Smoking temperature, process duration

• October 29, 2018
• Miscellaneous
• Bolshakova Yulia

Cold smoking allows you to preserve fish for quite a long time. In addition to the pleasant taste and aroma, the resulting product is the safest preparation option. Thanks to wood smoke, bacteria responsible for rotting the product are destroyed. Many people are interested in the procedure for cold smoking fish. You can learn how to make a smokehouse and prepare fish from experts in their field.

The harm and benefits of smoked fish

This procedure is one of the ways to preserve and preserve food. It has both positive and negative sides. For example, many people know that when processed with smoke, the product receives a large dose of carcinogens. Regular ingestion of it into the body leads to a fairly large concentration of these substances and subsequently affects human health. Scientists suggest that one of the causes of cancer lies precisely in carcinogens that come from food. In addition, during preliminary preparation, the fish is kept in a fairly large amount of salt, which is why it turns out to be extremely salty. This product is not recommended for use by people with kidney disease and hypertension.

As for the benefits of smoking fish, nutritionists note a fairly large amount of vitamins preserved in it. Among them, vitamins D, A and E are especially prominent. The extremely important polyunsaturated amino acids omega-3 and omega-6 also remain in the fish without being destroyed by smoke.

How does the cold smoking process work?

The design of the smokehouse involves the presence of a chamber, a fire center and a chimney pipe between them. To cool the smoke, it is driven through a pipe from one and a half to three meters long.

Products hung on hooks first go through a drying stage. This method is ideal for cooking fatty fish and meats. There is no need to install a pan, because in this case the fat does not leak out. The smoke temperature during cold smoking is low, so the products are not baked or boiled, but rather smoked.

It is necessary to ensure that throughout the entire process the smoke is supplied evenly and is of the same density and heating level.

Features of the procedure

There are three main ways to smoke foods:

• No use of smoke. When the fish is kept in a special liquid solution, which can be purchased at any supermarket. When using this recipe for cold smoking fish, the meat ends up a little watery.
• With the help of smoke from a fire, the most delicious product is obtained, which has a pleasant aroma of wood, and also preserves juicy fat and perfectly dry pulp.
• You can also find a mixed method, which includes both smoke treatment and soaking in a liquid solution.

Before you start smoking fish, it should be prepared. The carcass can be either simply salted or marinated.

Smoking

The technology of cold smoking fish requires continuous maintenance of smoke for many hours, and sometimes even days. In general, the smoking process at a temperature of 25-30 degrees is:

• for small fish (less than 500 grams) – 2 days;
• for medium – 4 days;
• for large ones – up to 7 days.

The readiness of smoked fish is checked by the characteristic golden color of the carcasses and pleasant aroma. After completing the cold smoking process, the fish should be left to hang on the crossbars for 2 days and dry out a little more.

Preparing large fish

If the size is large, the head is removed and all the insides are taken out. Since the layer of meat on fish is quite impressive, it is extremely important to create all the conditions so that it is completely salted. How to smoke cold smoked fish? Experts recommend rubbing the product with coarse salt. Next, it is transferred to a previously prepared container. After a day, the fish is removed and placed in brine. It is prepared as follows: for four liters of clean water you will need one kilogram of salt and half a glass of sugar. The water is heated so that the sugar and salt can dissolve. You can also add bay leaf and a few peas of allspice to the composition.

The fish is removed from the salt, lightly shaken and transferred to the cooled brine. After five days you can start smoking.

How to smoke fish at home: cold method:

Smoked fish is a real delicacy that will be a great treat on any table. It is worth noting that smoking not only allows the fish to acquire a refined taste, but also extends its shelf life. Below we will talk about how to smoke fish at home so that you can enjoy its taste at any time.

Favorite method

One of the most common smoking methods is the cold method. It refers to the heat treatment of fish at 25 degrees (no more than 30). Of course, if you know how to smoke fish at home, you will be able to achieve excellent quality of the prepared product.

Small and medium size

Small fish, as a rule, are not gutted, but left whole, including the head. It is also ground with salt and placed in a previously prepared container. To make cold smoked fish at home perfectly tasty, experienced experts advise keeping the fish under pressure for 48 hours. As a rule, brine is not prepared for small fish. After the allotted period has expired, it is simply shaken off the salt or washed in clean water. Then they are hung out to dry for twenty hours.

Properties and composition of cold smoked fish

It is generally accepted that cold smoked fish is colder than hot smoked fish. Properties, as well as composition, will depend on the type of fish, fat content and other indicators.

