Cold smoked
- Thread starter Utectok
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Woodsmoke
Well-Known Member
Interestingly, the recent fashion of 'nitrite free' curing relies heavily on the use of celery juice. Which contains high levels of, yep you guessed it . . . . nitrites
levigsp
Well-Known Member
So I find it interesting the Mainland Europe is the heart and soul of meat curing and smoking, in Poland's villages there is scarcely a garden without a permanent smoker and dryer and they All use nitrates/nitrites.Interestingly, the recent fashion of 'nitrite free' curing relies heavily on the use of celery juice. Which contains high levels of, yep you guessed it . . . . nitrites
But because of a wombat from London saying its not necessary, the UKs "experts" have followed along blindly, very odd.
Woodsmoke
Well-Known Member
Crazy, isn't it?
And if you think further, a lot of the European techniques involve the use of softwoods such as pine, spruce, etc (think particularly of German smoked hams?) But if you mention that to some UK 'experts', they recoil in horror and proclaim the phenols will melt your eyes out of your head, cause your willy to drop off, turn you into a zombie, etc . . . . .
I have hot smoked Muntjac, CWD and Roe on a Weber kettle BBQ and found the taste of all 3 to be outstanding. I would echo the points regarding the need to brine before smoking but cannot comment regarding the need to include substances such as Cure 1. Injecting does add a little but you can achieve a similar effect buy piercing all the way to the bone with a knife.
As a slight aside, the one issue I have had is that both the CWD and Roe took on a liver-like texture..... Anyone got any ideas what I might be doing wrong? or if this is a common issue.
On the subject of spit-roasting, I'd seen it done with a Springbok in SA and was wondering if it might work with a UK deer. @Robek1980 what did you baste it with?
levigsp
Well-Known Member
Whitby Kippers and a lot of others are finished with softwoods. Poles use All hardwoods and love fruitwood. Northern Germany all north Baltic states use all sorts including peat!
levigsp
Well-Known Member
Not enough sugar or the right sugar!
Woodsmoke
Well-Known Member
Not quite. The carcinogenic compounds that led to this 'fact' are nitrosamines, and they can indeed occur when cooking products containing them. If your cooking involves temperatures exceeding 300C, that is. So unless you're eating my wife's cooking you're quite safe
And I can guarantee you the 'cures' you've been using either do contain nitrites, or don't work as they should
Not quite. The carcinogenic compounds that led to this 'fact' are nitrosamines, and they can indeed occur when cooking products containing them. If your cooking involves temperatures exceeding 300C, that is. So unless you're eating my wife's cooking you're quite safe
And I can guarantee you the 'cures' you've been using either do contain nitrites, or don't work as they should
They use pdv salt, sugar and aromatics so no added nitrites, seem to work wel, maybe POV is enough
Am I going to be ok curing my fallow loins in salt and brown sugar before smoking or do I need to do something else. They have been frozen.
levigsp
Well-Known Member
As I said anyone who cures meat without some form of nitrate or nitrite is waiting to die a horrible gut ranching death. I joke not and lots of people every year are poisoned, most recover because of modern medicine.. If you just flavour with salt and sugar and eat straight away fine, if you intend to keep even for a few days, just don't.
levigsp
Well-Known Member
Half the herbs you use in cooking and most spices are carcinogens, yet I bet my life you eat them. This nonsense all came about because of excessive use by some companies making thing like spam, chopped tinned bacon etc. I have never seen a commercial bacon cure that dose not contain nitrates etc. But we are talking a tiny % of the total. If you make bacon with thin cuts without the Ns, and eat straight away or freeze, you will be fine, use whole shoulders, backs, legs etc or hand the cured bacon to air dry etc and sooner or later you WILL poison the person eating it. HAVE PEOPLE not asked themselves the very simple question WHY, why for hundred of years have people curing meat not simply used salt that everywhere and easy to get hold of, they have gone out of the way to get their hands on salt peter, far harder to find.? The reason is because it makes food safe. Walk in any supermarket in Europe or and continental supermarket in GB and they will have some form on the shelf.
Essex stalker
Well-Known Member
Look up Paracelsus law, it's been around for 100's of years, basically everything we put in our bodies is toxic to us but it's the amount of it that causes the problem. Drink enough water and you will kill yourself
Utectok
Well-Known Member
So I’ve injected my meat and brined it in a mix of salt and sugar... further reading I notice the cure mix I have used has sodium nitrite but no potassium nitrate... is this going to be a problem I think the two are required for cold smoking? Maybe I should smoke and freeze it not air dry?
Woodsmoke
Well-Known Member
Potassium nitrate is the old saltpetre, and is no longer used.
Modern curing salts are either Cure1, or Cure2.
Cure1 is a mix of salt and Sodium Nitrite, and is used in cured meats that require to be cooked (bacon, sausages, etc)
Cure2 is a mixture of salt, Sodium Nitrate, and Sodium Nitrite, and is used for air-dried meats such as salamis, prosciutto, chorizo, etc.
The idea behind Cure2 is that the nitrites in the mix give immediate protection, and the nitrate breaks down over the curing period to form nitrites, which give continual protection until the curing period is complete
When we refer to 'air-drying' in the context of curing meats, generally it's meant in the context of prolonged hanging to give you the 30% (or so) weight loss for cured meats that are to be eaten in their raw state.
Air-drying in the context of cold-smoking merely refers to the short period of time it takes until the surface of the meat dries and becomes tacky. This is called the 'pellicle', and affords a better surface for the smoke to adhere to.
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