Glossary
66 technical terms about smoking, curing and sausage making.
Produkte
Bacon
Cured and smoked pork belly. Dry cure 7-10 days, then hot smoked to 65-70 °C core. Freeze 2 hours before slicing for paper-thin cuts.
Bresaola
Italian air-dried beef from the topside. Lean, dark red, sliced paper-thin. Typically served with olive oil, lemon and arugula.
Coppa / Capocollo
Italian cured pork neck. Dry cured pork collar, in natural casing or net, cold smoked and aged 2-6 months. Well marbled, aromatic.
Droewors
South African thin dried sausage, related to biltong. Thin sausages from seasoned ground meat (often with coriander and vinegar), air-dried. Traditional snack.
Guanciale
Italian specialty from pork jowl (guancia). Cured, seasoned and air-dried. Essential for carbonara and amatriciana. Fattier and more flavorful than pancetta.
Kasseler / Smoked Pork Loin
Cured and hot-smoked pork loin. Traditional German product. Soak 12 hours after curing (otherwise too salty), then smoke with beech.
Smoked Pork Tenderloin
Cured and smoked pork tenderloin or pork loin. Lean, fine product. Wet cure 5-7 days, then hot smoke at 100 °C to 63-68 °C core.
Landjäger
Pressed, smoked and dried raw sausage. Flat, rectangular shape. Pork/beef mix with caraway and pepper. Shelf-stable without refrigeration, traditional hiking snack.
Pancetta
Italian cured pork belly, rolled and air-dried (not smoked). Seasoned with pepper, garlic, fennel. Arrotolata (rolled) or Stesa (flat).
Pastrami
New York specialty. Beef brisket wet cured, coated with thick pepper crust, hot smoked and then steamed until butter-tender. Served on rye with mustard.
Speck / Bacon (German)
German/Austrian term for smoked pork belly or loin. South Tyrolean Speck is cold-smoked and air-dried, belly bacon is usually hot-smoked.
Räuchern
Bark
Dark, crispy crust on the outside of smoked meat. Created through the Maillard reaction, the rub, smoke particles and surface dehydration during long, low smoking.
Butcher Paper
Uncoated, food-safe paper for wrapping meat. Unlike aluminum foil, it lets the bark breathe while still overcoming the stall phase.
Hot Smoking
Smoking method at 60-120 °C where meat is simultaneously cooked and smoked. Results in a fully cooked product with smoke flavor. Typical for trout, chicken, ribs.
Cold Smoke Adapter
Accessory for hot smokers that separates smoke generation from the cooking chamber, enabling cold smoking. For the Borniak, a separate module connected externally.
Cold Smoking
Smoking method at 15-25 °C over several hours or days. Preserves and flavors meat without cooking it. Typical for ham, bacon, salmon and cheese. Multiple sessions with rest periods in the fridge.
Pellicle
Thin, tacky-dry protein layer on the meat surface that forms during drying before smoking. Smoke adheres optimally to it. Forms through 2-24 hours of uncovered drying in the fridge.
Smoke Generator
Electric heating element in the smoker that makes the chips smolder. In the Borniak automatically regulated with chip supply for up to 8 hours.
Smoke Maze
Metal insert for cold smoking. Filled with fine smoking dust and lit at one end. Smolders 8-12 hours slowly through the maze producing even smoke without heat.
Smoking Dust
Finely ground wood for smoking. Different wood types produce different flavors: beech (mild), alder (gentle, fish), cherry (sweet-fruity), hickory (intense, BBQ), oak (strong).
Wood Chips
Coarse wood pieces for the smoke generator in hot smoking. Automatically fed (e.g. in Borniak). Coarser than smoking dust, produces more intense smoke.
The Stall
Temperature plateau at about 65-75 °C core temperature where the temperature stops rising for hours. Cause: evaporative cooling (like sweating). Solution: Texas Crutch (wrap in foil/butcher paper).
