Smoke big fish. Simple rules for hot smoking fish

Hot smoking is a method of processing fresh fish or other meat using smoke that appears as a result of the slow smoldering of sawdust. Cooking a carcass at home has many advantages. The main and, perhaps, the main thing is that the fish does not oxidize, as happens when it is processed in factories.

In order for hot smoked fish to be not only beautiful, but also fragrant, you need to know which firewood is best to use. The best option is alder and. Only with the help of such wood it is possible to achieve maximum taste. If the necessary firewood is not available, then it is recommended to use other trees, but only from the fruit group.

It is forbidden to use coniferous branches. This is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of resin, which is able to settle on the fish.

In order to diversify the aroma of smoked meat, you can add such spices to the carcass as:

cloves;
allspice;
bay leaf.

Many gourmets, in order to make their dish unusual, put a mixture of green garlic, onion, and parsley in the head and abdomen.

How to smoke fish in a hot smoked smokehouse in a fast way

A carcass prepared in this way is a real delicacy for many. But not everyone knows which fish is better to choose for smoking in a smokehouse so that it is not dry. To achieve the desired result, you should buy fatty types of marine and river individuals. A good option would be salmon, salmon, mackerel, tench, carp.

Ingredients:

fish - three pieces;
salt to taste;
salting container.

Stages of cooking river fish:

Before preparing a dish, you must choose a method of smoking. Some prefer to gut the fish, while others leave it with the insides. In both cases, the meat will turn out tasty and fragrant. The only difference is the presence of a slight bitterness in the abdomen, which many people love. Therefore, in order to please all your guests, it is better to put gutted and unpeeled fish in the smokehouse.
The next step is salting the carcass. If there are a lot of fish, then it will need to be sorted by size. Pickling time depends on the weight of the main product. Large fish should be kept in salt for about 2.5 hours, medium - 2 hours, and small - 1.5. It is imperative to follow these guidelines. After all, the duration of salting affects the final result. Meat is considered ready when a brine (yushka) appears at the bottom of the container.
After salting, the carcass should be washed well in running water. In this case, the liquid must be cold. Then dry the fish thoroughly with a paper towel and hang it up so that the water evaporates from it naturally.
As soon as the color of the skin begins to change, you can start rubbing it with sunflower oil. You will also need to lubricate the grate.
Spread the fish should be at small intervals from each other. It shouldn't touch each other. It is very important. After the carcass is prepared, you can proceed to the smoking procedure itself.

When salting fish, you do not need to use any weights.

The time of smoking fish in a hot-smoked smokehouse depends on the size of the carcass. For a medium fish, 40 minutes will be enough, a large one needs to be kept for about 50 minutes. In this case, the air temperature in the smokehouse should be within 70 C.

Delicious hot smoked mackerel recipe

This method is the most popular among amateurs. Carcass meat prepared according to this recipe will simply melt in your mouth. If everything is done according to the instructions, then you can be sure that even those who do not like the smell and taste of fish will like the dish.

Products for cooking:

3 medium mackerels;
salt (fine);
ground pepper.

For smoking, you can use both fresh and frozen mackerel. Put the purchased fish in the refrigerator so that it melts naturally. Then rinse the meat with water and dry a little.

Put the carcasses in a deep bowl, salt and season with ground pepper. This should be done just before sending the fish to the smokehouse.

Put three small handfuls of wet sawdust into the machine. It is best to take from deciduous trees. Put the fish on the grill and close the container with a lid. Place the device on a medium fire. Keep in this state for about 10 minutes.

The structure and taste of the meat depends on how much hot-smoked fish will be smoked in the smokehouse.

To avoid the appearance of bitterness, after the specified time, you will need to raise the shutter. After the first smoke is released, return the lid to its original position and continue to smoke for another 20 minutes.

The readiness of the fish can be determined by the color of the smoke. If light tubers come out of the device, then this is a sign of evaporation of the liquid, yellowish indicates the burning of the fish, and dry with a rich aroma indicates the finished product.

You should start tasting mackerel after it has cooled down a bit. It will take about 10 minutes for the meat to become denser. Before serving, it is recommended to decorate the dish with thin slices of fresh lemon and green leaves.

As can be seen from the described recipes, it is not difficult to cook hot smoked fish in a smokehouse at home. If you follow all the rules of this procedure, then all family members will like this activity, and carcass meat will win the hearts of those present.

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

It is not difficult to pick up fish for cold and hot smoking.

A few important rules will help here:

The ideal option is freshly caught prey.
The frozen product is not suitable for smoking.
Copies of the same weight and size are smoked.
If the scales are not too dense, the appearance of the finished product will deteriorate, and the taste will deteriorate.

