[Sca-cooks] period smoke houses?

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Decker, Terry D.:
>I've never encountered an operating smoke house that was anywhere near 55
>degrees.
>
>Smoke houses are designed for "cold smoking."  The temperature of the heat
>source is normally around 180-200 degrees F and the meat is left to smoke
>until it reaches an internal termperature of around 160 degrees F.  The
>smoke coats the meat rather than is absorbed by the meat.  Heat kills the
>bacteria, cooks and dehydrates the meat (especially the outer layer).  Smoke
>builds a crust.

Huh. You sure about that? One of the reasons you couldn't, until 
recently, import real prosciutto di Parma into the U.S. was that it 
was raw. Same for (I think it is) Westphalian ham and a number of 
others. Serrano, etc.; I don't recall if the laws have changed or if 
the stuff is irradiated now. I can't see Smithfield ham having the 
soft translucency it has if it is cooked...

I do think surface dehydration is an issue, though. Hams like 
prosciutto are air-dried in the curing process, but the aging they go 
through is sufficient to, after the moisture has more or less 
equalized throughout the joint (if you can call a boned ham a joint) 
to give it that slightly waxy texture throughout.

>The back yard smoker is for "hot smoking."  The heat source is 225-300
>degrees F.  The meat, depending of type, is brought to standard internal
>temperatures of 145-180 degrees F.  In hot smoking, the meat is not
>adequately smoked for preservation and needs to be refrigerated.
>
>In either case, the air temperature by the meat must be at or above the
>internal temperature of the meat.

Well, yeah, otherwise the meat is heating the air, and not vice 
versa. I'm reminded of the old joke (my Dad was of an age to have 
witnessed vaudeville firsthand, and it tends to color my speech, 
more's the pity) about the young wife who tried to boil water by 
putting the pan in the oven set for 212.

Badda boom, badda bing!

Adamantius