It is difficult to find a person who would not like smoked meat, lard, fish or chicken. After all, such products differ from others in their unique taste and, of course, aroma. And almost everyone at least once thought about whether to smack a piece of meat. Begin by building the appropriate structure. Only in a properly made smokehouse do the products turn out delicious. But that is not all. The main question remains. Which is better to use for smoking sawdust?
Size matters
Too large logs for smoking are not recommended. Raw materials must be crushed. Suitable for smoking sawdust, wood chips, shavings, thin twigs. In this case, it does not matter how the wood will be chopped. Much more important is what kind of smoke it gives. A light flame is permissible only in wet and cloudy weather. At other times, wood should not burn. If you choose the right size of raw materials and withstand the necessary time, then in the end you can get a tasty product with a yellow-brown hue and a pleasant aroma. In addition, the finished dish will have a dry and shiny surface. This all indicates that the products are smoked and can be eaten.
Which wood is better: raw or dry
The quality of the finished product, its aroma, color and, of course, taste qualities depend on which sawdust for cold smoking. It is worth noting that the smoke that is formed during the burning of a certain type of wood can affect the shelf life of meat or fish.
According to experts, hardwood sawdust should be used for smoking. At the same time, some recommend using raw wood, while others, on the contrary, use dry wood. Wet sawdust is suitable only in camping smokehouses.
Of course, both methods are good in their own way and have certain features. It all depends on what kind of firewood you have at hand. It should be noted that the taste and aroma of finished products may vary slightly. Raw wood is able to give the fish a tart smell and juicy bright color, while dry wood, on the contrary, makes it more tender and gives a golden hue. If you doubt the choice of sawdust, it is better to use hardwood. They are universal and suitable for everything: for meat, fish and chicken.
Birch wood chips
Very often birch firewood is used for smoking. However, such filings require caution. Birch is able to give products a light tar aroma. Not everyone will like this taste. Experts recommend using birch sawdust in combination with branches of other plants for smoking. It is best to use juniper. Twigs are worth taking those on which there are berries. Also, birch goes well with cherry leaves. Such firewood will make any smoked dish more enjoyable. Products will have an incomparable aroma. In addition, professionals do not recommend using birch bark. Juniper is commonly used to give products an extraordinary flavor.
We choose raw materials
To prepare a delicious product, you should consider some of the features of certain types of wood. For example, the best sawdust for smoking meat and fish is aspen. They give products a delicate, subtle aroma. The most interesting thing is that aspen rods quickly crack when burned in a furnace. In the smokehouse, such material smolders gradually and evenly, thus forming a persistent aroma and deep smoke. For the preparation of all products, you can use oak wood chips.
What to use is not worth it
If you want to get a tasty and fragrant product, then you should abandon raw materials from conifers. In such filings a lot of resin. It contaminates products and gives them an unpleasant, specific taste. In addition, a soot layer forms on the walls of the smokehouse during smoldering of such raw materials.
As for the finished dish, it will be very bitter. Often from such products tickles in the throat. For this reason, it is not recommended to use such firewood.
Flavoring additives
Smoked wood chips can be made from several species of wood. Professional smokers add various flavoring additives to it. Do not be alarmed; these are not spices and spices. These are twigs and leaves of other plants that give the finished dish a brighter and more unique taste. For example, for fish it is better to use twigs of fruit trees and shrubs. When heated, such raw materials emit a small amount of resins and are not able to spoil the taste of the finished product. The fish is very aromatic and tender.
For smoking meat, alder wood chips are ideal. It gives a classic taste and aroma. Over the years, foodies have been trying to create their original composition of raw materials. If it is not possible to get a certain type of wood, then it will be replaced with willow, winter or poplar. It is worth noting that when using such sawdust, a tasteless and bland product is obtained. Therefore, for cooking, for example, fish should use a large number of spices.
Mountain ash and acacia
Often in the process of smoking, professionals use mountain ash and acacia. These wood species have bactericidal properties. For better smoking of sea oily fish in a special smokehouse, it is necessary to use not only appropriate sawdust, but also add several young branches of acacia to them. This will give the finished dish a certain sharpness. In addition, as a flavoring, you can use twigs of hornbeam, as well as eucalyptus leaves.
Main rule
Firewood of the same size should be used for smoking lard, meat, fish and chicken. This is the most important rule. Similar requirements are imposed not only on wood chips, but also on chips and sawdust. Neglecting such a rule can lead to the fact that in the process of smoking at a maximum heating temperature, raw materials of too small sizes begin to smolder more actively, and may break out when the lid is removed. This is not very good, as the products begin to burn and gradually become covered with a layer of soot. A properly cooked dish should not have traces of soot.
In conclusion
Smoked wood chips should be selected in accordance with personal preferences. In addition, the choice of raw materials also depends on which product you are preparing. In home smoking it is quite difficult to achieve the optimal combination of all the necessary substances that are present in the smoke. However, it is in your power to choose good firewood, as well as to monitor temperature and humidity. This is the only way to prepare a delicious and fragrant product. The main thing is not to forget one of the basic rules of smoking: the higher the temperature and the lower the humidity level, the more acids and phenols get into the product. And this, in turn, dehydrates and dries the dish.