Hot Smoking

This is cooking with hot smoke. This cooking method adds great flavor to the meat but doesn’t preserve the meat at all. Meat cooked in this matter has to be immediately eaten or frozen.

Hot smoking can be achieved simply by adding a small smokebox to your barbecue.

You could also sweep the coals of your grill into two separate piles. Add wet hardwood chips to your charcoal, and tightly shut the lid of your barbecue. (Place a metal dish of water under the meat to prevent fat dripping and causing flare ups in the smoker.)

You don’t even need a grill, though. This kind of smoking can be done in a barrel or any other homemade smoking device.

Using a thermometer, ensure the temperature in the smoker stays between 225° and 300°F (107°C and 149°C).

The process takes four to eight hours to fully cook meat. Test the results with a meat thermometer to ensure everything is fully cooked.

Temperatures to hot smoke meats:

• Poultry: 180°F / 82°C
• Beef/Lamb: 150°F–170°F / 65°C–77°C
• Pork: 160°F–170°F / 71°C –77°C
• Fish: 158°F–176°F / 70°C–80°C (fish should only be hot smoked)