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

During the smoking process, it is important to follow 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 hot smoked smokehouse

Usually, fish is cooked in a smoker, which is a metal box with a lid and a grill. It can be bought at a specialized store, but many men prefer to make the device themselves. To do this, take a vessel with a lid, a grate and a tray.

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

Alder is the best wood for smoking. It can be shavings or chips. It is permissible to add fresh twigs and leaves.

Other trees are also suitable:

ash;
Apple tree;
pear;
juniper;
raspberries.

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

Let's try to cook smoked mackerel.

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

Cooking:

The fish is prepared before smoking. It is washed, gutted, peppered and salted. The scale does not need to be removed. The product is advised to salt 2-3 hours before smoking. You can pickle it in salty brine with pepper and spices.
Fish weighing less than 500 g do not need to be gutted, and larger specimens need to be butchered. Too large specimens are cut into pieces.
Slightly damp sawdust is poured inside the smokehouse with a layer of 2-3 cm. Dry chips can ignite.
The mackerel is placed on the grill so that the carcasses do not touch each other. Lay it in one layer.
Close the lid and place the appliance over a medium fire or barbecue.
After 15 minutes, lift the shutter to release the smoke. Although some anglers do not adhere to this rule and prefer not to open the lid during the entire preparation.
Lower the shutter again and smoke for 30 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of the carcass.
Open the smokehouse after complete cooling. If the fish is dark golden and has a red tint, it is ready.

Pike, eel, trout and grayling have a pronounced aroma and taste. They are recommended to be preserved during the smoking process. Other fish can be marinated in brine with various spices, and it is advised to put garlic arrows and green onions in the carcass.

At what temperature to smoke hot smoked fish

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 is enough for it. Smoking requires 120 degrees.

To check the temperature inside the smokehouse, you need to drop water on the lid of the device. If the liquid evaporates without hissing, then the fish is smoking properly and will not cook. With this test, you can adjust the temperature by increasing or decreasing the fire.

What kind of 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 you can't get fresh fish, you can use frozen. It needs to be defrosted naturally.

The technology of smoking in a smokehouse in a cold way

The principle of food processing by the cold method is the constant supply of cooled smoke into a container with suspended fish. This requires a special unit with an inclined chimney. How long the process will take depends on the size of the carcass. Very large specimens can be smoked for up to 7 days. Processing takes place at a temperature of 16-40 degrees.

The following types of fish are suitable for cold smoking:

chum salmon;
red salmon;
cod;
omul;
sturgeon;
mullet;
beluga;
whitefish.

To smoke fish in a cold way, you will need the following ingredients:

5 kg of chum salmon;
1.3 kg of salt;
spices.

Step by step recipe:

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

Firewood is burned in the stove.
The resulting smoke is passed through water.
Aromatic liquid is purified from harmful substances.
The fish is cut into pieces and salted in water with liquid smoke.
After 3-4 hours, the product is fried on a regular fire using a grate.

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

For this you will need the following ingredients:

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

Cooking progress:

The onion peel is washed and poured with water.
Add salt and sugar to taste.
Put on fire until boiling.
The composition is boiled for 20 minutes.
Then it is filtered, liquid smoke and laurel leaves are added.
Leave the composition with the lid closed for 30 minutes.
Mackerel is thawed, the head is cut off and the insides are removed. Washed with water.
When the broth is infused, take out the bay leaf and put the prepared mackerel in a container.
The fish should stand in this marinade for 2-4 days. It is placed in the refrigerator and periodically turned over to distribute it evenly. From above it is necessary to put oppression.
After the time has elapsed, the fish is taken out and hung up for a day, placing a baking sheet under it for flowing fat.
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 yourself at home. 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 will smoke 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 healthier than natural smoke. Although in some countries its use is prohibited.

Storage of smoked product

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

It is unacceptable to leave a 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 the refrigerator for about a week.

The humidity level should be about 90 percent, otherwise the fish will dry out and lose its 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 approaching it and protect it from extraneous odors. During smoking, it is recommended to put juniper branches on the bottom of the smokehouse. They will increase the shelf life of the product.

Why smoke the product, because there are enough other ways to prepare it - much simpler? It all depends on your goals. To answer the question, you should initially understand all the pros and cons of smoking. And determine the most appropriate method for yourself.

Beautiful and appetizing, this dish will become a favorite attribute of the festive table.

Advantages

Flaws

Interest in smoked fish should not worsen either the diet or the health of the eaters. Some fish species have a high calorie content, and when smoked, it increases. If there are people with metabolic disorders among family members, treat the issue with special attention.

