Fragrant smoked fish on the table is a real holiday for the whole family. Many housewives prefer to cook it themselves. The main thing is to know how to smoke fish at home, so that it turns out golden and juicy.

Which fish is better to choose for smoking

For cold and hot smoking it is not difficult to pick up fish.

Several important rules will help here:

  1. The ideal option is just caught prey.
  2. The frozen product is not suitable for smoking.
  3. Smoked copies of the same weight and size.
  4. If the scales are not too dense, the appearance of the finished product will deteriorate, and taste will deteriorate.

Fishermen advise using red fish or asp. In any case, it all depends on personal taste preferences. Whitefish, sockeye salmon, horse mackerel, mullet are not suitable for processing.

During the smoking process, it is important to observe safety rules. Therefore, it is advised to cook in dry weather without wind. Most men know how to smoke fish properly. However, this procedure is within the power of any woman.

How to smoke fish in a smoke-cured smokehouse

Typically, fish is cooked in a smokehouse, which is a metal box with a lid and grill. It can be bought at a specialty store, but many men prefer to make the device on their own. To do this, take a vessel with a lid, grill and pan.

For cold smoking, thin branches, sawdust and chips are chosen that can smolder for a long time, creating the necessary temperature. It is best to use 2-3 types of wood.Do not use needles, which gives the product unpleasant bitterness. Firewood should not be covered with mold or fungus.

As wood for smoking, alder is best suited. It can be shavings or slivers. It is permissible to add fresh twigs and leaves.

Other trees are also suitable:

  • ash;
  • oak;
  • Apple tree;
  • pear;
  • juniper;
  • raspberry.

Sawdust from plums and apricot is not recommended. Using different wood, you can adjust the taste of the finished product.

 

Let's try to cook smoked mackerel.

To do this, you need the following ingredients:

  • 3-4 carcasses of mackerel;
  • salt;
  • ground black pepper.

Cooking:

  1. Before smoking, fish is prepared. They wash, gut, pepper and salt it. You do not need to remove the scales. The product is advised to salt 2-3 hours before smoking. You can pickle it in salted brine with pepper and spices.
  2. Fish weighing less than 500 g do not need to be gutted, but larger specimens need to be cut. Too large specimens are cut into pieces.
  3. Inside the smokehouse, slightly moist sawdust is covered with a layer of 2-3 cm. Dry chips can ignite.
  4. Mackerel is placed on a wire rack so that the carcasses do not touch each other. Lay it in one layer.
  5. Close the lid and place the device over a medium fire or barbecue.
  6. After 15 minutes, lift the shutter to release smoke. Although some anglers do not adhere to this rule and prefer not to open the lid during the whole preparation.
  7. Lower the shutter again and smoke for 30 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of the carcass.
  8. Open the smokehouse after cooling completely. If the fish is dark golden and has a red tint - it is ready.

Pike, eel, trout and grayling have a pronounced aroma and flavor. It is recommended to keep them in the process of smoking. Other fish can be pickled in brine with various spices, and garlic arrows and green onions are advised to put in the carcass.

At what temperature does hot smoked fish smoke

The smoking temperature depends on the type and weight of the product. It is recommended to cook fish at 80-150 degrees. When the fish is dried, 80-90 degrees are enough for it. Smoking requires 120 degrees.

To check what temperature is inside the smokehouse, drip water onto the appliance lid. If the liquid evaporates without hissing, then the fish smokes correctly and does not boil. Using this test, you can adjust the temperature by increasing or decreasing the fire.

Which fish can be smoked hot

River and sea fish species are suitable for hot smoking:

  • herring;
  • cod;
  • mackerel;
  • sturgeon;
  • red mullet;
  • Beluga
  • herring;
  • sea ​​bass.

If there is no way to get fresh fish, you can use frozen. It must be thawed in a natural way.

