Practical recommendations on how to properly store smoked meat

Smoking is a cooking method that involves processing with smoke or smoking liquid. It not only gives the meat an appetizing smell and taste, but also extends its shelf life.

The rules for storing smoked products depend primarily on the cooking temperature. We will tell you in this article how to properly store smoked meat at home.

Storage rules at home

To prevent spoilage, smoked products should be stored in ventilated, dry and dark areas. The optimal temperature is no more than 8...10 C, and the humidity level is 60-75%.

The packaging used is:

• dry cellophane film,
• parchment,
• Vacuum package,
• sealed container,
• salted cloth and even nettle leaves.

Shelf life is determined both by temperature and the chosen storage method.

To make smoked meat tasty and safe, You need to follow a few rules:

1. Do not place hot foods in the refrigerator or pantry to cool.
2. Place finished pieces of meat tightly in a food container or wrap in film that allows air to pass through.

   When stored in a refrigerator or cool room (pantry, attic, etc.), the film must be changed regularly.

   Hot smoked meat can also be stored in glass and enamel containers.

3. Before placing in a container or vacuum bag, it is recommended to wrap the pieces of meat in cellophane, parchment or wax paper. Storing in a plastic bag and cling film reduces the shelf life several times.
4. Observe the principle of product proximity - do not place raw meat, fish and other products that require mandatory heat treatment next to smoked meats.
5. Allow the product to cool completely before packaging and storing. This is especially true for hot smoked meat, which actively releases moisture when cooling.
6. Before packaging and during defrosting, dry smoked meats with paper towels, removing condensation, in which pathogenic microorganisms quickly multiply.
7. Before cooking, cut the meat into small portions that will be easy to eat within 1-2 days. A cut product retains its properties worse than an uncut product.
8. Do not store smoked products in areas with a draft or musty odor. The cause of unexpected food spoilage may also be improper wall insulation, which leads to the accumulation of condensation inside the room.

Where to keep it?

Smoked meat is a perishable product, so it is recommended to store it in the refrigerator or freezer. The lower the temperature in the compartment, the longer the smoked meats remain suitable for consumption.

In a refrigerator

Temperature +4…+8 C allows you to preserve the elastic structure, crust and taste of smoked meats. To ensure the right conditions, you should turn on the low temperature mode and avoid cooling warm foods inside the chamber.

During storage, smoked meat is placed in the lower sections of the refrigerator. If the device is not marked “No Frost” and is drip-cooled, packages of smoked meat should not be pushed towards the rear wall of the chamber.

To extend the shelf life of meat in the refrigerator, you need to wrap the pieces in gauze soaked in a salt solution (1 tablespoon of salt per 1 glass of water), and then wrap in parchment and tie.

Is it possible in the freezer?

The freezer is used in cases where meat needs to be preserved for a period of more than 1.5-2 weeks. To preserve the structure of the meat, cooling must be rapid, so you need to follow a few rules:

• Before placing smoked meats, completely empty one of the freezer compartments;
• turn on the low-temperature mode and leave the unit for 2 hours to stabilize the conditions in the compartment;
• if the freezer compartment is drip-cooled and requires defrosting, make sure that there is no frost or a layer of snow on the walls;
• lay out the smoked meats in small pieces, in one layer and at some distance from each other, to ensure the circulation of cold air.

Unlike refrigeration, defrosting meat after storage should be as smooth as possible. Before transferring the product to the refrigerator, you need to turn it on low temperature and wait 2-3 hours. Smoked meats are defrosted in a dry zone at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment.

At room temperature

Storing meat without additional cooling is allowed only in dark, ventilated and dry rooms: for example, in attics or pantries. A cellar or basement may not be suitable due to high humidity.

The room should be free of mold, insects and animals. Before storing meat, it is recommended to treat the walls and shelves of the room with a solution of soda ash or caustic soda. Low humidity levels and ventilation can be achieved through forced ventilation.

You can store meat in the following ways:

• in fabric soaked in saline solution;
• in bags made of natural linen (cotton, jute, hemp);
• in wooden boxes;
• in nettle leaves and packaging that does not block air access.