Texas Crutch
Technique where meat is wrapped in aluminum foil or butcher paper during the stall phase to stop evaporative cooling and shorten cooking time. Optionally add some liquid (apple juice).
Warm Smoking
Smoking method at 25-55 °C. Middle ground between cold and hot smoking. Less common, used for certain sausage types.
Dörren
Bend Test
Doneness test for jerky and meat sticks: Bend the piece — it should bend into a loop and slightly crack on the outside without breaking. If it snaps: too dry. Bends without cracking: dry further.
Biltong
South African dried meat. Beef soaked in vinegar, seasoned with coriander and pepper, air-dried at room temperature. Unlike jerky, not heated and cut thicker.
Dehydrating
Preservation method through water removal at low temperature (40-70 °C). Removes moisture from food, making it shelf-stable. For jerky, biltong, fruit leather, vegetable chips.
Jerky
Thin-sliced, marinated and dried meat. Dried at 70-90 °C (with heat lethality step for safety). Bend test: bends and slightly cracks = perfect.
Pemmican
Traditional dried meat of North American Indigenous peoples. Dried meat is ground to powder and mixed with fat and berries. Extremely calorie-dense and shelf-stable.
BBQ
Binder
Thin layer (usually yellow mustard) applied to meat before the rub so the rub adheres better. You can't taste the mustard after smoking.
Burnt Ends
Cubed pieces from the point end of the brisket, glazed again with BBQ sauce and briefly smoked at high heat. Considered the 'candy' of BBQ — caramelized, smoky, butter-tender.
Carry-over Cooking
Residual cooking: Core temperature continues to rise 2-5 °C after removing from the smoker. Therefore remove meat slightly below target temperature.
Low & Slow
BBQ philosophy: low temperature (90-130 °C) over long time (6-16+ hours). Collagen breaks down into gelatin, meat becomes butter-tender. Opposite of 'hot & fast'.
Maillard Reaction
Chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars with heat (from ~140 °C). Creates browning and intense flavors on the meat surface. Foundation of bark formation.
Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder smoked at low temperature until it can be pulled apart with two forks (93-96 °C core). Classic of American BBQ culture.
Dry Rub
Dry spice mix applied to meat before smoking. Base: salt, pepper, paprika, sugar. Together with smoke creates the bark. Often mustard is used as a binder.
Equipment
Borniak
Polish manufacturer of electric smokers. Model 150 BBQ INOX WiFi: 150L chamber, up to 150 °C, automatic chip feed (8 hours), 2 core probes, WiFi control via Borcook app.
Food Dehydrator
Device for drying food at controlled temperatures (30-70 °C). Example: GRAEF DA510EU with 10 trays, timer up to 40 hours. For jerky, meat sticks, fruit leather.
Meat Grinder
Device for grinding meat. Different grinding plates: fine (3mm) for scalded sausage, medium (5mm) for bratwurst, coarse (8mm) for coarse sausages. Meat MUST be ice cold.
Vacuum Sealer
Device for airtight sealing of bags. Essential for curing (even penetration), storage (extends shelf life) and sous-vide.
Sicherheit
Botulism
Food poisoning from the toxin of Clostridium botulinum. Can be fatal. Prevented by curing salt (NPS). That's why NPS is MANDATORY for raw sausage and vacuum curing.
Fermentation
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) consume sugars and produce lactic acid. pH drops, inhibiting spoilage organisms. Foundation of raw sausage production (salami). Starter cultures accelerate the process.
HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. Systematic food safety procedure. Mandatory for commercial meat processing. Critical points: NPS dosage, core temperature, water activity, pH.
Core Temperature / Internal Temperature
Temperature at the center of the thickest part of the meat, measured with a probe. Critical for food safety. Poultry: 82-85 °C, pork: 65-75 °C, beef: 55-96 °C (depending on cooking goal).
