Forget High Heats: Try Cold Smoking As A Traditional Way To Preserve Meats In Winter

Think of smoked meats and all those wonderful, rich flavors of a summer barbecue might come to mind, from smoked ribs to brisket. But there's a whole other category of smoked goods traditionally made during winter by a process known as cold smoking.

As the name suggests, cold smoking adds a unique aroma and flavor to meats without the use of high heat. It's a preservation method that's been used for thousands of years and was essential for storing food before the invention of refrigeration.

Unlike hot smoking, which cooks food as it adds flavor, cold-smoked meats aren't cooked at all. As such, they need to first go through a curing process, most often using salt, which makes cold-smoked meats safe to eat. This draws moisture out of the meat or fish, making it too dry for bacteria to survive. When followed by the wood smoke, which contains antimicrobial compounds, the resulting smoked meat is preserved and can last for months on end.

The heat source used to create smoke is kept away from the food, which needs to remain below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold smoking can take much longer than hot smoking, sometimes several days, so smoking during the winter months helps to keep the temperature down and prevent any spoilage during the process.

Preserving your own meat at home is not as hard as you might think. Serious smoking aficionados dealing with large cuts might invest in a dedicated cold smoker, but if you're just starting out, you can put together a DIY smoker using your barbecue grill and a tray of ice.

Since the food isn't cooked in the process, it works particularly well for meats and fish with delicate textures. Cold smoking is what differentiates smoked salmon from lox, and it's also used for whole fish, such as trout.

Cold smoking is the secret to some of the best cured meats. Many types of bacon can be cold smoked, along with hams, salami, speck, and chorizo. You can make these at home, but be aware that the risk of botulism is higher when cold smoking ground meat. You'll need to pay particular attention to both the temperature and the humidity levels over the entirety of the smoking process.

If you're just starting out and prefer to play it safe, skip the meat all together and try smoking foods that are safe to eat even when raw. Cold smoking can be used to transform a block of cheese without melting it, or elevate the taste of snacks such as nuts, dried fruit or chocolate.