Hot smoking: temperature, time, product selection, cooking tips, smoking technology and expert advice

For a long time, smoking was considered the most beloved way of cooking fish and meat for many. And today it is one of the safest ways. How often do we choose smoked products on store shelves? And how often people are hospitalized with severe poisoning?

When buying smoked meat or fish in a store, we don’t know what condition the meat was in before it got into the smokehouse.

In the article, we will consider several home-made methods and what temperature of hot smoking should be in order to get a tasty and high-quality dish at the exit. Cooking for ourselves and our family at home, we will always try to make tasty and high-quality products.

Maintaining the temperature when smoked is one of the main criteria that must be followed in order to get a delicacy.

The main parameters for smoking, which affect the taste and quality of the product

What are they like?

1. It is important to follow the cooking technology.
2. The condition of the raw materials is initial.
3. Salting recipe.
4. Smoking and preparation time.
5. It is very important to maintain the necessary humidity level inside the smokehouse itself.
6. The raw materials used to set fire to the smokehouse are wood, coals.
7. Compliance with the temperature regime.

But one of the most important criteria remains the temperature when smoked. After all, the taste of the dish partially depends on it. For smoking meat, fish and vegetables, she has her own. But the minimum mode for all products remains the same - 80 ° C. If it is not observed, the necessary processes necessary for smoking will not occur - the release of fat with juice, protein denaturation. Neither do you get the right smoke particles inside the product itself.

Hot smoked smokehouse temperature

When the temperature in the smoking chamber changes, different smoking methods can be obtained - hot, half-hot and cold.

The minimum level of heat exposure in order to obtain a hot smoked product is lower.

1. For red fish, the minimum mode is 25 ° C. It is with him that the protein begins to fold.
2. For the rest of the fish, the minimum temperature is equal to 38 ° C.
3. For meat at least 42 ° C.

Everything below these temperatures is just smoke treatment.

How to determine the temperature regime

The average temperature during smoking in home smokehouses is 90 ° C.

The easiest way to determine the temperature is to sprinkle the smokehouse body with water. If you have reached the correct mode, the water will simply evaporate without splashing and hissing.

When setting the temperature, it is important to consider the level and size of the smokehouse itself. If it has an elongated shape, the heating will be uneven. Below, the temperature will be much higher than above.

In order to avoid such situations, it is better to purchase a thermometer. Although when it comes to a homemade smokehouse at home, maintaining the correct temperature during hot smoking is achieved by a long experimental way.

If the regime is observed, an error of 10 ° C is allowed in one direction or another. As already stated above, the temperature during hot smoking for different products may vary. About it below in more detail.

Hot smoking: temperature and time for different raw materials

How to carry out the procedure?

1. Meat. In order to get a delicious smoked meat cooked at home, the temperature throughout the entire time of smoking should be kept within 80-100 ° . But this is subject to the use of a crude product. If the meat was previously subjected to heat treatment, such as cooking or stewing, during smoking we lower the temperature to 42–60 ° . You can store such meat in a cool place for no more than three weeks.
   
2. Fish. For each fish species, the temperature and smoking time may vary, since the level of protein coagulation is different. But in general, the smoking time is from one to three hours. The temperature level ranges from 60 to 140 ° C. Given that any fish is a perishable product, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to three days.
   
3. Game or poultry. The smoking procedure differs little from pork or beef, but still has its own nuances. In order for the bird to acquire a crisp, it is necessary to start smoking from high temperatures - 100 ° C. But if already boiled poultry enters the smokehouse, then the temperature of smoking decreases to 60 ° . Also, the temperature regime of smoking poultry depends on the size of the carcass. It can be smoked in whole or in part. You can store smoked game in the cold for up to three weeks.
4. Homemade sausage. The technology for making smoked home-made sausages differs significantly from those discussed above. It is necessary to smoke the product, observing the temperature regime in the range of 60–120 ° . After the sausage is sent to a cool place, but not damp and kept for about three weeks. Only by observing such cooking technology can you get a real smoked home-made sausage.

Choose the right raw materials for the smokehouse

To make the product have a pleasant aroma, use raw firewood. For a pleasant smell, toss the cherry leaves or juniper cones. As firewood, it is better to use fruit tree branches. Needles will not work because of the abundant release of resin. In the case of using birch logs, first remove the bark from them. Otherwise, the product may acquire a bitter taste.

The color of the finished product is also affected by the choice of wood, which is formed during combustion. To make the meat brown, use red tree species. For a light crust, alder or oak is perfect.

Masters Tips

What do experts advise?

1. It is best to use obsolete old garden trees. Cut large firewood as small as possible. In order to maintain a constant smoking temperature, sawdust must be constantly thrown into the smokehouse tray.
2. So that after smoking the product had a pleasant haze, during the procedure after the formation of coal, cover the hole in the lid. This will ensure efficient sawdust smoldering.
3. It is best to smoke small pieces of meat or fish. This will ensure complete and high-quality preparation of the product.
4. It is worth considering the fact that when the lid is constantly opened, air enters the smokehouse, and this increases the smoking time and reduces its temperature.
5. It is important not to overexpose the product in the smokehouse. Better let it be damp. Then you can always bring it to the desired condition. Having dried the meat or fish, nothing can be fixed.

Having considered the technology of cooking products, and at what temperature to smoke hot smoked, you can safely build a home smokehouse at home and experiment, surprising your family and friends.