A big thank you for providing the recipe goes to our partner Ulrich Kalvelage from northern Germany.
Ingredients: for 1 kg of beef (semi-roll or entrecoté) on the Merklinger wood-fired oven and grill
Optionally 0.5 g sodium ascorbate to support the recoloration (can also be omitted)
The vacuum method is used for the curing process. A standard household vacuum sealer is required for this. If you do not have such a device, you can also use so-called zip-lock bags. It is important to ensure that as little air as possible remains in the bag when closing it.
The colder months of the year are best suited for cold smoking, as the internal temperature of the Merklinger should be between 15 and 25 degrees during the smoking process. Cooler temperatures are generally not a problem, except that the smoke is less well absorbed by the meat and a few additional smoking passes may be necessary. However, the temperature of 27 degrees should never be exceeded, as otherwise the protein in the smoked meat will break down and the shelf life of the product will be significantly reduced.
Remove excess fat and tendons from the meat and cut it to the smoothest possible surface. Pockets of meat or large protruding areas of meat should be avoided as far as possible.
Weigh out the salt and spices and mix together, rub into the meat. Put any leftover spices that do not stick to the meat into the vacuum bag with the meat and vacuum-seal everything together.
The seasoned meat is then stored in the refrigerator at approx. 3-5°C for 14 to 21 days. The best results were achieved with a curing time of 21 days. (Rule of thumb: minimum curing time = 1 day curing time per 1 cm of meat thickness at the thickest part of the piece of meat). The bag with the meat should be turned once a day to ensure an even curing process.
After curing, the spices are removed from the meat under running water and the meat is hung freely for approx. 2-3 days in cool conditions (alternatively, the meat can also be stored in a container with a bottom grid in the fridge for this process, the fridge should then be opened at least once a day to ensure air exchange).
When the surface of the meat is dry, smoking can begin. Here, the meat was cold-smoked five times with beechwood flour for around 12 hours each time. Take a break of 12 to 18 hours between each smoking phase. To do this, remove all the firebricks / grill grates in the Merklinger and hang the meat with meat hooks or similar in the cooking chamber (a steel plate with holes is attached to the top of the combustion chamber). Place a smoker fire filled with smoking flour on the bottom of the combustion chamber and light it on one side. During smoking, the smoke outlet at the top is closed by 2/3, the fire hatch door at the bottom is closed with open slits.
After smoking, the meat is left to mature for a further 2-3 weeks in a cool, dark place. A good shelf life is achieved from approx. 30% weight loss from the starting weight. However, you can leave the meat to mature further in the air if you like it a little firmer.
Once the meat has reached the desired firmness, it can be vacuum-sealed again and matured in a vacuum for a further 6-8 weeks.
Messerschmittring 19
86343 Königsbrunn
Phone +49 (0)8231 9883584
info@dermerklinger.de
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