Bangalore might be getting in the grip of the smoking meat fad but smoking meat at Smoke Company is tradition. It goes back to how we humans preserved meat. Speaking to Explocity, Altaf Patel, Executive chef, Smoke Company, explained that humans used smoke to keep flies out during the drying of fish. Soon, we (humans) discovered that smoke acted as a preservative for the meat.

This became an American trend. "The origins of American barbecue go all the way back to colonial times," Patel said, "in fact the first recorded mention was in 1672 and George Washington mentions attending a "barbicue" in Alexandria, Virginia in 1769."

And as America expanded westwards along the Gulf of Mexico and north along the Mississippi River it was but natural that the trend of barbecues was a part of it. Barbecues happened in the south-eastern region of United States. (South and North Carolina, Kansas city, Texas) and also in Alabama , California, Hawaii, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.

According to Patel, smoking meat involves a three-step procedure: curing, drying, and smoking. Curing is the process of preservation and flavouring of meat or fish by adding salt, nitrates, nitrites or sugar.

With drying, the meat is dried in open air. This is to enable the formation of a protein coating known as pellicle. Pellicle helps in evenly absorbing smoke flavour and acts as protective barrier for the meats during smoking.

Meats that lend themselves well to curing include red meats like beef, pork, lamb, duck and white meats, like chicken, fish and shellfish.

Patel said that the process of smoking in India was first started in Nagaland where the people started smoking their fish and meats to preserve it. The process soon travelled different parts of India and now it has become something of a fad.

“Authentic” smoked food was introduced to Bangalore By Café Thulp when we hosted a Naga food festival 5 years back where we built our fabricated smoker to smoke meats and fish," Patel said.

Today, Smoke Company (located in Koramangala), offers various types of simply smoking meat. Patel says his signature dish is - what else - the Smoke platter. Served with House slaw, corn on the cob & Texas brioche toast.

Where: The Smoke Co. Next to The Koramangala Club, CA-17, 6th Cross, 6th Block Koramangala, Bangalore – 560095 Telephone: 08046218500 Opening hours: 12.00pm  - 3.30 pm ( Lunch time ) 7.00 pm - 11.30