To pamper your family and friends with delicious fish smoked fish, you should learn fish smoking technology and try to smoke a favorite kind of fish yourself. The process of smoking is not as complicated in execution as it may seem at first glance. This article provides information on how to smoke fish at home and what tree species for this to choose.
Choice of wood for smoking
Different types of wood give the finished product different tastes. This should be taken into account when preparing for smoking.
Important! If after smoking the fish has a whitish shade, this may indicate its poor processing or deterioration. Eating such a product is dangerous to health.
Suitable wood species
Alder and juniper is considered to be the most suitable wood for smoking, even a few dry twigs of these plants will give the smoked fish a golden color and a unique aroma. Juniper firewood is difficult to obtain for home use, as the plant is rare and grows mainly in mountainous areas.
In the process of smoking, wood of trees of such breeds as beech (will give a smoked fish a golden brown crust), oak (gives an intense woody smell), maple (gives fish a meaty taste), ash (rich flavor), hazel (a little harsh flavor), and fruit: cherry (well flavored), apple tree (gives the fish a sweet taste), plum, pear (give a pleasant taste to the finished product) and rowan (gives a special delicate flavor).
Some smokers use birch, but it gives the fish a specific tar smell that only a narrow circle of amateurs likes. Many people like home-smoked fish with the addition of twigs and leaves of grapes, eucalyptus, blackberry or currant, but the use of such natural flavors gives a little specific taste. The flavoring qualities of the finished smoked product directly depend on the selected tree, on which it will smoke.
Wood requirements
Coniferous wood is not suitable for smoking, because it contains a lot of tar, which will give the finished fish a bitter taste and, in addition, will cover the smoking room with a fat layer. For the preparation of smoky smoke material, it is possible to use several types of wood, and not just one type.
It is desirable to use fruit material less than 60% when combining a mixture of different wood species. The use of dry wood will give a delicate taste to the finished fish and a golden sheen. Slightly damp wood will give the fish a bright color and a tart savory flavor. Before use, the bark is removed from the tree and branches, it may contain resin, which, when burned, will settle on the fish and the walls of the smoke container.
Then the wood is crushed to sawdust and chips up to 20-30 mm in length, this size of smoke material will provide a suitable smoke and the optimum temperature.
Did you know? Hot smoked fish should not be stored for more than three days.
Smoked fish
In order to smoke a fish at home, you need to put it in a smoky environment for a certain time. Smoke is a natural antiseptic that increases the shelf life of products, and gives them a special taste and smell. Shredded wood of various tree species during smoldering forms a source of such smoke. Smoke fish at home is very convenient in the smokehouse, which you can buy or make yourself.
Fish selection
Any type of fish is suitable for smoking, but salmon, trout, tuna, mackerel, sturgeon, carp, perch, tench, pike perch, cod, silver carp, pike, horse mackerel, beluga, roach, roach and eel are considered the most suitable. If you decide to smoke fish at home, the choice of the type of river or sea inhabitant should be made according to your preferences, given that in some fish the bony skeleton will add difficulties during processing.
When smoked, varieties of fatty fish remain juicy, excess fat comes out of them. Fresh fish is necessary for smoking, it is advisable to select individuals of the same size for high-quality cooking.
Fish preparation
Having defined the fish, it is prepared for smoking, washed and sorted. Small individuals up to 0.7 kg are often smoked whole, without prior gutting and removing scales; medium-sized individuals from 0.7 to 3 kg gutting at will, it is better to leave the scales to protect the product from the settled soot; large individuals from 3 kg are plasted entirely along the ridge, large fins, insides, and head are removed.
After the initial treatment, the fish is washed, wrapped in a towel to remove excess moisture, then each individual is generously rubbed with salt and placed in a container under pressure for 2-3 hours. Before smoking frozen fish at home, it is thawed at room temperature and salted under a press for up to 24 hours. After the fish are washed, salt crystals are washed off and wiped with a towel.
Important! For smoking, do not use rotten wood affected by fungus and mold, since smoldering can produce substances harmful to humans.
Technology and smoking process
The technology of smoking fish at home allows you to achieve a good result from the first application. In the presence of a smoke device, this process will not be very difficult in execution, and you will get excellent quality smoked meats. Depending on the method of preparation, the following types of smoking are distinguished: hot, cold and half hot. We will get acquainted with each of them.
Half-hot smoked
Half-hot smoking method is processing the product with smoke at a temperature of + 50 + 60 degrees. Pre-fishes are salted for 12-18 hours, depending on the size of individuals, then excess salt is washed out. For smoking, use the stove "stove", the fish is suspended at the point of mixing smoke and air for 10-12 hours. The taste of half-smoked fish is original, with characteristics slightly reminiscent of hot smoking.
Such a method requires accumulated experience to maintain the temperature and select the optimal smoking time. The method is complicated in execution, not so many of its adherents. After the first unsuccessful experience, the smoker usually chooses another way to process the fish.
Cold smoked
In the cold method, the fish undergoes smoke processing at a temperature of + 16 + 40 degrees, it takes quite a long time, usually up to 3-4 days. The cold smoking method requires a special large smokehouse with an inclined chimney of 7-10 meters long. Building such a smokehouse occupies a large area, so it will not work for owners of small areas.
The process of smoking is to hang prepared fish in the smoke cupboard and fill the firebox with sawdust and chips, as well as follow-up and maintain the set temperature parameters. Cold smoked fish is stored in the refrigerator for three months.
Hot smoked
Hot smoked fish at home provides for processing with smoke at a temperature of + 65 + 85 degrees for 2-4 hours. During this time, the surface of the product is dried, acquires a brownish color and shine, the aroma and taste of the fish become specific.
Did you know? Highly salted fish requires a lower smoking temperature.
For smoking in a hot way, the bottom of the smokehouse is covered with sawdust and chips with a layer of 15-20 mm, the fishes do not fit tightly on the grate for the free circulation of air and smoke. Smoke lid closes tightly to avoid smoke and oxygen from the sawdust, because smoking is smoldering, not open flame. A fire is made under the smokehouse; smoldering sawdust gives off smoke in which smoking takes place.
Fishermen are usually interested in how to smoke river fish. The peculiarity of river fish lies in its specific smell, which can be eliminated by salting under pressure within three days. After salting, the fish is washed, dried and smoked for 40-50 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 70 degrees. This fish is perfect as a beer snack.
Affordable smoking technology allows you to organize this process at home. With a little effort, you can enjoy the fish delicacy, which can not be compared with industrial products.
