Smoking involves of the food by a large variety of smoke components, partial loss of moisture and often fat, and enzymatic and/or heat-induce modifications of proteins.
It is likely that the practice of smoking meat and fish outdates the art of cooking in containers, as open-fire contact (roasting) with food must have been the earliest form of cooking even before earthenware pots were made.
The importance of wood as fuel, with wood smoke as an integral part of that and perhaps later its utilization in food processing is tied to the same aspect of civilization. Wood smoke results form smoldering logs, chips or sawdust. Most often, hardwood is used, predominantly oak, beech and hickory, although wood of coniferous trees is also applied.
Smokehouse parameters that influence the rate and amount of smoke deposition are relative humidity, temperature, time, smoke concentration, smoke composition, method of smoke production, product composition and vapor velocity in the smokehouse.
Smoke cooking
