Quick smoking of meat. How to smoke meat in a hot smoker. Cooking secrets. Negative properties of pork meat

Since we bought a smokehouse, we often cook smoked meat for ourselves. Most often we smoke chicken legs, legs, thighs, and wings. Their calorie content is approximately 158 kcal per 100 g. Pork belly also often comes to our table in smoked form. Well, today I will smoke two types of meat at once - chicken and pork.

If the pieces are not very large, then the smoking time will be the same, and the smokehouse has two grates on which the products can be laid out in two tiers. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to cook both chicken and pork at the same time. Moreover, both are desirable for me and my family.

So, smoking meat at home in a smokehouse...

The good thing about our smokehouse is that you can cook with it right at home, on a regular gas stove. To prevent smoke from escaping outside, the smokehouse is equipped with a hydraulic lock or water seal. This is a groove around the perimeter of the smokehouse that is filled with water. Water prevents smoke from escaping. And to remove smoke there is a fitting on which a hose is attached. The hose is routed through a window or hood.

My smokehouse is designed for 1.5-2 kg of meat. It is small in size and fits on one burner of a gas stove. There is a medium-sized smoker (a little larger than mine) and a large one that needs to be placed on 2 burners. The cooking principle in these smokehouses will be the same.

Let's prepare the products. They need to be salted first. Sprinkle the wings, thighs, legs with salt and pepper and leave for 5-6 hours.

If we smoke chicken and other meat at the same time, we need the smoking time to be the same. Therefore, we will take a brisket that is not thick. Add salt, pepper and also leave to salt for 5-6 hours.

To smoke meat at home in a smokehouse, we use wood chips from alder, cherry, beech, cherry, apple, pear, and apricot. I most often use alder or a mixture of alder and cherry. To prevent the wood chips from burning too quickly, you can soak them. This is not necessary, I don't always do this.

Pour wood chips into the bottom of the smokehouse. We place a tray on the wood chips, and on it - racks with meat. First lightly blot the meat with a napkin or cloth, and then let it dry for 20-30 minutes. Arrange the meat so that the pieces do not overlap each other. Cover the smokehouse with a lid and put it on fire. As soon as smoke appears from the fitting, put on the hose, take it out the window and note the time - 50 minutes. Open the lid only 20 minutes after turning off the fire.

We take out the smoked meats, but don’t rush to eat them. It is recommended to try smoked meat no earlier than after 6 hours. Probably not many people manage to withstand this time, and I didn’t succeed either. The smell is so tempting that I take the first sample right away.

It is better to cut the pork when it has cooled. The meat in a smokehouse like mine is hot smoked. It is not stored for as long as with cold smoking, but only three to four days.

Hot smoking of meat is the preparation of a product until it is cooked using high-temperature smoke. This technology allows you to preserve a large number of useful properties and substances in products, including protein, vitamins A and C. Pork, beef, rabbit and other types of meat are used for cooking.

Preliminary preparation

Before the smoking process itself begins, the raw materials for it should be prepared. For preliminary preparation, salting, soaking, and drying are used. Meat intended for processing should not be too fresh; it is left to “ripen” for some time, the duration of which depends on the type of raw material. You can determine that it is ready by the pH level, which should not exceed 6.0.

Brining is the use of salt, herbs and spices for pre-treatment. It can be dry or wet. In the first case, the duration of the process reaches from 2 to 6 weeks. Wet salting involves the use of a cold salt solution. It is much faster than the previous processing method, however, and the shelf life of the finished product will be reduced.

What kind of firewood should I take?

In order for hot smoking of meat to achieve the desired result, you should choose the right firewood. It is the wood chips that largely influence the taste of the future product. The best option is alder or juniper. In addition, the following types of wood are used:

• pear;
• birch;
• hazel, etc.

Each type of wood gives smoked meat its own aroma and, accordingly, taste. If desired, you can make prefabricated mixtures using wood chips from different species. Before starting the process, it is necessary to remove the bark from the branches, which contains a lot of resin. Dry wood chips are used to produce many smoked products. However, there are recipes in which the firewood is pre-moistened. You can throw juniper branches, almonds, and aromatic herbs into the fire. Do not use rotted or moldy wood chips.

Features of hot smoking

To make hot smoked meat in a smokehouse, wood is evenly placed on its bottom. It is necessary that the chips be approximately the same size. Before you start smoking meat, the room where this will take place is warmed up for half an hour. Raw materials are laid out on grids or hung on hooks. It is important to ensure that the meat pieces do not come into contact with each other; the smoke should go around them from all sides. Properly performed home smoking will produce a variety of products with a pronounced aroma and delicate taste. If you do not follow the cooking technology, the meat may taste bitter, be sour and have an unappetizing appearance.

Before starting smoking, it is necessary to dry the raw materials. This is done in the same smokehouse, however, the temperature should not exceed 50 degrees. Drying time depends on the type of raw material and the amount of liquid in it, but is usually 2-3 hours. If you skip this step, the product may burn and a bitter taste may appear.