Regardless of this, the composition contains a huge amount of useful substances and vitamins that will have a positive effect on human health. The only condition is that you should not overuse smoked meats, because this can greatly harm the body.

Calorie content

The calorie content of cold smoked fish depends on the type and amount of fat in the composition. Therefore, if a person is watching his figure, then preference should be given to less fatty varieties, which will, accordingly, have less calories.

Salting salmon and pike perch

Preliminary preparation of fish will differ not only depending on the size. How is cold smoked fish made from salmon or pike perch? For example, when smoking pike perch, you can cut its belly from the side. This way the bones are cut off, making the finished carcass more attractive and appetizing. Sometimes you can find interesting tips on the Internet about cooking this type of fish. For example, some experts advise that after cutting the carcass, sprinkle it with salt, put it in a plastic bag and bury it in the ground. After about ninety minutes, the carcass is dug up, turned over and buried again in the ground. After another ninety minutes, the fish is washed and hung to dry, after filling the belly with garlic and allspice.

To preserve the juices of fish such as salmon, the carcass is usually not gutted. It is recommended to cut very large fish into pieces, while the bellies of a medium-sized carcass are cut and left unfolded. To do this, it is even recommended to make a support using matches or wooden sticks.

Ambassador

To salt fish, you must use only medium-grind salt.
If the fish is too large, it will not be absorbed well into the meat of the fish, and if it is too small, a crust will begin to appear and it will not penetrate into the deeper layers. There is no need to use iodized salt, as it can cause rapid spoilage of products. For salting, only salt is usually used. If the selected type of fish has a specific smell, you can add a small amount of ground pepper, herbs or your favorite spices. For salting, you must use enamel, plastic or stainless steel containers.

Wet Ambassador

Such an ambassador can also be called brine.
It is best to use fish whose carcass weight does not exceed 0.5 kg. To prepare the brine, a certain amount of salt is poured into a container and filled with hot water. The salt should completely dissolve. The concentration will depend on the size of the carcasses. The fish is laid out in a prepared container and filled with brine so that the carcasses are completely covered with it. Raw materials should be marinated in a cool place. The duration of marinating can be up to several days.

The brine salting method is often used for salmon. In this case, additional components will be added to the solution. Another type of wet salting is sagging. Typically used for oily sea fish. The carcasses are hung in containers and then filled with prepared brine.

In hot weather, you can squirt the carcasses with the solution and only then pour them in. Due to this, the fish will not spoil.

Dry salting

This method involves treating carcasses with a salt mixture or with a small addition of ground pepper, herbs and other spices. Thanks to this, the fish will begin to secrete juice.

Small fish are sprinkled with the mixture and mixed. Then they are laid out in a container and sprinkled with another layer of salt, then pressed down with pressure. Large carcasses must be thoroughly rubbed with salt, one at a time, both outside and inside. A small amount of salt is poured into the gill covers. After this, the prepared raw materials are placed in a container and sprinkled with salt. Large fish can be wrapped in cling film and placed in the refrigerator as is. Fish should be marinated for 2 to 7 days, depending on the size. If the fillet is marinated, a few hours will be enough. Also, the length of marinating will be affected by the fat content of the product.

Combined Ambassador

Combined salting is usually used for preparing cold smoked fish, which is small in size and not pre-gutted. The fish is placed in a clean container and sprinkled with salt.

Then it is filled with a small amount of liquid. Then the oppression is laid and the raw materials are left in a cold place.

Salted products should then be thoroughly washed with water and soaked for some time at a temperature not exceeding 15 degrees. It is necessary to insert wooden spacers into the bellies of the fish. Due to this, the products will dry and smoke better.

Creating a smokehouse

For cold smoking you will need a special structure, which will consist of a chimney, a fire pit and the smoking chamber itself. It is any metal container that will have no bottom or top. A hole with a small trench is dug in advance. It will represent a chimney. A fire is lit in the pit, the smoke of which will rise up the barrel and smoke the food.

Prepared carcasses are hung on a wire and attached to the walls of the barrel. To start a fire you will need a wood chip. The fire must burn for at least 10-12 hours.

Salting and marinade - recipes

There is no universal recipe for salting fish; each variety can be salted using different methods. The salt consumption for preparing fish before cold smoking is large (about 2 kilograms of salt are used for 10 kg of fish). The salting time is presented in the table.

