Cold smoking is a process which smokes meat without exposing it to heat, usually at temperatures below 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). Unlike hot smoking, cold smoking can take days or weeks to complete, and it tends to yield more dry, salty foods.

The prolonged smoking process yields a complex flavor development, but it also requires careful work to do correctly, as the perfect conditions for cold smoking are also ideal for the promotion of bacterial growth. It is also difficult to accomplish cold smoking in hot conditions, which is why cold smoking tends to appear more often in cuisines from colder regions of the world, such as Scandinavian nations.

During the cold smoking process, the smoke is usually generated in a chamber separate from the meat and passed through pipes so that it cools before it reaches the meat. Typically, the meat is held close to room temperature, and in relatively dry conditions. More intensely smoked meats will be cold smoked longer, while other cooks smoke meats briefly for a hint of flavor.

Since cold smoking does not technically cook or extensively cure the meat, cold smoked meats are usually brined or salted before they are cold smoking. Salting the meat ensures that bacteria will not develop while it is cold smoked and stored. Some classically cold smoke foods, such as lox, also have an identifiably salty flavor, due to the brining that the meat undergoes before it is put in the cold smoker.

Typically, cooks cold smoke in the winter, when temperatures are cooler and more controllable. In warmer weather, the temperature in the smoker can rise too high, putting a halt to the cold smoking process. In extremely warm climates such as those in the tropics, it is impossible to cold smoke meat, since temperatures never get cool enough. Excessive heat can also result in rapid putrefaction, which is extremely undesirable.

Because cold smoked meat is not cooked, it tends to have a characteristic smooth texture which reminds consumers of the uncooked food product. Since smoke does not fully preserve the food, cold smoked foods should be kept under refrigeration until they are used, and expiration dates should be carefully observed. Some cold smoked food must also be cooked before use, especially if it has been lightly cured, as is the case with bacon. Other cold smoked foods, like Black Forest ham, can be eaten raw as long as they are well handled.