Most of us have already eaten up packed with chemicals, soaked in water and, worst of all, tasteless sausages offered in supermarkets and discount stores. We dream of products from the stories of our grandparents – tasty, aromatic, unique. These flavors can be reproduced provided that we prepare and smoke the meat and sausages ourselves. If you want to eat healthy meat – choose turkey. How to smoke turkey?
Why smoke a turkey
It contains a lot of protein, B vitamins, zinc, magnesium and selenium. Has a positive effect on the nervous system, nice skin. Turkey meat also contains tryptophan. This ingredient affects the production of serotonin, i.e. the hormone of happiness. Thanks to him we have a good mood. Turkey meat contains the least cholesterol of all meats. Therefore, this type is recommended for people with cardiovascular disease. Turkey meat should also be included in the diet of children because of the nutritional value and digestibility.
What you should know about smoking
Smoking is one of the oldest ways of preserving food, practiced for many thousands of years. In addition to smoking from prehistory, drying and salting were also used. Today, when every family has a fridge at their disposal, and food producers add preservatives to most products, smoking is no longer so important when storing home stocks.
During smoking, the products undergo heat treatment, which aims to change the moisture content of the smoked meat as evenly as possible and causes it to loosen under the influence of temperature (when smoking hot) and autolytic enzymatic processes (when smoking cold). The longer the smoking process lasts, the more water is lost. In addition, smoke treatment of cured meat, meat and fish improves their taste and gives them a characteristic aroma and color. The smoking process also leads to an increase in the durability of smoked products, since their surface is solidified, dried and naturally preserved by the bactericidal and bacteriostatic substances contained in the smoke.
How to smoke a turkey
Boil water in a large pot (approx. 1 liter of water for every kilogram of meat). Cut the celery into cubes and place it in boiling water. We put the rinsed meat and put the pot on the stove again. The turkey should brew at 70-80 ° C for 30 to 40 minutes. DO NOT COOK! After this time, remove the meat and add salt to the water left in the pot: 10 dag for every liter of water. Place the meat back in the pot, remembering that the potting cover completely covers it. We take the pot to a cool place for 8-10 hours. Before smoking, rinse the meat under running water. Stuff the turkey on the hooks and hang in the smokehouse for about an hour so that the meat dries a little. We smoke (on the smoke generator itself) at a temperature of 40-60 degrees for 8 – 12 hours.
The taste and color of smoking products are greatly influenced by the type of wood used for smoking. Depending on the type of smokehouse, you can use wood in the form of chips, chips or sawdust.