Smoked meats are considered a delicacy. Fish or meat prepared in this way will diversify any table, both everyday and festive. When buying smoked meats in stores, you may encounter some problems, as the products may turn out to be of poor quality, oversalted or bland, tough. Smoked meats are the most delicious. home cooking. It is these products that will please their exquisite taste and aroma.
Smoking technology involves pre-processing and preparation of products in the marinade. The quality of the cooked smoked meat also depends on the taste of the marinade.
Marinades are prepared using a variety of drinks and spices. Exists great amount recipes for marinating meat and fish. All of them are divided into three types:
- dry;
- wet;
- mixed.
The dry salting method is the easiest. Products are rubbed with salt and placed in a wooden or enamelware layers. The first layer is salt and spices. Pieces of meat or fish are placed on it. Each layer is also sprinkled with spices and salt. Thus, the products are salted for 2-3 weeks, depending on the type of meat and fish.
It is very important that the food is under pressure, and in the first few days it is best to turn the pieces over to evenly salt. At the end of the salting period, meat and fish should be thoroughly washed in warm water, and if there was a lot of salt, then soak in cold water for a day. Before cooking in the smokehouse, the products must be dried in the air.
Products for the wet method are also rubbed with salt and stacked in layers in dishes. But after that, the marinade is poured into the dishes so that it completely covers the meat or fish. If the pieces are large, then the brine is also injected inside with a syringe. For injection, a regular medical syringe is suitable. The volume of the brine must be at least one fifth of the volume of the injected piece. The duration of wet pickling depends on the type of marinade.
The mixed method is used if meat is planned to be stored for a long time. To begin with, the meat is salted in a dry way for 4-7 days. Then the marinade is added and left for a period of several days to two weeks. After that, the meat is not washed, but dried for fresh air in limbo so that the glass is excess moisture.
Types of marinades
Everyone chooses a marinade recipe depending on their taste preferences, as well as on the expected storage time. finished product. Also, the type of brine depends on how much time you are willing to spend marinating meat and fish.
Even a beginner in making smoked meats with his own hands is not difficult to prepare an amazing dish, since there are a huge number of marinade recipes. The type of brine depends on what kind of product you are going to cook and in what way. The marinade for cold-smoked meat is different from the brine that is used to pour products for the hot method. Also, marinades for fish are different from fills for meat. Fish cooks faster, but does not keep as long as smoked meat.
Any process associated with cooking is divided into several stages. It is difficult to establish which of them is considered the most important, but it is clear that each is significant in its own way. These stages are associated with the search for raw materials, products, materials, the process of cutting, packaging or cutting raw materials is also distinguished as a separate activity, and there is no need to talk about salting, because sometimes everything taste qualities are emphasized or fixed precisely at this stage.
Smoking meat at home is an occupation for responsible and purposeful people. Here the point is not so much in theoretical knowledge, and not at all in the presence of experience.
The whole process, from beginning to end, can take several days, therefore, having got involved in smoking, it is necessary to bring the matter to an end.
For convenience, the preparation of meat for smoking is divided into the following stages:
- choice of meat on composition and quality;
- preparing meat for marinating;
- salting;
- choice of wood material;
- smoking.
Divide the process into stages for more convenient study, because step by step way algorithm execution increases the probability of a favorable outcome. Any beginner can study this or that stage separately.
How to choose the right meat for smoking
In those moments when there is no alternative, we must proceed from the existing conditions. At hand may be a piece of meat, which was treated to generous friends. There is no choice of ready-made dishes in the store, and I really want to enjoy a home-made masterpiece. But with a rich choice of raw materials, you should definitely think carefully before you stop at any product. There is no clear algorithm, since the outcome depends on the desire of the buyer, however, there are certain rules that should be followed.
First you need to decide on the type of meat. If there is no experience in smoking, then you should opt for pork. Its fibers contain many fatty layers, so the material is easy to soak, salt or smoke.