What kind of fish can be smoked

For each individual type of fish, you need to select different smoking methods.

Almost all types of fish are suitable for smoking. You just need to take into account a number of points:

dimensions of the carcass (pieces);
the density of the meat, its structure (it is best to smoke with a dense one in cold and smokeless ways, loose fish is cooked in hot smoke and immediately served on the table);
what matters is whether the fish is smoked for future use or for immediate consumption.

Some fish species are most successfully smoked by any method, others - only by one of the existing ones. To date, there have been certain recommendations from experienced chefs:

All three methods are appropriate if you smoke herring, cod, herring, beluga, sea bass, mackerel, stellate sturgeon, mackerel, cod, beluga, sturgeon, pink salmon.
For the cold method, chum salmon, salmon, omul, sockeye salmon, mullet, shemaya, nails, fish are preferred.
With hot smoking, pike perch, flounder, pollack, bream, stellate sturgeon, pollock, whitefish, hake, pike perch, red mullet, sterlet, sturgeon, char, pink salmon, asp are excellent.

The same fish has a different density depending on the age of the individual, the conditions of its habitat and prey. There are no strict rules. How to smoke, the chef decides. Consider the wishes of households and guests.

Varieties of processing

The choice of smoking method is closely related to such basic criteria as:

what are the characteristics of fish meat of a particular breed, the degree of fat content and the density of the structure;
expected taste characteristics and sensations;
simplicity/complexity of technology, duration of cooking;
degree of preservation of smoked fish.

Hot smoking

A quick and healthy way to smoke is hot. Bacteria and microbes are destroyed at high temperatures

Technologically, this method can rightfully be called the simplest:

You can smoke fish in self-organized structures, but a special device sold in stores will facilitate the process.

The principle of arranging a place for hot smoking fish:

main chamber (metal cabinet, cut barrel or specially welded iron sheet box);
inside the chamber there are hooks and/or horizontal bars for raw products. Small fish are laid out on grills. A large one is laid in halves or pieces on the same gratings, sometimes it is also hung up. The middle one is best smoked in a suspended state, since the smoke envelops the carcasses from all sides fairly evenly;
at the bottom is a pan where fat flows;
sawdust or shavings are placed below the pallet;
a fire is built under the chamber, which heats the chamber. As a result, sawdust or shavings begin to smolder and give off smoke.

The taste, color and consistency of the finished product depends on the organization of the place for smoking

The complexity of the designs depends on how much fish is planned to be smoked and what are the requirements for the comfort of the cook. Craftsmen create unique products according to personal drawings. With many auxiliary shelves, holders, covers, latches, hooks. Factory-made smokehouses deserve attention - of any size, in a wide price range.

Chip selection

Chips from different types of trees form shades of flavors in smoked fish

The source of hot smoke is wood material - sawdust, shavings, and ideally wood chips. Use different types of wood. All of them give different flavors. Here are some examples.

Fruit trees create a spicy, sweet flavor (cherry, pear, apple, plum).
Maple and walnut chips, when mixed, enhance the spiciness of the aroma.
Oak brings a touch of light bitterness. For an amateur. Such chips should not be the main source of smoke, but are good as an additive.
Alder and mountain ash in the kit is a solution, it is recommended to start with it if taste requirements have not yet been formed and at first I would not like exotic.
Residents of the southern regions of the country are well aware of the eucalyptus fragrance. Fortunately, these trees grow there and are available to everyone at any time.
The most delicate tenderness is given by branches of berry bushes. Raspberry, blackberry, black currant. They are added to the main fuel in the form of dried branches.

Please note that old rotten wood is not good. It won't give good smoke. Enlist the support of reputable online stores that sell ready-made smoky material at reasonable prices. To make wood chips yourself, wooden poles are thoroughly dried, and then crushed.

cutting

Preliminary preparation of the product consists in removing the entrails if the fish is smoked without them. Should I trim the fins, head, tail? At the discretion of the chef. When smoking vertically, they are hung upside down. This means that this part of the carcass cannot be removed.

If you cut the fish into pieces, then when smoking, its structure will be preserved

Try to carefully incise the abdomen from the keel to the neck, through which the intestines can be removed in one motion. Do not let the fish bile spread over the meat. It will not be possible to remove the bitter repulsive taste subsequently. Small fish are not gutted at all. In ready-made fish, the scales are easy to remove along with the skin, but the smoked meat inside will retain a maximum of juices.

salting

Salted in different ways. One of them is dry. Pour fish carcasses, pre-prepared and sorted by size. The duration of the salting is important. Recommendations for beginners:

leave coarse salt on medium carcasses for 10 or even 12 hours;
fine salt is enough for 7-8 hours to soak the fish pulp;
the ability to adjust the timing of salting comes with time, as experience accumulates.