Water Activity (aw)
Measure of available water in food (0-1). Raw meat: 0.99. Below 0.91 no growth of most pathogens. Below 0.85 no Salmonella growth. Biltong/jerky: below 0.70.
Fleischkunde
Brisket
Beef brisket, consisting of flat (thin, lean) and point (thick, fattier). King of BBQ. Needs 10-16 hours at low temperatures. Sliced against the grain.
Topside / Inside Round
Lean, large cut from the hind leg of beef. Ideal for cured ham (bresaola) and biltong. Long, even fibers.
Pork Belly
Marbled pork cut with layers of meat and fat. Processed into bacon, speck, pancetta. Bone-in belly (with ribs) has about 14-18% bone content.
Pork Loin
Boneless loin chop strip. Processed into Kasseler or smoked pork loin. Lean, tender cut.
Pork Neck / Collar / Boston Butt
Well-marbled cut, ideal for pulled pork and coppa. Known as 'Boston Butt' in the US. Fat content ensures juiciness during long cooking.
Silverside / Outside Round
Cut from the hind leg, slightly coarser grain than topside. Classic for biltong. Also known as 'silverside' (UK) or 'outside round' (US).
Wurst
Forcemeat / Sausage Batter
Finely minced meat mass mixed with spices for sausage making. MUST be processed ice cold — warm forcemeat won't emulsify and becomes crumbly.
Scalded Sausage
Sausage that is scalded or smoked after stuffing (core temperature ≥72 °C). Fine forcemeat. Examples: Wieners, Frankfurters, Bockwurst, meatloaf.
Protein Extraction
Through vigorous kneading (5-7 minutes) myosin is released from muscle fibers. The mass becomes sticky-tough and adheres to the back of the hand. Essential for binding in sausages and meat sticks.
Bowl Chopping / Cuttering
Finest chopping of the meat mass in a bowl cutter while adding ice. Creates the fine emulsion for scalded sausages like Wieners or Frankfurters.
Natural Casing
Animal intestine (usually pork, 28-32mm) as sausage casing. Soak in lukewarm water for 30 minutes before use. Creates the typical 'snap' when biting.
Raw Sausage / Fermented Sausage
Sausage that is not heated but preserved through curing, fermentation and drying. Examples: salami, mettwurst, Landjäger, chorizo.
Pökeln
Equalizing
Phase after curing where the meat rests 12-24 hours uncovered in the fridge on a rack. Salt distributes evenly inside, the surface dries (pellicle formation).
Brine
Salt solution for curing or flavoring. Base: water + salt + sugar. Often boiled with spices (juniper, bay leaves, pepper). Must be completely cold before adding meat.
Wet Curing / Brining
Curing method where meat is submerged in a salt brine. Brine: typically 60-80g salt per liter water plus spices. Brine is boiled and must cool completely before adding meat.
Curing Salt (NPS)
Mixture of table salt and 0.4-0.5% sodium nitrite. Standard dosage: 28-40g per kg of meat. Prevents botulism, creates pink curing color and typical cured flavor. Cannot be replaced by regular salt for raw sausage!
Curing
Preservation method using salt (and optionally nitrite). Draws water from meat, inhibits bacterial growth and creates the typical pink curing color. Three methods: dry curing, wet curing, vacuum curing.
Slice Test
Control method after soaking: Cut a thin slice, fry in a pan and taste. Too salty = continue soaking. Good = proceed to drying.
Dry Curing
Curing method where the cure mix is rubbed directly onto the meat, which is then vacuum sealed or tightly wrapped. The resulting brine distributes through daily turning.
Curing Color / Pinking
Chemical reaction between nitrite and myoglobin in meat that creates the typical stable pink-red color of cured meat. Without nitrite, meat stays gray.
Soaking / Desalting
After curing, meat is soaked in cold water to remove excess salt. Duration: 2-12 hours, change water several times. Slice test: fry a thin slice and taste.
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