How much to salt the fish before smoking. A universal way of salting fish for smoking

Birds, vegetables, fruits, smoke, which is formed during the slow combustion of sawdust.

The smoking process gives the products an appetizing aroma, unique taste, beautiful color. Of course, smoked ham, sausage, salmon steak or smoked mackerel is unlikely to please anyone.

Smoked products retain their freshness and taste for a long time. During the smoke treatment, bacteria are killed, the products partially lose moisture and are preserved.

Even our primitive ancestors processed their prey on an open fire, that is, they were engaged in smoking. Since then, people have come up with many devices and marinade recipes for smoking fish, meat and other delicacies.

Smoking methods

Phenols, acetic and formic acids, fractions of resinous substances and aldehydes give a special taste and aroma to smoked products. They are produced in the process of special heat treatment with smoke during smoking.

There are several ways of smoking, which depend on the temperature of the smoke and the duration of processing:

• cold,
• hotter
• semi-smoking,
• wet.

Any method is based on the principle of constant circulation of the flow of smoke through the cooked product; processing with open flames is not allowed (the smoked product should not be baked or fried).

The process of processing products with smoke is carried out in a special device - a smokehouse.

Which smoking method to choose

Cold smoking involves processing with smoke with a temperature of 12 to 24 degrees, humidity in the range of 75-85 percent. The product in such conditions is prepared from three to five days, sometimes the process can take several weeks. During cold smoking, the liquid from meat or fish leaves slowly, the products are slowly saturated with the aromas of smoking, dehydrated, but retain fat. The finished product has a long shelf life.

Semi-smoking is carried out on a smoldering haze at a temperature of 30 to 50 degrees and a humidity of more than 80 percent. With this method, the product is prepared no more than 24 hours, its shelf life is no more than two weeks.

The fastest and easiest way to get delicious fish or meat. The process takes only two or three hours. Smoking products, which are subsequently supposed to be cooked, occurs at a temperature of 40 to 60 degrees. To obtain a smoked product completely ready for consumption, the cooking process must be carried out at a temperature of 100 degrees. Ready-made smoked meats by this method are not stored for long.

Wet smoking is used to accelerate the "aging" of raw sausages or hams. Smoking is done at a smoke temperature of about 25 degrees and high humidity (up to 100 percent).

Smoking: preparing fish

At home, you can smoke anything you want: meat, fish, sausages, cheese, chicken, vegetables and fruits.

Perhaps the most popular product for smoking is fish. In order to cook a quality delicacy, it is not enough to have a smokehouse, set the right temperature, and provide the right humidity. The taste of smoked meats depends on the preliminary preparation of the product. It is important to choose the right marinade for smoking fish.

For all smoking methods, the following rules must be observed:

• the fish must be thoroughly washed;
• gut large fish, remove the insides and head;
• fish should be salted (grate with salt or marinate in saline);
• before smoking in a smokehouse, prepared fish must be dried.

Below we offer some simple marinade recipes for smoking fish at home.

Marinade for fish: a universal recipe

We offer a universal marinade for smoking fish at home. The recipe is simple and requires only a few ingredients. The fish prepared according to it can be smoked in any way (hot or cold) as desired.

Required products:

• fish - two pieces of medium size;
• soy sauce - one glass;
• white wine (semi-sweet) - one glass;
• citric acid - one tablespoon;
• spicy herbs (rosemary, thyme), spices for fish - to taste;
• bay leaf - to taste;
• granulated sugar - 1/2 or 1 spoon (tea).

Wash the fish well, clean, put in the refrigerator for one hour.

Dilute citric acid in a glass of cold water (can be replaced with one glass of natural lemon juice).

Pour soy sauce, diluted citric acid, wine into a saucepan, add herbs and spices to taste, granulated sugar, mix everything.

Put the saucepan with the marinade on the fire and heat (do not bring to a boil!).

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the marinade cool slightly.

Remove the fish from the refrigerator, make transverse cuts, put bay leaves in them. Then put the fish in the marinade.

The fish should be completely covered with the marinade. If there is not enough liquid, then an additional portion should be prepared.

Put the marinated fish in the refrigerator for eight or ten hours (the longer the better).

Remove the marinated fish from the pan, rub with spices.

The product for smoking is ready.

The proposed marinade recipe for smoking fish in a smokehouse allows you to get a fragrant delicacy with a delicate taste.

spicy marinade

To prepare a spicy marinade for hot smoked fish, you need:

• water - two liters;
• edible salt - four tablespoons (tablespoons);
• lemon - one piece;
• orange - one piece;
• onions - two pieces;
• bay leaf - six pieces;
• granulated sugar - two spoons (tea);
• ground cinnamon - to taste;
• ground pepper (red, black) - to taste;
• rosemary, sage, thyme - to taste.

Wash the fish thoroughly, clean, gut, remove the head, put in the refrigerator for one hour.

Coarsely chop lemon, orange, onion.

Pour water into a saucepan, put on fire, bring to a boil.

Pour salt, granulated sugar into boiling water, put chopped onion, orange, lemon, bay leaf, pepper, cinnamon and herbs. Boil the marinade for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, cool the marinade.

Remove the fish from the refrigerator, pour cold brine over it, leave to marinate for 10 or 12 hours.

Remove the pickled carcasses from the brine, leave in the air for two hours.

Hot smoke.

Spicy marinade for hot smoked fish allows you to get a delicacy with a delicate taste and spicy-citrus aroma.

Marinating for cold smoking (long-term)

Any fish is suitable for smoking fish in a cold way, but it is better to give preference to carp, mackerel, salmon and silver carp.

