Hi from Kokkola Finland! I am a +30 years old guy (damm, really this old) with a serious appetite for smoked meat and other delicious foods. I think i first smoked something in my electric oven five years ago using Bradley hickory biscuettes, that was the first and last time in home oven (living in a apartment). I have been looking tips from this site for the past year and decided that now is time to move on and be part of this very fine crew. I had lots of questions allready answered just reading and looking pictures in here, but i will definitely rely on all of you when i experience troubles.
I like to take photos so i will post pictures when i make something good or bad...
I would allso like to tell you a little bit of Finnish smoking:
Smoking beef or pork is not very popular and there is only a few that even knows something about it, but there is obvious trend going on for years now and i hope it will continue to grow steadily. I think one of the biggest reasons for people here wanting to try smoking is becouse of the internet, youtube, blogs and offcourse friends telling experiences to each other.
Commercialy there is offcourse possible to buy smoked pork on every crocery store in town, but it is different than bbq-pork. The wood used is usualy alder and the taste is milder than compared to hickory and other hardwoods. Commercialy smoked bacon is allso smoked with alder.
Traditionally the hams are smoked in a timber framed sauna and it has been like this for hundreds of years. The sauna is heated up around 60-100c and hams are hanged from the cealing or the walls. Low temperature keeps the moisture in the meat, but it takes about 24-48 hours to be done. Smoking whole pig wasnt tha uncommon allso, but it would take more than 48 hours. If the temperature is around 100c sauna is kept moist easily just throwing water to a stove ones in a while. Moose and reindeer has allso been smoked the same way. Cold smoked reindeer is allso good, but also expensive and more of an holiday delicasy not a everyday food.
Some of the wooden musical instruments were allso smoked on sauna.
Unfortunately these traditional smoking saunas are very rare today and i can only point few places in Finland, but
it is allso pretty easy to make and i think there is many of these still used smaller towns.
Smoking fish instead of meat is very popular in whole country. Salmon and Whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) are the most popular fishes for smoking. Alder is used on fishes i would say 99 times out 100. This forum is about meat so i wont bother to tell more about fish smoking, but i will post a picture of traditional, but little modernized smokehouse what can be used for fish and also for pork&beef...
Hope you didnt get bored and understanded what i was telling, writing takes some time and checking, talkin is easier!
Allmost forget to share what kind of gear i am using.
Right now i dont have a specific smoker, my set includes only basic Webers following:
Weber Kettle 22.5" one touch gold
Weber go-anywhere
Weber smokey joe gold
Picture taken on mother in laws home on countryside. Living in apartment it is impossible to hobby bbq..
Weber found a good spot!
I like to take photos so i will post pictures when i make something good or bad...
I would allso like to tell you a little bit of Finnish smoking:
Smoking beef or pork is not very popular and there is only a few that even knows something about it, but there is obvious trend going on for years now and i hope it will continue to grow steadily. I think one of the biggest reasons for people here wanting to try smoking is becouse of the internet, youtube, blogs and offcourse friends telling experiences to each other.
Commercialy there is offcourse possible to buy smoked pork on every crocery store in town, but it is different than bbq-pork. The wood used is usualy alder and the taste is milder than compared to hickory and other hardwoods. Commercialy smoked bacon is allso smoked with alder.
Traditionally the hams are smoked in a timber framed sauna and it has been like this for hundreds of years. The sauna is heated up around 60-100c and hams are hanged from the cealing or the walls. Low temperature keeps the moisture in the meat, but it takes about 24-48 hours to be done. Smoking whole pig wasnt tha uncommon allso, but it would take more than 48 hours. If the temperature is around 100c sauna is kept moist easily just throwing water to a stove ones in a while. Moose and reindeer has allso been smoked the same way. Cold smoked reindeer is allso good, but also expensive and more of an holiday delicasy not a everyday food.
Some of the wooden musical instruments were allso smoked on sauna.
Unfortunately these traditional smoking saunas are very rare today and i can only point few places in Finland, but
it is allso pretty easy to make and i think there is many of these still used smaller towns.
Smoking fish instead of meat is very popular in whole country. Salmon and Whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) are the most popular fishes for smoking. Alder is used on fishes i would say 99 times out 100. This forum is about meat so i wont bother to tell more about fish smoking, but i will post a picture of traditional, but little modernized smokehouse what can be used for fish and also for pork&beef...
Hope you didnt get bored and understanded what i was telling, writing takes some time and checking, talkin is easier!
Allmost forget to share what kind of gear i am using.
Right now i dont have a specific smoker, my set includes only basic Webers following:
Weber Kettle 22.5" one touch gold
Weber go-anywhere
Weber smokey joe gold
Picture taken on mother in laws home on countryside. Living in apartment it is impossible to hobby bbq..
Weber found a good spot!
