This was originally written for Homestead Living Magazine in the May 2024 issue and in that issue was titled “Up in Smoke – the Art and Science of Smoking Meat.”
The inspiration for building a smoker on our farmstead was essentially an evolution. We had been curing pork even when we lived in the suburbs. We made our own bacon, pancetta, lonza, and guanciale. We even began to make our own corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day get-togethers! This passion for cured meats, combined with my love of the grill, eventually led me to exploring the world of smoked meats.
I had seen the documentaries and even read the books and blogs about cool people doing cool things with smoked meat: Texas brisket with salt and pepper, pulled pork with Carolina BBQ sauce, Kansas City-style ribs with rich tomato BBQ sauce, and so much more. Could we do it ourselves? Here? In the Pacific Northwest? The goal was to at least try.
BASICS OF SMOKING MEAT
Humans have been smoking meat for millenia. Some argue that the cooking of meat is what brought people together and became one of the building blocks of civilization. The smoking process also helps to preserve meat, and was an essential part of keeping food from spoiling long before refrigeration was invented. Regardless of how or why we began smoking meat, one thing is for sure: it tastes delicious.
What other means can transform a humble pork shoulder into tender, smoky meat, ready to be slathered in your favorite sauce? Or how about making the tough brisket cut of beef not only edible, but mouth-wateringly enjoyable? Smoking a brisket over low temperatures for several hours with the simplest of spices tenderizes and cooks it to absolute perfection. But smoking meat isn’t as simple as roasting a cut of meat over a smoky campfire. In order to turn these tougher cuts into delicious decadence, you must first understand the basics of smoking.
Smoking flavors the meat. It may or may not cook it, depending on whether you do cold or hot smoke—more on that later—as pork shoulders, briskets, sausages, and more should be at least 152-160oF (67-71oC) for safe consumption, and 203oF (95oC) for cuts that need extra time to break down the fat, collagen, and muscle. Smoking is equal parts science and art in my opinion. Understanding the science behind how heat and smoke work together to break down and flavor meat is one part, but the artistry comes with the tweaking along the way. The key to really good smoked meat is YOU.
COLD SMOKE VS HOT SMOKE
The distinction between hot and cold smoking is an important one. Hot smoking means the temperature of the smoker is typically 200-225oF (93-107oC)—there will always be some arguing over this amongst purists. Briskets and pork shoulders are typically hot smoked. Cold smoking is typically done between 60-90oF (16- 32oC), and allows for a gentler process. Bacon, hams, and many types of sausages can benefit a great deal from cold smoking. Cold smoking doesn’t necessarily cook the meat like hot smoking does. Rather, it is designed to impart the magical flavor from the apple, pecan, hickory, or mesquite wood used for such an event. To achieve food safety with cold smoking, you can precook or poach your sausage, for example, and keep everyone happy.
TYPES OF SMOKERS
While you can purchase a smoker that’s ready to go, you can also make your own. If you opt to purchase a smoker, hardware stores and many specialty stores typically have an ample amount of smokers to choose from. Many people have some sort of outdoor grill whether it be propane or charcoal, and more and more people are adding smokers to their decks and patios. Although we own one of the big brands, our goal was to build a smoker as a DIY project.
Throughout history, most people didn’t have the ability to buy anything like we have today, through the smokehouse. I added a damper on the top front of the smokehouse to be able to control the flow of smoke. The materials of the smokehouse were simple 2 x 4s we had left over from other projects. I admit, I did splurge to buy board and batten siding because I thought it looked good! We pitched the roof slightly and added some leftover and yet they found ways to preserve their food by curing and smoking it. We wanted to emulate this process. But first, we had to decide on a model. DIY smokers can range from repurposed 50 gallon drums
(the kind we use as a burn barrel), converted kettle grills, teepee smokers, masonry and concrete, converted appliances— I’ve even seen a smoker made from an old file cabinet! In the end, we settled on a classic wooden smokehouse.
BUILDING A DIY SMOKER
The basics of any smoker are probably a little more obvious than you might think: You need a heat source for fuel; you need an enclosure that traps the smoke with the meat; you may also need a damper or baffle similar to the one on your fireplace or wood stove to control oxygen (which impacts the smoke). There are so many options on the internet, as well as old books you can buy with blueprints and ideas, but they all are fundamentally the same.
