[Sca-cooks] Smoked fish and meat--questions

[Stefan li Rous]

Cariadoc asked:
> On a tangent from the smokehouse discussion ...  .
>
> We've been thinking that we need more things for Pennsic that don't
> require either a cooler to preserve or cooking. That way we can do a
> larger variety of cold meals. One possibility is to use smoked meat
> or fish.
>
> Neither Betty nor I has much experience with such. Are there
> commercially available products that will reliably keep for a week or
> more without refrigeration, and where does one get them?
> Given my persona, pork products are not an option.
Except for the last comment I would have recommended the Smithfield 
hams and bacon as Phlip mentioned. They will keep without refrigeration 
as I've seen them sold that way at the grocery. You can probably get 
them by mail order, but my local grocery started carrying them.

As to having to saw them up at an event, you could take a saw along. Or 
cut them up prior to the event. Then you hydrate only one parcel at a 
time and that should keep a day or two.

Unfortunately, as I've complained about here previously, most of the 
smoked meats found in the grocery today are smoked for flavor and they 
are not smoked enough to be preserved. "Smoked meat. Please keep 
refrigerated". Argh! grumble. grumble.

I have gotten dried fish at oriental markets that would seem to be very 
close to the medieval version.

As Phlip mentioned, you can make your own dried meats. These could be 
done a slices for jerky or done in small chips in which case they could 
then be rehydrated and used or tossed into a soup or stew. The smaller 
chunks would dry quicker and have less chance for spoilage. One of the 
commercial dehydrators would come in handy for this or an oven set on 
low power will also work. For a few details, see this file:
drying-foods-msg  (55K)  9/16/02    Drying foods in period and for the 
SCA.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/drying-foods-msg.html

What about the hard salamis and such. They don't need refrigeration. 
Pepperoni too, as well as summer sausage.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****