There are two types of salting (pickling) of fish before cold smoking.

The first method involves soaking cleaned and gutted fish in a strong saline solution. To prepare it, dissolve 100 grams of salt in one liter of water.

Place the prepared carcasses in a container, pour over the solution and leave in a cold place for 12 or 14 hours. One part of the fish relies on one and a half parts of the solution, that is, for one kilogram of fish, you need to take 1.5 liters of liquid.

Fast pickling for cold smoking

The second method involves the following marinade recipe for cold smoked fish.

Required products:

• food salt - at the rate of 200 grams per liter of water;
• ground pepper (black, white) and allspice - to taste;
• bay leaf - a few pieces;
• nutmeg - to taste;
• oregano - to taste;
• thyme - to taste;
• dill - to taste.

The marinade is prepared from the calculation: 1.5 liters of solution is required per kilogram of fish.

Dissolve the required amount of salt in water, add spices. Pour the cleaned and gutted fish with the prepared marinade for two hours.

Then remove the carcasses from the liquid, tie up with twine and leave in the open air for about one hour. The fish must be dry. Then you can start the smoking process.

There are many recipes for preparing marinade for pre-treatment of fish before smoking. Above are some of the simplest, but they will also allow you to get a tasty and fragrant smoked smoke. Preparing a delicacy at home is not difficult at all. To do this, it is not necessary to go fishing or buy a fresh catch, even frozen fish from the supermarket is quite suitable for smoking. And you can build a smokehouse from a bucket or other improvised containers. As they say: "If there is a desire ..."

• for smoking it is better to choose fresh oily fish;
• very tasty smoked meats are obtained from mackerel, carp, mokreli;
• many believe that the ideal products come from cod, bream, perch;
• pink salmon and salmon, when smoked, turn out to be dryish, but tasty, you can’t eat a lot of them;
• it is preferable to smoke on alder sawdust;
• hot smoked fish is tastier on the second day after cooking;
• even the simplest marinade or salting makes smoked fish a delicacy.

Bon appetit and tasty catch!

Smoked fish is always a welcome guest on the table. The easiest solution is to buy it in the store. Despite this, many people prefer to smoke their own fish, because it guarantees its freshness and the desired taste of the fish.

If there is a desire to cook smoked fish at home, this can be done both hot and cold using a smokehouse, convection oven or an ordinary frying pan. It all depends on your taste preferences, the arsenal of kitchen appliances, as well as the availability of time and desire.

How to prepare carcasses before cooking?

Before starting the smoking process, it is necessary to prepare the fish in advance: rinse, remove the insides and head. The processing of small fish often comes down to washing it without gutting it.

Washed and cleaned fish can be salted in two ways: dry and using a solution of water and salt. At the same time, it should be remembered that it is impossible to salt the fish with fine and iodized salt, otherwise it will turn out to be very salty with the taste of iodine.

If the fish is small and will salt with the head, then you need to either grease the gills very well with salt (with a dry method), or remove them altogether.

Dry salting method

Each fish is rubbed with salt (it should crumble from the carcass), which will draw excess water out of it and the fish will become drier. The carcasses are placed in layers in a prepared container, additionally sprinkling each of them with salt.

The preparation of the future dish is left under oppression for 2 days. After that, the fish is washed, soaked for 2 hours in clean water and dried.

Use of saline solution

The solution is prepared in a ratio of 2.5 water per 500 g of salt. It is better to add salt to warm water to completely dissolve it. The fish is placed in a suitable container, poured with brine, oppression is placed on top and kept for 1.5 or 2 days.

The salting stage is completed, you can smoke fish.

What are the ways of smoking?

hot way

With the hot smoking method, the wood layer in the smokehouse should burn out within 7 minutes, after which they stop supporting the fire - the sawdust should only smolder and smoke. A thin wisp of white smoke indicates the start of the process. As a rule, the time of such smoking is 30-60 minutes (it is impossible to open the smokehouse at this time).

cold way

With the cold smoking method, the readiness of the fish occurs after 2, 4, 7 days (the smoking time depends on the size of the carcasses). Cold smoking eliminates open fire completely, sawdust should constantly smolder, but not burn.

At home, it is preferable to smoke fish in a hot way, since it takes much less time.

How to smoke fish in a smokehouse?

To cook fish at home using a smoker, you will need a small amount of sawdust, a gas or electric stove, pre-salted fish and a mini smoker - a smaller version of the traditional full-sized smoker.

You can buy this useful kitchen unit in a specialized store, while it is better to give preference to a stainless steel smokehouse.

In the process of cooking smoked fish, you should adhere to several important rules:

1. Do not use sawdust from coniferous trees, as they can give the fish bitterness.
2. Carcasses should be placed in the smokehouse evenly, not tightly. It is desirable that they be the same size.
3. The lid of the smokehouse should be tightly closed, oxygen should not get inside.

To smoke the fish, it is hung up (or placed on grates) and the lid is closed. Sawdust is poured into the lower part of the smokehouse, after which they put the unit on a heated burner. As soon as the bulk of the sawdust catches fire, a little fresh is added to it and the stove is turned off. The fish will be smoked and ready in 30-50 minutes.

In more detail, the process of smoking fish in a mini-smoker is presented in the video:

How to smoke fish in a pan?

If you don’t have an air grill or a mini smokehouse at hand, you can use a thick-walled frying pan to cook smoked fish. Foil is laid out on its bottom, a mixture of rice, tea leaves, cinnamon and sugar, covered with a grate and a lid.

