Tips for Cold Smoking Safely

Cold smoking isn't for everyone. To do so safely, it calls for precision and patience, and you have to be prepared to invest time and money ensuring you have the correct setup.

If you are still keen to give cold smoking a try, here are some safety tips.

1) Make sure you follow expert recipes

While your neighbor down the road may swear he is a cold smoking expert, in this situation his word really isn’t enough, as the health of your family and friends is at stake.

The good news is, there are bona fide experts out there who are prepared to share their expertise. For charcuterie and sausage, this book is a great resource.

2) Source the highest quality meat or fish from a local butcher or fishmonger

We have already discussed the risks to your health if the fish you smoke has been infected with parasites, like a tapeworm. Find a fishmonger you trust, who knows the signs of parasitic infection in the fish flesh, and can tell you where the fish has been sourced.

The same principles apply when sourcing your meat. Your risks a lowered if the beast is healthy and free from infections.

3) Use cold smoking combined with salting

Cold smoking itself does not cure the meat. Therefore, you must cure your meat before you smoke it. The National Center for Home Food Preservation puts it nice and succinctly: “only those meat products that have been fermented, salted, or cured, should be cold-smoked”

So follow the experts' advice, and always cure your food before cold smoking it.

4) Use cold smoking followed by another cooking method

There are a couple of ways this advice can be applied.

The safest way of doing things is to cure your meat, cold smoke it, and then cook it before eating it. To quote our friends at the National Center for Home Food Preservation again: “Most cold-smoked products should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F before they are eaten”

This is a nice reminder that cold smoking does not cook, or cure your meat in any way.

Another option is to smoke your meat while it is raw, for a short period of time, taking special care that it does not reach dangerous temperatures. Then cook the meat immediately after the cold smoking process. The purpose of doing things this way is simply to impart a smoky flavor to the meat before cooking it.

Have you tried cold smoking? Do you have any questions that were not covered in this post?

We would love to hear from you, or you can leave a message to us if you need our BBQ smoking tube for the cold smoking.