After the required temperature has been reached in the smokehouse and the raw materials have been added, it should be closed tightly. Oxygen must not have access to the smoking wood chips, otherwise it may ignite. It is believed that smoking began after the smoke appeared. The process time depends on the type of meat and the size of the pieces. The temperature in the smokehouse is regulated by increasing or decreasing the strength of the fire. It should be in the range of 100-150 degrees.

To prevent the juice from dripping onto the coals or wood chips, it is recommended to place foil under the raw materials. This will help keep your smokehouse clean without much effort. Soot and dirt will negatively affect subsequent procedures and the taste of the resulting products. It is recommended to periodically swap several pieces of meat, especially if the hot smoking time is several hours. This is necessary to ensure that the products are well baked on all sides. If desired, you can periodically moisten the raw materials, for which you take not only ordinary water, but also beer.

When cooked, the meat will shrink in size and become soft and tender in taste. The peculiarities of hot smoking are that the product loses a minimal amount of moisture and becomes saturated with smoke. Because of this, the finished product is not recommended for long-term storage. Hot smoked meat must be consumed within a few days after its preparation.

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Smoking meat is one of the ways to prepare food that will delight you not only with its wonderful aroma, but also with its taste. Almost all parts of the carcass are used for... procedures. You need a proper way to prepare meat for smoking. How? It's easy to do!

To prepare this dish you will need the following ingredients:

• one kilogram of pork;
• coarse salt;
• sweet paprika;
• ground black pepper;
• 15 grams of sugar;
• granulated garlic (1 tablespoon).

To do this, you first need to mix salt, sugar, pepper, paprika and garlic.

Dissolve salt, sugar and pepper in water brought to a boil. Boil for 15–20 minutes. After cooling, fill the meat with brine. After this, you can leave it to settle for several days in a cool place.

After 2-3 days, the brine must be drained, and the product itself should be soaked in ice water for half a day. Then dry. Processing must be done cold. The smoke temperature should not exceed 25–35 degrees. The final step is to hang the pork in a well-ventilated room to dry completely for 6-7 days.

Smoking can be done immediately, however, to obtain a deeper and richer flavor, it is necessary to let the meat marinate for about 4 hours or even overnight.

When coals appear, be sure to check for smoke, which gives it an amazing taste. you need to use twigs, sawdust, chips and leaves of special tree species. Beech, aspen, ash, oak, and alder may work well. Cherry, pear, apricot, and apple wood will give a special aroma, delicate taste and desired color. Place the meat in the smokehouse. It is necessary to smoke for 3-4 hours at a temperature of 120–130 degrees. If there are several pieces, it is best to swap them around for equal cooking. Sometimes, during this procedure, foil is often placed under the product itself, in which the juice is collected.

To moisturize, sometimes pour beer over it. When ready, the product shrinks in size and becomes tender.

If you do not carefully monitor the condition of the product when smoking, you can end up with a dark brown firebrand that has a pungent odor and a strong sweet and sour taste, which can adversely affect your health. You may even develop disgust not only for, but also for other smoked meats, and for a long time. It's verified! Therefore, take good care of the meat. Smoking is not only a very interesting activity, but also delicious.

Mouthwatering, delicious smoked meat delicacies are always popular at holiday feasts. Markets and supermarkets offer a huge range of smoked products. However, the quality and price of such delicacies sometimes leaves much to be desired. Therefore, you can always try to cook such dishes yourself. Smoking meat at home is not particularly difficult. The main thing is to choose the right recipe and decide which way you will cook - hot or cold.

Preparing meat for smoking

You can smoke absolutely any meat: poultry, beef, veal, pork. But any product must first be prepared. It needs to be washed, if necessary, remove veins and excess fat, and cut into portions. Then dry a little with a towel and place in the marinade. It will make the dish tender, salty, and rich in spices. There are many options for preparing it.

To begin with, you can try the simplest one: 1 liter of water; 100 g of salt, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, a little favorite spices to taste (pepper, bay leaf, suneli hops). Boil all ingredients and cool. Place the meat in the prepared brine.

How much to marinate depends on the type of meat product and the method you use to smoke it. For hot smoking chicken, 1-2 hours are enough, pork – 4 hours, beef – up to 8 hours. With the cold cooking method, the meat is marinated in large amounts of salt for several days to several weeks.

After marinating, future smoked meats must be dried. To do this, hang them in a draft or under a fan so that excess liquid drips off and they wilt. For the hot method, products can be dried for 1 to 3 hours. With the cold method - at least 24 hours.

If the cooking process takes place in the warm season, you need to ensure that insects do not land on the meat. To do this, you can make a frame from mesh and place semi-finished products in it. Or wrap them in gauze soaked in vinegar solution.

When all preparation procedures are completed, you can begin the next stage - smoking. There are several methods for preparing smoked meats.

Hot smoked meat in a smokehouse

The hot smoking process is very simple and takes very little time. You need to have a hot smoked smokehouse in your arsenal. You can easily purchase it in the store. They come in different sizes, but their operating principle is the same. It is advisable that the device have a water seal. If you wish, you can build a smokehouse with your own hands.

