Guides
Everything you need to know about smoking, curing and sausage making.
Grundlagen
How to Cure Meat: The Complete Beginner's Guide
Curing is one of the oldest food preservation methods in the world – and at the same time, it's the foundation for some of the most delicious meat specialties you can imagine. Whether it's crispy baco
How to Make Ham: From Raw Meat to Finished Product
Making ham at home sounds like a big project – and it is. But it's one of those projects that rewards you with a smile you won't shake off anytime soon. After a few weeks of patience, when you taste t
How to Make Biltong & Beef Jerky: Dried Meat Guide
Dried meat is everywhere right now – on hiking trips, at the gym, during gaming nights. No wonder, because it's protein-rich, keeps for ages, and tastes damn good. But there's a world of difference be
Food Safety in Smoking and Curing
Smoking and curing are among humanity's oldest food preservation methods – and they're experiencing a real renaissance right now. No wonder: homemade bacon, house-smoked salmon, or self-cured pork loi
Weight Loss During Smoking and Drying: Tables and Guidelines
When you smoke a piece of meat or fish for the first time and then put it on the scale, you're often in for a surprise: the piece is noticeably lighter than before. Sometimes even shockingly lighter.
Dry Aging Meat at Home: A Complete Guide
Juicier than any supermarket steak, with a nutty, buttery aroma you've never experienced before – welcome to the world of dry aging. What restaurants and butchers have been doing for decades, you can
Dehydrating: Basics, Temperatures and Tips
Dehydrating is one of the oldest and most natural methods for preserving food – and it's experiencing a real renaissance right now. Whether it's crispy apple chips, aromatic herbs, or tender beef jerk
Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetables: Guide and Recipes
Drying is one of humanity's oldest preservation methods – and it's experiencing a real renaissance right now. No wonder: dried fruits and vegetables are incredibly versatile, last a long time, and are
HACCP for Smokers: Hygiene Concept Simply Explained
When you smoke meat, fish, or sausage – whether for personal use or as a gift – you automatically take on the responsibility of producing safe food. HACCP sounds like bureaucracy and dry official jarg
Räuchern
Cold Smoking vs. Hot Smoking — Differences, Temperatures, Applications
Smoking is one of the oldest food preservation methods in the world — and at the same time one of the most versatile. Whether you want to make your own bacon for the first time or have been refining s
Which Wood for Smoking? The Complete Guide
Smoking and wood – it's a relationship that has grown over millennia. And honestly? Choosing the right smoking wood is at least as important as choosing the right meat, fish, or cheese. The wrong wood
How to Smoke Bacon: Belly, Back Bacon & More
Homemade bacon is simply unbeatable. That subtle smoky aroma, the perfect salt notes, and that texture you never get at the supermarket – that's the moment you understand why people have been smoking
How to Smoke Pulled Pork: Low & Slow Guide
Pulled pork is an absolute classic in the BBQ world – and once you've smoked it yourself, you'll never look back. The butter-tender, juicy pork shoulder that shreds effortlessly with two forks is the
How to Smoke Brisket: The Ultimate Challenge
When you get serious about smoking, there's one thing you can't avoid: brisket. Smoked beef brisket is considered the ultimate discipline in the BBQ world – and for good reason. No other cut of meat f
How to Smoke Pork Belly: Crispy and Juicy
Smoking pork belly is one of the pinnacles of smoking—and for good reason. Few cuts of meat combine as many textures and flavors as a perfectly smoked belly: a lacquered, mahogany-brown crust on the o
Smoking Poultry: Chicken, Turkey, Duck
Smoking poultry is one of the most satisfying things you can do on a smoker or in a smokehouse. The combination of tender, juicy texture and that unmistakable smoky aroma makes every piece of poultry
Smoking Dust vs. Chips vs. Chunks: Which for What?
You're standing in front of the smoking supplies rack wondering what the actual difference is between the fine powder, the small wood shavings, and the massive wood blocks? Don't worry – you're not al
Smoking Game Meat: Venison, Deer, Wild Boar
Smoking wild game is one of the oldest and most rewarding methods for preserving high-quality meat while creating an incomparable flavor. Whether tender venison loin, robust elk roast, or savory wild
Pökeln
Curing Salt (NPS): Everything You Need to Know
When you start getting serious about curing meat, you'll eventually stumble across the topic of nitrite curing salt – or NPS for short. For many beginners, it's initially a bit mysterious: there's som
Equalization Time: What Is It and How to Calculate It?
