How to smoke fish at home - 3 recipes for cold and hot smoking

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;
raspberry.

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 flavor. 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.