Salting cold smoked salmon looks like this:

1. Use 2 tablespoons of salt (it is better to use a coarse grind).
2. The fish is carefully treated with salt.
3. Various spices are added (rosemary, black pepper, sage).
4. The fish is wrapped in foil and placed in a cool place (for 12 hours).
5. The carcass is washed well.
6. The drying process is taking place.

Marinade recipe (fish with lemon flavor):

• 2 tablespoons of coarse salt;
• bay leaf (3 leaves);
• 1 onion;
• half a lemon;
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon;
• 1 teaspoon sugar;
• spices to taste (rosemary, thyme).

Temperature and shelf life

Beginners are often interested in what temperature cold smoked fish should be kept in a barrel. In order for the final product to be as soft and juicy as possible, the temperature should not exceed thirty degrees and also fall below 25. The carcasses are stored in the refrigerator for a week and a half without loss of taste. Subsequently, the product noticeably loses its aroma, becomes somewhat damp and even watery.

If desired, smoked fish can even be frozen. In this form, it is stored for ninety days, after which it defrosts perfectly in the microwave. It should be borne in mind that the ideal taste is preserved only in a fresh product during the first week.

How to make a smoke generator

There are now a lot of smoke generators and fully equipped smokehouses on sale for every taste. But a good purchased unit is quite an expensive pleasure; it’s easier to make it yourself from scrap materials. The main thing is to know how to do it correctly. A proven working option is offered by the user Vital .

Vital:

– The smoke generator is made in the form of a long pipe for a number of reasons. The main one is the slow burning of sawdust. You can extend one charge over the entire smoking process, just after some time, slightly rearrange the lamp or burner along the length of the pipe. The heating spot on the pipe will be optimal. You can’t achieve this with a saucepan/stove, and the smoke will come out in bursts (as it warms up, it starts strong, then gradually declines). You will have to monitor the sawdust and change them quite often (the cold process is a protracted one). Then, with a fire (or potbelly stove) it is not very convenient to monitor the temperature; you constantly need to monitor the combustion processes.

No matter how good the recipes for smoking meat are, a smoke generator made from junk can ruin everything.

An iron barrel (and not some box lined with insulation) also plays an important role in cooling the smoke. It is advisable to make the joints on threads - the structure must be disassembled, especially the back cover, through which the smoke generator can be charged. All that remains is to make a couple of holes in the barrel and buy a temperature sensor. And everything is ready for use. This version of the smokehouse is a winter one, for the cold. At higher temperatures, you need to make an additional smoke cooler (either on the pipe or in the chamber itself, i.e. the barrel).

And here is an option from user Captain777 . Tested - cold smoking with a smoke generator works perfectly.

Captain777:

– The generator is connected to any cabinet or barrel with a pipe, corrugation, etc. There is no need to build meter-long chimneys for cooling; the smoke at the outlet is slightly warm. A rectangular metal container into which sawdust shavings are poured, at the bottom there is a hole with a plug for ignition and a second one for supplying air from the compressor (can be used from an aquarium or, as in my photo, from an old refrigerator). The “charge” lasts for several hours.

Semur offers its simple but effective smoke generator design . The unit, according to him, was assembled literally on the knee - cheap and cheerful.

Semur:

– The generator runs on chopped wood chips: I poured wood chips into a vertical pipe, set it on fire from below, and a hose from an aquarium compressor – i.e. the air draws smoke through a horizontal pipe, at the same time creating draft, the chips smolder, and cold smoke pours out. Works for 4-5 hours. It’s not enough - I lengthened the pipe, and the time lengthened, it will smoke for 8-10 hours. The asking price is five electrodes, a plumbing fitting + a pipe + a pipe, preferably one hundred square meters in diameter (chips will not get stuck).

Wooden smokehouse

How is cold smoked fish made in stationary smokehouses? Some owners, instead of iron barrels, make more serious structures in the form of a wooden cabinet. It can be made from wooden blocks measuring 1 x 1 x 1.5 m. As in the first option, you will need a pit with a trench covered with a metal sheet. The trenches are also covered with a small amount of turf and covered with earth. All sides of the wooden cabinet are wrapped with film. A fire will be lit at the base of the trench, the smoke from which flows directly into the cabinet.

In order to create as much smoke as possible, a thick wet cloth is placed on the surface of the frame. Many beginners do not know how long cold smoked fish is smoked. The usual period is two or three days. Everything will depend on the size of the fish itself. For example, for small fish thirty hours is enough, while for large fish sometimes even five days are not enough.

