Smoked burbot: how to smoke hot smoked, method

The flounder family, which includes such prominent representatives as cod, navaga and burbot, does not unite them by habitat or lifestyle. For example, burbot is considered the only freshwater fish from this family.

The original taste of burbot meat, similar to lobster meat, was the reason for the second name. In America, burbot is known as the "poor man's lobster."

The catch time for commercial purposes is at night, because burbot is a predator and goes hunting in the dark. The body length of this fish can exceed one meter, and its weight reaches 18 kg. Outwardly, it resembles an eel or catfish. The extraordinary similarity is due to the presence of soft scales and a layer of mucus.

The burbot's habitat extends from Siberia to the Arctic coast of Alaska. In this case, several subspecies are distinguished. Here the opinions of scientists are divided, and some consider this division inappropriate. This predator does not tolerate light and warm water. In reservoirs where the temperature exceeds 25°C degrees, burbot cannot live at all. In its usual habitat, it tries to hide in recesses, snags, and tree roots.

Composition and calorie content

The uniqueness of burbot lies in the fact that 10% of the total weight of the fish falls on the liver. Scientific studies have found that it contains 4-10 times more vitamin D and A than other types of fish oil.

Burbot fish meat includes:

protein - 19.5%;
fats - 0.5%;
minerals - 1%;
vitamins A, D, E and group B;
minerals.

Burbot fish

Burbot is also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are easily digestible. 100 g contains 82 kcal. The calorie content of smoked burbot meat is 92 kcal and depends on the period when the fish was caught. The peculiarity of these fish dishes is their high nutritional value due to a large number of vitamins, protein and minerals. Fish meat has no carbohydrates and can be used in the diet by people suffering from diabetes.

Doctors say that systematic consumption of burbot liver and meat:

reduces the risk of heart, vascular and nervous diseases;
prevents the development of atherosclerosis;
improves visual functions;
increases the body's defenses;
normalizes metabolism.

Burbot is used as a medicine for bruises, constipation, bedsores, and for the treatment of burns, wounds and ulcers. Accelerates skin regeneration.

Smoked burbot fish

But smoked products can also pose a danger to the body. Smoked burbot, prepared at home, should be consumed in limited quantities. During smoking, carcinogens permeate the fibers and cause cancer. Cold smoked fish can be consumed without fear. The preparation of burbot is similar, only the drying time is increased. The carcasses are kept in a ventilated place for 24 hours.

Cold smoking of burbot can be done simply using liquid smoke or in a special smokehouse. For a simple method, you need to salt the carcasses, coat them with liquid and dry them for three days. This product is no different from fish cooked in a smokehouse.

Amount of nutrients in burbot:

Nutrient	Quantity per product
Calorie content (kcal)	81
Proteins (g)	18.8
Fat (g)	0.6
Carbohydrates (g)	—
Water (g)	79.3
Ash (g)	1.3
Potassium, K (mg)	270
Calcium, Ca (mg)	32
Magnesium, Mg (mg)	64
Sulfur, S (mg)	188
Phosphorus, Ph (mg)	191
Chlorine, Cl (mg)	165
Iron, Fe (mg)	1.4
Molybdenum, Mo (µg)	4
Nickel, Ni (µg)	6
Fluoride, F (µg)	430
Chromium, Cr (µg)	55

Medical indicators

Doctors have already officially declared the benefits of including burbot dishes in the diet, and its medicinal properties have been proven by leading scientists. According to them, patients who regularly consume this fish in any form are out of the risk zone for the occurrence and development of neurological diseases, as well as diseases of the cardiovascular system. The preventive property of a fish diet is to reduce cholesterol levels, which eliminates the formation of plaques.

From a medical point of view, those vitamins that were mentioned above strengthen memory, increase immunity, strengthen bones, teeth, hair, and rejuvenate the body. Doctors especially emphasize the benefits of properly prepared burbot for pregnant women, and therefore for newborns.