By the way, due to these layers, the meat becomes soft during cooking and soaked in juice, so seasoned craftsmen also pay attention to pork.
Beef has a unique quality. Although it is tougher than pork, it still found its consumer. Cold-smoked cuts are tasty from beef, and elastic meat is used as a snack, especially with beer and hockey (football, wrestling, skiing - whatever).
lovers dietary meat can recommend poultry. Chicken breast full of protein, so it will be especially useful for athletes or those who decide to follow a diet. , nutria or hare has a peculiar taste. Real gourmets are interested in him. There are no exceptions among the listed varieties, and all of them are subject to smoking with proper preparation.
To get a good result, you need to take the freshest meat. This requirement is easy to fulfill if you yourself act as a getter. When buying meat in a store, you should not always trust the indicated expiration date, so it is useful to learn how to evaluate the storage conditions and freshness of products in appearance.
- Each variety of meat has a characteristic color, so there is no single shade for comparison. Chicken breast is beige, pork is pink, and beef is red. The general color property of meat is that it should be uniform. The presence of spots, darkening and bruising indicates not the first freshness of the product.
- Moisture content of meat may vary. But its coolness is felt to the touch. If the fibers are covered with a thin film or a dark crust, then this can only indicate long-term storage. Excessive moisture in the form of slime that appears on the surface is a clear sign of the beginning of an irreversible process of product spoilage.
- There is one more criterion - the smell. Even if you are not a fan of fresh meat flavor, you can still feel the beginning of decay. Already at the very beginning of this process, the meat will begin to emit unpleasant odors.
salting
To salt meat for smoking there is no need to learn complicated recipes, moreover, the number of ingredients allows us to call such an ambassador simple. Necessary component for this method is salt. But many people prefer to add a mixture of peppers to it.
By mixing the components, a homogeneous composition is prepared, with which the meat is poured from all sides. Dry salting can last several days, because it all depends on the meat. Don't be afraid to add too much salt as the meat extra salt will not absorb, and then you can easily get rid of the residue by soaking the semi-finished product in water.
If improvisation can be shown on the described manipulations, then the following action is considered mandatory: the meat should be dried. But to get rid of salt, it is not necessary to soak the meat. If you gently wipe it with paper towels, then it will be completely ready for smoking.
honey marinade recipe
A marinade is a liquid salt solution made from water, vegetable oil or soy sauce. One of original ways preparation of meat is considered marinating with honey. At first glance, it may seem that incompatible components will be used here. In fact, smoked meat harmonizes perfectly with sweets, in particular, with honey.
- For 1 kg of meat, you will need to take 50 g of honey, 80 g of lemon juice, a few cloves of garlic, and olive oil. Seasonings, including salt, are added to taste. Digressing, I would like to note that in many recipes, the brine is prepared on the basis of individual preferences, therefore it is often oriented to the taste of the cook.
- All of the above ingredients are added to the oil and mixed. Garlic can be squeezed or rubbed on a grater. In an oil solution, the meat will marinate quickly enough. It will take about 8 hours for everything, but this is provided that the oil evenly covers the surface of each piece. That is, you have to periodically turn them over.
Marinade on kefir
Many methods for preparing meat contain ingredients such as vinegar, lemon acid, lemon juice, mustard. All of these ingredients contain substances that break down fibers in a very short time, so the meat becomes soft and can be quickly salted. Kefir also has similar properties, therefore, marinade can be prepared on its basis.
To calculate the proportions, you can start from a certain amount of the main raw material. Here is an example of a recipe for 1 kg of meat. It will take 1-2 teaspoons of sugar, vegetable oil(preferably olive). A few mint leaves will add a piquancy of taste. Pepper and garlic are optional and can be omitted from the recipe altogether. All components are mixed, and mint leaves are pre-crushed.
In this recipe, you should not take a lot of salt, as there will be no soaking in clean water. For the indicated values, a tablespoon is enough. The meat is immersed in the marinade and infused for a day. After such preparation, it can be smoked both cold and hot.
