Smoked delicacies are a favorite treat of many people. There is nothing tastier and more appetizing than a juicy piece of tender meat with the aroma of smoke melting in your mouth. From the smell and type of products, beautifully laid out in the windows of meat rows, many of us begin to increase salivation and rumbling in the stomach - we really want to enjoy smoked brisket or fragrant fish. Meanwhile, many owners of a home smokehouse (homemade or purchased) can afford to eat the freshest smoked delicacies at least every day.
Home Smoked Features
Proper smoking is the use of fresh, well-salted, and sometimes pickled meat or fish and suitable twigs, sawdust or shavings. Its essence boils down to the fact that the prepared product for some time should be under the influence of wood smoke. However, the wood in this case should only smolder slowly, but not burn. The fact is that, when ignited, any fuel begins to secrete toxic substances and carcinogens. This negatively affects the useful properties of processed products, and also greatly spoils the taste and appearance of cooked meat products or fish.
When smoking in a home-made smokehouse, it is quite possible to achieve the necessary conditions for preparing a gourmet dish. The main thing here is to choose the right type of device, the size of the working chambers and the temperature regime. If you take into account some rules in the design and manufacture of the selected model, you can regularly pamper yourself and your loved ones with smoked delicacies of your own production.
Types of smoking in home installations
Many people know that there are three smoking methods - cold, half-hot and hot. Using cold technology, the products retain their texture and taste. This method is often used in makeshift smokehouses. This is a fairly lengthy process that takes several days. However, it is not worth rushing things in this case, otherwise cooked delicacies can cause serious food poisoning.
Hot and semi-hot smoking technologies provide a faster way to get delicious food. A dish prepared in either of these two ways will have a softer and more delicate texture. The taste of these delicacies will also be slightly different. Many gourmets claim that dishes cooked in a hot or semi-hot way are much tastier than cold-smoked dishes.
Secrets of cooking smoked meats: basic rules
To cook really tasty smoked meat or fish yourself, you must follow certain rules. First of all, these are technological moments such as:
- Ensuring uniform heating of the chamber and fumigation of the product. Semi-finished products inside the device must evenly receive heat and smoke. It is important to exclude the occurrence of a burning smell. Ideally, the smoke cloud should be light: it is desirable that the heavy fractions precipitate before reaching the product. It is under the influence of a light haze that smoked dishes acquire a characteristic taste, color and aroma.
- Any model of a home-made smokehouse (made with your own hands or bought in a store) should hold smoke well. Otherwise, the expected result cannot be obtained.
- It is equally important to ensure the desired temperature inside the working chamber. It should be noted that this parameter depends on the type of product, its mass and processing method. It should be remembered that:
- With cold smoking of any products, the smoke is heated to 22-30 ° C and the desired temperature is maintained throughout the entire cooking process, which can last from 6 hours to 5 days.
- Semi-hot smoking is carried out at a smoke temperature of not more than 60-70 ° C. Using this technology, the desired temperature is maintained for about 4-6 hours.
- Hot smoking is the fastest process. In this case, the prepared semi-finished product is placed in the chamber of a homemade smoke-cured smokehouse with smoke, the temperature of which is 90-120 ° C. The cooking time of products using this technology can take from 15 minutes to 4 hours.
It is worth noting that the type of unit and the conditions that it can create for the preparation of the product depend on taste indicators and shelf life of the resulting delicacy: the longer the product was subjected to heat treatment, the longer it will remain.
Homemade homemade smokehouses: variations of execution
Models of units used in home smoking can have a wide variety of types and designs. It can be portable, stationary, folding device, compact or overall model, with or without additional accessories. The smokehouse can have an electric or gas heater, made of brick, metal or some improvised means.
Depending on the type of device, it can be used in the country, in the yard, in a separate room and even in the kitchen in an ordinary apartment.
Classic stationary model
A classic homemade smokehouse is most often set up on the street: in the courtyard of the house or in the country. Most often they use a stove-potbelly stove or make a special hearth as a furnace, and such a smoke generator is installed much lower than the level of the chamber or slightly away from the device. The chimney must have an elevation angle for more efficient delivery of heated gas. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of space for arranging the underground canal.
The working chamber is installed on a certain hill, most often artificially created. An exhaust pipe should be provided in the device of the camera, located on the roof of the building, providing the necessary traction.
The smoke coming from the hearth into the chamber must have a certain temperature, so it is advisable to install a thermometer or temperature sensor in the chamber. The flow rate of the working gas can be adjusted using a valve system installed in the chimney. The more intensively the smoke circulates in the smokehouse, the higher will be its temperature.
It is desirable that the distance between the focus and the camera be at least three meters. This will ensure the separation of soot and some cooling of the smoke, which will make it possible to use the unit as a home-made cold smoked smokehouse.
If necessary, the flow rate of smoke into the working chamber can be increased. Thanks to the gate system mounted in the chimney, smoke draft is regulated. The larger the gap, the more intense the circulation of the working agent.
A similar shutter is installed under the working chamber. This allows you to block the flow of hot smoke. For its manufacture, it is better to use a sheet metal section with a thickness of at least 4 mm.
Fabrication and installation
In the manufacture and installation of DIY do-it-yourself cold-smoked smokehouses should be installed away from green spaces and any buildings. The fact is that a raging flame can cause serious damage to plants or cause a fire.
To equip the firebox in the ground, a hole is dug with a depth of 40 cm and a diameter of 70 cm, bricked with it, but air is provided for. You can use the usual stove-potbelly stove.
The working chamber of a home-made cold smoked smokehouse is equipped with metal grates. A great addition can be the metal hooks located on top. If necessary, this will allow pieces of meat or fish to be suspended.