At the beginning, as a rule, a strong fire is lit to burn the wood. Then it is simply supported with wood chips. The best option would be firewood made from pear, cherry, alder or grapevine. It is prohibited to use coniferous species. In addition to wood, spicy herbs are added to the fire: basil, rosemary or sage.

Carcasses should be protected from flies and other insects. Sometimes they manage to lay eggs even at the very first stage of smoking. That is why wooden or brick smokehouses are covered with mosquito nets.

Cold smoked fish recipes

Many people believe that salmon is considered the most delicious smoked fish. Therefore, let's look at the recipe for making this incredibly tasty and aromatic delicacy.

• Fresh or thawed salmon is soaked in 20% brine for 12 hours.
• Then the carcass must be cut along the ridge, rinsed under cold running water and dried.
• You can also add a small amount of spices, which will make the smoked taste even more intense and the smell bright.
• It takes two to four days to smoke salmon, depending on the size of the product.

Cold smoked halibut is also considered quite tasty.

• Prepared halibut fillet pieces should be salted and sprinkled with a small amount of ground black pepper.
• The fish is left to marinate for twelve hours.
• Next, each piece is thoroughly washed and peeled and placed on a sieve to drain excess moisture.

Halibut needs to be smoked in two stages. The duration of the first stage is 4 hours. Before proceeding to the second stage, it is necessary to moisten the fillets with a cloth that is soaked in a small amount of vodka. Then the future smoked meats are sprinkled with a mixture of black and white ground pepper. The duration of the second stage of halibut smoking is 18 hours.

Advantages of an iron barrel

How to cook delicious fish at home? To do this, you can build a cold smoked smokehouse from a barrel with your own hands. It is recommended to use a housing from a refrigerator or an old Soviet washing machine. If you can buy a barrel, you can make an excellent smokehouse in it. It has a number of advantages:

• A smokehouse from a barrel is quite easy to make, even on your own.
• There are many models that you can choose to suit your taste.
• It is quite inexpensive and has a fairly long service life.

Inside the barrel there will be gratings that are strengthened with hooks. Once the fish is prepared for cold smoking, it will not need to be hung. It is simply placed on the grill and then only turned over. A trench is laid or a pipe is attached as a smoke outlet. A good smokehouse is made from a barrel with a capacity of two hundred liters. It allows you to cook a lot of fish at the same time, which significantly reduces the time spent.

General rules for salting fish before smoking

Salting can be done dry or wet. When dry, the carcass is rubbed with salt; when wet, it is placed in a concentrated salt solution - the so-called brine. When preparing fish for smoking, saltpeter is usually not added during salting.

For dry salting, the carcasses are placed in a container in rows, evenly sprinkling each of them with salt. The direction of the fish in each row is alternated - tails to heads. If the fish is fatty, each carcass rubbed with salt is wrapped in parchment paper and placed in layers in a bowl to form a small mound. Place another sheet of parchment on top, press it with a lid and tie it with rope or wire.

Salting using the wet method is faster; the whole process takes two hours. So much salt is placed in the brine, or brine, so that the egg does not sink in it.

The salting time will depend on which smoking method is chosen and, of course, on the size of the carcasses. Before smoking using hot technology, less time is required for salting, before cold smoking – more.

For the hot method, large fish are salted for about 12 hours, small ones - about 4 hours. Next, it is washed, sent to the refrigerator for 2-3 hours and only then placed in a smokehouse.

Before cold smoking, you need to salt for a day or more (up to 8 days).

Spices are usually added to the brine only when salting fish with a specific taste. These are pike, grayling, eel, carp and others. You can choose seasonings to your taste from those that go well with fish. They can be bought ready-made. Often, when salting, especially fatty varieties, caraway seeds are added. It is recommended to scald spices with boiling water before adding them to the brine.

Before salting, small types of fish should be strung on a string through the eye sockets and tied

When strung on twine, the number of carcasses is no more than 10, the length of the twine is about a meter. Large fish are tied with twine half a meter long, two pieces at a time, making holes near the tail. Gutted carcasses and pieces of large fish are tied with twine.

Salted fish should be elastic and hard; if it is soft and not elastic, then it is not suitable for smoking. It was probably not fresh to begin with or spoiled during pickling.

Species such as salmon need to be gutted and the scales left on to make the finished fish more juicy. Large specimens must be cut into pieces. A concentrated brine is prepared, the fish is placed in it and left for half an hour. Black peppercorns, several bay leaves, sprigs of dill and onions are usually placed in the belly. Before smoking, spacers are inserted into the bellies.

