All you need to know about the technology of smoking fish

To pamper your family and friends with delicious fish smoked meat, it is worth learning 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 different tastes to the finished product. This should be taken into account when preparing for smoking.

Suitable wood species

Alder and juniper are 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, the wood of trees of species such 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 aftertaste to the finished product) and mountain ash (gives a special delicate aftertaste).

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 smoked finished products 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 smoker 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, 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.

Smoked fish

In order to smoke the 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.The crushed 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 kind 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, considering 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 removal of scales; medium 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 primary processing, 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 sagging, salt crystals are washed away from the fish and wiped with a towel.

The technology and the process of smoking

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.

This method requires accumulated experience to maintain the temperature and select the optimal time of smoking. 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 fish.

Cold smoked

With 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 in length. Building such a smokehouse occupies a large area, therefore it will not work for owners of small areas.

The process of smoking is to hang prepared fish in a smoke closet andfilling the furnace with sawdust and chips, as well as subsequent observation and maintenance of the specified 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 luster, the aroma and taste of the fish become specific.

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 bonfire 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 is its specific smell, from which it is possible to get rid of salting under the pressure for 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 fish delicacy, which can not be compared with industrial products.