How to prepare the product

Clean the fish and remove the insides, wash with water and remove the mucus. Dry with a paper towel. You don’t have to peel it – the product will be juicier, but with a bitter taste.

Preparing the fish

Among all types of freshwater fish, burbot is excellent for hot and cold smoking.
The correct selection of individuals and preparation for cooking will allow you to achieve the ideal taste without bitterness. Whether to gut the carcasses is a personal matter for everyone. Fish without entrails will not be as juicy, but removing the black film from the belly and bile will minimize the risk of a bitter taste. When gutting, separate the liver and caviar. They can be prepared separately. Burbot liver is especially tasty and healthy. There is no need to clean the scales from the specimens - this is a barrier that prevents the leakage of fat and juice. At the end of the procedure, the fish is washed in clean cold water and dried with paper towels.

Before smoking burbot, the workpiece is salted. To do this, you only need coarse salt. It pulls moisture out of the product better. The peculiarity of this type of fish is its soft meat, so you can salt it quickly, in a plastic bag, without refrigeration. The carcasses are generously sprinkled with salt and left for 30 minutes to salt. This is enough for hot smoking. Using the cold method will require salting for 1-2.5 hours.

Advice! Salted fish takes on a white tint, so if whiteness appears on the skin, the fish is ready for cooking.

It is possible to use spicy salting when smoking burbot. To do this you will need:

salt;
sugar;
pepper;
dill;
mint;
Bay leaf;
mayonnaise.

The ingredients are thoroughly mixed and rubbed into the carcasses, the greens are placed in the belly. For high-quality impregnation, the workpiece must be marinated for 3 hours.

After salting, it is not necessary to soak the burbot. It is enough to rinse it with water, rub it with sunflower oil and hang it in the fresh air to dry.

Hot way

Recipe for hot smoked burbot (per 1 kg of carcasses):

20 g table salt;
5 g sugar;
a little black pepper, mint, dill, parsley;
2 pcs. bay leaf;
1 tbsp. l. mayonnaise.

Mix the spices and rub well into the carcasses. Chop the greens and combine with mayonnaise, put in the belly and marinate for 3 hours.

Hot smoked burbot

The fish is salted quickly, literally in half an hour it is ready for the smoking process. Therefore, they do not put it in a refrigeration unit, but simply hang it in a bag. As a result of salting, the carcass and skin begin to turn white. After a while, take out the burbot and remove excess salt with a cloth. The short salting time does not allow much salt to be absorbed, so the carcasses are not soaked in water. Then the fish is hung to allow excess liquid to drain for half an hour.

Hot smoking of burbot takes place in a stainless steel box with a lid. The height of the device is no more than 0.5 m. The carcasses of burbot should not touch each other during hot smoking.

The box is placed on supports made of stones at a height of 40 cm. In it, you can place the fish on a greased grate. The fish can also be secured with twine and hung. In this position, you can smoke the burbot using the hot smoking method, it will not fall apart.

Smoking burbot using the hot method

Then a fire is built, into which wood chips, bark and leaves are placed. Apple, hornbeam and beech wood chips will come in handy. Wheat straw is also added to the fire; it gives the fish a golden color.

The smoking temperature should be constant for half an hour. The leaves will give the desired smoke and maintain the temperature up to 120 degrees.

The smokehouse is closed and placed on the flame. Smoking burbot in a smokehouse using the hot smoking method should take about an hour. The box is removed from the heat, but it is not recommended to open it immediately: this can cause a burn. Then the fish cools and ventilates. Finally, decorate the dish with herbs, lemon, vegetables and serve.

Recipe for smoking burbot with prunes (for 1 kg of carcasses):

20 g table salt;
a little black pepper;
large quince;
4 things. prunes

Spread the fish with spices and refrigerate for 40 minutes. Steam the prunes in hot liquid, then chop. Wash the quince and cut into large pieces. Then fill the belly with the mixture and leave for another hour.

Place the prepared carcasses on a material that absorbs liquid. When the fish is dry, you can start smoking the burbot using the hot smoking method.

