Preserving Archives - Happy BIT Recipe Collection

Basics of smoking food

EvHappy — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:11:16 +0000

We had some basic understanding of smoking meat based on what we seen back home… Everybody´s grandma used to have smoker at home, and the old people knew what type of wood, how much smoke it needs and how to do it. All this knowledge is pretty much lost. I wish I would have the possibility to have a meat smoker, but right now our living conditions does not permit this (apartment), I don´t think the neighbours would appreciate me cold smoking the meat on the balcony LOL.

I found this video by Adam Ragusea very entertaining and also informative. Until now I had only new that hot and cold smoking exists, but had no idea what is the use of any of them. Also knew that all meat should(as it was back in the days) sit in salt for up to a few days, and for extra safety, when I tried to preserve meat. When I did some experiments with meat preserves I did used nitrites in the minimum recommended amount, in the attempt to try to avoid the botulism bacteria. I knwo, some poeple are fully against it, but the jury is still out there, I think it´s better to add it then to get sick from botulism. (which can be deadly and goes undetected in food…). I really apreciate him taking the time and explaining smoking becasue while from the outside it seems a very simple task, it turns out to be a very complicated process if you want to get it RIGHT.

What is something new to me is considering liquid smoke. I had no idea that liquid smoke also can help preserve the meat due to the components found in it. I thought it will only give the smoked meat flavour which is also nice, but this changes a bit things for me. I could experiment with liquid smoke a little bit while we still live in an apartment where smoking is not doable.

The post Basics of smoking food appeared first on Happy BIT Recipe Collection.

Oven dried tomatoes

EvHappy — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 19:20:49 +0000

An interesting method for sure. What is different from every other recipe I have seen is that he first puts the tomatoes in hot water to remove the skin. After he cuts it, he adds a little bit of sugar on the tomatoes. Since sugar has preserving properties, this is not a bad idea! I have to try to make it, it certainly looks interesting. As an “upgrade” I will surely use baking paper on the trays so there is less to wash up. I will definitely try with and without the skin as well, because I love the dried tomatoe skin too.

source: https://www.youtube.com/@AbelCa9p

The post Oven dried tomatoes appeared first on Happy BIT Recipe Collection.

Dehydrated tomatoes and garlic,

EvHappy — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:13:49 +0000

I love dried tomatoes, and here where we live only one type (and not so good) is available regularly in the stores. I am fancying having a drying rack myself, and leaving it on the balcony, but I still need to have the boxes made. Today I found an easy method, and not just dried tomatoes, but dried garlic!

The method: make a box, with mosquito net on the bottom, and glass on the top. Place the tomatoes under the glass, leave it for 1 day, next day salt it with coarse salt and leave it a few more days until dry. Store it in a jar with lid.

Peal the garlic, cut them slices, place it in the drying box, leave it until dried, with a coffee grinder make it powder.

source: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1260571298949420

The post Dehydrated tomatoes and garlic, appeared first on Happy BIT Recipe Collection.