Strange statement in a popular charcuterie book

[atomicsmoke]

I tried to post this on the book review thread; but it didn't take it.

I was reading up on Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas (you can read table of contents and intro pages on books.google). Thought of buying it. Until I read this referring to cold smoking "If you can't cure it, don't smoke it. It doesn't matter if it's meat, fish, poultry, cheese or vegetable". Needless to say I won't be getting this book.

 

[daveomak]

That statement is appropriate and factual..... What is your problem with it....

Mostly, it is a "WAKE UP" statement to folks that are starting in the smoking hobby, to make them aware of the dangers that "May" be associated with smoking foods...

Smoking food, by definition, is done in the temperature range of 50 ish to 140 ish.... The temperature zone when bacteria, pathogens etc. flourish.... In a reduced oxygen atmosphere, like smoking foods produces, botulism can flourish.....

Dave

 

[atomicsmoke]

Factual? Based on documented cases of botulism from COLD SMOKING cheese? Please don't respond with the mascarpone cheese problems.

Or these days factual means "if A happens under conditions B it is likely to happen under conditions C"?

Are you saying that one should cure cheese with nitrite before cold smoke it?

Was there a study done to evaluate the behaviour of botulism spores/bacteria under cold smoking conditions? You know ...evaluate bacteria activity and presence of toxin right after smoking not after vacuum packed for a month?

 

[bama bbq]

I have the book. There are some great recipes in it. I've used several with great success. Some info conflicts with other sources but overall a good reference. Who's to say who is correct?

 

[squirrel]

Cheese is generally salt or brine cured. Store bought cheeses are already "cured". I've used the guys recipes and had great success.

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/cheese98.htm

 

[atomicsmoke]

Cheese is generally salt or brine cured. Store bought cheeses are already "cured". I've used the guys recipes and had great success.

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/cheese98.htm

The paragraph I quoted from meant cure=use of curing salts.

 

[brooksy]

Why would you cure a vegetable? So I can't take a head of broccoli and cold smoke it?

 

[red dog]

I think you are missing out on a lot of very useful information by refusing to buy the book because you disagree with one statement. I don't agree with everything I read on this forum but that doesn't keep me from reading it. If the author was touting a practice that was potentially harmful that would be another matter. But to overly err on the side of caution is forgivable.

 

[briankinlaw]

As a rule you only cold smoke cured meats and this includes Cheese.  I would refer back to what my mother told me once about recipes... Just because someone  writes a book of recipes does not mean they know what their talking about.  She said lots of authors write recipes and cant even cook themselves.  I have also found this to be true survival information... Lots of people write about it but have never put any of it into practice.