• The smokehouse must be installed on fire. This could be a fire built in a barbecue, a gas or electric stove. As a rule, if you have a private yard, smoked meats are cooked over a fire. For fire, you can take wood of any species. This will not affect the quality of the finished product in any way.
• The fire should burn well and produce intense heat. Since the hot method cooks foods quickly, they must have time to smoke evenly. The temperature in the smokehouse should be between 90-110⁰С. You can check this by sprinkling water on the surface of the smokehouse. If the water quickly evaporates from the surface, then the temperature is optimal.
• While the heat is building, you can prepare the smoker. It is necessary to lay an even layer of wood chips on its bottom. It is better to use fruit wood or alder. Coniferous trees cannot be used, as they have too specific a smell and will give bitterness to dishes.
• A tray is installed above the sawdust, slightly smaller in size than the bottom of the smokehouse. It will prevent juice and fat from getting on the wood chips, and it will not burn in the process.

• A smoking grate is installed at the top. If the smokehouse is large, there may be two grates. Meat is laid out on the grates. If the meat is cut into portions, then the pieces should not be laid out tightly so that the smoke evenly envelops each piece.
• Close the smokehouse tightly. If there is a water seal, fill it with water. Place the device on fire. Soon (5-6 minutes), smoke will appear from the lid hole. The process has begun and you need to time the cooking time. Smoking time is individual for each type of meat. Chicken will be ready in 1 hour, pork - 1.5-2 hours, beef will be cooked in up to 3 hours. You can periodically open the lid and check the readiness of the dish.
• When the process comes to an end, remove the smoked meat and let it stand in the air until it cools completely. During this time, the meat will be ventilated and evenly saturated with smoked aroma.

If you don’t have a country house, you can cook smoked meats without leaving your apartment. To do this, you just need to put a thin hose on the tube coming out of the lid of the smokehouse and lead it into a window, hood or ventilation, then the smoke will not get into the room.

This method of smoking takes a long time and requires attention and preparation. But products prepared using this method can be stored for several months. And the taste of the finished delicacy is more intense.

Cold smokers often have a larger volume than hot smokers. Since the process takes time, it is better to smoke food in reserve. The meat is laid out on racks or hung by hooks. You can smoke whole carcasses of chicken, duck, rabbit, pork hams and other delicacies.

Smoke processing time depends on the size and weight of the food. For poultry, 48 hours of smoking is sufficient. Large pork butts are smoked for several days or even weeks. The first 8-10 hours of smoking must be continuous. Therefore, you need to prepare a large amount of firewood and wood chips in advance in order to have time to add them during the process. Then you can take breaks at night. The more breaks, the longer the cooking process.

During cold smoking, excess moisture evaporates, the surface of the meat dries out, and the aroma of smoke evenly penetrates inside. At the same time, the fat content is not lost, and the smoked meats remain juicy.

After cooking, the delicacies should dry well. To do this, they are placed in a dry, ventilated, dark room. An attic, closet or storage room is suitable for such purposes. The room temperature should not exceed + 10⁰. Meat is dried for 7 to 30 days. And only after that it becomes ready for use or storage.

How to store homemade smoked meat

Hot smoked delicacies are not stored for long - up to 4 days. To extend the life of such products, they are wrapped in fabric soaked in a strong salt solution and placed in a paper bag. This way they remain edible for up to 3 weeks.

For longer-term storage of the product, you can wrap it in food foil and place it in the freezer. You can eat them for a month.

To begin with, there are two ways to smoke at home:

a) using a barbecue;
b) using an electric stove or oven.

For my purpose, I used the second method.

1. First of all, for smoking in the oven you need wood chips soaked in water, NOT coniferous trees. It could be a pear, apple, plum, rowan, maple, etc. Immerse it in water for several hours. As soon as it is soaked, drain the water through a colander into a container (we will still need it during the smoking process), so that some water remains in the container.

2. Now you can start cooking. Preheat the oven to 120°C. To avoid getting burned, position the rack so that it fits one notch below the middle, closer to the bottom of the oven.

3. Place soaked wood chips on the bottom of a metal frying pan (preferably aluminum) so that a small amount of water along with the wood chips covers the bottom. The main thing is to just cover the bottom of the pan so that there are no layers of wood chips, otherwise there will be too much smoke. The right amount of wood chips will produce the right amount of smoke.

4. Place a raised roasting rack on top of the wood chips. Leave enough space between the wood chips and the grate to allow smoke to pass freely.

5. Now you can put it down. The meat should be placed directly above the wood chips. After placing the meat, cover it with aluminum foil so that the pan is covered on all sides and there is room at the top for the smoke to circulate. The more tightly the meat is covered with foil, the more the woody smell will penetrate it.

6. Place the aluminum pan in the oven and leave the meat to cook. Depending on the amount and type of meat you are smoking, let it simmer for 3-6 hours. During the smoking process, water can be absorbed, causing the wood chips and meat to dry out. Add a little of the remaining water from soaking (the water that was drained), wetting the wood chips and keeping a film of water on the bottom of the pan.

7. Once the cooking time is complete, check the internal temperature of the meat in any way you like to determine its doneness. Remove the meat from the oven, cut into slices (or strips) to your taste and enjoy the smoky meat.