How to choose, prepare fish for smoking, cut, pick up before smoking: methods. What wood to take to smoke fish in the smokehouse? How to smoke fish in a smokehouse in a cold and hot way?

A delicious smoked fish is so simple, even at home. Learn more about smoking methods.

Content

The smoked fish is very tasty, and everyone can do it, since the preparation does not take a lot of effort, time. All you need is a good fish, the right recipe and a smokehouse (you can replace it with a bonfire).

Remember that the smoke due to which smoking occurs is a natural antiseptic. Smoking fish in this way allows you to extend the storage of the main product, to make it fragrant, very tender.

How to choose, prepare fish for smoking?

If you want to prepare a hot smoking product, then you will have to fulfill the following important rules:

For cooking, use only the fish that has been recently caught.
The product, which was pre -frozen, is not suitable for this method.
Try to smoke only fish identical in size at once. They should also have the same weight, fat content.
If the fish has a weight of less than 0.5 kg, then do not touch it. But larger specimens you will have to separate. Cut too large fish into pieces.
Professional craftsmen recommend that the fish can last longer, put the juniper twigs to the sawdust during smoking.
The smoking time depends on which size will have the main component.
When cooking, it is better to suspend the fish. In this way, it turns out juicy, fragrant.

Of course, any kind of fish is allowed to smoke. However, experienced fishermen with many years of experience say that the main product must be chosen very carefully. But you can choose the fish that you like best.

How to cut the carcass carcass for smoking?

To begin with, sort the fish so that the carcasses for future pickling have an identical size. If you have chosen small fish, then wash it thoroughly, then pick it up.

Leave the heads on small and medium -sized fish, but it is advisable to remove gills. Cut your head in large fish. By the way, large fish in rare cases remains in general.
The cut carcass will quarrel faster and prepare. Cut the fish across. You should get even steaks. If you love fillets more, then cut the carcass along the spine.

As a rule, scales should be left on fish. As a result, carcinogens will not penetrate the fish. If you look at this method on the other side, then the juice does not follow, remaining inside the meat.

How to pick up the fish before smoking?

In order to prepare the fish, marry it first. The meaning of this process is so you will get rid of microorganisms that may be present in fish, protect fish fillet from quick damage, extend the shelf life of the product, add an additional taste.

If it comes to recipes, most of the preparation is given to the salting and only after that the fish is processed with smoke. Despite the fact that there are a huge number of various salmon methods, there are only 3 fundamental methods.

Based on these recipes, a variety of improvisations are built, during which different seasonings, sauces, spices are added. If you know the basics of these methods, you can very easily study every nuance of cooking.

Fish salting method # 1

This method is considered the main one. During it, you only have to treat fish carcasses with salt. Do not think that a simple method can give an exceptionally mediocre final result. Fans of natural food say that during smoking you need to use the minimum number of ingredients.

Salt the fish must be salt large grinding. Also, black ground pepper, chopped bay leaf will never hurt. These spices are not able to pick up an amazing taste of fish, they will only complement it, they will become well in harmony with the smell of smoke.

Take so much salt to process the fish abundantly. Salt in this case will serve as a dry marinade. If the fish has fibrous meat, it must be completely rubbed with a mixture of seasonings. If the fillet is oily, then just pour it with salt. Rub with salt so that grains fall under the scales.
If the fish has small scales (perch), then place it for a while in the refrigerator. A fish that has fibrous meat should lie down under the oppression. From severe pressure from the fibers, juice will begin to stand out, which will mix with salt. The resulting brine will again penetrate the fibers, but already like an antiseptic.
If you decide to take a bold variety of fish, pour it with salt, cover with a film or wrap it in parchment. Thanks to hygroscopicity, fish fibers will begin to draw salt into themselves.

Fish can suck differently. It all depends on what consistency the carcass has. This process, as a rule, lasts from a couple of hours to several days.

Fish salting method No. 2

The next method of preparing a fish carcass is pickling in a liquid brine. You can cook it yourself using ordinary water or vegetable oil.

Marinade preparation process:

Heat the water strongly, but do not boil. Then pour the salt, the necessary spices. For river fish, you can also add spices to the brine. They will take the smell of Tina. As a rule, for one portion there is enough of the next marinade - 50 g salt plus 1 l of ordinary water. Add the remaining components at your discretion.
Marine fish so that it is immersed in the liquid. There are special seasonings that can be combined with fish or not. Coriander, thyme can dilute fish taste. Marine also by adding garlic teeth or lemon juice. If you want the fish to get ready quickly, add mustard, vinegar. But do not abuse these ingredients, because after them there remains a characteristic taste.