Secrets of preparing a smokehouse for hot smoking

Do not smoke fish of different sizes: large carcasses need an hour, small ones - half an hour.
Coat the grill with vegetable oil so that the carcasses do not stick. The distance between the gratings should be 20 cm.
The fish should be placed belly up.
When smoke appears from the smokehouse, wait about 7 minutes and reduce the flame.
Do not open the lid immediately; a rapid supply of oxygen may cause a fire.
You can smoke burbot at home on coals. When the flame goes out, set up the smokehouse.

Smoking on charcoal
If the process is successful, you will get a golden, delicious fish. If the carcasses do not become golden-copper in color, they should be smoked some more.

Smoking process

Hot smoked burbot can be prepared in a specialized smokehouse or in a homemade one.
The main condition is a container of sufficient size. This is necessary so that the carcasses do not come into contact with the walls, otherwise they will cook unevenly. The smokehouse can be installed on a fire or grill. The presence of fire is not necessary. You can also smoke fish on an electric stove. The algorithm for preparing hot smoked burbot is as follows:

The heater is being prepared. If smoking is carried out on a fire, then the fire is lit in advance so that the wood stops burning and begins to smolder, otherwise the sawdust will not smoke, but will catch fire.
Chips or sawdust are poured into the bottom of the smokehouse. You will need 2 handfuls or 2-3 tbsp. It is not recommended to take more fuel, otherwise the fish will turn out bitter.
A tray for draining fat is fixed above the sawdust.
Fish is loaded into the container. It can be placed on a lattice or hung on hooks. The first option is more reliable, since soft burbot meat can fall apart during high-temperature processing.
The installation is closed with a lid and installed on the heater.
The product should be smoked for 30-60 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.

At the end of the specified time, the smoked burbot is cooled along with the smokehouse. This will allow the fish to be better saturated with smoke and make the product more flavorful and juicier.

Advice! For hot smoking, alder chips are used. It contains a minimum of resins. It is possible to smoke fish on beech or apple sawdust. Wheat straw is added to obtain a golden color.

Cold smoking

According to the recipe for cold smoking burbot, the fish must be gutted and washed. It is better to use the liquid salting method: for 1 liter of water you will need 80 g of table salt, a little ground black pepper, chopped thyme and basil. Heat the mixture well, but do not bring it to a boil. When it has cooled, pour in the burbot and marinate for 10-12 hours.

Salting burbot

After marinating, wash the carcasses in water, dry and dry. Hang in a ventilated area by the tail and cover with gauze to prevent insects from getting in during the summer. Drying time for fish products is up to 10 hours.

The carcasses are hung in the smoking box by the tail, head down. Cold smoking of burbot meat at home is carried out at a temperature of 25-30 degrees for two days. At the beginning of 8 hours the process should last continuously, then pauses are made, so you should prepare a supply of wood chips.

Burbot is smoked for up to three days; during the first 8 hours, all microorganisms die. Therefore, such fish can be stored for up to 10 days, and hot smoked burbot can be stored for a maximum of 3 days.

Cold smoked burbot

To prepare burbot using the hot smoking method at home, you can use liquid smoke. Cut the burbot into pieces and add salt, apply liquid smoke with a sponge. Then place the product in the oven for an hour at minimum heat. You can also dry the fish before this. It will turn out golden in color. It is also important not to salt the meat too much, so as not to over-salt it.

Fish selection

Tuna fillet is an exquisite delicacy, regardless of the type of preparation.
It is better to smoke fresh fish. They retain all useful vitamins and minerals. It is possible to use fresh frozen raw materials. In this case, you should wait for the carcasses to thaw naturally. To ensure that smoked tuna cooks evenly, you should choose individuals of the same size or cut them into portions of the same size.

Preparing tuna involves cleaning and salting. The final result of smoking and the safety of the finished smoked product depend on the correct implementation of these manipulations, since proper cutting and marinating allows you to remove pathogens and add flavor to the meat.