Under pressure, small fish are salted, as well as representatives of large species: catfish, ide, carp, pike, carp, chub, carp, pike perch

Before salting under pressure, the fish must be gutted and cut along the ridge for better salting. Sprinkle the fish with coarse salt and place a weight on it. For small ones, 8 hours is enough, for large ones – about 12 hours. The resulting brine is drained, and the carcasses are placed in water for 2 hours (it is advisable to rinse it under running water).

If the fish is salted dry in a bag, there is no need to wash it first. The small ones are left entirely. Large and medium-sized specimens are gutted and the head and spine are removed. Before stacking, each carcass is sprinkled with salt, and a layer of salt is poured into the bag. Then the first layer of fish is placed there with the flesh down, the second layer is placed with the flesh up, after that salt is poured again, followed by the fish with the flesh down, then the flesh up, and so on. After laying each layer, the bag must be shaken so that the fish is compacted. Thus fill the bag halfway. Twist the top edge of the bag so as to create pressure on the fish. Bury the bags in sand, which also needs to be compacted properly. With this method, fish is salted quickly - in one day, and small ones even faster - in 12 hours.

Preparing pike perch for smoking has its own characteristics. For gutting, its abdomen is cut not at the bottom, but at the side, where the ribs are. Each carcass is sprinkled with salt, put into a plastic bag, and buried in the ground for an hour, large ones for an hour and a half. An hour later, it is dug up, turned over and buried again for the same period. When the fish is salted, it is washed under running water and hung upside down to dry. When it wilts a little, you need to put black peppercorns (3 peas in each carcass), bay leaf and chopped garlic into the bellies.  

Materials for production

First of all, you will need a grinder and a welding machine. In addition to a 200-liter barrel, you will also need fittings with an approximate diameter of eight millimeters, sheets for the chamber four millimeters thick, corners and legs on which the smokehouse will stand. For the chimney you will need a pipe with a diameter of about ten centimeters. Inside there will be gratings made of wire.

The barrel is thoroughly washed, after which they begin filling. In order to quickly remove ash from the firebox, longitudinal holes should be made at a height of about fifteen centimeters from the floor. It should be taken into account that the height of the pipe should not be too high, otherwise the temperature inside the barrel will increase noticeably. There is a door at the bottom for storing firewood. You should also make a lid that will cover the barrel.

Useful tips

Experienced craftsmen are happy to share some secrets about how cold smoked fish is made. For example, you should be careful when choosing wood chips. It should not pose a threat to human health, as well as the quality of the prepared product. The recommended time should be maintained, which is at least twelve hours. If smoking is completed ahead of schedule, the carcasses may remain raw. In such cases, there is a risk of the development of microorganisms that very quickly start the process of decay.

To make cold smoked fish at home tasty, you must go through all stages of preparation. You cannot reduce the time of salting, marinating or drying. You should also take the gutting of the carcass responsibly. After finishing smoking, the fish should be allowed to air out in the fresh air for about fifty minutes.

Smoking fish at home in a cold smoked smokehouse

Smoked fish prepared using the cold smoking method will be a tasty treat for any table. This method involves processing with smoke at a temperature not exceeding 30°C, as a result of which the fish retains all valuable substances, including fish oil, remains soft and exceptionally tasty.

Some people think this process is too long and troublesome, however, this is a misconception. Just a few hours and you will get high-quality cooked fish that can be stored for a long time. We will tell you how to smoke fish at home in a cold smokehouse and what you will need for this.

Fish selection

Not all types of fish are suitable for cold smoking; preference is given to fatty ones - beluga, sturgeon, mackerel, salmon, cod, pike perch, silver carp and carp. You can smoke balyk pieces of salmon and sturgeon.

The maximum cold smoking temperature is 30°C. If you do less, the fish will remain raw, which can result in poisoning. If you do more, you will dry it out, and it will receive a large dose of the carcinogen. Cold smoking is an opportunity to preserve all the nutrients in fish, making it possible to give it even to children.

Processing stages

Conventionally, processing is divided into several stages:

• ambassador;
• soaking;
• drying;
• smoking.

How to salt and cook cold smoked fish yourself:

There are 2 main methods of salting before smoking - dry and wet. Moreover, regardless of which one is chosen, the fish can be smoked in a homemade smokehouse or factory equipment, which is purchased in a professional store.

Preparatory procedure

Preparation begins with cutting and cleaning the fish carcass. First, the fish is gutted very carefully. Those who have already gotten their hands full can pull out all the insides in one motion. You can learn to do this too.