After the pan heats up, pre-salted fish is placed on the grate (you do not need to use liquid smoke, you can add soy sauce to the marinade if you wish) and close the lid. After 15 minutes after the start of cooking, the fish will need to be turned over, and after 30 minutes it will be completely ready.

Smoking in an air grill

With this method of smoking, the fish is not salted in advance. After rubbing with salt, it is marinated for about half an hour and smoked with liquid smoke. Then they are placed in an air grill, the temperature is set from 150 to 180 ° C (depending on the type of fish) and the cooking time is set (25-30 minutes is enough). A detailed recipe for cooking fish in an air grill is presented in the video below.

After cooking, the fish can be lubricated with oil, add any spices to taste and place in foil to acquire a richer taste (this should be done after it has cooled).

How to store smoked fish?

Shelf life of fish in the refrigerator:

• cold smoking - 3 months;
• hot - from 1 to 2 months.

Of course, you can store fish without cold. But in this case, its shelf life will be no more than 4 days after smoking. Although, to be honest, deliciously cooked smoked fish is usually rarely stored for a long time. Most often, it is eaten immediately on the day of preparation.

SALTING FISH:
The first step in harvesting fish is salting, whether you stop there or continue your culinary experiences.
It is better to salt and dry winter and spring fish: before spawning, its meat contains more fat, so after processing it has better taste. In addition, in this case, drying occurs at a time when there are still few flies and it is easier to protect the fish from their larvae.

Salting fish consists in dehydrating it and replacing part of the water in the tissues with salt.

Coarse salt is used for salting. Its main purpose is to remove moisture from the fish, and not to give it taste or have a preservative effect. Coarse salt dissolves slowly at low temperatures, and it needs moisture, which it just pulls out of the fish. With fine salt, this effect does not work, it kind of "burns" the fish meat, quickly salts out, but does not dehydrate it. Although some culinary recipes are based on the use of finely ground salt.

Large fish should be gutted before salting, it can even be cut into pieces, but at the same time it is not necessary to touch the abdominal cavity so as not to damage the thin film covering the layer of fat on the abdomen. An incision is made through the back, along the ridge, cutting off the ribs from the spine on one side. Fish and fillets are not washed in water, but only wiped dry with a clean cloth.

An average fish weighing from 1 to 3 kilograms can be salted whole, and to speed up the process, a saturated saline solution is injected into the abdominal cavity using a medical syringe without a needle or a small enema with a tip from a ballpoint pen. The salt solution must be extremely saturated.
Salt is rubbed on top of the fish, while the mucus is removed and, in addition, salt is clogged under the scales. Salt is also poured into the mouth and under the gill covers. After that, the fish is placed in a prepared container.
The criterion for readiness can be considered the "tanning" of the fish - it becomes hard and does not bend well.
The salting of frozen fish is quite complicated; when thawing, the tissue structure is disturbed, therefore, frozen fish "takes" a lot of salt. Therefore, it is difficult to catch the moment when the fish is already salted, but not yet oversalted.
If the fish is oily, do not be afraid to oversalt it - there is very little water in fatty tissues, so the fish will not "take" a lot of salt. Fatty fish can also be stored in brine (brine).
There is less trouble with small fish - they are simply sprinkled with salt and laid in layers.
There are many options for salting fish, and each professional in this business adheres to his own. Choose the most suitable for you and the fish you decide to pickle.

BIG DRY AMBASSADOR
10 kg of fish, 1.5 kg of salt.
Lay a clean canvas or burlap on the bottom of a basket or wooden box. Lay the prepared fish on it in dense rows, head to tail, belly up and sprinkle with salt. On top of the fish - a lid made of wood and on it - a heavy oppression (stone). It is absolutely necessary, as it prevents the formation of air cavities in which putrefactive bacteria can develop, and, in addition, makes fish meat more dense. After some time, juice is released from the fish, it flows out through the cracks between the bars of the basket or the boards of the box. On the 5-10th day, the fish is salted. All this time it should be in a cool place (refrigerator, cellar).

BIG WET AMBASSADOR
10 kg of fish, 1 kg of salt. Lay the fish in layers in a non-oxidizing dish (bucket, pan, tank, barrel) with the belly up and sprinkle with salt. To give the fish a special, delicate taste, add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar to the salt. A circle is placed on the fish, preferably from linden or aspen.
After a day or two, the formed brine (brine) covers all the fish; it is well preserved in a cool place. Usually on the 3-8th day (depending on the size) the fish is completely salted. Then it must be removed from the brine, washed in running water, dried in the air and placed in a wooden box or basket for storage.

SMALL WET AMBASSADOR
Small fish, 3 liters of water, 1 kg of salt, spices.
You can cook fresh brine by dissolving a kilogram of salt in three liters of water. The resulting solution is poured into the fish placed in the container. This method is also called wet and is used when salting small fish.

SAG AMBASSADOR
For fatty fish varieties, sagging salting is used. The fish are hung on transverse rods in saline so that the carcasses do not press on each other. The density of the solution is determined using a raw potato: it should not sink. After 5-7 days, the fish can be eaten.

In field conditions in hot summers, fish is salted in large synthetic bags. They are buried in the ground or in the sand to a depth of 0.5-1 meter. A small bag is put on the neck to protect against rain and dew. A layer of sand or earth above the fish creates coolness and at the same time is oppression.

Before eating, large salted fish is soaked in cold water or milk for 3-4 hours. After that, it can be immediately eaten, fried, boiled.