Fish salting method No. 3

The last method will come in handy if you are going to smoke a fish in the oven. Here everything is quite clear - take “liquid smoke”, put the fish in it.

The “liquid smoke” itself is considered a kind of marinade, plus the product acquires a pleasant aroma that resembles the smell of wood smoke at the same time. However, this method of preparing fish for smoking is completely unsuitable, since it cannot be called smoking.

What wood to take to smoke fish in the smokehouse?

The best option that is suitable for hot smoking is tree of deciduous trees. Also, an excellent tool will be made of sawdust, branches, chips. From deciduous trees, a little resin is distinguished, when compared with coniferous trees. Experienced smoke men also take dry branches of fruit trees for fuel, also use berry shrubs. The smoke formed after the combustion of wood makes a fish fillet more fragrant.

The best fuel is from alder branches, juniper wood. These breeds have the most pronounced bactericidal qualities. Keep fish cooked on the smoke of these breeds the longest.

Coniferous trees During the hot smoking method, it is extremely rare. The fish carcass, which is prepared on this smoke, ultimately does not have a particularly appetizing appearance, since it can form a lot of soot. Its aroma is also bad.
In birch wood A huge amount of tar is contained, therefore, it is not used at all.
For a natural flavor and an amplifier, you can take: vine of grapes, juniper fruits, slightly cones, spices, herbs.
If you decide to apply small dried branches, then clean them in advance. Be sure to chop large branches or logs on chips so that they have a length of about 5 cm.

Want to get strong smoke? Then be sure to stock up on a lot of shavings and sawdust.

Absolutely forbidden For smoking, use plywood, chipboard or fiberboard. Also, never take glued boards, laminate sheets and other wood products, for the processing of which resin was used.

How to smoke fish in a smokehouse in a cold way?

Fish of cold smoking likes more than hot. But for the first option, you will have to spend time by making more effort. You will never do cold smoking in natural conditions, since only a stationary device (small shed) is necessary for the process.

Next, follow the following manipulations:

Soak fish for smoking in salt solution. Make the marinade very rich. In this composition, withstand fish carcasses from 3 days to 14 days. It all depends on what size you decide to cook. The fish is completely salted, soak it for 24 hours in cool water, spread it for drying. Dry the fish no more than 5 days. You can protect fish from flies using gauze, which cover completely the main component.
Then place the fish in the smokehouse. There, smoke it using cold smoke. It should be uniform. Spread the fish on the poles, placing them high enough. Smoke will form due to combustion of fuel, penetrate the smokehouse using a special pipe. Make sure that the smoke is no more than +25 degrees. The preparation period is at least 2 days and a maximum of 6 days.
When the preparation process is completed, put the dried twigs of juniper in the fire. Thanks to the formed smoke, all microbes are destroyed, and therefore mold will not occur on the fish for a long time. If you want the fish to have an excellent aftertaste, then put straw in a fire.

The fish prepared in this way is stored in a cool place. The most delicious is it in the first few days after cooking. But every day she will lose her own taste.

How to smack a fish hot?

For this method, you will need a special smokehouse - a metal container that closes tightly. You can build a smokehouse yourself, for example, from a metal bucket, a large pan, a box. It is important that the dishes are able to closely hide behind, does not emit harmful substances.

At the bottom of the dishes, put the chips, then the grill. You will lay out the cabin on it by preparing it in advance.
It is quite difficult to properly lay the product so that the resulting smoke envelops the fish on each side. Therefore, in 2 or more layers it is forbidden to lay fish.
Close the smokehouse tightly, put on the bonfire. If your device is small, then install it on top of the barbecue.
Distribute the coals evenly. You can leave a couple of burning logs so that the preparation takes place faster. Follow the fire. It should be medium.

When the smokehouse heats up, you will notice white smoke, then the process has begun. After that, remove the logs, leave only the coals.
The duration of smoking will depend on several points. For example, from the fire, the size of the device, the amount of product and its size. If you cook the middle fish, then the process will take a maximum of 40 minutes.
Make sure that the dishes do not overheat, so initially the temperature inside should be no more than +90. The fish will dry in about 10 minutes. When smoking begins, increase the temperature to +120. Thanks to the correct temperature, the product will be smoked, but not cook.
Never open the dishes until the fish cools completely, smoke will disappear.
The finished fish has a dark golden color. If it is light, then the product is still raw.

Eating an digging fish is an unforgettable pleasure. You can always cook it yourself. Just choose your favorite fish variety and start cooking.