Smoked meats are cuts of carcasses of various animals (pork, lamb, beef), subjected to salting and subsequent heat treatment. In this case, the ambassador can be different: wet, dry, mixed. Then the meat is placed in water to remove excess salt from it.
The production of this product has been practiced for a very long time, starting from the 18th century. In the era of Peter the Great, such products were made for the needs of the army. Consider what in our time there are varieties of this product.
Cooking technology
The classification of smoked meats is generally recognized. They are divided into groups based on the processing of raw materials. These include:
- Cooked smoked meat. Raw materials are boiled in specially designed containers, and then subjected to treatment with hot steam.
- Smoked baked. When performing the smoking process, the meat is baked.
- Raw smoked. Raw meat is not subjected to any pre-processing, but only smoked for five days at 22 degrees.
- Smoked and boiled. After the meat is smoked, it is boiled.
- Baked. Raw meat is fried or baked.
Varieties of the finished product
There are several types of smoked meat, which differ in the types of raw materials used. The most famous of them are the following:
- Korean. For its production, a portion of the back is taken from half of the pig carcass. It is distinguished by alternating layers of bacon and meat, the borders of which are very sharp.
- Roll. It is made from ham, cleaned of all bones. The prepared fillet rolls into a roll, after which it is tied with a special rope. This type of smoked meat can be different according to the manufacturing technology: smoked-boiled, only boiled, as well as raw smoked. It is produced not only from pork meat, but also from beef and lamb. The last two types are exclusively smoked.
- Bacon. One of the most common types of smoked pork meat in the world. It is produced from the cervical-scapular or chest-abdominal part of the carcass, from which cartilages and ribs are previously removed. It differs in a rounded shape. The meat and fat in it are arranged in alternating layers.
- Breast. Another product made only from pork. For its manufacture take the abdominal portion of the carcass. Like loin, this smoked meat can be found on sale in different forms: boiled-smoked, raw smoked and baked-smoked. Lard and meat are also located in each piece alternately.
- Carbonade. It is produced from the back of the back or lumbar portion of the carcass of a pig. This product has a rectangular shape, with a thin vein of fat along the edge. It can be found on sale in a fried or baked form.
- Boiled pork. Another pork smoked meat produced from back ham. It differs in the outer layer of fat of moderate thickness (about 2 centimeters), as well as an oval shape. This is a baked meat product.
- Neck. It is made from the neck of a pig carcass. It is usually made by baking. It has a cut on the slice of a natural pattern resembling marble.
- Ham. For its production, pork ham, cleaned of bones, is taken. It is made by boiling.
- Pressed pork. It is a boiled meat product made from front ham, without bones and lard.
- Balyk sausage. This is a meat delicacy in the natural intestinal membrane. It is made from fillet from the back of the carcass. This sausage is found on sale in a smoked-cooked form, differs by a constriction of twine over the entire surface.
- Pressed lamb or beef. These are smoked meats, according to the production technology similar to pressed pork. They are only boiled.
- Bacon. This is exclusively the fat layer of the pig carcass. It is found in smoked or salted form. In the second case, it is subjected only to salting, in the first - to cold smoking.
- Beef sirloin. As the name implies, it is beef smoked meat. The tenderloin is rubbed with a set of spices, and then baked.
- Beef tongue in a bacon shell. First, this part of the carcass is boiled, and then covered with a layer of lard and smoked.
- Breast of lamb. For its production, abdominal fragments of lamb carcass are taken. It can be found only raw smoked.
How to make a choice when buying
To purchase a delicious product, you should study all the characteristics of smoked meats. As a rule, they are fully indicated on the label. If it is a high-quality natural product, it cannot contain a large number of additives (with the exception of spices) and preservatives.
The quality of products depends on the feedstock, as well as on the process of salting and subsequent processing. If technology is not broken, the meat will be delicious.
What speaks of good quality
The surface of such a product must be clean and dry. If you press on it with any object or finger, the juice should not leak from the product. The consistency of the product should not be sticky or loose. Smoked meats with bacon content should look delicious. The fat layer in a quality product has a white or pinkish tint. If the fat is yellow and friable, the product is most likely damaged. As can be seen from the photo, meat smoked meats have a pleasant appetizing appearance. If you can try the product, you should pay attention to its taste. Sourness should not be in it.
How to store
Most smoked meats can only be stored in the refrigerator (no more than seven days). The product should not be placed in plastic bags, as they reduce the shelf life of products, since they do not allow air to pass through. It is best to use paper packaging. Some uncooked smoked items may last longer.
What is included
Since these products are made from natural meat, they contain many healthy substances:
- Vitamins of PP and B.
- Amino acids are indispensable and interchangeable.
- Potassium.
- Magnesium.
- Calcium.
- Sodium.
- Iron.
- Phosphorus.
- Manganese.
- Selenium.
- Copper.
- Zinc.
In our country, smoked meat is most often produced from pork and beef, less often from lamb and horse meat. However, in Asian countries you can find products from the meat of crocodiles, snakes and turtles.
Are they good for health
Of course, these products can benefit a person. Their composition, rich in minerals and trace elements, is able to provide the body with such help:
- Restore reproductive function, especially after exhaustion.
- Help treat anemia.
- They take part in the production of serotonin - the hormone of joy.
- Normalize blood sugar.
- Relieve migraine symptoms.
- Help keep your hair, teeth and nails healthy.
Contraindications
Recent studies have found that oncological smokes can occur with the abuse of smoked meats. This is because in the process of smoking and smoke treatment, compounds are formed in the products that are carcinogenic.
In addition, smoked meat (especially pork) can contain a lot of "bad" cholesterol and salt. For this reason, such products should not be consumed in hypertensive patients, as well as in obese and renal diseases.
How to use them in cooking
Smoked meat products are considered a delicacy. They are usually placed on the table in the form of slices, without mixing with anything. Served in the form of sandwiches, sometimes accompanied by vegetables. In addition, a number of delicious dishes can be prepared from smoked meats: sandwiches, casseroles, hodgepodge, salads and so on.
Can I cook them at home
Despite the fact that smoked meats are usually made in industrial plants using large capacities, this product can be made at home.
Home-made smoked meat recipes are not difficult. To begin with, you should salt a selected piece of meat carcass. The ambassador can be dry or wet, depending on your preference. To perform smoking, you will need special equipment and sawdust. You can make delicious meat on the grill, but such a product will not be stored for long.
Most often, at home, salted and smoked bacon and brisket are salted and smoked. Unlike industrial production, bones are not removed from carcass fragments. These products can be made both without skin and with it. Homemade bacon is produced in two variations: in the form of a layer or roll.
In the manufacture of home-made smoked meats from meat, particular care should be taken, since at home it is difficult to provide all the preventive measures used in industrial plants.