BALYKOV AMBASSADOR
For this method, large fish, weighing from 1 kg, are suitable. To salt the fish must be prepared as follows. Rinse off all the mucus in cold water, carefully open the belly, gut. Cut off the head just behind the gills, then the tail to the very base, but so as not to affect the fish. Use scissors to cut off the tesha (the lower part of the abdomen to the ribs) - it must be salted separately, otherwise it may oversalt. Dry the carcass with a clean towel. If the fish weighs more than 2 kg, then be sure to cut it along the spine without cutting the skin on the back.

Pickling mixture: 10 tbsp. spoons of salt, 4 tbsp. spoons of sugar, ground cinnamon on the tip of a knife and the same amount of coriander and pepper. Mix the spices well and carefully rub the mixture under the scales, generously sprinkle the belly from the inside, and if the fish is plastified, then between the layers.

Wrap each carcass separately in gauze, canvas, cloth, tightly tie it along its entire length with twine or thick fishing line and, putting the fish on a tray at the very bottom of the refrigerator, leave for 7-10 days. Drain the brine as it appears.

At the end of the salting, release the fish from the cloth, rinse it with cold water and immediately wipe it dry. Such fish can be stored in the refrigerator for a very long time if it is periodically rubbed with vegetable oil. It is better to serve the fish to the table, cutting it into thin wide plates, like sturgeon balyk is cut.

SPICE AMBASSADOR
In this way, you can pickle any river fish weighing from 200 g to 1 kg.
Put the fish in a dish (enamelled, stainless steel, food plastic) in layers, starting with a large one, head to tail. Sprinkle each layer of fish with a small amount of salt, but so that the whole fish is treated with it. Add 3-4 bay leaves, peppercorns, a pinch of coriander, and so on until the dishes are filled. Top with a wooden circle. On him - oppression (5-liter jar of water). This oppression is enough for a 10-liter bucket of fish.

Place dishes with fish in a cool place. After 10-12 hours, the fish will give juice (brine). Do not drain it until the end of salting. On the 3-4th day, remove the oppression, pour out the brine and rinse all the fish with cold water, pour it with cold water too and soak for 1 hour so that salt does not come out on the scales. Then let the water drain. Dry the fish for 2 hours on each side.
After spicy salting, the fish acquires a reddish-pink color and a pleasant fresh aroma. Use it as a cold appetizer. Such fish with hot potatoes and beer is especially good. It is stored for a very long time in a cold room, refrigerator, freezer.

SMOKING FISH:
Fish smoking is the most labor-intensive process. But if, nevertheless, you decide to stop at it, the efforts expended will not be in vain. Indeed, when smoked, the fish practically does not lose its individual taste. In order for smoked fish to become truly tasty and fragrant, they take the freshest, freshly caught fish. This is especially important when one considers that fish have the ability to take and accumulate toxic substances, metals, and mercury in their tissues.

There are two main ways of smoking - cold and hot. They differ from each other in the amount of time spent, the temperature of the smoke and the end result.

Hot smoking proceeds faster (3-4 hours), but hot-processed fish is stored for only 5-6 days. The cold method takes more time (1-3 days), but after that the fish can be stored much longer.

With hot smoking, the smoke temperature is 90-120 ° C and therefore the fish turns out as if boiled, while cold smoking at a smoke temperature of 40 ° C makes the carcass dense, the fish seems to dry in the smoke.

It is difficult to foresee the most optimal smoking technology. But here are some recommendations:

It is necessary to carefully prepare the fish for hot smoking (gut, clean, rinse, salt). After brine, the fish must be washed and dried.

Fish in one bookmark are selected single-caliber.

The size of the bookmark is determined by the volume of the smokehouse. In a smokehouse the size of a box, a trifle is smoked, a barrel-sized fish is smoked, and in a smoke cabinet you can smoke a whole large fish.

At the bottom of the smokehouse it is better to pour dry, rotten alder. It, unlike shavings, does not burn. Leaves and green branches are useless.

In order for the fish to be stored longer, you can throw a couple of small juniper branches to the bottom of the smokehouse. Fish can be stored in a cool place for 10-12 days.

If the fish is fixed vertically, an undesirable fall of the fish to the bottom of the smokehouse is possible, especially if smoking takes place with strong steam and high temperature. It is necessary to carefully fix the fish, and in the event of a fall, promptly remove the fallen one.

Large fish with a horizontal arrangement in the smokehouse is better to cut along the ridge to the back and unfold, making it flat. With a vertical arrangement, it is enough to insert spacers from alder sticks between the ribs.

Separately, it is worth talking about fuel. For smoking, wood chips of different types of wood should be used. This mixture gives the fish the most unusual flavors. For example, walnut, maple and fruit tree shavings saturate the fish with a sweet, spicy flavor.

To cook smoked fish, you need a smokehouse. You can use ready-made smokehouses, which are sold in large quantities in stores, or you can use the experience gained by more than one generation of fishermen and make a smokehouse yourself. But no matter which smoker you use, you need to be aware of the most common disadvantages of home smoking technologies:

The smokehouse is leaky. Air gets into the smokehouse, the alder shavings are burned, and instead of smoked fish, it turns out to be boiled in a weak smoke.
The smokehouse is small. The distance from the fish to the bottom of the smoker is small and the fish cooks or burns faster than it is smoked.
The smokehouse does not have sufficient volume. When smoked, the fish begins to release moisture and with a small internal volume of the smokehouse, the fish begins to steam.

SIMPLE SMOKER
The easiest option for a smokehouse is a bucket with a lid (not galvanized!) Or a stainless steel box with a lid and handles for setting and removing from the fire. A grate is placed inside at a distance of 3-4 cm from the bottom. Lattices can be strengthened in several tiers. Chips or sawdust are evenly poured onto the bottom of the smokehouse (2-3 handfuls per bucket).