Easy marinade recipe
At home, you can always find a way to make an excellent marinade at no extra cost. Many recipes contain rare ingredients, sometimes even exotic ones, which will have to be bought separately, spending time and money on this. Not every novice cook knows that these recipes can be changed at will, if only the obligatory components are left.
The purpose of any marinade is not only and not so much in adding spices, but in salting meat. At its core, pickling is identical simple salting, only the technology is slightly different. Salt first dissolves in water, and then impregnates the fibers.
- Salt concentration should be high. For one liter of water you need to take 70-80 grams of salt. The total amount of marinade should be such that the liquid completely hides the pieces immersed in it.
- The salt solution is brought to a boil and boiled for 5-10 minutes. During this time, you need to add the rest of the ingredients. It's usually garlic Bay leaf and black pepper. At this stage, you can show your imagination and add different components to taste: thyme, lemon, dill, basil.
- If the meat is immersed in a boiling marinade and cooked for another 40 minutes, it will become soft. In the smokehouse, such a semi-finished product will quickly be saturated with smoke and reach readiness. A peculiar branch of the t algorithm gives independent recipe, which is called "boiled-smoked meat." The classic recipe involves cooling the brine to room temperature followed by soaking pieces of meat in it. A day later, the product is ready for smoking.
Cold and hot smoking
The topic of cold and hot smoking is brought up by the fact that some recipes are suitable for only one of the listed methods.
It is known that hot smoking is carried out by exposing the product to wood smoke with a sufficiently high temperature. Sometimes it reaches 100°C degrees. Due to this effect, the meat fibers are boiled and become soft. In an hour, the meat can be ready, therefore, when salting and marinating, they pay attention not to the amount of salt, but to the quality of the selected meat. It must be borne in mind that fat is able to melt. On the one hand, it will make the meat rich and juicy if it remains in the fibers. On the other hand, it may leak out, as a result of which the product will become dry. All these nuances will have to be foreseen at the stage of cutting meat.
Cold smoking is carried out enough long time, since the temperature of wood smoke ranges from 25°C to 30°C degrees. In such conditions, the meat is not baked, so there is a high probability of developing foci of infection with bacteria. The main thing that you need to pay attention to when salting is a sufficient amount of salt and observing the pickling time. by the most difficult requirement, which will have to be performed, is considered to ensure the continuity of the smoking process. The first 8 hours cannot be interrupted. Otherwise, there are no differences in the recipe for both smoking methods.
Tender pork meat is ideal for smoking. You can also marinate pork for smoking in the walls of your own kitchen. The main thing is to choose a marinade recipe and remember a few simple rules that will help you avoid unnecessary cooking mistakes.
Before proceeding directly to marinating according to the recipes below, it is necessary to prepare the products for the marinade. Any part is suitable for, whether it be a neck, a brisket or a ham. Next, the meat should be washed and poured over with boiling water.
There are several ways to marinate pork for smoking in a smokehouse. For this type of meat, brine prepared according to special prescription for marinade. Marinate in it for at least 2 days. To marinate pork meat for smoking according to the recipe, the following ingredients are needed:
- 3 kg of pork meat;
- 4 small cloves of garlic;
- salt - 1 tbsp. l.;
- bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
- peppercorns - 12 pcs.
The pork marinade recipe also includes other spices to taste. Before starting cooking, put a pot of water on the stove, add salt, bay leaf, garlic and pepper. Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat, cool the marinade. We wash the finished meat under running water, cut it into small pieces, put it in a saucepan, put it in a cold place for 2-3 days.
To bring to life a delicious recipe juicy meat you only need to have a smokehouse designed specifically for home kitchens. But if it is not available, you can take an iron bucket and cover it with a lid on top. Also, for cooking smoked meat according to the recipe, you will need grills that are placed deeper into the selected container.
Another requirement of the recipe is the mandatory presence of wood chips. The latter is needed to get thick smoke. Experienced chefs It is advised to use hardwood. Moreover, it is better to smoke meat in slightly damp sawdust, otherwise it will taste like boiled meat.
