Hot smoking and cold smoking are two different processes. Cold smoking is part of a method of preservation that allows meat products to be kept for extended periods. Hot smoking is a cooking technique that uses heat and smoke from wood, charcoal, gas, or any combination to produce ready to eat meat and even some vegetable dishes.
Wood for both hot and cold smoking should be from deciduous hardwood species and properly seasoned to provide the most flavorful smoke while generating the least amount of soot and creosote. Hickory is the king of wood for smoking meat but pecan, cherry, apple, mesquite, maple, and some oaks are all suitable woods as well as combinations. Softwoods like pine, cedar, or fir should be avoided as the result can be a resinous, turpentine like flavor.
Cold smoked meats are or should always be cured with a sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate cure. Depending on the method of curing, some products can be kept safely for months or even years without refrigeration. Ham, bacon, salami, summer sausage, and smoked sausage are some examples of cold smoked meats.
Cold smoked meats may be smoked for up to several hours or even days and are almost always smoked at temperatures between 90° F and 120° F., well within the Temperature Danger Zone. The combination of temperature, lack of oxygen (displaced by the smoke), and the natural low acid characteristic of meat creates the perfect environment for botulism spores to germinate, grow, and produce toxin. It is for this reason these products must be cured.
Hot smoking temperatures are well in excess of the Temperature Danger Zone’s ceiling of 140° F and is usually used to prepare un-cured fresh cuts of meat that will be served immediately. Sometimes an additional step is used where the meat is shredded, sliced, or pulled and then simmered in sauce. Pulled pork is made this way.
The meat is typically seasoned with salt, sugar, and various herbs and spices applied as a marinade, rub, or pump injection and then held under refrigeration for an hour or two but sometimes up to as long as 24 hours to allow the seasonings to aromatize and flavor the meat. Chicken, ribs, and heavy cuts such as beef brisket, pork butts, and pork loins are good choices for hot smoking.
The key to successfully hot smoking meats is temperature and duration, “Low and Slow” as they say. To create a more even temperature and aid in tenderization an indirect heating method is used. Sometimes a water pan is placed over the heat source to add humidity and help control temperature. A cooking temperature range of between 190° F and 250° F. is used depending upon the kind of meat being smoked. Poultry is usually cooked at the higher end while beef and pork cuts cook best at the mid to lower end of the range.
Some Approximate Cooking Times And Temperatures For Hot Smoking
| Type of Meat | Smoker Temp | Cooking Time | Finished
Internal Temp |
| Brisket (Sliced) | 225 degrees | 1.5 hours/pound | 180 degrees |
| Brisket (Pulled) | 225 degrees | 1.5 hours/pound | 195 degrees |
| Pork Butt (Sliced) | 225 degrees | 1.5 hours/pound | 175 degrees |
| Pork Butt (Pulled) | 225 degrees | 1.5 hours/pound | 190-205 degrees |
| Whole Chicken | 250 degrees | 4 hours | 167 degrees |
| Chicken Thighs | 250 degrees | 1.5 hours | 167 degrees |
| Chicken Quarters | 250 degrees | 3 hours | 167 degrees |
| Whole Turkey 12# | 240 degrees | 6.5 hours | 170 degrees |
| Turkey Leg | 250 degrees | 4 hours | 165 degrees |
| Meat Loaf | 250 -300 degrees | 3 hours | 160 degrees |
| Spare Ribs | 225-240 degrees | 6 hours | 172 degrees |
| Baby Back Ribs | 225-240 degrees | 5 hours | 168 degrees |
| Smoked Corn | 225 degrees | 1.5 – 2 hours | N/A |
| Smoked Potatoes | 225 Degrees | 2 – 2.5 Hours | N/A |