Fish prepared for smoking are placed on the grates (see "Preparing for smoking"). The smokehouse is covered with a lid and placed on the coals. It is necessary to ensure that the lid closes tightly, but not hermetically, as gaps are needed for smoke to escape.

SMOKER WITHOUT SOOT
As a "miracle smokehouse" a goose purchased in a store is used. The cover is sealed with tape asbestos using clamps. Through the fitting hole, the soot enters through a rubber tube into a glass vessel (three-liter jar) filled with water, and then either into the window or into the air duct.

POLEVLYA SMOKER
A pit 25-30 cm deep is dug in a ravine or a steep bank. A layer of coals is burned at the bottom, while the walls of the smokehouse warm up at the same time, then a layer of sawdust is poured on top. At a level of 10-15 cm from the sawdust, rods about 1.5 cm thick are stuck in or a grate is placed to accommodate the fish. The fish is not tight. From above (at a distance of at least 10 cm from the fish), the pit is covered with a piece of tarpaulin. In order for the coals not to suffocate, leave a gap or slightly open the floors of the tarp.

SMOKING FISH IN A SPECIALLY BUILT FOR THIS FURNACE
In the dense (preferably in clay) soil of a steep bank, a long (1.5-2 m) inclined depression (adit) is dug. Where the adit comes to the surface of the earth, a "grate" is arranged above it: a row or two rows of small stones are placed on a grate of metal rods or juniper sticks (the grate is needed to delay the flame). A pipe is constructed above the grate, wide enough to accommodate the fish. The pipe is made from turf, stones, and other improvised means. Old wooden or iron barrels without a bottom are well suited for this purpose. The top of the pipe is covered with a lid, moving it aside to adjust the size of the hole for the exit of smoke. In this case, you need to ensure that the fish do not touch the walls and each other. Before hanging, each fish is wrapped with several turns of twine so that it does not fall apart during smoking.

COLD SMOKING

SMOKER FOR COLD SMOKING
In a ravine, a steep bank, a pit is dug 25-30 cm deep and from it a ditch (2-3 meters), which serves as a chimney. The chimney is closed with branches, turf and covered with earth. A frame covered with plastic wrap is placed above the exit from it. A fish tied with twine is hung under the film. On the bottom, the film is pressed with stones. An exhaust slot is made in the upper part. A fire is lit in the pit. The pit is closed with a sheet of metal or a piece of tarpaulin. Of course, in this case, a gap for traction should also be provided. In a plastic booth there should be thick, slightly warm (40 degrees) smoke. Large and oily fish are hung horizontally so that fat does not flow out of it. For this, nets in which vegetables and fruits are sold are very convenient.

POLYETHYLENE SMOKER
On a flat platform, a frame 1x1x1.7 m in size breaks into the ground. Two sticks are stuffed crosswise on top of the base of the frame. Fish is hung inside and coals are poured in an even layer, sawdust, fresh branches and grass are on top. The frame is covered with polyethylene. After 1.5-2 hours, the polyethylene is removed so that the fish is dried and ventilated. In the afternoon, smoking is repeated. Large fish should be smoked the next day in the same way, for small and medium fish, as a rule, double smoking is enough.

METAL SMOKER
Any smokehouse consists of three parts: a smoker, a chimney and a smoking chamber.

Smoker is a chamber where coals smolder and smoke is formed. For a smoker, a sheet of roofing iron of the required size is taken, which is bent in a U-shape. It turns out the ceiling and walls of the smoker. The back wall of the smoker is made of the same material with a pre-made hole for the chimney. It is very good to have a front wall, you can adjust the traction with it.

The chimney is made of two corrugated pipes for hoods. These pipes are sold in hardware stores and all sorts of "iron" bazaars. They are made of a very light white alloy. In length, they are compressed to one meter, and stretched out to three. Two such pipes are needed, with a diameter of about 20 centimeters. After use, they can be compressed again. It is also necessary to provide an insert from a pipe (from the same roofing iron) with a length of at least a meter.

The smoking chamber is four stakes driven into the ground, covered and covered with any sufficiently dense material. A chimney is brought inside the chamber ("from under the floor"). We recommend using spunbond non-woven material for covering. Poles are fixed inside the chamber, on which fish is hung. The pull is adjusted by unscrewing the covering fabric. The slot should be located on the opposite side of the chimney.

The chimney is not intended for burning coals, that is, open flames should not be lit in it. Hot coals are placed in the smoker and covered with sawdust or rot. Thus, when determining the dimensions, it is necessary to take into account the convenience of work and the amount of material placed in the smoker. The longer the smoker, the greater the distance the smoke will cool. And the lower the smoke temperature during cold smoking, the better the result. To place the smokehouse, you should choose an inclined sandy shore, turning into a cliff with a layer of turf. The back wall of the smoker should be slightly higher than the front, and the free end of the chimney should go to a horizontal platform with turf. The cracks in the structure are covered with clay so that sand does not fall into them when buried. On the upper platform, stakes are dug in at the corners of the rectangle, a frame for hanging fish is arranged, which is fitted and covered with material.

The most crucial moment is the beginning of smoking. Therefore, it is worth taking care that there is enough fuel to maintain the smoke for the continuous operation of the smokehouse in the first 6-8 hours. In the future, breaks in smoking are no longer so dangerous. However, in order to ensure the progress of smoking, it is desirable, of course, to maintain the smoke. The longer the fish sagged in the smokehouse, the better. However, on the third or fourth day, it can already be safely put into a dry, clean jute bag or into cardboard parcel boxes, shifting the layers of fish with paper or clean, dry hay. Such boxes are convenient because they take up very little space when folded, and as a container they are breathable.

