foods a higher degree of smoke penetration is needed and that can only be achieved at lower temperatures. Furthermore, smoked meats are eaten cold. Many great recipes require that smoked products hang for a designated time to lose more weight to become drier. It is only then that they are ready for consumption. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Meat Smoking and Smokehouse Design,
By Othmar Vohringer (B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Meat Smoking and Smokehouse Design (Paperback)
I had recently the pleasant plessure of reading a new book. Meat Smoking and Ssmokehouse Design by Stanley Marianski, impressed me before I was halfway trough the book. The information is written in a clear to understand and follow language. The information is firstclass and accurate. There are so many books on the market about meat processing, making sausages and many other meat related subjects that it is a real pleasure to see once in a great while a book of this sort actually worth reading and gaining knowledge from it.
As a certified Master Butcher I have no hesitation to recommend this superbly written and illustrated book to anyone interested in making sausages, curing and smoking meats. Regardless if you are beginner or a professional, this book should be on your bookshelf. In fact I would venture to say that this book should be required reading material on butcher trade schools too. Signed Othmar Vohringer Master Butcher, B.C. Canada
54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smoking and Smokehouse design,
By
This review is from: Meat Smoking and Smokehouse Design (Paperback)
This book does a masterful job of explaining grilling, BBQing and smoking. There is extensive discussion of curing as well as the particulars about smoking sausages, meat, fish and poultry...this is not a book of recipes but a scholarly treatment of the hows and whys of smoking.. Especially liked the theory on combustion as it applies to smoking. This is a book that will take some careful thought and study. Most books on smoking just give some elementary information and then are filled with with recipes; this text is the reverse, scholarly information and theory as it applies to smokeing meats and a few recipes that will get you started. The sections on smokehouse design include many construction diagrams and photos that cover most known methods: masonry, portable, wood, concrete, Kamado, and drum smokers, etc. There are 18 pages on combustion theory, pit design, baffle positions and wood fuel that provide insight to smoker efficiency. I strongly recommed this book to the serious smoker as well as the beginner.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Book on Smoking out there,
By
This review is from: Meat Smoking and Smokehouse Design (Paperback)
A wonderfully written tutorial on the art of smoking meats and sausages. I have been smoking meats for many years, and wish this book had been published earlier. All the details are presented in a clear yet comprehensive manner. A truly enlightening experience for the reader covering all aspects of curing and cooking meats. The second part of the book covers many types of smokers that can be economically built at home. The numerous drawings, coupled with detailed instructions make this task embarrassingly simple. A must read for anyone interested in smoking.
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