To hot-smoke is to smoke food at temperatures between 40 °C and 105 °C — hot enough to cook the food while the smoke flavours it. Unlike cold smoking, which merely flavours raw-cured products, hot smoking produces ready-to-eat food: smoked mackerel, kippers, barbecued brisket, and smoked chicken all emerge cooked through with a golden, smoky exterior. Practice often combines the two — food may be cold-smoked first for depth, then hot-smoked to finish — and delicate fish are typically kept below 80 °C to protect their texture. The smoke’s phenols and acids add flavour and mild preservation, but hot-smoked foods remain perishable and need refrigeration — smoke is seasoning here, not sterilisation.