Cold smoked fish: rules and technology of smoking
Pre-salted cold-smoked fish at home is smoked for several days. Carefully control the temperature of the smoke in the smokehouse - it should not rise above 26 ° C, providing slow impregnation of the product with substances, contained in the smoke. This technology allows you to use improvised materials for the smoking chamber: polyethylene film, wooden structures and other combustible building materials.
After a long time of smoking the method is not suitable for performance in a city apartment - the neighbors will not like the constant smell of burning.
Also, cold-smoked fish should not be done on day trips out of town - a recipe for smoking even small carcasses, provides for the duration of the procedure more than a day.
If you plan to rest in the bosom of nature for several days, then there is an opportunity to treat yourself and the company to a delicious and healthy meal.
How to equip a smokehouse for temporary use
You can make a smokehouse in the country or in the village on a permanent or temporary basis, depending on the frequency of use of the design and the amount of fish being prepared.
The simplest disposable smokehouse, correctly made with his own hands:
- make a frame of wooden bars the size of 1 * 1 * 1,5 m;
- the sides should be lined with plastic wrap;
- wet sacking lies on top, to ensure uninterrupted smoke;
- a trench dug in the ground is laid in the center of the building, preferably with a slight rise towards the smokehouse. Optimal cross section 25 * 25 cm, length 2-3 meters;
- the top of the trench is laid with pieces of tin or other non-combustible material;
- pieces of turf are laid on top and sprinkled with earth, eliminating smoke leaks;
- a hearth is built in the lower part of the trench with his own hands, the smoke from which must go to the smokehouse, cooling on the way to the desired temperature;
- the smoke temperature is maintained by increasing or decreasing the combustion flame in the furnace.
Carefully close the chimney
Building a smokehouse with their own hands, you need to consider the direction of the wind, to provide the fish with maximum smoke.
How to make a smokehouse for permanent use
To make the building permanent, it is enough to replace the film structure with a wooden or brick structure, and lay a trench of brick, with side size in 2,5 pieces.
Fantasy of the people, how to make a device for smoking fish with your own hands, has no boundaries. Old refrigerators are running, from which the electric "stuffing" is taken away, using a hermetically sealed box; iron barrels by volume 200 liters; buckets for smoking small quantities of fish. You can make a smokehouse with your own hands in the hut, dilapidated barn using the surrounding buildings and materials.
The chimney is buried or covered with sheets of iron
Recommendations for smoking fish
There are well-established recommendations, how to smoke fish:
- cook a certain type of cod, to smoke the product without endangering your health;
- preliminary preparation of fish is, to clean it properly, salt and dry;
- you need to smoke fish for a long time, to ensure the quality and safety of the goods;
- hang the fish in the smokehouse should be, using hooks or special twine, to protect him from falling;
- readiness of fish is determined by appearance and interior.
Salmon is considered to be the best fish for cold smoking. But you can smoke almost any sea and river fish of fatty varieties. Slightly warm smoke does not melt fat, contributing to the improvement of taste characteristics of products.
Small fish - up to 500 G. you can not clean. Consume big fish, removing eggs, milk, gills. To cook on horizontal mesh shelves, in some cases, the heads are removed.
Hot smoked fish in the oven
Ways to salt fish
The recipe for pickling is simple: on 10 kg of fish should take salt 1,5 kg. You can salt the fish dry and wet.
In the first case, the recipe for salting is to sprinkle the battered carcasses with coarse salt. Rub the salt well under the scales and in the middle of each fish. Products are stored in a container, so that the heads and tails alternate, to improve the absorption of salt by fish. The oppression lies on top, which would remove excess fluid. If the back is thick, it makes a longitudinal incision for better salting.
In the second case, the recipe requires cooking brine, which is filled with fish. How much salt you need - is calculated per kilo of fish available. You can add spices to the brine, improve the taste of smoked meat: black and sweet pepper peas, Carnation, Bay leaf, coriander. Lovers add fresh or dried herbs: basil, dill, parsley, onion, garlic. The top of the fish is covered with a cloth and a wick is placed.
Brine is not suitable for reuse.
Salting time of small fish - 24-36 hours, large - from 2 days to weeks. During this period, the fish should acquire some stiffness and density, getting rid of excess fluid.
After the procedure, the fish should be thoroughly washed in several waters and soaked. Soaking time - from several hours to 1-2 days, how much exactly, depends on the size of the fish.
If the body of the fish is soft or has an unpleasant odor, it is recommended to discard this instance.
Properly salted carcass has shiny scales and red eyes.
What cod should be cooked
Further preparation of fish for smoking is, that the carcass should be dried. The procedure lasts for several hours. If it's summer outside, fish should be protected from flies.
To smoke the prepared fish with your own hands, you need to prepare suitable firewood, sawdust, big chips. Deciduous tree species are considered the best: alder, beech, rowan, poplar, willow. Fruit tree firewood gives an exceptional aroma of the finished dish.
The recipe involves the preservation of three quarters of the composition of the main component - alder or rowan. The rest of the breeds, excluding conifers, you can make the most suitable smell of the final product.
Secrets of home-smoked fish
Smoking fish with your own hands is quite simple, if the basic recommendations of the process are followed:
- first you need to prepare fuel raw materials to maintain smoking for at least 7-8 hours;
- sawdust or chips of certain species of trees are used for smoke production;
- the temperature in the smokehouse should be maintained throughout the cooking process. If you make the temperature lower 18 ° C, then the fish will dry out. If you increase the heat higher 30 ° C, it will be hot smoked products;
- aromatic herbs and twigs of garden trees should be tossed at the end of the smoking process: chopped sprigs of raspberries, currants, cherries, apple trees, pears;
- you can improve the aroma of the final product, if the recipe involves adding spices to the smokehouse: juniper berries, cloves, coriander, Bay leaf;
- if birch is used as firewood in the smokehouse, then it is recommended to peel it, which contains tar.
It is desirable to smoke fish without a break throughout the cooking period. If this is not possible, then you can smoke the products with short breaks 3-4 years, continuing the process until the fish is fully cooked.
The readiness of the smoked product is determined by the acquired golden-brown color. The aroma is manifested after the obligatory airing of the fish without access to smoke.
You can store smoked fish for 2-3 months without the use of a refrigerator. In summer, do not keep it in the sun.
Using the refrigerator, the shelf life of smoked products increases significantly. To prevent the product from drying out, it is recommended to turn the fish in parchment paper.
Natural smoked products without the addition of chemical flavors and dyes are good for health, supplementing the diet with protein compounds, necessary for normal human life.
