There was a time when I collected bus timetables. I mean it. I was up to well over a hundred before I stopped. The drawer in the middle of my desk was jam-packed, before I later lost interest when they were no longer relevant. I have also enjoyed fishing and hunting all my life. I like the excitement, the waiting, the nature experience, the moment when it "happens" and the feeling of actually being close and being able to live off nature.

Now I sounded a bit like a certain Scanian uncle with his own farm, kittens, geese and potato land, but it's true. I like it. The few times I now get the opportunity. However, I realize that it really only depends on myself that it happens too rarely. I have never before in my life had such opportunities to actually get away as now. Sometimes I don't understand how I think myself. Away with me! This thing about collecting anyway. I like building up food supplies, being ahead of the curve. After all, sandwiches are eaten on an assembly line in most Swedish homes.

How many packets of pre-sliced smoked ham do you not buy in a year? So why don't I make my own spread? Much tastier and much more useful. I already touched on it in a previous post, but now it has become a reality. It is incredibly satisfying to fill up the smoker with something you have prepared since a few days before. When the door to the smoker is then closed behind the meat and the smoke seeps out, it's hard to be patient. I walk like the cat around hot porridge. Draws in the aromas and glances both impatiently and too often at the meat thermometer.

This time I smoked three different cuts of meat. The main attraction was the whole pork loin, but a sirloin steak and two pieces of pork flank were also smoked as a pure bonus. When you start the smoke anyway, it's stupid not to fill it up properly. It swallows eight kilos of meat without a problem.

The sirloin steak will become finger food with a cold beer in the spring sun. You start by dry-salting the meat.

In this recipe, I have based the amounts on one kilo of meat. You can, of course, do as much as you like with the flavoring, but I think the amounts of nitrite salt, regular salt and sugar are well balanced.

Spring is a perfect time to start smoking seriously. In addition, you don't have to freeze every time you "just go out and look at the smoke a bit..."

Method:

Mix all the spices together.

Parera the pork loin said the edges will be smooth and nice.

Remove excess fat on the outside. Then poke holes in the middle of the square with a potato pin. You should "peck" quite a few times from all sides. This means that the salting penetrates better, it will taste better, the shelf life will be longer and the meat will have a more even color after smoking.

Rub the meat with the spice mixture. Then put in the fridge in a plastic bag. Then put some weight on the piece of meat.

Massage and turn the meat every day. (If you have a vacuum packer, it is perfectly possible to vacuum pack the meat. It also speeds up the digging somewhat).

The meat can rest in the fridge for about four days. If the piece of meat is larger, it can be left for another day.

Take out the meat and rinse with water.

Then dry the piece of meat. It is best if you have time to put the piece on a wire rack and let it rest in the fridge overnight. (The surface of the meat after smoking will be much better if the meat is completely dry).

Then smoke the meat, preferably with apple briquettes, but hickory is also good.

I smoke slowly with the top damper open to a third. I keep the temperature in the cabinet around 70-75 degrees C. When the internal temperature of the meat has reached 68 degrees C, it is ready. (It takes a few hours, so don't rush and preferably don't peek in the cupboard in the meantime).

After smoking, I bathe the meat in boiling water for a few minutes. I do this to get a milder and more pleasant smoke flavor on the surface.

Remove, dry and let cool completely before placing in the fridge.