Salted with a continuous layer, the fish will not take excess salt.

Do not be afraid to add salt to the product - before smoking, all that remains is to shake off excess salt

The bag method of salting is addressed to large fish, provided that the spine and head are removed. Carcasses are flattened and stacked in clean woven polyethylene bags in layers. Flesh down. Layers alternate: fish - salt, fish - salt. Fish with very tender meat is wrapped with fragile paper on top of the next fish layer. As the bag fills, it is shaken so that the layers are compacted. A bag filled to the brim is instilled in cool sand for a day (12 hours are enough to salt the small fish).

The oppressive method is suitable for fish species with a large, fleshy head (catfish, chub, pike perch, pike, carp, ide). Gutted carcasses are cut lengthwise and salt is poured into these grooves. Cover with a cloth or film on top, set oppression. After a few hours, the resulting juice is drained, it is also called "brine". The fish is washed and allowed to drain.

flushing

Before smoking, avoid washing the fish so that excess moisture does not spoil the taste of the final product.

The ideal option is to do without water. Washing fish can worsen the process of further smoking and negatively affect the result of all your work. If you still had to rinse, be sure to wait until the moisture is completely drained from the fish before smoking.

Cooking in a hot smokehouse

Appetizing aromas spread around the garden will attract the attention of even neighbors

temperature range from 45–60 to 125–140 °C;
in some cases, it is appropriate to increase the degree to 150 (for example, if you want to cook the fish faster or the meat is watery or cut into large pieces);
duration of smoking from 35–40 minutes to 2–2.5 hours;
readiness will be indicated by a change in color and the lack of juice coming out when pressing on the pulp.

Notice the color change. The meat of both white and red fish will brighten, and a golden crust will form on the sides of the carcass or steaks. These are sure signs that the fish is ready to eat.

Hot Working Safety

Carefully observe the smoking process so that the flames do not char the fish

The safety of hot smoking is to:

avoid charring of raw materials due to inattention and lack of readiness control;
prevent an open flame from escaping from under the chamber around the smokehouse (especially if smoking takes place in dry weather in a summer cottage or in a forest);
do not burn yourself with fire when lighting a fire under the smoking chamber.

Be careful when handling flammable liquids, which accelerate the formation of a strong fire to smoke wood chips. Keep flammable products out of the reach of children. Do not use dubious goods purchased in the markets.

Cold smoking

The process of cold smoking is long, but the result is worth it

When cold smoking, the cooled smoke affects the fish. There is no intensive heat treatment. The smoke cools to ~30°C as it travels from the fire source to the product. Ready fish acquires spicy notes of taste and aroma. The meat is compacted, dries out and loses almost all the fat, joining the bones even more tightly.

Preparation

Here is one of the stages of cold smoking fish

The final result depends on the quality of fish preparation. Prior to smoking, the raw materials are carefully inspected for integrity. Repeatedly frozen and thawed fish is not suitable. The fresher the catch, the better.

Sort the carcasses. Cook small and large fish separately.
Large ones are recommended to be gutted and washed, small ones can be smoked whole.
Sometimes the fish is smoked on grills. Cut off the head, tail and fins - the drying process of the product will accelerate and the fish will be better preserved.
Be sure to rinse your gills.
Let the water drain.
Rub all carcasses with coarse salt, including gills. Leave for a day in a basin or bucket.
Next, dip the fish in saline for 4-5 days. It is prepared at the rate of 1/2 pack of salt per 2 liters of water.
Salting will take from two days to one and a half - two weeks (depending on the size of the individuals).

cold smoking process

Before you start cold smoking, you need to prepare a workplace

The principle of the device "cold" smokehouse:

firebox with firewood;
outlet, where smoke from smoldering wood chips enters;
smoke from the combustion of firewood leaves through a separate pipe (firewood is burned in a closed firebox) or volatilized into the surrounding atmosphere (firewood is ignited under the firebox with smoldering wood chips);
a smoking chamber located at a distance, where raw materials are placed - suspended, laid on horizontal grates, or both options are used simultaneously;
as in the case of hot smoking, trays are placed under the products to collect fat and juice.

Smoking lasts from 3-5 days to a month. There are cases when fish is smoked even longer. At home, this option is not popular. Mandatory requirement: the smoking chamber must be located higher than the source of smoke. If this rule is ignored, the smoke will not move along the outlet and will not reach the smoking chamber with fish products.

