It is good to know survival tips if you are a camping lover, hiker, or nature explorer. It may happen to everyone to get lost in the wild, so being mentally and knowledgeably prepared might give you more strength and support for keeping your body and mind in shape.
Our bodies can survive without food for several days, but having a food source might be excellent if existence is in question.
You can hunt a wild animal and prepare its meat. I know it is the perfect meal you can ever think of when lost and hungry. But because you can not eat everything at once, it is best to preserve it for later. Here is the way how to smoke meat in the wild by making a DIY smoker from leaves and wood.
How to Smoke Meat in the Wild
When you need to smoke meat in the wild and keep it for later, you should build a primitive smoker. To make the smoker, you will need longer deciduous tree branches, a fire pit, and shelter fabric. Make a tripod out of three wood branches and dig a hole for the fire underneath. Then, put smaller branches on the sides and in the center to place the meat. Cover the smoker with the shelter fabric.
The DIY smoker might seem easy to make, but it is not. Also, the meat-smoking process takes time, often around a day or two.
You should have good bushcraft equipment with you to make some survival tools and objects. In this case, despite the naturally occurring materials, you will also need a survival knife, fire starter, folding hand saw, canvas drop cloth, and paracord.
Lacking some of the essential survival tools might lead to difficulties in making a meat smoker.
The fire underneath the tripod smoker should be enclosed. Dig a hole to make a fire pit. This will prevent the wind from entering the fire and disrupt the smoke. The smoker construction should be made of green branches tied together on the top in an A shape.
Read more: What Is in a Mess Kit?
The Process of Building the Meat Smoker
Dig the fire pit
The fire you need for smoking meat is not the same fire you need for grilling meat. This time, you need consistent fire smoke that will dry out the meat and keep it safe for eating for longer.
This is why you need to dig a hole and enclose the fire. If the fire is on the ground as regular, the wind will speed its burning and increase its temperature, which is not what we need for smoking meat.
Dig a hole or make a pit out of rocks.
Build the smoker
The easiest way to build the smoker is to make a tripod, like a teepee tent. The branches you need for the smoker should be green. Green branches from deciduous trees are often more resistant to fire and don’t burn.
After you place the three branches in an A shape, you should secure them on the top. It is best to tie them with a paracord. Then, it is time to make the grill.
For the grill, you will need thinner green branches that are easy to fold. Unbreakable thin green branches will make it easier to make a grill without the need to tie the ends with a paracord.
Tie three medium branches on the sides of the tripod and adjust the height where you are going to place the grill.
Read more: How to Make Jerky in the Wild
Burn hardwood
It is essential to burn hardwood because it burns slowly and maintains a consistent temperature. Also, the base the hardwood makes is an excellent coal base that will maintain the fire for longer.
Wait for the right temperature
Finding the right temperature is the hardest part of the process. Without an actual smoker, it might be hard to determine which temperature is right for smoking meat in the wild.
The ideal temperature for smoking meat is from 60°F to 120°F for cool smoking and between 200°F and 300°F for hot smoking.
Place the hand on the grill height and try to determine the temperature. If you can keep it on the grill for longer than 6 seconds, it means the temperature is below 300°F. If you can’t keep your hand over the grill for more than 5 seconds, the temperature is high for smoking and exceeds 350°F.
Maintain the needed temperature by adding wood over time to keep the coals warm and consistent.
Place the meat
You can either hand the meat on the grill or just place it straight. It depends on the meat amount and the thickness of the meat pieces you have cut. I recommend hanging them for better smoking.
Enclose the smoker
When smoking meat, it is important to enclose the smoker so that the smoke can stay inside the smoker and smoke the meat. The enclosure should be made of a thick, resistant material like canvas drop cloth that won’t let the smoke get away fast.
Check the smoke color
The smoke should not be black!
Keep an eye on the smoke that comes out of the smoker’s top.
The smoke color should be white or light blue. The light smoke color indicates that the fire is well-ventilated and burns the hardwood slowly. Dark smoke will make the meat bitter.
If the smoke gets dark, open the smoker and remove the meat. Make space for better ventilation and return the meat once the fire gets regulated.
Check and remove the meat if done
The process may last a day or two, depending on the smoking process quality. Check the meat over time and taste it to determine when it is good to be removed from the grill. Store it safely in a plastic bag or container and ensure it does not spread the smell of meat around because it may attract animals.
Read more: How to Skin a Rabbit for the Pelt
Conclusion
Learning how to smoke meat in the wild is a process that requires practice. You can try making a smoker in your backyard to learn how to place the branches and grill correctly.
Also, it is good to understand how hardwood and softwood burn, why it is important to use hardwood for smoking, and how to maintain the smoker’s temperature.