Preserving the Harvest, Part 3, Smoking

This is a method long used in the Americas for preserving Meats and Hot Peppers. It can also be used for many other vegetables such as garlic and tomatoes, and vegetarian substitutes like tofu and TVP. This article will cover hot peppers and fish specifically. The methods may be used for a wide variety of foods though.

 

For hot peppers, you select peppers with minimal blemishes and no insect damage. You’re aiming for a warm smoke. Not hot enough to cook, not cold, just warm enough to drive out water. You should use sweet woods like oak, maple, apple, or mesquite. Soak the wood chips or chunks in water overnight. Place whole peppers with a slit in them on a high rack in your smoker. Use in-direct heat. Periodically place soaked wood on a very small charcoal or wood fire. Drying may take several days depending on weather. Be sure there is good airflow. Peppers are done when between leathery and crumbly. This is how chipotle and ancho peppers are made. Works on any pepper, but tastes best on red and orange peppers. To make powder for cooking, you can take out the stem and seeds and run it through a food mill or blender. To make paste, de-seed peppers and boil in water. Run water and peppers in a blender until smooth. To make hot sauce, do the same as paste, but use vinegar, and use enough vinegar to make it runny. For more info on peppers, see the article on peppers.

 

For Fish, I’m going to walk you through a method used not only by Native Americans, but also by the Ainu people of Japan and Russia. You might be wondering why I’m bothering with fish in a farming/gardening group. The answer is the growing popularity of Aquaponics systems. Those people need to know how to preserve all of their harvest, not just the vegetables. Many of us here are also avid fishermen. So anyways, you take a whole fish, slice open the belly, gut it, rise it out. Run a hook into the mouth and out the gills. Hang it in the smoker. Use small sticks to prop the body cavity open. Smoke cold until the flesh is completely dry. Use woods like alder, birch, poplar, and cedar. I personally favor birch.