Method without a smokehouse

You can quickly and easily smoke fish with a special liquid. It is sold in regular supermarkets. Bred it according to the attached instructions. Prepared meat is poured with brine and kept from 2-3 to 9-12 hours. This completes the basic version - fish products have acquired the expected aroma and smoky taste.

Additional culinary delights:

soaked fish is kept for half an hour on a home electric grill;
smoking liquid is replaced with soy sauce, soaked in strong tea leaves or onion peel, and then brought to readiness using an electric grill;
dry chips or shavings are placed on the bottom of the cast-iron pan, 1 layer of foil on top, salted fish is laid out on it, covered with a lid and strong heating is turned on for half an hour.

As a result of such actions, fish is obtained a la smoked, but actually processed without a smokehouse.

Secrets of delicious smoking

Experiment, supplement existing recipes to get a tasty, fragrant and nutritious dish

Spices. Black and allspice, cloves, cardamom, fennel seeds, mint and peppermint, bay leaf, cumin, coriander. All these fragrances are either added to the brine or placed on top of the wood chips.
Don't throw in too much sawdust or wood chips. Enough 2-3 handfuls per bookmark.
Add to the chips 1 tbsp. l. granulated sugar. The smoke will turn out sticky and viscous, better absorbed into the meat flesh.
Each preparation is exclusive. At home, there are no special timers, everything is done by eye, approximately. Therefore, once every half hour, check the readiness of the fish.

In a smokehouse at home or in nature? What is required to properly smoke the product? What is the process of hot and cold smoking?

How to choose fish for smoking

What type is best for smoking? This question comes up first. In fact, any kind of fish is served for smoking, but it is important to observe some conditions:

smoke only fresh fish;
so that the fish is salted and smoked evenly, you should take one type and approximately the same size.

It is important to note that it is the fatty varieties that will be the most delicious. These include: greenling, cod, pike perch, mackerel, flounder, catfish, herring, sterlet, eel. But perch, crucian carp, pike will be no less tasty after smoking.

Fish preparation

Fish weighing 300-400 gr. may not be gutted. It must be salted and smoked as a whole. You can also smoke whole breams and carps (up to 700 gr.).

Recipes for hot-smoked fish weighing from 1 to 3 kg provide for mandatory gutting, but you can leave the head and scales. When cold smoking, it is allowed not to gut.

If a large specimen (more than 3 kg) was chosen for smoking, the recipes provide for mandatory gutting and cutting into layers. As a rule, in recipes it is recommended to divide large carcasses into half carcasses, so that there is a half of the tail and head. The caudal fin and ridge may not be removed. Some recipes call for slicing into equal pieces, which are cut vertically to the spine.

The recipe doesn't include descalers because the scales are supposed to protect the tender meat from contamination. The scales can be cleaned if they were damaged during fishing.

salted fish recipe

Many recipes recommend starting the smoking process as early as 2-3 hours after salting. Immediately, before sending the product to the smokehouse, you should rinse it to remove excess salt, add a little pepper and spices. If the smoked fish is eaten immediately after the smoking process is completed (hot smoking), then it can simply be rubbed thoroughly with salt before being sent to the smokehouse.

What wood to choose

For smoking, both cold and hot, wood chips and shavings are used, sometimes raw leaves and twigs are added. It is preferable to use alder and juniper wood for smoking, and it can also be oak, apple, pear, birch, ash. Do not use wood from coniferous trees, due to the content of a large amount of resin.

Depending on which type was chosen, the aroma of smoked fish will also change.

To prepare chips, you need to remove the bark, because it contains a large amount of resin. Then the wood is crushed to cubes, 2-3 cm in size.

Before filling the chips in the smokehouse, they need to be slightly moistened and covered in an even layer.

On a smokehouse, the size of which is like a bucket, it is correct to take 200-300 ml of wood chips.

Cold smoked fish

Fish, the process of which was smoked in a cold way, for many, is even tastier than the one that was hot smoked. However, cold smoking requires much more time and effort.

Cold smoking cannot be done in nature, because a mobile smokehouse is not suitable for it, but only a stationary one (as a rule, this is a small shed).

Fish that will be cold smoked are salted in a salt solution. It should be more saturated than for a slave who will be smoked in a hot way. In such a saline solution, it must be kept from 3 days to 2 weeks (depending on size). After salting, it must be soaked for a day in cold water and hung out to dry. The drying process will take 3 to 5 days. To prevent flies from landing on the fish, it must be protected with gauze.

