For smoking sawdust and wood chips: which ones to choose

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

It is difficult to find a person who would not like smoked meat, lard, fish or chicken. After all, such products differ from others in their unique taste and, of course, aroma. And almost everyone at least once thought about whether to smoke a piece of meat. You should start with the construction of the appropriate structure. Only in a properly made smokehouse, products turn out delicious. But that's not all. The main question remains. Which is better to use for smoking sawdust?

Size matters

It is not recommended to use too large logs for smoking. Raw materials must be crushed. Suitable for smoking sawdust, wood chips, shavings, thin twigs. In this case, it does not matter at all how the wood will be chopped. Much more important is what kind of smoke it will give. A light flame is permissible only in damp and cloudy weather. At other times, wood should not burn. If you choose the right size of raw materials and withstand the required time, then in the end you can get a tasty product with a yellow-brown hue and a pleasant aroma. In addition, the finished dish will have a dry and shiny surface. This all indicates that the products have been smoked and can beeat.

Which wood is better: wet or dry

The quality of the finished product, its aroma, color and, of course, taste qualities depend on which sawdust for cold smoking was used. It is worth noting that the smoke that is generated during the combustion of a certain type of wood can affect the shelf life of meat or fish.

According to experts, it should be used for smoking hardwood sawdust. At the same time, some recommend using raw wood, while others, on the contrary, dry. Wet sawdust is only suitable for outdoor smokehouses.

Of course, both methods are good in their own way and have certain features. It all depends on what kind of firewood you have on hand. It is worth considering that the taste and aroma of finished products may vary slightly. Raw wood can give the fish a tart smell and a juicy bright color, while dry wood, on the contrary, can make it more tender and give it a golden hue. If in doubt about the choice of sawdust, it is better to use hardwood. They are versatile and suitable for everything: for meat, fish and chicken.

Birch chips

Very often birch firewood is used for smoking. However, such sawdust requires caution. Birch is able to give the products a slight aroma of tar. Not everyone will like this taste. Experts recommend using birch sawdust for smoking in combination with twigs of other plants. It is best to use juniper. Twigs should be taken those on which there are berries. Also, birch goes well withcherry leaves. Such firewood will make any smoked dish more enjoyable. The products will have an incomparable aroma. In addition, professionals do not recommend using birch bark. Juniper is commonly used to add flavor to foods.

Choosing raw materials

To prepare a delicious product, you should take into account some features of certain types of wood. For example, the best sawdust for smoking meat and fish is aspen. They give the products a subtle, barely perceptible aroma. The most interesting thing is that aspen twigs quickly crack when burned in a furnace. In a smokehouse, such material smolders gradually and evenly, while forming a persistent aroma and deep smoke. All products can be cooked with oak chips.

What not to use

If you want to get a tasty and fragrant product, then you should refuse raw materials from conifers. There is a lot of resin in such sawdust. It contaminates products and gives them an unpleasant, specific taste. In addition, a layer of soot is formed on the walls of the smokehouse during smoldering of such raw materials.

As for the finished dish, it will be very bitter. Often, such products tickle in the throat. It is for this reason that it is not recommended to use such firewood.

Flavours

Smoking chips can be made from several types of wood. Professional smokers add various flavors to it. Don't be scared, it's not spices andnot spices. These are twigs and leaves of other plants that give the finished dish a brighter and more unique taste. For example, for fish it is better to use branches of fruit trees and shrubs. When heated, such raw materials emit a small amount of resins and are not able to spoil the taste of the finished product. The fish is very fragrant and tender.

Alder chips are ideal for smoking meat. It gives a classic taste and aroma. For many years, gourmets have been trying to create their own original composition of raw materials. If it is not possible to get a certain type of wood, then it is replaced with willow, willow or poplar. It should be noted that when using such sawdust, a tasteless and insipid product is obtained. Therefore, for cooking, for example, fish, it is worth using a large amount of spices.

Rowan and acacia

Often, in the process of smoking, professionals use mountain ash and acacia. These types of wood have bactericidal properties. For better smoking of marine oily fish in a special smokehouse, it is necessary to use not only the appropriate sawdust, but also add a few young acacia twigs to them. This will give the finished dish a certain spiciness. In addition, hornbeam twigs, as well as eucalyptus leaves, can be used as flavoring additives.

Main rule

Smoking bacon, meat, fish and chicken should use firewood of the same size. This is the most important rule. Similar requirements apply not only to wood chips, but also to chips and sawdust. Neglecting this rule can lead to the fact that during smoking at the maximum heating temperature, raw materials of too small sizes begin to smolder more actively, and when the lid is removed, it may flare up. This is not very good, as the products begin to burn and gradually become covered with a layer of soot. A properly cooked dish should not have traces of soot.

Finally

Chips for smoking should be selected according to personal preferences. In addition, the choice of raw materials also depends on what product you will be preparing. In home smoking, it is quite difficult to achieve the optimal combination of all the necessary substances that are present in the smoke. However, it is up to you to choose good firewood, as well as monitor the temperature and humidity. This is the only way to prepare a tasty and fragrant product. The main thing is not to forget one of the basic rules of smoking: the higher the temperature and the lower the humidity level, the more acids and phenols get into the product. And this, in turn, dehydrates and dries out the dish.