Smoking time in a hot smoker

In stores you can find a wide range of smoked products to suit every taste and budget. However, many lovers of gastronomic delights prefer to feast on home-made smoked meats. Next we will consider features of this fascinating process: time, temperature, methods and various nuances.

Important parameters for hot smoking

Hot smoking of food is quite simple. If all conditions are met, the taste of the product will not inferior to the store one.

The following parameters must be maintained:

• a certain temperature;
• cooking method;
• quality of raw materials;
• marinade recipe;
• moisture level in the structure;
• "correct" fuel.

Choosing a temperature for a hot smoked smokehouse

One of the fundamental conditions for receiving a treat is maintaining a certain temperature. The future taste characteristics of the food depend on it. Moreover, each product has its own temperature.

If the temperature balance is disturbed, the necessary elements do not form inside the product. After all a prerequisite is the release of fat with juice and denaturalization of protein. By changing the temperature, it is easy to achieve a variety of variations.

To obtain hot smoked dishes there is a minimum thermal threshold:

• for red fish - 25 degrees. This is the condition under which curl up protein;
• for other seafood – 38 degrees;
• for meat products – 42 degrees.

How to determine the temperature regime?

The optimal temperature for home smoking is about 90 degrees. To determine the temperature, just drop water on the smokehouse. If everything is correct, the water will simply disappear.

When setting parameters, it is important to consider the product configuration. It may be elongated. In this case, heating will be uneven, since in the lower part the heating is better than upstairs. You can experiment at home and find your own method. The permissible error for different raw materials is 10 degrees.

Attention! To reliably check the temperature, you can purchase a special thermometer.

Two methods of hot smoking

Smoking any product is one of the historically earliest methods of preparation. Hot smoking involves cooking food. The method is based on exposure to harmless smoke at temperatures of 40 degrees and above for a couple of hours. This is an understandable and budget-friendly method.

Most Two methods are considered common:

• 40-60 degrees, in time - from 12 hours to two days. Used for preparing meat products that will later be cooked.
• 90 degrees and above, in time - from a couple of minutes to several hours. Reminiscent of cooking in an oven, only using smoke. Everything goes as quickly as possible.

Temperature and time of hot smoking of various products

How long to smoke various products depends not only on their category, but also on the chosen method. In this process, a special role is played temperature and fuel used. Let's take a closer look at the features of smoking different products:

Fish. You should choose a low-fat variety, as high temperature will melt the fat. Each variety has its own level of protein coagulation. In general, it takes about an hour to three. Exhibited temperature from 60 to 140 degrees.

Homemade meat. The taste is reminiscent of store-bought pork. Cooking time depends on the degree of fat content, variety and even age of the carcass. The hot method takes a long time - 2-3 hours. For example, to get Hungarian lard uses a gentle temperature regime. The temperature should be kept between 80-100 degrees when using raw product. If the meat was cooked (stewed or boiled), then 42-60 degrees will do.

Bird. The time is determined by the degree of preliminary preparation of raw materials. The procedure is not much different from cooking meat. However, there are some peculiarities. To achieve a golden crust, begin process with temperatures from 100 degrees. If the carcass was boiled, then 60 degrees is better. Also, the conditions depend on the parameters of the bird: it can be cooked completely or in separate parts.

Sausage. This technology is different from those discussed previously. Temperature - from 60 to 120. After this, the sausage is placed in a cool compartment. Aging is approximately three weeks.

Important! You can store meat after smoking for about three weeks, but only in a cold place. As for fish, it is stored only in the refrigerator and for no more than three days.

Raw materials for smokehouse

You can achieve an unsurpassed smell by preparing raw logs. Cherries and juniper cones are also added. Branches of fruit seedlings are suitable.

Advice! Coniferous species should not be used, as they emit too much resin. Birch is pre-cleaned of bark. Otherwise, a bitter taste cannot be avoided.

The color of the future dish depends on the choice of firewood.. Thus, the meat will acquire a noble chocolate shade, thanks to red wood. For a subtle shade, choose alder or oak. All these nuances play a big role in obtaining a high-quality exclusive product.

Useful tips

Having studied the smoking recipe, you can make home devices and realize your culinary abilities. Is there some more some important tipswhich may be useful:

• After the coals have formed, it is advisable to slightly open the vent in the lid. This way, the sawdust will smolder much more efficiently, and the smoked meats will acquire a traditional taste.
• To maintain a stable temperature It is advisable to periodically add dry shavings to the tray.
• Massive logs better saw up into thin slivers.
• To improve the quality of raw materials divided into small pieces.
• If the smokehouse lid is constantly kept open, air will flow into it. This greatly increases the cooking time.
• It is better to leave the product slightly damprather than overexpose and overdry. You can always finish cooking and bring the raw materials to the desired condition.

Smoking is recognized as one of the safest methods of preparing food. The home method allows you to choose high-quality products for smoking. When buying ready-made smoked meats in a store, the buyer cannot know what condition they were in before processing.