When the fish is dried, it is placed in a special smokehouse, where it will be smoked with cold smoke, which must be supplied constantly and in the same amount. A smokehouse can be organized in a shed made of boards, a tent, a hut or a bathhouse. The room should be 1.5 to 2 meters high. Fish should be hung on perches, which should be made as high as possible. Cold smoke will be formed as a result of burning sawdust and wood chips, and it will enter the smoking chamber through a special pipe. The temperature of the smoke must not exceed 25°C. Smoking time - 2-6 days.

When smoking comes to an end, fresh juniper branches can be added to the fire. The smoke from them has excellent antimicrobial properties, which will protect the fish from mold and extend the shelf life. It will acquire a good taste if it is smoked with smoke from smoldering straw.

A detailed video recipe for cold smoked fish:

Cold smoked fish can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. It will be the most delicious in the first few days after smoking. Its taste qualities will be lost every day.

Hot smoked fish

In order to properly smoke fish in a hot way, you will need a smokehouse, which is a metal container that closes tightly.

It is easy to make a smokehouse with your own hands, using a metal bucket, a large pot, a barrel or a metal box. It is very important that the container closes well, and also does not emit toxic substances inside.

Chips are placed on the bottom of the container, then a grate is laid on which the fish prepared according to the recipe will be laid out.

It is very important to lay the product in such a way that the smoke falls on it from all sides, therefore it is impossible to lay in two, and even more so, more layers.

After that, the smokehouse must be tightly closed and put on fire. A small smokehouse can be placed on the grill.

Coals should be evenly distributed, you can leave a few logs that are still burning so that the process starts faster. Make sure that the fire is not strong, but does not go out.

After heating, white smoke begins to come out of the smokehouse, which indicates the beginning of the smoking process. Now it is already possible to pick up the burning logs, leaving only coals.

The smoking time will be determined by many factors: the size of the fire, the size of the smoker, the number and size of the fish. So, it will take approximately 30-40 minutes to smoke a medium-sized fish.

It is very important that the smokehouse does not overheat, therefore, at the beginning of the process (drying the fish), the temperature in it should not exceed 80-90 ° C. The process of drying fish takes approximately ¼ of the total smoking time. During the process itself, the temperature should be about 120 ° C. To determine the temperature inside the smokehouse, you need to drop water on the lid of the container. The water should evaporate without boiling, without making a hissing sound.

To regulate the temperature value, you need to reduce or increase the fire under the smokehouse.

It is the right temperature that will allow you to smoke the product, and not cook it.

You can open the smokehouse only when it cools down and the smoke stops coming out of it.

The readiness of the fish will be indicated by its dark golden hue, sometimes with redness. If the shade is light, this indicates that it is raw.

Hot smoked fish video recipe:

It is very important to follow these rules:

Put fish of the same size in the smokehouse.
Do not open the smoker after the smoking process has started.
Do not open the smoker if there is still smoke coming out.

Hot smoked fish can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days.

Is it possible to smoke fish without a smokehouse

This simple recipe will help you cook delicious fish, no worse than in a smokehouse. This recipe is designed for fatty fish: mackerel, greenling, etc.

It is pre-rubbed with coarse salt and allowed to lie down for 10-15 minutes. After that, spices are added.

Wrap in a couple of layers of foil, then poke a lot of holes in it with a toothpick.

Place on a wire rack and roast over a fire for approximately 30 minutes.

Unwrap foil and eat immediately. The recipe also includes adding lemon slices to the fish, which can further emphasize the taste.

Smoking with a foil bag:

A real pleasure is to eat delicious and so fragrant smoked fish cooked by yourself. But what type and method of smoking to choose depends only on personal preferences.

Sitting with a fishing rod on the bank of a river or lake, a real fisherman is already thinking about how he will dispose of his catch, especially a large catch. Without a doubt, a true fisherman knows all the secrets and rules of how to smoke fish in a smokehouse, how to properly ensure this smoking, in order to be proud of the result. Bringing home a good catch is a man's luck, but the fisherman gets the main pleasure if all the prey is processed into delicious dishes!

How to save your catch?

A tired but happy fisherman brings his prey home and sorts the fish himself for different dishes. What can be cooked?

Ukha - fragrant and rich.
Fried or baked fish with potatoes.
Salt the catch or dry it.
Smoked fish hot or cold smoked.

Smoking fish in a smokehouse as an option for processing the catch will be discussed in our article. Information will be needed for those anglers who have just set foot on the path of obtaining their own smoked product. Believe me, the whole technology only at first glance seems complicated.

In fact, having tried it at least once, you will become an enthusiastic smoker even of the fish that were caught not by you, but by fishing fleets!

You can smoke absolutely any fish - both river and sea. The method of its preliminary preparation and the time of salting before smoking depends on the type and size.