Cold smoked smoking technology

The principle of processing products using the cold method is to constantly supply cooled smoke to a container with suspended fish. This requires a special unit with an inclined chimney. How long the process takes will depend on the size of the carcass. Very large specimens can be smoked up to 7 days. Processing occurs at a temperature of 16-40 degrees.

The following fish species are suitable for cold smoking:

  • chum;
  • red salmon;
  • cod;
  • omul;
  • sturgeon;
  • mullet;
  • Beluga
  • whitefish.

For cold-smoked fish, you will need the following ingredients:

  • 5 kg of chum salmon;
  • 1.3 kg of salt;
  • spice.

Step by step recipe:

  1. Prepared carcasses are washed, marinated in salt and spices for 12 hours at room temperature.
  2. After salting, each fish is cut along the ridge, slightly wilted.
  3. The fish is hung in a smoking cabinet.
  4. Sawdust is poured into the furnace of the device. The smoking process will take from 2 to 4 days.
  5. During this time, it is necessary to maintain the desired temperature with smoldering sawdust.

If the product is dried in the open air, it is necessary to enclose it from insects with gauze.

How to smoke fish with liquid smoke

The method of smoking with liquid smoke involves the following manipulations:

  1. Firewood is burned in the stove.
  2. The resulting smoke is passed through water.
  3. The aromatic liquid is cleaned of harmful substances.
  4. The fish is cut into pieces and salted in water with liquid smoke.
  5. After 3-4 hours, the product is fried on a regular fire using a grill.

Let's try to cook mackerel at home using liquid smoke.

To do this, you need the following ingredients:

  • 2 fresh fish;
  • 100 ml of liquid smoke;
  • 2-3 handfuls of onion husks;
  • 2 bay leaves;
  • sugar, salt.

Cooking progress:

  1. The onion husk is washed and poured with water.
  2. Salt and sugar are added to taste.
  3. Put on fire until boiling.
  4. The composition is boiled for 20 minutes.
  5. Then it is filtered, liquid smoke and sheets of laurel are added.
  6. Leave the composition with the lid closed for 30 minutes.
  7. The mackerel is thawed, its head is cut off and the entrails are removed. Washed with water.
  8. When the broth is infused, they take out a bay leaf and put the prepared mackerel into a container.
  9. Fish should stand in this marinade for 2-4 days. It is placed in the refrigerator and periodically turned over to distribute it evenly. Above must put oppression.
  10. After the time has passed, the fish is taken out and suspended for a day, putting a baking sheet for the draining fat under it.
  11. Then the mackerel is wrapped in cling film and stored in the refrigerator.

Today, many housewives prefer to use purchased liquid smoke. However, you can cook it at home yourself. To do this, mix rice, sugar, green and black tea. Wrap them in 2 layers of foil. During frying or stewing put the foil with the ingredients under the dish. The resulting thick smoke smokes the product, leaving it with its aroma and taste.

Speaking about the dangers of liquid smoke, it is worth noting that harmful substances are present in it in small quantities. It is considered more beneficial than natural smoke. Although in some countries its use is prohibited.

Smoked product storage

Cold smoked fish is stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for no more than 7 days, wrapped in foil or plastic bag. Shelf life of hot smoked product is 2-3 days. It must be kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of about 0 degrees. You can’t freeze fish.

It is unacceptable to leave the smoked product in the heat, it will quickly deteriorate and acquire an unpleasant taste. Fish smoked with liquid nitrogen is wrapped in cling film and stored in a refrigerator for about a week.

The humidity level should be about 90 percent, otherwise the fish will dry out and lose their quality. It is necessary to periodically open the refrigerator compartment to change the air. Before placing the product in storage, it is recommended to defrost and rinse the shelves.

 

In the absence of a refrigerator, it is advised to place the fish in cloth bags and store in the attic, in small boxes with sawdust. The main thing is to prevent insects from reaching it and protect it from extraneous odors. During smoking, it is recommended to put juniper branches at the bottom of the smokehouse. They will increase the shelf life of the product.

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