The Artisan Smokehouse & The Smoking Process

The History Of Smoking...

Smoking is the process of flavouring, cooking, and/or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from materials, such as hardwoods. The smoking and curing of fish and meat has been practiced throughout human history as a means of aiding long-term storage.

Curing is the process of adding salt and sugar to food in order to draw out moisture. In doing so, this reduces micro bacterial growth and intensifies flavour. Additional flavourings, such as herbs and spices, may also be used in the cure mix, along with preservatives, such as nitrates and nitrites.

Our fish and meat products are generally dry cured, meaning the cure is rubbed onto the surface of the food, using a simple mixture of sugar and salt. For certain products we will use complimentary flavours such as juniper berry or black pepper in the cure, or use a brown sugar to give a sweeter, richer flavour.

Our products are generally cured for between 24 and 72 hours, depending on the type of product, size of product and the outcome we wish to achieve. We find that the curing process is one of the most skilled parts of the whole curing/smoking/drying process and requires a great deal of experience to achieve consistent results.

Before smoking, our fish and meat products are dried for a short period of time in order to assist the smoking process, enhance the flavour, and aid preservation.