| Barbecue Smoker Recipe Evolution | | | | The fundamental point however is that curing is a dry |
| Smoking has evolved as a means to preserve food | | | | process. |
| before refrigerators were invented or the canning | | | | The curing process then can take many weeks or |
| process. How old is the art of smoking? Well no one | | | | months and the end results are well worth it. The |
| really knows for sure but it's been around a lot longer | | | | classic commercial curing that we see day in day out |
| than any evidence that documents it. I've read that | | | | comes from curing belly pork and we end up with |
| there's a smoking pit in China that's believed to be | | | | bacon. It frustrates me that even today there's so |
| 5000 years old so we can safely assume that it's | | | | much water in commercially prepared bacon and if |
| been around for some time. | | | | this isn't a reason to try home curing, I don't know |
| Traditionally the food preservation would have | | | | what is. It's a easy process too. |
| started with either curing or brining and then the | | | | Ask your butcher for a pork belly or part of one |
| smoking process would follow on. Nowadays with the | | | | depending on how big you want it. Rub the belly all |
| advent of refrigerators, smoking and indeed brining or | | | | over with a 75%:25% mixture of salt and brown |
| curing is more concerned with flavour rather than | | | | sugar and add a bit of chili or cayenne to your taste. |
| food preservation. For me and many people it's about | | | | Place the pork belly in a plastic container and bung it |
| enjoyment too, getting the best ingredients and | | | | in the fridge for 2 months. Be patient and you'll never |
| taking time over preparing food is a dying industry in | | | | want to buy commercial bacon again! |
| this age of globalisation when the pace of life is so | | | | Brining |
| fast. Life's too short, let's slow down and savour all | | | | Brining is the wet process where we simply immerse |
| that's to be experience with traditional food | | | | the meat in a salt solution or brine - and that's it. It |
| preparation. | | | | works well for salt beef, turkey and fish (salmon in |
| Curing | | | | particular) as a precursor to smoking and the basic |
| Curing using smoke works well for both meat and | | | | method is outlined below. |
| fish. The most common chemicals used for curing | | | | The important thing is to create a salt solution that is |
| today include ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or sodium | | | | completely saturated. Stir salt into water until no |
| nitrate albeit ascorbic acid is used also to maintain the | | | | more will dissolve, now heat it gently and see how |
| colour of the meat at the same time. In days gone | | | | much more you can get to dissolve. When finished, |
| by the preferred choice would have been potassium | | | | let it cool and immerse the meat for a few days |
| nitrite but essentially it's a salt. | | | | making sure that the meat is kept fully immersed in |
| Things have of course started to develop from | | | | the brine. |
| tradition with the quest to add flavour by curing so | | | | That's all there is to it, just wash of the brine and |
| it's now common to include some sweet flavouring | | | | the meat is ready for smoking. |
| with the salt such as sugar, treacle, molasses etc or | | | | I hope you try it, I'm sure you'll like it. |
| to spice it up with chili powder or cayenne pepper. | | | | |