cold smoking
Curing without heat
Cold smoking is a method of smoking food at low temperatures—typically below 90°F—to impart flavor without cooking the meat.
Unlike hot smoking, the food remains raw and usually requires curing beforehand to prevent bacterial growth.
Salmon, bacon, and some cheeses are commonly cold smoked: Cold-smoked salmon has a silky texture that hot smoking can't achieve.
Restoring health or preserving
- briningSaltwater soaking for meat
- saltingApplying sodium chloride
- dry-curedPreserved with salt, no brine
- air-driedMoisture removed by atmosphere
cure · jerky · biltong · gravlax · lox · pancetta · prosciutto · capicola
Pink-fleshed migratory fish
- loxSalt-cured salmon
- troutFreshwater game fish
- mackerelSwift, oily ocean fish
- eelElongated scaleless fish
sablefish · duck · bacon · ham · sausage · cheese · kielbasa · andouille
Dense North American hardwood
- mesquiteThorny desert legume
- applewoodLumber from fruit trees
- alderRiparian deciduous tree
- cherryRed stone fruit
oak · pecan · cedar · beechwood · woodchips · smoky · aroma · peat
Powdery timber waste
- pelletsSmall compressed spheres
- low-temperatureLacking heat, cool
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- ventilationCirculation of fresh air
airflow · humidity · pellicle · thermometer · patience · timing · hours · days
Made by skilled craftspeople
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
- time-honoredRespected due to age
- ancestralOf one's forebears
craftsmanship · provenance · authenticity · old-fashioned · methods · Scandinavian · Scottish · German
curing
Restoring health or preserving
- briningSaltwater soaking for meat
- saltingApplying sodium chloride
- dry-curedPreserved with salt, no brine
air-dried · cure · jerky · biltong · gravlax · lox · pancetta · prosciutto · capicola · pastrami
salmon
Pink-fleshed migratory fish
eel · sablefish · duck · bacon · ham · sausage · cheese · kielbasa · andouille · chorizo
hickory
Dense North American hardwood
cherry · oak · pecan · cedar · beechwood · woodchips · smoky · aroma · peat · fragrant
sawdust
Powdery timber waste
- pelletsSmall compressed spheres
- low-temperatureLacking heat, cool
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
ventilation · airflow · humidity · pellicle · thermometer · patience · timing · hours · days · indirect
artisanal
Made by skilled craftspeople
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
- time-honoredRespected due to age
ancestral · craftsmanship · provenance · authenticity · old-fashioned · methods · Scandinavian · Scottish · German · indigenous
- cooking methodsfrying, boiling, baking, grilling, roasting
- food preservationjerky, beef jerky, freezing, turkey jerky, dried fruit
- meat techniquesroasting, grilling, braising, searing, frying
- Seafood Cookinggrilling, poaching, steaming, baking, broiling
- BBQ techniquesgrilling, charcoal grilling, direct heat, indirect heat, low and slow
- curingdry curing, sugar curing, smoke curing, curing, brining