PREPARING FISH FOR SMOKING
Before placing the fish in the smoking chamber, it must be properly prepared for smoking. Different types of fish are prepared in different ways, you should also pay attention to the weight of the fish, as well as its fat content. For example, small fish do not need to be gutted.

PERCH, SALMON
Gut the fish, but do not peel off the scales - the fish turns out to be juicier, and then it is easily removed along with the skin. Large fish - cut. Salt in salt water for 15-30 min depending on salt concentration. Inside the fish, you can put 1-2 leaves of parsley, a few black peppercorns, onions, dill. If the fish is smoked whole, then the abdominal cavity should be deployed or a spacer piece inserted into it.

OPPRESSIVE WAY
The oppressive method is good both for small fish and for ide, chub, carp, pike perch, catfish, pike.

Gut medium and large fish and make longitudinal cuts along the ridge so that it is better salted. Then salt the fish with coarse salt and put under oppression: large - for 10-12, small - for 8 hours. Drain the resulting brine, rinse the fish for 1.5-2 hours, preferably in running water.

DRY SALT IN BAG
In this salting, the fish cannot be washed. Medium and large fish are gutted, the head and spine are removed from it. Gutted fish is placed in bags as follows: first a layer of coarse gray salt, then a layer of fish, sprinkled with salt before laying, flesh down, then a layer of fish, flesh up, then again a layer of salt, and so on. When laying, it is necessary to compact the layers, for which periodically shake the bag. The bag should not be more than half full. Having laid the fish, it is necessary to twist the neck tightly enough, which will create additional pressure on the fish. The bag is buried in the sand, while the sand must be well compacted. In this position, fish of any size are salted in a day. Pike and small change - in 12 hours.

ZANDER
When gutting pike perch for smoking, the belly should not be cut from the bottom, as is usually done, but from the side, cutting all the ribs. Then the fish must be salted, put in a plastic bag and buried in the ground. After an hour or an hour and a half, depending on its size, the fish must be dug up, turned over and buried again for the same time. After that, remove the well-salted fish from the bag, rinse and hang upside down. While the fish is drying, finely chop the garlic, put it inside the dried fish along with 2-3 peppercorns and bay leaf. Bon appetit.

kerescan - Sep 29th, 2015

Home-made hot smoking of fish is a long-term processing of its fragrant smoke, the temperature of which is not lower than 45 ° C and can reach up to 120 ° C. This is a way of harvesting fish, after which it is already completely ready for eating. Therefore, it is popular and often used at home.

Hot smoking of fish can be conditionally divided into stages: salting, drying, soaking and, directly, smoking.

When salting raw materials for hot smoking, 1 kg of salt is used for 16 kg of fish. We salt the small fish as a whole, the medium one - only gutted, the large one - gutted and plast.

The process of salting fatty fish is different from salting low-fat species.

For "thin" varieties: sprinkle the cutting board with salt and, pressing, "carry" each carcass in salt. We coat the inside of the abdomen by hand. If necessary, we make an additional incision on the pulp and, also, ram salt into it.

For fatty varieties: we coat the carcasses or layers by hand and wrap them in parchment. Then, put it in an enameled container, cover it with paper, cover with a lid and fix it with a rope. We leave in this form for 1-4 days. How much to salt the fish - this time depends on its size.

Preliminary drying or drying of fish.

Soaking.

After drying, remove excess salt. To do this, rinse the fish with cold water. Soak large fish for about an hour.

How to smoke fish in a hot smoked smokehouse.

We melt the oven in the smokehouse, spread the fish loosely in an even layer on a special grate.

First, the smoking process is carried out over high heat, then we fill in the sawdust and close the damper more tightly, this procedure will ensure that the smokehouse is filled with smoke of the required density and density. Turn the fish as needed for more even smoking. Cm. .

Small fish are smoked for 30-60 minutes, large - 90-180. Approximately 25% of this time should take the drying process at a temperature of 80 degrees, the rest of the time - smoking at 100 degrees.

The finished hot-smoked fish has a characteristic golden hue, and the skin becomes dry. The meat is easily separated from the bones and ridge like boiled or fried fish.

To give the finished smoked fish a beautiful look, simply wipe its surface with a piece of cloth dipped in fish oil or vegetable oil.

Fragrant and tasty hot smoked fish has a shelf life of only 3-4 days. When stored in the refrigerator, it doubles.

Video: Hot smoked mackerel.

Video: Hot smoked trout.

Many summer residents have mastered the smoking process, since you can not only make smokehouses yourself, but also buy ready-made ones. Modern devices provide the ability to smoke a variety of products both hot and cold. - for many, one of the favorite dishes, but getting a smokehouse is not enough. For beginners, the first question is how to pickle fish for smoking and how long it will take.

Why salt

Preparing fish for smoking is a very important step. The fact is that the smoke in the smokehouse penetrates the pre-salted fish better and the smoking process will go faster.

Preparation

Before smoking, it is necessary to prepare the fish, that is, salt it. But, before starting this process, the carcasses must be properly processed, and this depends on the size, fat content and type of fish. In any case, it must be properly rinsed under running water.

In large fish, it is necessary to remove the gills, remove the insides and remove the dark film from the ribs in order to improve the taste. In especially large specimens, the head is cut off, then the carcass is plastified or divided into steaks.

