SC - smoked sausage and meats

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Mark Harris wrote:

> I don=D5t think you have quite answered my last question although I do
> appreciate the detailed answer on this question and the others. My
> question may be better stated as: =D2Since the primary purpose of smoki=
ng
> the meat or sausage is to preserve it, how long do I need to smoke it
> before I know it will keep and be safe to eat sometime in the future?=D3=

> =

> Yes, I know meat is often smoked for taste, but I want to know how long=

> I need to smoke it to preserve it.
> =

> Thanks.
>   Stefan li Rous
>   markh at risc.sps.mot.com

I hate to seem evasive, but there is no simple answer to the question,
so far as I know. Food smoked long enough to preserve it (coated with
smoke tar [creosote?] primarily to drive off insects, and semi-dried,
since even smoke-houses are a bit warmer than the surrounding air, even
without active flames) is considered by many to be inedible. Sir Hugh
Plat's recipe for Polonian Sawsedges says, in his tactful way, that they
will make one "relish a cup of wine". I don't think the modern sense of
taste, used to eating food that's been refrigerated instead of being
smoked fully, is ready for that sort of thing.

Your best bet would be to keep the food in a smoker for flavor
(approximately 2-6 hours) and then finish curing/drying the food in the
smoker without additional wood chips. Or you could use a food
dehydrator.

Smoked hams that are actually treated for storage without (much)
refrigeration are generally cured with the smoke going for only part of
the process, until the hams have lost about half of their original
weight. This "rule" varies according to the ratio of weight to surface
area, the presence of bones, fat, etc. I'm not sure there's any really
effective way to smoke-preserve a liver sausage for, say, Pennsic
conditions, for any significant length of time, and have it still be
edible. I suspect it would rather resemble a rubber eraser.

Your best bet is probably to get a book on charcuterie. My favorite is
Jane Grigson's "The Art of Making Sausages, Pates, and Other
Charcuterie". Another good choice is Jocasta Innes' "The Country
Kitchen", which is an overall book on "putting food up". =


Adamantius