Hi my darlings, in this video I showed you how I preserve meat without relying on the freezer—by drying/smoking it with firewood, the old-school way our grandmothers used to do. After my Christmas market shopping, my hubby got plenty cow meat and chicken, so I sorted everything: I refrigerated the ribs and cow skin, but for the beefy parts and some of the chicken, I decided to dry them for long storage. I took you along as I defrosted, washed properly, and prepped everything before the firewood roasting started. I also shared the exact spicing style I used, and this one is special because of one ingredient—oil fish. I ground it with dry pepper (sometimes I blend it with crayfish too), and honestly, that fish hits different. I soaked the meat and chicken in native green lemon water first, then I spiced and worked the seasoning into the chicken by cutting the thick parts and piercing the skin with a fork so it can sink inside. The biggest takeaway: firewood gives that unbeatable aroma, but please don’t over-dry your meat or chicken, or it will turn bitter. Once it’s properly dry, I pack mine in Ziploc bags and store (I still used my fridge), but if you have the olden-days local basket, you can store dry meat in an open space like our grandmas did.