Cold smoking is the process of flavoring, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to the smoke from wood. Cold smoked food keeps for a week in the refridgerator.[1] Cold smoking requires curing as a first step. This is because the smoke only penetrates the surface of the food, and leaves the core/centre of the food unaffected. The only way on how curing can possibly be dismissed is to thus cut the food in very thin/small pieces, so that the contact surface is optimal, allowing the smoke to penetrate the food completely.
Cold smoking poses several risks that you should be aware of before you decide to try it at home. Since the food is not cooked, it remains in the temperature danger zone for bacterial growth during the cold smoking process. This means that parasites and harmful bacteria that may have been present in the meat are not killed, increasing the risk of foodborne illness. The risk of botulism and listeria is particularly high when cold smoking sausages and fish.
If you are immunocompromised, such as those who are chronically ill, frail aged, or pregnant, it is advised that you avoid consuming cold smoked meat products altogether.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Practical self-sufficiency by Dick and James Strawbridge