Carcass cutting

Tuna is cut in the following sequence:

the entrails are removed through an incision in the abdomen;
the head is removed;
fins and tail are cut off;
the skin is cleaned.

If the smokehouse is small, then it is better to fillet the fish. To do this, an incision is made along the back to separate the meat. The finished carcass is cut into 3 parts. The fillet is great for smoking, but the belly is also considered an exquisite delicacy. It can be marinated with fillet or special sauces can be used to add a piquant taste.

Ambassador or marinade

Hot smoked tuna is best marinated using the standard dry method. This will make its taste as natural as possible. The salting technology is as follows:

Carcasses or fillets are coated on all sides with salt at the rate of 1 tbsp. for every fish.
You can infuse the product at room temperature for half an hour.
After salting the tuna, it is better to sprinkle it with lemon juice and then place it in the smoker.

Sauce recipes differ from each other. You will get a real culinary masterpiece if you take the following ingredients:

1.5 cups soy sauce;
2 glasses of water;
an incomplete glass of honey;
2 tsp salt;
8 cloves of garlic;
2 gr. ginger;
1 tsp a mixture of cayenne and black pepper.

A mixture is made from the listed ingredients, in addition to water and sauce. The ground components are poured with water and soy sauce. Tuna is dipped into the resulting marinade and placed in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Before hot smoking begins, pieces of garlic and ginger are removed from the fish. You need to let it sit so that the remaining sauce drips off. Excess liquid can cause the meat to fall apart during cooking.

Storage conditions

Cold smoked meats will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Hot smoked tuna is recommended to be consumed within 2-3 days. Fish should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature not exceeding 4°C. The smoked product must be isolated from the rest so that foreign odors are not absorbed into the meat.

Tuna will become a favorite delicacy of everyone who tries it. Smoking allows you to emphasize the taste and aromatic qualities. This homemade delicacy will become a favorite dish for the whole family. You can enjoy unmatched taste and benefits from eating smoked tuna.

Salting and drying burbot

The basis of cold smoking fish is high-quality salting. It is much cooler and longer than with the hot smoking method. You can use both the dry and “wet” method, and connoisseurs can also make the salting spicy by adding their favorite spices to the salamur: peppercorns, dried thyme or oregano, hot chili pepper and others.

Dry salting of burbot: add a layer of coarse salt to the bottom of a food container (bucket, basin, pan). Rub the fish with salt inside and out and place it in a container. Sprinkle more salt on top of each layer. Place in a cool place for 8-10 hours.

If you want to diversify the recipe for smoking burbot with “wet” salting, first prepare the brine. It can be weak, 5-8%, when 50-80 grams of table salt are diluted per liter of water - fish should be kept in this brine for at least 12 hours. If you prepare a steep brine at 27-30%, the salting time is reduced.

While the fish is salting, take a look at the website “Fishing for everyone!” and read new articles on fishing or chat on the forum with other enthusiastic fishermen. And then you can proceed to the next stage of preparing burbot for smoking - drying.

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Salted burbot should be rinsed well in cold water to remove excess salt. After this, the fish should be dried a little: we hang it on a string, wrapped in gauze to prevent insects. When the burbots are slightly withered and hardened, they can be safely sent to the smokehouse.

To make the burbot aromatic and tasty, when smoking, do not forget about the following tricks:

You need to maintain the fire in the fire during the first hours of smoking. After this, you can take short breaks, checking to see if the smoke has cleared, and gradually adding more firewood.
After finishing the smoking process, do not remove the burbot from the hanger immediately - it is better to let the fish cool gradually, and for large carcasses this process can take 2 days. Once the fish has cooled, you can remove it and wrap it in parchment or canvas for safekeeping.
When cold smoking burbot, it is not necessary to remove all the entrails: smoked caviar and burbot liver are very tasty!
Smoked burbot should be stored in the refrigerator. If you have a vacuum sealer, then burbot sealed in a vacuum will retain its taste for up to 4-6 weeks, but in regular packaging you should not store it for more than a week - smoked fish is especially tasty in the first three days after cooking.

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