Hot smoking is a great way to traditionally cook and preserve meat and fish to ensure maximum flavour. There are a variety of smoking chips available to buy, from oak to hickory, which can change the final taste of your dish. Using apple or cherry wood for fish, shellfish, chicken and game birds will give a sweet, fruity smoking taste. Meats like beef, venison or pork need a stronger, more robust flavour, so oak and hickory are the best woods to provide these smoky characteristics. Adding other flavours to the chips like hay, pine needles, bay, rosemary, tea leaves, juniper berries or the woody stem of thyme, will also give different characteristics to the final taste.
To get the best results, the produce needs to be salted first, as this will draw some of the moisture out and allow the smoky taste to penetrate a lot quicker. Meat needs to be salted for 30 minutes, while fish will only need five minutes. After salting, wash under cold water and pat dry using a clean cloth or kitchen towel.
When it comes to cooking, sprinkle the dry chips and smoking dust in the base of a large dish and place a wire rack on top to keep the food raised away from the base. Once the smoking chips have been pre-heated you can add your meat or fish and cover with a lid or foil, making sure there is no escaping smoke. If hot smoking at a lower temperature for a long period of time, use a mixture of dry and soaked chips/dust. Continue to add throughout the cooking process making sure the wood does not burn out. Using a mixture of dry and wet chips will also help with the humidity level in the dish, preventing the food from drying out. If you are using a Miele Oven, select the Bottom Heat setting as this allows the smoking chips to get the intense heat from the base of the dish while gently cooking the items of food.
Take a look at our recipe for smoked duck with in season rhubarb here.
| Food | Weight / Quantity | Oven Temperature Bottom Heat or Intensive Bake | Times | Smoking Wood | Salt Yes or No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisket | 1-3kg | 140°C | Pan fry and place into the preheated smoking dish for 4-7 hours. For the last hour brush with a sticky BBQ glaze. | Oak or hickory | No |
| Beef Rib | 4 x 400g beef short rib | 130°C | Pan fry and place into the preheated smoking dish for 5 hours. For the last hour, brush with a BBQ glaze. | Oak or hickory | No |
| Pork Loin Fillet | 400-450g | 250°C | Pan fry and place into the preheated smoking dish for 15 mins. Remove dish from oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes without removing the lid. | Oak, hickory, apple or cherry | Yes |
| Chicken Breast | 200g-250g | 250°C | Pan fry and place into the preheated smoking dish for 15-20 mins. | Oak | Yes |
| A Spatchcock Chicken | 1.5kg | 250 °C to preheat the smoking chips | Place the chicken in the smoking dish and lower temp to 190°C. Cook for 1.5-2 hours and allow to rest for 15 mins without removing the lid. | Oak | Yes |
| Scallops | 6-10 | 200°C | Place into the preheated smoking dish for 10-15 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 mins without removing the lid. | Apple or cherry | No |
| Mackerel | 2 Fillets | 250°C | Place into the preheated smoking dish for 10-15 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 mins without removing the lid. | Apple or cherry | Yes |
| Salmon | 500g | 250°C | Place into the preheated smoking dish for 10-15 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 mins without removing the lid. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 mins. Apple, cherry or whiskey soaked and dried in the gourmet drawer. | Apple or cherry - Whiskey soaked and dry in the warming drawer | Yes |
| Oysters | 6-10 | 200°C | Place in the preheated smoking dish for 10-15 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 mins without removing the lid. | Apple or cherry | No |
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