Smoked pork is prepared in two ways - hot and cold. Both
imply different recipes brine.
The cold smoked pork marinade recipe requires the following products:
- Meat (1 kg).
- Salt (5 tablespoons).
- Bay leaf (4 pcs.).
- Ground pepper (5 g).
- Peppercorns (5-7 pcs.).
- Basil (5 g).
Before you start marinating, mix all the ingredients, pour them cold water. Cut into two equal parts pork neck, which we will pickle according to the recipe, put in plastic bag, pour the finished marinade. The cold smoked pork marinade prepared according to this recipe is kept in a closed bag. To do this, seal the open end of the package, release the air, set to cool. Pork in the marinade is stored in the refrigerator for five days. To marinate it well, you need to take out the bag every day and shake the liquid. After the required time has elapsed, the smoked ham must be released from the bag, rinsed with cold water, thoroughly blotted with a clean, dry cloth and left to hang in the air for two to three days.
After the work done, we proceed to smoking. With the cold method, the smoking apparatus must be heated to 30⁰C. According to the recipe, wood chips are placed on the bottom of the pan, and a ham is suspended above it. Cold marinated pork is languishing in a smokehouse for three days, then hung out in the air for 12 hours.
The hot smoked pork marinade recipe is somewhat different from the previous one. For this method of cooking meat, the following products will be needed:
- Water - 1l.
- Salt - 50 gr.
- Vegetable oil - ½ tbsp.
- Black peppercorns - 13 pcs.
- Allspice - to taste.
- Carnation - 2 pcs.
- Sugar - 10 gr.
- Bay leaf - 2 pcs.
- Lemon - 1 pc.
In order to marinate pork for hot smoking according to this recipe, you need to dip all the ingredients in water, except for oil and lemon juice. After the water boils, you need to turn off the stove and cool the liquid. Then, add the remaining products to the brine. Now you can safely marinate the pieces. Ready brine should be poured over the already cut meat, cover them with a plate and put a load on them. It takes two days to marinate the pieces. During this time, the meat should be in a ventilated area. The pieces should be turned every day so that they marinate well. After the required time has elapsed, the meat is released from the load and transferred to a saucepan with ready-made brine without spices. After pickling, the ham is allowed to dry. To do this, it is hung up and left to dry.
Meat that has finished marinating begins to smoke. To do this, sawdust is placed at the bottom of the smokehouse, on which the meat falls. The cooking process in this case takes about four hours. The ham prepared according to the recipe is kept in the fresh air for three hours, after which it is served at the table.
It is possible both in a city apartment and in a summer cottage. This dish
It will be a wonderful decoration for a family meal and will always be able to please guests.
Salting unprepared fish is not recommended, as a product that has not been processed can ruin the whole dish. It is important that carcasses intended for hot or cold smoking be thoroughly rinsed and peeled before cooking. If the fish is fresh, then it is allowed to cook with the entrails. However, it would be better to gut it before you start salting. It won't take much time, but it will taste better.
Small fish can not be cleaned and gutted
If a large fish is chosen that does not fit in the smokehouse, it should be cut into medium-sized pieces. But, for example, mackerel or perch can be salted whole. They are small in themselves, and even a few pieces are placed on the grill.
To pickle with a head or not, everyone can decide for themselves. The recipe allows for both options. As a rule, if you salt the fish along with the head, it will not be worse.
How to salt fish for smoking
The recipe for salting fish is useful to everyone who loves smoked meats. You can implement it at home, doing without special devices. The process can take a few hours or a couple of days. It is believed that it is best to salt at least for a day to get great taste. But if you need to cook urgently, you can reduce the salting time for hot or cold smoking.
For the most simple salting it only takes salt and the fish itself. Carcasses are taken, washed and prepared before smoking, and covered with salt. How much to put food additive, the chef decides. The main thing is that it hits the carcasses from all sides, otherwise the ambassador will be uneven. After that, the fish is placed in a container and covered with a lid. Leave in a dark place for a day (you can keep at temperatures up to +15 C °). After the specified time, when the salting is completed, the carcasses are sent to the smokehouse for hot or cold smoking.