You’ll also need to consider your fuel source. In my case, I like fruit orchard wood. I also prefer it to be separated from the meat so that the smoke billows gently and slowly, and I like to use a box or barrel of some kind to keep the meat free from pests, but also allow for beautiful smoke to envelop the meat until it is done.
When I set out to build my own smoker, the goal was simple: I wanted something that would work with or without power. I found some basic designs and set out to build. I chose to build a 4 ft x 8 ft wooden smokehouse. While this is on the larger side, I wanted to be able to smoke large fresh pig legs (Kentucky-style ham and the sort) and other larger animal parts.
Next, I had to decide on my fire box. When building any smoker set up, we of course need to consider safety as well as functionality. This meant I had to set my fire box— in my case, an old Waterford home stove found locally on Craigslist—approximately four feet away from the smoker, and it had to be set lower by about 30 degrees to allow the smoke that was generated from the stove to gently rise through an old chimney pipe, up through the floor of the wooden smokehouse.
The framed smokehouse was built very simply over a poured concrete pad where I had already put the chimney pipe in and formed the concrete around it so it could rise tin roofing to keep the rain out— an important consideration in the Pacific Northwest.
As for hanging the meat, I have two options: One is an old wooden closet rod to hold bigger pieces, and the other is an old bakery- style speed rack that has additional shelving slots to use oven-style racks so that you can move meat in and out more easily. Also, since the speed rack is on wheels, it can be pulled in and out with ease.
I also added a thermometer that I could leave inside, while looking at the control panel on the outside of the smokehouse to track how the process was going. Finally, I added another meat-specific thermometer to one of the parts so that I could reference how it was smoking internally. This may have been a bit overkill, but I like having full control over every aspect of the smoking process.
When it’s time to smoke some meat, I light the fire in the old wood stove in the morning and get it going as hot as I can with the damper open at full tilt to begin heating up the smokehouse. After about an hour, it’s time to hang the meat that I have prepared in advance.
A SIMPLE SMOKER OPTION
If your goal is to get rich, smoky flavor on that pork belly you or your butcher just harvested from the pigs you raised, or you want to get that holiday ham ready, you don’t need much more than a little patience to make it work. An old storage shed with some decent air flow and an old kettle-style grill will do the trick! This is about as old a way to do it as it gets, but it would be successful with a little patience and care.
However you choose to do it, smoking meat is simply transformative. The efforts of so many of our ancestors to stretch their food by figuring out ways to make tough and difficult cuts of meat taste delicious, or preserve cured meats like bacon and ham for future enjoyment, live on as we follow in their footsteps and learn to smoke our own meat at home. Not to mention, smoking meat still has a way of bringing people together, whether for a holiday gathering, or getting friends together for a big game; it encourages fellowship and the building of community. And in this day and age when we are struggling with division and isolation, perhaps that is the most transformative act of all.
“However you choose to do it, smoking meat is simply transformative.” – ‘Irish’ Mike Smith
Recipe by “Irish” Mike Smith – SMOKED BACON
Once you fire up your smoker, you’ll need to decide what your first smoked meat project will be. When it comes to smoking and curing meats, there’s nothing quite as exciting as being able to make your own homemade bacon! Here’s a simple recipe that is bound to impress.
INGREDIENTS
3-5 pound pork belly, trimmed*
1/4 cup dry curing salt (see recipe below)
* I say “trimmed” because I got a belly
once that had all sorts of fat on the undercarriage. Not the kind of fat you want either. Although fat is flavor, trimming some of it back is nice for meatier bacon.
FOR THE DRY CURING SALT
1 pound kosher salt
8 ounces sugar
2 ounces pink salt (about 10 teaspoons)
This dry curing salt makes enough for many pork bellies, so mix all the ingredients together and store in a container until you need it again.
DIRECTIONS
Liberally salt both sides of the pork belly with 1/4 cup of dry curing salt. Place in a Ziplock bag and store in the fridge for 7 days, flipping and redistributing the salt mixture on each side. Alternatively, you can place it in a different nonreactive container and cover it with a lid.
After 7 days, rinse the pork belly thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel.
Now, you have two options for smoking. Set your smoker to around 200F (93oC) and smoke for around 2 hours, or until the pork belly reaches an internal temperature of 150oF (66oC). Alternatively, you can hang and cold smoke the bacon for 5-6 hours in the 90oF (32oC) range, and although you won’t get the same internal temperature, your pork belly will be blessed with the kiss of smoke. For both methods, let cool completely and either slice and store or hang it in your pantry to slice and use as needed.