You can smoke fresh catch brought from fishing, or you can buy frozen fish in the store and cook a delicacy from it.

It is better to defrost a frozen product in the general section of the refrigerator in a natural way, only then wash and cut it. Next, all the carcasses need to be dried with napkins and get to work.

Ways to smoke fish

Smoking involves the treatment of fish carcasses with smoke. Smoke tends to penetrate deeply into the fibers, thereby disinfecting all their layers, i.e. smoke has the properties of a reliable natural antiseptic.

In addition, smoke processing allows you to get a beautiful, fragrant and very tasty home-smoked product. Active smoke is provided by the slow smoldering of chips and sawdust of certain types of wood.

How can you smoke fish?

Hot smoking;
Cold smoking;
Semi-hot smoking.

For the formation of hot smoke, you need to prepare a special, hermetically sealed container (pot, bucket, steel box or barrel, etc.).

Also, this container should be provided with a grate on which the product is laid out. The main requirement for a hot smoked smoking container is its chemically resistant inner coating. No harmful compounds should be released inside the product.

Of course, the best solution would be to buy a factory-made smokehouse - a convenient hermetically sealed container for smoking products. It is equipped with a grill and a tight-fitting lid, which allows you to smoke fish directly in the kitchen.

To obtain a high-quality smoked product, the right choice of wood is also important.

The best material for obtaining a fragrant haze are:

juniper chips (and berries, including),
fruit trees, alder, oak, etc.

The main thing is to avoid using wood from species rich in resins: all conifers (except juniper), birch, etc. An excellent result is the use of grapevine (dry).

Dry branches of trees are cut with a knife. The thickness of the chips should not exceed 4-5 mm, and the length should be 5-6 cm. If we use sawdust of the above species of trees, then they must also be dry.

In the process of smoking, the fish should lose up to 50% of its moisture, and therefore there should not be excess moisture in the smokehouse.

How to smoke fish

Let's look at the technology of each method of cooking smoked fish at home. The whole technology can be conditionally divided into several stages:

Stage I: Preparing fish for smoking

The fish must be sorted and prepared for salting.
Small fish are not gutted, but only washed.
Gut a medium-sized fish and cut off the heads.
In a large fish, be sure to take out the insides, clean the films from the inside and cut off the head.

Many fishermen (and not only) like to smoke a large catch "as is", but according to technology, this is considered wrong. Large specimens have thick flesh, which may not be smoked during smoking, so we also cut the large ones into two parts along the spine, removing the skeleton and large fins.

After cleaning and cutting off unnecessary parts of the fish, we wash and remove moisture with the help of cooking napkins. Next, we proceed to the dry salting of the product.

Stage II: Salting fish before smoking

The taste of the smoked product also depends on the degree of saltiness of the carcasses. Therefore, at this stage, you need to be more careful and trust your intuition. In the process of salting, the fish loses its specific smell, since the salt contributes to the coagulation of proteins, and the fish fibers are compacted.

For salting, we take a cutting wooden board, preferably of a large area (plywood is also suitable), sprinkle it with salt and lay out the carcass and also sprinkle it with salt.

Next, we begin to move the fish along the board with light pressure, rubbing salt into the carcass. Rub the insides of the fish with your fingers. If there are fleshy parts along the spine, then we make an incision there and rub a little salt into this incision (do not pour salt, but rub it).

If you smoke oily fish, such as flounder, halibut, silver carp or mackerel, then provide it with additional protection from oxygen - fish oil oxidizes quickly and the product may not have a very pleasant smell.

Therefore, after rubbing the salt, each fish must be carefully wrapped in parchment paper, folded into a bowl, still tightly covered with parchment for reliability, pressed down with a plate and put a press.

Most often, we buy fatty sea fish in a frozen form in a store. Such fish is salted longer than fresh - up to a day.

We keep fresh fish in salt for such a time:

Small fish - an hour is enough;
Medium fish - a couple of hours;
Large fish - up to 3 hours.

Stage III: drying of fish carcasses

At this stage, we need to dry the fish a little in order to achieve its correct salinity - no more than 2%. Fish carcasses must be tied with natural twine, strung on a rope and hung up so that the excess brine is stacked. Be sure to cover the fish with gauze from flies.

We dry the product for an hour or a little more. If you want to simplify the drying procedure, then you can wrap the fish in cling film and keep in the cold - instead of hanging.

The last thing we do before treating the fish with smoke is to rinse it under running cold water and wipe it dry. We rinse in order to wash off the salt crystals and be sure that the product is not over-salted. Fish for smoking is ready!

There are a lot of recipes for smoking fish. Each smoker chooses his own way. We offer you a classic version of smoking - in the garden or on a fishing trip.