The average fish is gutted if it is to be hot smoked, and in the case of cold it is left whole, but if desired, the insides can be removed.

Small fish do not need to be gutted, they are salted and smoked whole.

It is better to leave the scales: it will not miss the harmful substances that are in the smoke, and will help retain moisture, which means that the finished product will be more juicy.

After the carcasses are processed, they are dried with paper napkins.

General rules for salting fish before smoking

You can salt dry and wet. When dry, the carcasses are rubbed with salt, when wet, it is placed in a concentrated salt solution - the so-called brine. When preparing fish for smoking, saltpeter is usually not added during salting.

For dry salting, the carcasses are placed in a container in rows, evenly sprinkling each of them with salt. The direction of the fish in each row alternate - tails to heads. If the fish is oily, each carcass rubbed with salt is wrapped in parchment paper and placed in layers in a dish to make a small slide. Another sheet of parchment is placed on top, pressed with a lid and pulled with a rope or wire.

The wet salting method is faster, the whole process takes two hours. So much salt is put in the brine, or brine, so that the egg does not sink in it.

The salting time will depend on which smoking method is chosen and, of course, on the size of the carcasses. Before smoking using hot technology, less time is required for salting, before cold - more.

Large fish for the hot method are salted for about 12 hours, small fish for about 4 hours. Then it is washed, sent for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator and only after that it is placed in a smokehouse.

Before cold smoking, you need to salt for a day or more (up to 8 days).

Spices in brine, as a rule, are put only when salting fish with a specific taste. These are pike, grayling, eel, carp and others. Seasonings can be chosen to your taste from those that go well with fish. They can be bought ready-made. Often, when salting, especially fatty varieties, they put cumin. Spices are recommended to be scalded with boiling water before adding to the brine.

Before salting, small types of fish should be strung on twine through the eye sockets and tied

When stringing on a twine, the number of carcasses is not more than 10, the length of the twine is about a meter. A large fish is tied with two pieces of twine half a meter long, making holes near the tail. Gutted carcasses and pieces of large fish are tied with twine.

Salted fish should be elastic and hard, if it turned out to be soft and not elastic, then it is not suitable for smoking. Probably it was not fresh from the very beginning or deteriorated during salting.

Species such as salmon need to be gutted and the scales left to make the finished fish more juicy. Large specimens must be cut into pieces. A concentrated brine is prepared, fish is placed in it and aged for half an hour. Black peppercorns, a few bay leaves, dill sprigs and onions are usually placed in the abdomen. Spacers are inserted into the abdomens before smoking.

Small fish are salted under pressure, as well as representatives of large species: catfish, ide, carp, pike, carp, chub, carp, pike perch

Before salting under oppression, the fish must be gutted, for better salting, cut along the ridge. Sprinkle the fish with coarse salt and put a weight on it. For a small one, 8 hours is enough, for a large one, about 12 hours. The resulting brine is drained, and the carcasses are placed in water for 2 hours (it is advisable to rinse it under running water).

If the fish will be salted dry in a bag, it is not necessary to wash it first. Small ones are left whole. Large and medium-sized specimens are gutted, the head and spine are removed. Before laying, each carcass is sprinkled with salt, and a layer of salt is also poured into a bag. Then the first layer of fish is placed there with the flesh down, the second layer is put up with the flesh, after that salt is poured again, then the fish follows with the flesh down, then up with the flesh, and so on. After laying each layer, the bag must be shaken so that the fish is compacted. Thus, fill the bag up to half. Twist the top edge of the bag so as to create pressure on the fish. Bury the bags in sand, which also needs to be properly compacted. With this method, the fish salts out quickly - in one day, and small fish even faster - in 12 hours.

Preparation of pike perch for smoking has its own characteristics. His belly for gutting is not cut at the bottom, but on the side, where the ribs are. Each carcass is sprinkled with salt, put into a plastic bag, buried in the ground for an hour, large - for one and a half. An hour later, they dig it up, turn it over and bury it again for the same period. When the fish is salted, it is washed under running water and hung upside down to dry. When it wilts a little, you need to put black peppercorns (3 peas in each carcass), bay leaf and chopped garlic into the abdomen.

Marinades before hot smoking

Classical

In this marinade, the fish is spicy with a delicate lemon flavor.
Ingredients per liter of water:

• salt - 2 table. spoons;
• bay leaf - 3 leaves;
• turnip - 1 onion;
• lemon - half;
• cinnamon - 1 teaspoon;
• granulated sugar - 1 teaspoon;
• pepper - 1 teaspoon;
• thyme, sage and rosemary - a pinch each.

Procedure:

1. Put water on the stove, bring to a boil, salt.
2. Coarsely chop the lemon and onion, put in water, add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Keep on fire for 7 minutes, then remove and cool.
4. Place the fish in the resulting marinade for 10-12 hours.
5. Place the fish in a ventilated place, after an hour you can smoke.

With red wine

Cloves will give the finished product a special flavor, and the wine will make it tender and soft.

Ingredients for 1 liter of water:

• wine - 150 ml;
• salt - 2 tablespoons;
• cloves - 4 pieces;
• cumin - ½ teaspoon;
• allspice peas - ½ teaspoon.

Put water on the stove, put salt and cloves and cook for about ten minutes. Remove from heat, wait until it cools down and add the rest of the ingredients. How to stir the prepared brine and place the fish in it for 4 hours.

With white wine

A mixture of spices gives the fish flavor, and lemon juice and white wine make it very tender.