Quick salting method
There are other ways to salt fish to make it tasty and fragrant. It is recommended to use spices to make the recipe more interesting. Ambassador should be carried out as follows.
Washed and gutted carcasses should be put in a container, covered with salt and spices. It is recommended to salt with pepper, paprika, basil, and how much to put them depends on your desire.
It is also recommended to add about 2 tablespoons of sugar, as it speeds up salting. After that, the product must be covered with a lid and sent to the refrigerator for a day. It is permissible to start cooking it after 3-4 hours, but it is better to hold it longer. If the ambassador was executed correctly, then final result please.
How to marinate fish
Marinade for smoking fish can be prepared if you want to get a more unusual and delicate taste. The ambassador is easier, but it is pickling that makes the product very appetizing. A well-chosen recipe is the key to success and a guarantee that everyone will like the dish. Therefore, you need to pickle at home, carefully choosing the ingredients and preparing a good brine.
Brine brine is considered one of the most popular and proven. A strong brine solution is great for preparing fish before cold or hot smoking. It is important to correctly determine how much salt to add. To do this, put potatoes in boiling water and begin to pour salt. It is believed that when the potato completely floats to the surface, the brine is ready.
How many ingredients will be needed:
- bay leaf - 5-6 pieces;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- sage, thyme and rosemary to taste
- sugar, cinnamon and pepper - 1 tbsp. spoon
- lemon - 2 pcs.;
- orange - 1 pc.;
- onion - 3 pcs.
All the listed ingredients must be added to the brine, their amount can be reduced or increased as desired. Onion, orange and lemon will need to be coarsely chopped beforehand. Everything should be boiled down. The recipe calls for the brine brine to cook for about 10 minutes. Then the finished marinade for smoking fish should be added to the container with carcasses and left for 12 hours. During this time, the brine will give the meat an amazing flavor. This is how marinating is done before subsequent cooking.
Noteworthy is the recipe for cold smoking, which uses saltpeter. Among other ingredients, saltpeter is added to the brine in order to extend the shelf life of the product. To prepare the marinade, you will need to take about 10 g of this additive.
Ingredients:
- saltpeter - 10 g;
- garlic - 6 cloves;
- sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- salt - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- pepper to taste.
Brine for cold smoking is prepared as follows.
Saltpeter, sugar, garlic, pepper and salt are taken for the marinade. You decide how much spice to use for the marinade. All ingredients are placed in boiling water and boiled for 5 minutes. After that, the brine is poured into a bowl with carcasses.
Such a marinade for smoking fish will help to achieve the taste that ordinary salting gives. How long will it take to infuse the product before smoking? From several hours to days.
Cooking smoked fish at home is a pleasant and simple process. However, the result of the finished smoked delicacy largely depends on proper preparation and marinating fish before smoking. There are many ways to pickle and salt. We offer several simple, popular and delicious recipes.
Preparing fish for salting and marinating
Before proceeding with the process of salting or pickling a product for smoking, it must be properly prepared. For any type of smoking (hot or cold), the fish should be thoroughly washed and cleaned.
Small individuals can be smoked along with the entrails and head. Large carcasses are recommended to gut and separate the head. Also, especially large fish can be cut into steaks.
It is not advisable to remove the scales, as it will retain moisture and retain harmful substances contained in the smoke. After processing the carcasses, they need to be dried a little - blotted with a paper towel. And then boldly proceed to marinating.
Marinade recipes for hot smoked fish
marinade spicy
Ingredients:
- 1 liter of water;
- 2 tablespoons of salt;
- 2-3 laurels;
- A pinch of rosemary, thyme, sage;
- 1 teaspoon of sugar, a mixture of peppers, cinnamon;
- Half a lemon and an orange;
- 1 large onion.
