Do Grapefruit and Smoked Meats go together?
September 22nd is the end of a hot yet fun summer. The date is marked on my calendar so I remember to make the most of the remaining warm days, and have enough smoked meats to last me the winter. (I like to pretend I’m a caveman and not go outside during winter).
Smoking
There are two ways to smoke meat – cold smoking and hot smoking.
- Cold Smoking – Cold smoking is chiefly used to flavor meat and the meat has to be fully cured then cooked before eating. This smoking process requires meat to be smoked between 68º to 86ºF until it gets a smoky flavor but stays moist. Cold smoking is best used for salmon, scallops, shrimp, sausage, pork chops, beef, and cheese.
- Hot Smoking – With the hot smoking process meat is cooked thoroughly with the smoker’s temperature reaching 165º to 250ºF. Hot smoked meats do not need to be cured first. Furthermore, meat that has undergone hot smoking is safe to eat right away but can be reheated or cooked if you so desire. Hot smoking is great for cooking small and large meats like ham, ham hocks, pulled pork, ribs, fish, and brisket.
Grapefruit juice has lots of uses for smoking meat. As a marinade ingredient it helps tenderize, flavor, and moisturize the meat. Because of its signature tang and slightly bitter finish, the flavor of grapefruit juice falls between the sweetness of orange and the sour taste of lemons. Both white grapefruit and ruby red grapefruit add brilliant complexity to sweet and savory dishes.
What makes Texas grapefruit even better is that the wood from this citrus tree can be used to smoke meat and the result is amazing. Wood smoke from either the white or pink grapefruit trees gives meat a pleasant depth of smoky flavor. With the help of the sweet and tangy grapefruit, you will have excellent smoked brisket, smoked ham and smoked turkey in no time.
Health Benefits
White grapefruit, pink grapefruit, and red grapefruit have numerous health benefits making them a great accompaniment for smoked meat.
- Grapefruits are low in calories. There are only 42 calories per 100 grams of fresh grapefruit.
- Grapefruit is high in nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, vitamin C and A, potassium, magnesium, thiamine, and folate.
- Due to its high vitamin C content grapefruit can boost the immune system and is said to help fight off certain diseases and free radicals.
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