You've just salted your meat, the timer is running – but when is it time to take the piece out of the fridge and move to the next step? That's exactly where **curing time** comes in. For many beginner
Curing Methods Compared: Dry, Wet, Vacuum, Injection
When you start curing meat, you quickly run into a question that confuses many beginners: Which curing method should I actually use? Dry curing, wet curing, vacuum curing, or injection curing? All fou
How to Calculate Curing Time: Rules of Thumb and Practical Tips
The question every first-time curer asks themselves: **How long does it actually need to stay in the cure?** Cure it too short and the nitrite curing salt won't fully penetrate the meat's interior – t
How to Make Brine: Recipes and Concentrations
A good brine is the heart of wet curing – and once you really understand it, a whole new world of meat preparation opens up to you. Whether it's juicy roast pork, aromatic bacon, or tender cured salmo
Curing Color Change: Why Your Cured Meat Turns Pink
When you cure meat for the first time, you often get a little surprise: the meat that initially looked gray-brown and unappetizing transforms into a radiant, deep pink after smoking or cooking. This p
Fisch
How to Smoke Salmon: Step-by-Step Guide
Smoked salmon is an absolute delicacy – and the best part? You can easily make it yourself at home. Whether as an appetizer, on a bagel, or pure with a squeeze of lemon: homemade smoked salmon beats a
Smoking Fish: Basics, Methods and Tips
Smoking fish is one of humanity's oldest preservation methods—and at the same time, one of the most exciting techniques you can master as a hobby smoker. The result: tender, aromatic flesh with that u
How to Smoke Trout: The Perfect Smoked Trout
There's hardly anything more satisfying than a trout you've smoked yourself – with golden-brown skin and juicy flesh that falls right off the bones. Smoked trout is a classic – and at the same time, a
How to Smoke Eel: The Classic
There's hardly anything more satisfying than a freshly smoked eel with skin that gleams golden brown and flesh that falls butter-soft from the bone. Smoked eel is a true classic of German smoking cult
How to Smoke Mackerel: Simple and Delicious
Mackerel is one of the most rewarding fish you can smoke. Why? Because their high fat content keeps the flesh moist while smoking, allows it to absorb smoke beautifully, and develops that unmistakable
How to Smoke Shrimp and Seafood
Smoking shrimp sounds like a job for the pros – but it's actually one of the most rewarding tasks you can tackle on a smoker or in a smoke oven. The cooking time is short, the flavor is intense, and t
Wurst
How to Make Sausage: The Complete Beginner's Guide
Making sausage at home sounds like a complex craft that only professionals can master – but that's simply not true. With the right knowledge, a bit of patience, and the proper equipment, you can produ
How to Make Liverwurst: Recipe and Instructions
Liverwurst is a true German classic – and once you've made it yourself, you'll hardly want to touch the supermarket version again. Homemade liverwurst is more aromatic, you know exactly what's in it,
How to Make Salami: From Meat to Finished Sausage
Homemade salami – for many a dream, for some a myth. But it's absolutely doable to make an aromatic, air-dried salami at home that puts any supermarket cold cuts to shame. Of course, it takes some pat
How to Make Wiener Sausages: Scalded Sausage Guide
Wiener sausages are among the most famous sausages in the world – yet very few people have ever made them from scratch. But the truth is, making them isn't nearly as complicated as it might sound. Wit
How to Make Bratwurst: Recipe and Instructions
There's hardly anything more tempting than the aroma of fresh bratwurst sizzling on the grill. And you know what? The best bratwurst is the one you make yourself – because you know exactly what goes i
Dry-Curing Sausage: Temperature, Humidity, Duration
Making raw sausage yourself is an art – but the real magic doesn't happen during the sausage-making process, it happens after. The aging phase is what determines whether your salami or your country sa
Natural vs. Artificial Casings: Which for What?
You're standing in front of the shelf at your local butcher shop or scrolling through the online store and wondering: natural casing or artificial casing – which one should I actually use for my homem
Equipment
Setting Up Your Smoker: Tips for Beginners
A brand new smoker is sitting in front of you – and you're not quite sure how to get started? Don't panic. That's how everyone feels at first. That empty box can look intimidating, but with the right
Smoke Maze and Cold Smoke Generator: How They Work
Cold smoking is one of the oldest and most fascinating methods for refining food – from aromatic salmon to cheese to homemade ham. To make it work, you need the right tools. Two devices take center st
Sausage Stuffer and Equipment: What You Really Need
You've decided to make sausages yourself – fantastic! But the moment you first try to force sausage meat into casings with a spoon, you'll understand why the right equipment is crucial. A good sausage
Vacuum Sealing: Proper Packaging for Curing and Storage
Vacuum sealing is one of the most important techniques when it comes to curing and storing meat. Once you've worked with a good vacuum sealer, you won't want to be without one – because it's the diffe
Tipps
Smoking in Summer: Tips for Hot Weather
Summer is actually the perfect season for smoking – long evenings, company in the garden, the fire crackling away. But if you've ever tried to maintain proper cooking temperature at 35 °C (95 °F) or s
How to Smoke Cheese: A Complete Guide
Smoking cheese is one of the most fascinating ways to give an already delicious product a completely new dimension. The smoky aroma, the slightly leathery rind, the intense flavor – homemade smoked ch
The 10 Most Common Smoking Mistakes — and How to Avoid Them
Smoking is one of the oldest food preservation methods in the world — and at the same time, an art that you master a little better with every session. But especially when you're starting out (and some
Smoking Without a Smoker: Alternatives for Beginners
You want to get into smoking, but a proper smoker isn't in the budget (yet)? No problem. Here's the good news: you don't need expensive specialized equipment to produce fantastic smoked sausages, fish
Smoking in Winter: Advantages and Special Considerations
While most hobby smokers put their equipment away in fall, something interesting is happening: the truly experienced pitmasters are just getting started. Because winter is – contrary to popular belief
How to Make Your Own Rub: The Best Spice Blends
Store-bought rubs are convenient – no question about it. But once you understand how a good spice blend is structured, you'll never reach for a packet again. Homemade rubs don't just taste better; you
How to Make BBQ Sauce: 5 Recipes from Mild to Hot
A good BBQ sauce can make all the difference – between "pretty good" and "please give me that recipe." The problem: most sauces from the supermarket are either too sweet, too bland, or packed with pre
Commercial Smoking: What You Need to Know
You're passionate about smoking, your friends and family rave about your homemade ham, and eventually the question comes up: Could I actually make money doing this? The good news—yes, it's possible. T
Smoking in Mediterranean Climate: Challenges and Solutions
If you live in Southern France, Spain, Italy, Greece, or elsewhere around the Mediterranean – or regularly vacation there and don't want to give up homemade smoked goods – you're facing a very special
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