Boil water, add salt. Add coarsely chopped onion, lemon, orange and all other ingredients. Boil the marinade for 5-10 minutes, wait until it cools completely. Place the fish in the resulting fragrant brine for 12 hours. After the carcass, ventilate in a draft for 1-2 hours and can be smoked hot. Ready meal it turns out with a delicious spicy aroma, wrapped in delicate notes of citrus.
Marinade with soy sauce and white wine
Ingredients:
Dissolve sugar, salt in boiling water, cool. Pour in the wine soy sauce, lemon juice. Add the squeezed garlic, the rest of the spices, mix well. Place the product in the marinade so that the carcasses are completely covered. Put in a cool place for 10-12 hours. Next, dry the carcasses, start smoking. Due to the wine with lemon juice, the fish is very tender, and the spices give a delicious aroma.
Spicy marinade with honey
Ingredients:
- 180 ml vegetable oil (preferably olive);
- 1 pack of seasoning for fish;
- 100 grams of lemon juice;
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley;
- 120 ml of natural honey;
- 1 teaspoon salt, a pinch of black pepper;
- 2 cloves of garlic.
Chop parsley, garlic, mix with the rest of the ingredients. Pour the fish carcasses with the mixture, leave in the cold for 5-10 hours. Marinade is designed for 1 kg of product. Fish marinated in this way has spicy taste, and the honey included in the composition gives a sweetish taste and a beautiful crust.
Ingredients:
- Water - 1.5 liters;
- Carnation 5-6 pieces;
- Salt - 3 tablespoons;
- Allspice, cumin - 1 teaspoon each;
- Dry red wine - 200 ml.
Boil water with salt and cloves for 10 minutes. Cool, add the rest of the ingredients, mix thoroughly. Place in the resulting brine and marinate for about 4 hours. A very simple recipe. The wine will make the flesh of the fish tender, juicy, and the cloves will add flavor to the flavor.
Unusual marinade on kefir
Ingredients:
- Kefir - 1 glass;
- Salt - 1 tablespoon;
- Sugar (brown) - 1 teaspoon;
- Oil (any vegetable) - 50 grams;
- Mint - 4-5 branches;
- Garlic - 2 cloves;
- Black pepper - to taste.
Finely chop the garlic with mint, combine with the rest of the ingredients. Put the fish in the kefir mixture and marinate for 6-8 hours. Kefir will make the pulp very juicy, and mint will add summer freshness to the dish.
How to marinate fish for cold smoking
The taste of cold-cooked fish is very rich, so it does not require a large amount of marinating ingredients. Basically, the product is marinated in one salt with dry or wet salting.
Dry salting
Prepared, cleaned fish is placed in a bowl, after sprinkling the bottom of the container with a layer of salt. On top of the carcass is also abundantly sprinkled with salt. As a rule, when cold smoking is prepared a large number of products. Therefore, carcasses can be laid out in layers, sprinkling each subsequent row with salt. 
From above, the container is covered with a lid, slightly smaller in diameter, and oppression is placed on it. The product is salted in this way from 3 to 7 days. Periodically, the carcasses need to be turned over so that they are salted evenly.
After the fish is placed in cold water for 4-6 hours for soaking. Then it is dried in a ventilated place for about a day. And only then can cold smoking begin.
Salting in brine
A strong saline solution is being prepared: take 250 grams of salt per 1 liter of water, boil and cool. The fish is placed in the brine so that it completely covers it. Carcasses are salted for 5 days. 
Marinade for cold smoking
For lovers of spicy flavors, you can keep the fish in this marinade: 2 liters of water, 500 grams of salt, 80 grams of sugar, 0.5 liters of white wine, juice of 2 lemons, a mixture herbs(rosemary, thyme, basil, coriander), 5-6 garlic cloves.
Boil water by adding salt and sugar. Add lemon juice, wine, crushed garlic, ground herbs. Stir thoroughly, pour the marinade over the fish. Salt 4 days. Dry in the fresh air for 5-6 hours, then you can start smoking.