The shelf life of meat when stored in cool rooms ranges from several days to 2-3 months.

How to store in vacuum packaging?

Vacuum packaging isolates products from environmental influences and allows you to extend their shelf life by 1.5-3 times. For storage, you can use special containers or bags with a valve. A vacuum sealer is used to remove excess air.

The video will show you how to store smoked meat in vacuum packaging:

How long is it stored?

The smoking method determines not only its taste, but also the moisture level of the meat, and therefore automatically affects its shelf life.

Hot smoked

Hot smoking occurs in a smoking oven or smokehouse at a temperature of 80...120 C. This allows you to destroy pathogenic organisms and extend the shelf life of the product without thorough drying and prolonged treatment with smoke.

By wrapping small pieces in gauze or a cloth soaked in saline solution, you can increase the length of time you store meat in the refrigerator to 1-2 weeks.

Shelf life of hot smoked meat depending on temperature:

It is recommended to store smoked products processed by the hot method only in units with low temperatures, and not in cool rooms.

Cold

Cold smoking takes place at a temperature not exceeding +30 C. Preservative properties are ensured through pre-treatment (salting or pickling), drying and prolonged exposure to smoke.

Features for duck and goose

Duck and goose are high in fat. Ready-made smoked meats made from such meat spoil faster than those made from dietary products.

The shelf life of products depends on temperature:

• +5…+70С – up to 12 hours;
• 0…+50С – up to 24 hours;
• -3…00С – up to 2 days.

When deep-frozen, the same shelf life recommendations apply as for other types of meat. If the carcass has already been cut into pieces, you need to grease them with fat and place them in a vacuum container or wrap them in parchment and then in cling film.

Whole poultry must be frozen first. without packaging for 1.5-2 hours. This will avoid excessive release of condensation during heating.

What affects the shelf life?

In addition to storage temperature, the shelf life of meat is affected by:

1. Humidity. Condensed moisture and meat juice are a beneficial environment for pathogenic bacteria. If the humidity in the room is above 75% or there is a source of steam in the compartment with smoked meats, then traces of rotting and mold may appear on the smoked meats.
2. Access to sunlight and air. With high humidity and lack of oxygen access, mold and traces of rotting may appear on products. This is especially true for lean types of meat processed in a hot way. Storage in a well-lit place, on the contrary, worsens the taste and quality of the product.
3. Method of preparation and composition. Despite the higher processing temperature during hot smoking, finished dishes are stored worse because they have higher internal humidity and low salt content. Preservatives added to industrial and some home-made smoked products can kill pathogenic flora and extend shelf life.

In what cases should smoked meats not be eaten?

The shelf life of smoked meat varies depending on conditions. In some cases, the specified number of days or hours has not yet passed, but the product already shows signs of staleness. The difference between the recommended and actual shelf life may differ by 2-3 times.

Suspicious signs include:

• white coating;
• stickiness, large amount of moisture;
• loose, inelastic structure of the pulp, which is easily divided into fibers;
• sour smell, presence of foreign pungent odors.

For industrial smoked meats, a sign of spoilage is a violation of vacuum packaging. Since the shelf life is set taking into account the isolation from the external environment, damage to the film will lead to rapid growth of bacteria and increased humidity.

How to check meat and is it possible to remove signs of spoilage?

To check whether the meat is spoiled, you do not need to taste it. The easiest way to determine the freshness of a product is to cut it with a hot knife..

Having warmed up the metal knife well, you need to stick it into the piece or make a deep cut. If the meat is spoiled, the juice released, the knife and the warm cut will have a distinct unpleasant odor.

If doubts about the quality of the product remain, you can heat a small slice in the microwave or in a frying pan. In the first minutes of cooking, the sour smell of missing meat intensifies sharply.

Conclusion

Preserve the freshness and taste of smoked meat Correctly selected temperature and humidity conditions will help. Depending on the cooking method, the product can be left either in the refrigerator or freezer, or in a cool, dry room.

To avoid spoilage of smoked meats, you need to take into account the method of its preparation and the expected duration of storage.