fosm:food_smoking

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fosm:food_smoking [2025/12/05 04:48] – created - external edit 127.0.0.1fosm:food_smoking [2026/03/13 10:07] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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-A smoke house on a farm in Poland.+_A smoke house on a farm in Poland._
  
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 ## What are the benefits of food smoking? ## What are the benefits of food smoking?
  
-The main benefit is that it's a form of food preservation using a renewable resource, with the added benefit of improving flavour. So for example, before electricity, a [smallholder](/smal/small) could kill a [pig](/pigs/pigs), salt or brine cure, then smoke the hams and make cold smoked sausages, and they'd keep until the next pig was killed, 6 months later. This can still be done today of course, and not only will the meat be preserved without the need for refrigeration, it will have a wonderful smoked flavour too.+The main benefit is that it's a form of food preservation using a renewable resource, with the added benefit of improving flavour. So for example, before electricity, a [smallholder](/smho/smallholding) could kill a [pig](/pigs/pigs), salt or brine cure, then smoke the hams and make cold smoked sausages, and they'd keep until the next pig was killed, 6 months later. This can still be done today of course, and not only will the meat be preserved without the need for refrigeration, it will have a wonderful smoked flavour too.
  
 We've only recently discovered that wood smoke contains compounds such as phenols that inhibit the growth of microbes that cause food to spoil. Also, the salt, which is used to cure or brine the produce prior to smoking, draws water out of the cells of the bacteria and kills them. More water is lost than salt is added during this process, and the flesh will typically lose around 8-10% of its weight. We've only recently discovered that wood smoke contains compounds such as phenols that inhibit the growth of microbes that cause food to spoil. Also, the salt, which is used to cure or brine the produce prior to smoking, draws water out of the cells of the bacteria and kills them. More water is lost than salt is added during this process, and the flesh will typically lose around 8-10% of its weight.
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-Bratwurst rings before smoking.+_Bratwurst rings before smoking._
  
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-Bratwurst rings during smoking - the sawdust / wood shavings have just been lit.+_Bratwurst rings during smoking - the sawdust / wood shavings have just been lit._
  
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-Bratwurst rings after smoking - the sawdust has completely burnt down and the sausages have changed colour.+_Bratwurst rings after smoking - the sawdust has completely burnt down and the sausages have changed colour._
  
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-Home made filing-cabinet smoker in use. Image: Smoky Jo's+_Home made filing-cabinet smoker in use. Image: Smoky Jo's_
  
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-Lighting a smoke generator, filled with sawdust. Image: Coldsmoking Cookery School+_Lighting a smoke generator, filled with sawdust. Image: Coldsmoking Cookery School_
  
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-Cold smoked meats and sausages of various kinds, in a shop in northern Italy.+_Cold smoked meats and sausages of various kinds, in a shop in northern Italy._
  
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 NB: search online for the dangers of eating smoked food due to potential carcinogens in the smoke, and make up your own mind. We'd say three things about this: NB: search online for the dangers of eating smoked food due to potential carcinogens in the smoke, and make up your own mind. We'd say three things about this:
  
-1. It's all about assessing risk, which we think is small for relatively low quantities - so over-indulgence is the real problem; and+1. It's all about assessing risk, which we think is small for relatively low quantities - so over-indulgence is the real problem. 
 +2. We have other topics on the site that could be considered more dangerous than smoked foods, such as cycling in cities, using chainsaws and felling axes, sailing, wild swimming, foraging for wild mushrooms, building houses and installing renewables. 
 +3. As well as living sustainably and changing career, a feature of many topics is that they could serve you well in the case of societal collapse. Food smoking, as a way of preserving food when refrigeration is impossible, is one of those topics.
  
-3. We have other topics on the site that could be considered more dangerous than smoked foods, such as cycling in cities, using chainsaws and felling axes, sailing, wild swimming, foraging for wild mushrooms, building houses and installing renewables.+## Further resources
  
-5. As well as living sustainably and changing career, a feature of many of the Lowimpact topics is that they could serve you well in the case of societal collapse. Food smoking, as a way of preserving food when refrigeration is impossible, is one of those topics.+- free pdf of book, _[Food Smoking: a Practical Guide](https://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/9780956675170_bookblock.pdf)_, by Turan T Turan of [Coldsmoking Cookery School](https://coldsmoking.co.uk/) 
 +- [List of food smoking articles](https://countryskillsblog.com/themes/smoking-and-curing-posts-including-diy-cold-smoker-build/) 
 +- [Mother Earth News](https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/smoked-foods-ze0z1502zhur/) - get started with smoked foods 
 +- [Off the Grid News](https://www.offthegridnews.com/off-grid-foods/preserving-meat-long-term-the-old-fashioned-way/) - preserving meat long-term the old-fashioned way 
 +- [Smoking fish at home safely](https://www.lowimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/smoking_fish.pdf) 
 +- [Smoking meat for long-term storage](https://prepperswill.com/smoking-meat-long-term-storage-secrets/) 
 +- [How to dry & smoke meat in the wild](https://secretsofsurvival.com/dry-and-smoke-meat-in-the-wild/) 
 +- [Smoked fish A-Z](http://www.mexican-barbecue-recipes.com/smoked-fish.html) 
 +- [Build a smokehouse](https://www.lowimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/smokehouse.pdf)
  
-## Further resources 
  
-- free pdf of book, _[Food Smoking: a Practical Guide](https://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/9780956675170_bookblock.pdf)_, by Turan T Turan of [Coldsmoking Cookery School](https://coldsmoking.co.uk/). 
  
-## Specialist(s)+## Related topics
  
-[[p:Turan T Turan]] of [Coldsmoking Cookery School](https://coldsmoking.co.uk) +- [Preserving food](pres:preserving_food) 
 +- [Low-impact food & drink](lifo:food) 
 +- [Butchery & meat](butc:butchery) 
 +- [Cheesemaking](chee:cheesemaking) 
 +- [Fishing](fish:fishing) 
 +- [Game / wild meat](game:game) 
 +- [Low-impact seafood](seaf:seafood)
  
-[[p:Andreas Hohmann]] 
  
 +## Specialist curators of this topic
  
-![Turan T Turan](https://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/turan.png) 
  
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