Materials for building
Stationary home-made cold smokehouses, which can be used for cooking meat or fish delicacies in a hot way, are usually made of brick, metal or wood. For the installation of the chimney, various types of metal pipes are used. However, asbestos-cement pipes are never used here, since this material is very toxic.
From improvised means
For the preparation of smoked delicacies at home, it is not necessary to create a large stationary unit. Many craftsmen adapt for these purposes any suitable improvised means. Today you can see photos of home-made smokehouses from an old pan, a used gas cylinder or a galvanized bucket. The case of such devices can be an ordinary brazier, a specially welded metal box or an old refrigerator box.
Since the principle of operation of such models is approximately the same, it does not matter what the working chamber for smoking will be made of. The main thing here is to take into account the basic rules of the organization of the process. Therefore, no matter what the final version was chosen, with proper manufacture, a home-made smokehouse can be an excellent tool for preparing delicious meat and fish dishes.
The only difference in the various designs of do-it-yourself units is that for small-sized models, a smoke generator can be installed directly in the working chamber. Unlike stationary devices with a remote focus, the technology for preparing various dishes in portable and compact installations implies only a hot method.
Quick Smokehouse
If you know how to make a homemade smokehouse, its basic principle of operation and generally accepted rules of the process, then you can build a similar structure in haste. It will not require any special building materials. It is enough to have dense cellophane, strong rods or wooden poles and ingenuity.
To make such a smokehouse is quite simple. The main thing here is to ensure a low temperature of smoke from smoldering coals.
This method is based on the principle of a tent built with strong rods and polyethylene. Products intended for smoking are mounted on skewers. The heat source is smoldering coal in a bucket or hearth. To get enough smoke, you can add branches with green grass or wet brushwood. However, using such a home-made cold smokehouse requires constant monitoring of the combustion process. As with any other smoking method, an open flame cannot be allowed here. Meanwhile, one cannot allow smoldering embers to die out altogether.
Bucket Smokehouse
The option with the usual galvanized bucket can also be used anywhere: in the country, on a picnic or on a camping trip. To make such a device, you will need:
- ordinary metal bucket;
- cap;
- two metal gratings (grids);
- some wood chips.
A small layer of wood shavings is placed in the bucket. In this case, a layer of 2-3 cm will be sufficient. One of the gratings is attached 10 centimeters from the bottom, the second - 5 centimeters from the previous one.
Small fish or small pieces of meat pickled or salted in advance are laid out on the nets. Bucket cover and put on fire.
This device is a home-made smoke - cured smokehouse (made with your own hands), because the temperature of the smoke will very soon become quite high. After 20 minutes, the prepared dish will be ready for use.
Stainless steel box
To make this design, you need stainless steel sheets and a welding machine. This model can be ordered or purchased at a specialized store. In appearance, the unit resembles a metal box with a lid and metal grilles inside. It is used according to the same principle as the previous model.
With this home-made gas smokehouse you can cook meat, lard and fish only in a hot way. The processing technology of the product in such a device allows you to get the finished dish in 20 minutes.
Plain barrel
This is another way to organize a home unit for cooking delicious meat and fish delicacies with smoke. The universal design allows you to use the device for the application of technology, both hot and cold smoking.
To make a home-made smokehouse from a barrel, you should remove the bottom from the tank, and then install the grilles for laying the products. They must be installed at two levels. Above you can attach hooks for hanging large semi-finished products. On the floor of the obtained working chamber, it is necessary to install a pan for collecting fat, providing for the presence of slots for the passage of flue gases.
The barrel is installed at a certain height and attached to the smoke generator. On top of the barrel cover with a piece of wet burlap. This will prevent dust and ash from entering the food.
Smokehouse Smokehouse: Indoor Use
Existence of a hydrolock in the smoking installation gives the chance to prepare delicious dishes even in a premises. The principle of operation of such devices is no different from the operation of other smoking units: to ensure the smoking process, a device of this type is put on fire. When used at home, the role of the focus is played by a gas or electric stove. The presence of some design differences allows you to limit the smoke output from the working chamber.
In a home-made smokehouse with a water seal , a special removable lid with a pipe must first be present. When smoking at home, a hose connected to the ventilation system is attached to the pipe. It is with its help that unnecessary smoke is removed from the working chamber.
The water lock itself is an additional water chute located around the entire perimeter of the upper part of the chamber body. When working, the smokehouse must be filled with water.
The design of the cover must ensure that its ribs get into the space between the walls of the valve. It turns out that the water filling the gutter does not allow the exit of caustic smoke through the cracks between the lid and the smoking chamber. Waste gas is purposefully sent directly to the ventilation system of the house.
The disadvantages of this type of device include the need to control the water level in the gutter. The fact is that as soon as the water has evaporated, gas begins to escape through the opened slots, which is why a very persistent and extremely unpleasant smell appears in the room.
Preparation of semi-finished products
Of course, the taste of smoked delicacies is largely determined by the correct observance of cooking technology. However, far from the last role in this process is played by the quality and freshness of the products, as well as their proper preparation.
Before smoking, meat, fish, lard or offal must be thoroughly washed and salted. Fresh fish, as a rule, are freed from the entrails. As a rule, the dry method is used for salting fat, while the wet method is used for meat and fish. However, it is very important to meet the terms of the ambassador. It must be remembered that meat and fish are salted out in 3-10 days, and lard in 2-3 weeks. To remove excess salt, the product is washed in running water or soaked.
Sometimes bay leaves, allspice, coriander, caraway seeds, juniper berries and garlic are added to the curing mixture. Such an ambassador is called spicy, and they use it when they want to get a gourmet dish with a unique taste and great aroma.