Smoked fish is loved by many. But its cost is sometimes quite high. Therefore, many are interested in fish smoking technology, how to make it yourself. This process is simple, but requires certain knowledge.
Smoking process
The technology of smoking fish allows you to see the results the first time, even among lay people. For the process only special devices are needed. Smoking different types of fish is different, but similar in one - is the treatment of smoke, cold or hot. Each technology has its own advantages.
Types of smoking
The technology of smoking fish at home allows you to save all the beneficial properties. Meat should be removed easily. After smoking, the fish can be stored for a long time. There are three main cooking modes:
- Cold smoking - is carried out at a temperature of 15 to 35 degrees. The duration of the process is from twenty-four hours to two days.
- Warm smoking (or semi-hot) - is carried out at a temperature of 35 to 60 degrees. The duration of the process is from three to six hours.
- Hot smoking - occurs at a temperature of 60 to 80 degrees. Fish cooks from one to three hours.
Wood selection
The technology of fish smoking involves a careful selection of wood. This gives the final product different tastes. Coniferous species are not suitable for smoking because of the high content of resins in them. This will give the fish a bitter aftertaste. Juniper and alder are ideal for smoking. Also used:
- maple;
- beech;
- oak;
- hazel;
- ash;
- Apple tree;
- cherry;
- pear;
- Rowan;
- plum.
Each wood species gives a special taste, shade and piquancy to the finished product. Some craftsmen use birch for smoking, but then the fish will get a tar smell, and only a narrow circle of gourmets like it. Several types of wood can be used for the process at once.
Dry wood will give the product a golden hue and a delicate taste, while moist sawdust and coals will cause brighter colors of fish coloring and tart aroma. The bark before smoking is completely ripped off.
Then the wood is crushed to sawdust and chips. Do not use material affected by mold or fungus for smoking. Otherwise, the release of harmful substances can cause human poisoning.
Fish selection
The technology of cold smoking fish at home can be applied to any river and marine inhabitants. The choice depends on personal taste preferences and the complexity of processing due to the bony skeleton. In fish, which contains a lot of fat, excess goes away during smoking. Only fresh fish should be used for the procedure, and best of all - one size.
Smoking preparation
The technology of smoking fish in production and at home begins with the preparation of carcasses. They are thoroughly washed and sorted by size. Fish up to 700 g are usually smoked without gutting and removing scales. Individuals up to three kilograms are deprived of viscera. Scales remain to protect against soot. Large fish are gutted, large fins and the head are cut off.
After that, prepared carcasses are washed and dried to remove excess moisture. Then the fish is rubbed with salt and crushed by oppression for three hours. If frozen carcasses are taken for smoking, then it is left for several hours at room temperature to move away from the cold. Then the above-described actions are repeated with her, but under the yoke the carcasses must stay for a day.
Cold smoked
Cold smoked fish - the technology is simple, but takes a long time.Processing of carcasses occurs at a temperature of 16 to 40 degrees. Duration of smoking can be from three to four days. This process requires a special large unit with an inclined chimney from seven to ten meters.
If you wish, you can build it yourself, but this requires a lot of space. Therefore, the technology of production of cold smoked fish is mainly used in large industries. Salted carcasses are strung on wooden or iron twine through the eyes. Large fish is additionally attached also through the tails.
Fish are hung out to dry in the fresh air. After 2-3 days, the carcasses move to the smokehouse (for small areas you can use large barrels). Fish should be treated with cold smoke. Smoldering sawdust is used for the heat source. Constantly need to maintain a certain temperature.
Semi-hot (warm) smoking
Half hot smoked fish - technology for processing carcasses with smoke at an optimum temperature of 50 to 60 degrees. Before the procedure, carcasses are salted for 18 hours. If individuals are small, time is reduced to twelve hours. Then the fish is washed and dried with a towel.
For smoking, you can use both a special apparatus and an ordinary stove-potbelly stove. The fish is suspended by the tail or eyes in a place where smoke and air mix. Carcasses are smoked from 10 to 12 hours. All this time it is important to maintain the right temperature. This method is quite complicated and it is better for beginner smokers to use other processing methods.
Hot smoked
Hot fish smoking technology is different from previous methods. This method requires a weak ambassador at the rate of 16 kg of the initial product per 1 kg of salt. Large fish must be gutted. An incision is made on the spine and sprinkled with salt. Small individuals are prepared in full, without cutting.
Fatty fish are rubbed with salt and wrapped in parchment or tracing paper to prevent oxidation. Then the carcasses are placed in an enameled container. From above the fish is again covered with parchment. The capacity on top is pressed by oppression. A trifle remains to be salted for a day, large individuals - from two to three days.
Then the fish is dried for 60 minutes. Then it is washed with clean cold water, hung up or laid on a grate for smoking. Sawdust and wood chips spill out to the bottom of the unit with a layer of 20 millimeters. Carcasses must be processed in strict temperature conditions from 65 to 85 degrees. The duration of the procedure is 2-4 hours.
During the smoking process, the appliance lid must be tightly closed so that the wood does not catch fire. At the very beginning of processing, a strong fire is maintained, but the fish should be at a decent distance from it, so as not to burn out. Periodically, the carcasses are turned over.
After half an hour, the desired temperature is set in the smokehouse, which is maintained during the entire process. Fish should be baked through and through. This is determined by the color and density of the finished product. Meat should be easily separated from bones. The finished product has a golden or brownish crust.
Production smoking
The technology of hot smoked fish in production is distinguished by its scale and processing methods. Initially, carcasses are chopped and salted. Then stacked on the grill. The fish goes through three stages of processing: drying, boiling and smoking. Then the finished product is cooled and packaged.
A specific feature of production smoking is that after drying the fish, it is removed from the oven and coated with a layer of sauce with a thickener. Then the carcasses are returned to the smokehouse until they are ready. This method helps to significantly reduce the evaporation of moisture and get a new variety of tastes. Modified starches are used as thickeners.
Smoking with liquid smoke
There is also a technology for smoking liquid smoke. This method is considered a new development.First, firewood is burned in the stove. The smoke that forms in this case is passed through water. It turns out a liquid saturated with smoke aroma. Then it is cleaned of harmful compounds. It turns out a solution containing several times less carcinogens than smoke from an ordinary fire.
The tool can be made independently or purchased ready-made in stores. The technology of smoking is very simple. Fish is taken, cut into large pieces and salted. Liquid smoke is added to the same water. After a few hours, the fish is cooked on a wire rack, on an ordinary fire.
Instead of a conclusion: tips for beginner smokers
If after smoking the fish is a whitish hue, this may indicate its corruption or poor handling. It is dangerous to eat such a product. To make the fish evenly processed, it must be the same size. To add spice to the finished product, small quantities of herbs are added to sawdust: sage, rosemary, basil and others.
For even smoking, a strong fire of dry wood is first kindled, and then chips and sawdust are added. If cold smoked fish is used, the technology uses only fresh and proven carcasses. The correct preparation of sea and river inhabitants is also very important here. Otherwise, parasites may remain in the fish.
If the fish is dried outdoors, the area must be fenced off from flies and insects with a gauze or mosquito net. Smoking is carried out in calm and dry weather, away from flammable objects and residential buildings. During the process it is necessary to carefully observe safety rules when handling fire.
