Food storage?

[GenghisChris]

Hi all, I'm considering building a smoke house near my hunting shack (shed in a forrest) I know how to build it... but i'm curious as to how long I can store the smoked food... is it indefinatly if smoked till its totally dry?? I know a ham should be hung for weeks and cured then smoked for 3/4 days or longer so thats quite a bit of time... but how long will it keep after smoking? also sausages using the animals intestines.. how long will they keep if smoked (though this sort of thing will be eaten almost immediatly) one last thing is Jerkey... that will keep for months if left in a dry place?

I would like to avoid using a freezer if possible... but would still like to preserve my food for as long as possible... what othermethods do you guys use... fish in brine? how long will that keep.. sorry so many questions but the google has plenty of how to's on preserving but nothing on how long preserved food can be kept.

Freezing is an option during Late january- Early march due to it snowing a whole lot (base camp is in Austria)

thanks, Chris

 

[Ketchup]

It all depends on salt content etc. Presalted and long dry smoked meats will keep for months if well stored (dry and aired). Remember to smoke slowly or you will have case hardening,where the interior will remain moist whilst you have a perfect dry outside.

Brining will depend on the type of fish. here the fat may become rancid. Heavily brined herrings (1Kg salt/6Kg fish) might keep a few months, white fish longer. I have held a piece of perfectly salt-dried cod (bacalao) in my hands in Kristiansund (Norway) that had been stored for 40 years; It was perfectly edible.

Dry salted products can exceptionally develop moulds that might be toxic, fat goes rancid and becomes unpalateable. The risk for botulism is low, as long as it is well salted (salt over 3% of dry weight in the core). learn to desalt before cooking, and the food turns out excellent. As you can taste in Spain, well desalted bacalao turns out as bland as fresh fish.