We take a bucket or a barrel, put sawdust and chips of selected tree species on its bottom in an even layer, no thicker than 1-2 cm. Try to find at least a couple of dry juniper twigs, preferably with berries. Juniper gives the product a beautiful golden color and an indescribable aroma.

Install a grate above the sawdust at the level of half the volume of the bucket (or two - one above the other), which can be made with steel wire with your own hands. We put salted fish on the grates (large ones - from below, small things - at the top level).

Close tightly with a lid. We must ensure that the lid fits snugly on the bucket so that the smoke stays in and does not come out. A fit without gaps is also ensured so that the sawdust inside from the influx of oxygen does not flare up on fire, but actively smokes.

We put the fish carcasses with the provision of free space between them - for uniform smoking. We do not remove the twine with which the fish were tied.

We build a fire and let it burn out to the extent that the firebrands still emit enough heat. The fire should not be hot, otherwise the chips inside the smokehouse will catch fire, and will not smolder. This can be achieved with a small fire area.

A brazier can be a good option - convenient and optimal!

We set the smokehouse over the fire and begin to heat it. This technological stage can be conditionally called "drying chips". At this stage, it is important not to overheat the smokehouse. If the chips with sawdust inside are too dry, they will not give enough smoke.

The temperature inside should not exceed 80-90 degrees, and the drying period should not exceed a quarter of the entire smoking time.

At the next stage, active smoke formation begins. The temperature inside rises to 120 degrees, and at this temperature, hot smoking of fish takes place.

Determining the temperature inside the smokehouse is quite simple: drop some water on its lid and watch. If the water hisses as it evaporates, the temperature is too high. Then the smokehouse should be removed from the fire and let it cool down a bit.

How long does it take to smoke fish?

The time depends on the volume of the smokehouse, the number of fish and, of course, the strength of the fire.

Usually, the time ranges from 30 minutes to 1 hour, 15-20 minutes is enough for small things. While there is not enough experience in hot smoking products, open the lid periodically and taste the product.

Open the smoker slowly and carefully, otherwise the wood chips may ignite and burn you from the influx of air. With frequent cooking of smoked foods, you will already have a proven skill.

Hot smoked fish is not stored for a long time. This is the same boiled product, only with a fragrant smoky smell. Store it in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Although, who will save such a product if you want to eat it all at once, without leaving the smokehouse?

Another recipe for smoking fish at home, look at the video. It is very easy and simple to smoke the product on a gas stove, within a city apartment.

Cold smoked fish in a smokehouse

Cold smoked products take longer to cook - several days. For this method of obtaining a smoked product, a smokehouse of a different design is needed. Most often, outbuildings (a barn, a bathhouse, etc.) are used for cold smoking, and enthusiastic fishermen build a smokehouse separately.

This method is called cold because the temperature inside the smokehouse does not exceed 35 degrees, and the processing of products with smoke lasts at least 3 days.

Unlike the technology of processing the product with hot smoke, the fish is salted not for several hours, but for several days. Moreover, laying it in a dish for salting, each layer is sprinkled with additional salt.

In such a strong salt environment, the fish should lie for about 5 days, and then it needs to be washed and soaked in cold water for 5-6 hours. All fish must be gutted, and the head must not be cut off, but only the gills removed.

The following steps actually repeat the steps of preparing for hot smoking, including drying during the day. Those. all stages preparatory to smoke treatment are several times longer.

After soaking, we tie the carcasses with heads, dry the product for about a day, hanging a trifle by the tails, and large specimens by the gills. We hang it right in the smokehouse, but without smoke yet.

Next, we take a deep barrel, pour chips and sawdust into it and put it on a fire to dry for an hour and a half. We support the fire in such a way as to support smoldering and the formation of smoke inside the building. The distance between the wood material in the barrel and the rope with products must be at least 1.5-2 meters.

So that the ash, soot and resins contained in the smoke do not settle on the fish carcasses, it is advisable to put a filter over the sawdust. A grate is installed in the barrel and sprinkled with wet straw, coarse weaving burlap or wet serpyanka.

One final note: the saltier the fish, the longer the cold smoking process takes, and the cooler the smoke should be.

Semi-hot smoked fish

For the preparation of this fish delicacy, the conditions change, fluctuating between hot and cold smoking technology. Those. smoke temperature should not exceed 50-60 degrees. Fish is also not salted for a short or long time, but the average between them is about a day, and it is also necessarily soaked from salt in water.

The technology of semi-hot smoking is worked out by the smoker himself. That is why so far this method of cooking fish does not find many followers.