Ingredients for 1 liter of water:

• salt - 50 g;
• dry white wine - 100 ml;
• soy sauce - 50 ml;
• lemon juice - 80 ml;
• brown sugar - 50 g;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• a mixture of peppers;
• basil;
• coriander.

Cooking:

1. Heat water to a boil, dissolve salt and sugar in it, let cool.
2. Pour the wine, lemon juice and soy sauce into the brine.
3. Crush the garlic and put into the mixture, add all the other ingredients and mix.
4. Place the fish in the marinade so that it is completely submerged.
5. Put in the refrigerator for 10 hours.
6. Remove salted carcasses from the marinade, dry and can be placed in a smokehouse.

With kefir

The fish acquires a fresh mint shade and extraordinary juiciness and softness due to kefir.

Ingredients:

• kefir - a glass;
• vegetable oil - 50 ml;
• salt - a tablespoon;
• brown sugar - a teaspoon;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• mint - 4 branches;
• ground black pepper.

Cooking:

1. Pour oil into kefir, add salt, pepper, sugar, chopped garlic and mint, mix well.
2. Place carcasses in kefir marinade. After 6 hours, you can start smoking.

With honey

Due to honey, a beautiful crust is formed on the fish, and the flesh acquires a sweetish taste.

Ingredients:

• lemon juice - 100 ml;
• olive oil - 200 ml;
• salt - a teaspoon;
• natural honey - 100 ml;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• fresh greens;
• ready seasoning for fish;
• ground pepper.

Cooking:

1. Combine olive oil with honey and lemon juice, add salt, fish seasoning, pepper, finely chopped parsley and garlic.
2. Dip the carcasses in the marinade and put in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

Preparing fish for cold smoking

Salting in brine

A brine is prepared at the rate of 0.25 kg of salt per 1 liter of water:

1. Salt put in water, put on fire, bring to a boil, cool.
2. Place fish carcasses in the brine so that they are completely covered with it, and leave for 5 days.
3. Remove the fish from the brine, soak for 2 hours, then hang in a draft for 12 hours.

Carcasses are ready for smoking.

marinade spicy

To prepare it, you will need the following ingredients for 2 liters of water:

• salt 0.5 kg;
• white wine - 0.5 l;
• granulated sugar - 80 g;
• garlic - 6 cloves;
• lemon - 2 pieces;
• herbs: basil, coriander, thyme, rosemary.

Cooking:

1. Put water on fire, bring to a boil, put sugar and salt, remove from heat, cool.
2. Pour wine into the brine, squeeze lemon juice from 2 lemons, add chopped herbs and garlic, mix.
3. Place the carcasses in the marinade for 4 days.
4. Remove from the brine, dry in a draft for 5 hours.

Now the fish can be smoked.

Dry salting

Pour a layer of coarse, preferably sea, salt into the salting container. Wash the fish, clean and put in the dishes in layers, each sprinkling with salt. Cover the carcasses with another layer of salt on top. Put a lid on top, which should be smaller in diameter than the pan. Press down on top with a load and leave for several days (from 3 to 7). Carcasses need to be turned over periodically so that they are saturated with salt evenly.

After salting, put them in cold water for 5 hours, then dry in a draft for one day. Now you can send it to the smoking machine.

Preparing mackerel for smoking

This fish, perhaps, is most often chosen for self-cooking.

Mackerel is ideal for both cold and hot smoking.

Salting before smoking

Previously, the fish must be held in cold water for two hours. Then gut, cut off black films from the inner surface of the abdomen, remove the gills, rinse thoroughly, wipe with a cloth. You can smoke both hot and cold.

For wet salting, you need 120 grams of salt and 10 grams of granulated sugar per 1 liter of water. Spices can be added to your liking. Put the water on the fire, pour out the sugar and salt, when the water starts to boil, put the spices and remove from the heat. Cool the brine completely and pour over the mackerel carcasses. Put the weight on top and put it in the refrigerator for two days. When the fish is salted, rinse it in cold water, and if it seems salty, soak for two hours.

For the dry method, you need to take 100 grams of salt per kilogram of mackerel. Carefully rub the carcasses with salt on all sides, pour it into the abdomen and into the holes near the head where the gills were. At the bottom of a suitable container, pour a layer of salt about half a centimeter thick. Lay the carcasses in layers, sprinkling each with salt, place a load on top and refrigerate for two days. During this time, the mackerel needs to be taken out and shifted several times so that it is salted evenly. You can add spices if you like, but it's not necessary.

At the end of salting, rinse the mackerel from excess salt and place in a smokehouse

Many may have a question, which method of salting before smoking is better. Mackerel really turns out a little different. After dry salting, the pulp is denser. After wet, it is less dry and softer, it is believed that it also wins in terms of taste, but it all depends on personal preferences.

Pickling before hot smoking

You can pickle fish with different spices, for example, with coriander and bay leaf. To prepare for smoking three carcasses, you will need the following products:

• liter of water;
• a tablespoon of coriander;
• two tablespoons of salt and sugar;
• five bay leaves;
• carnation;
• pepper.

Put a pot of water on a gas burner, when the boiling process begins, add salt, sugar, coriander, cloves, bay leaf and pepper. Remove the container from the heat, cool the resulting marinade, place the carcasses in it for 12 hours (maximum for a day). Then remove the mackerel from the brine and dry before smoking. To do this, it is hung upside down for 2 hours so that the liquid is faster than glass, or placed on a grate.

Now there is an opportunity to simplify the process of preparing fish for smoking by buying lightly salted carcasses in the store, but, according to the true masters of home smoking, hand-made preparation will make the final product many times tastier, the main thing is to follow the cooking technology.