Smokers may not be used as often as the stove or the microwave oven these days, but they have been a part of American cookery for a long time now. In fact, there were even smoking houses built in the early days which were mainly used to preserve meat. Today, that kind of smoking food is still alive as evidenced by the smoked bacon, ham or lox we still have. Indeed, smokers have been around for generations and definitely for many more to come.
There are two kinds of smoking methods hot and cold smoking. Hot smoking is simply letting hot smoke pass through the food to cook it. Smokers used for hot smoking not only cook the meat but also impart the flavor at the same time. To achieve this, the food being smoked is kept directly above or near the source of heat or the fire, in an enclosed compartment.
In cold smoking, the meat is kept in an enclosure separate from the source of heat at room temperature. The smoke is allowed to cool down before it is blown to the food. The flavor reaches the food but not the heat. Curing usually accompanies the cooking as a way to preserve the meat and it takes hours or days to complete it.
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