Smoked meat like everyone, and there is no shortage in it in modern grocery stores and markets. Everyone will easily pick up some suitable piece, be it - beef, pork, bird or game.
If there is a desire, patience, free time and sensible recipe, you can also smoke meat and do it yourself. For this you do not need to possess some special talents. A variety of ways to smoke meat, only at first glance are designed complex and time-consuming. As a result, by having prepared an appetizing piece of fragrant sternum in such a way, you can forever throw out the thoughts about buying smoked meat. For now, if you try, you will always smoke meat yourself.
A bit of theory
The essence of smoking is concluded in the effects of meat substances that are in smoke smoke. We are talking about many dozens of compounds with bactericidal effects and antioxidants, which penetrate into the thickness of the product, protect it from the ambulance.
For greater permeability of products that will sprinkle, they are pre-identified. As a result, the process of smoking meat gets a more delicate consistency, exquisite taste and characteristic "smoked" aroma. In addition, wrapped products can be stored longer - the storage period directly depends on how to smoke.
In practice, two main meat smoked methods are used - hot and cold. In home, the house is much more often resorted to hot smoked as shorter and more convenient.
The following subspecies of the hot way are more rare: baking in smoke, half-megue smoking.
The main differences between all the listed meat smoking methods are:
- temperature modes;
- the exposure time with smoke smoke on the product.
The relationship between these factors is such - the larger the temperature of the smoke, the shorter the whole process of smoking meat lasts, and therefore, the shelf life of the finished smoked smoking will be less.
Preparation for smoke
What are the smokehouse
In order to prepare smoked meat at home with their own hands, you will certainly need a special installation. It can be both a homemade device and an industrially produced smokehouse.
In general, the following varieties of smokers are found:
- wood;
- coal;
- gas;
- electric.
The best option is definitely wood smoking. She "works" on sips, firewood, thanks to which the meat acquires a natural powerful fragrance.
It is more complicated in use - permanent control over maintaining the desired temperature level is necessary. However, this complexity with interest pays off the final result is incredibly tasty and fragrant smoked meat products.
Coal smokehouses are refilled simultaneously with suitable chips and special charcoal.
Such coal gives a more stable fire, longer tweets - which gives coal smoking some advantage over wood. This design is quite possible to make in the yard itself or at the cottage, for example, to use a street grill for it.
Even easier in use. They do not need to constantly control the temperature. However, meat in the smokehouse on gas is not as high quality and tasty, as in the first two cases.
Electric smokehouses are designed for modern lazy people. With them you can do not monitor the course of cooking. However, the full disclosure of the meat taste in such anchitol will not work. In addition, such designs are silence.
Selection of fuel
A more important question is - than to smoke meat in the smokehouse. The main thing in all this process is the quality of smoke. For an excellent final result, you need a "right" smoke, the one that turns a lifeless piece of meat into an amazing delicacy, and not just spoil it. It is clear that suitable fuel will need for such a smoke.
The best for smoking is the wood (branches, sawdust, chips) of hardwood fit. It is oak, maple, alder, cherry, ash, Rowan. These breeds, heating, allocate a minor proportion of harmful resins.
Avoid smokers prefer to complement the main breeds with dry sprigs of fruit trees. They make sophisticated nuances in the ultimate taste and aroma of meat. The most popular rocks are alder with juniper. Smoked, cooked with their participation, are kept for the longest, are still more fragrant.
Coniferous wood containing a set of resins is better to ignore. Wood plates, painted or lacquered boards are not suitable for smoking categorically.
Ultimately, the choice of suitable wood is reduced to the individual preferences of the smokers
Methods of smoked
Having understood with fuel and installation, you can already think about how to smoke.
Cold option
Cold smoking is the processing of products with a roof smoke at relatively low temperatures (20-25 degrees Celsius). The process time depends on the size of meat carcasses or pieces. As a rule, it lasts from two to four days. For whole carcass you may need to be needed.
In this method there is no need to create a big flame. Gained wood goes exclusively to get smoke. Most often sawdusts plus a slight volume of chips, chips.
In the course of the process of moisture from meat, it will be gradually go away, its surface will begin to push. The smoke of the same joints, which are rich in smoke, will slowly begin to penetrate the meat.
Smoked, cooked with a cold way, are stored up to three months.
Hot version
Hot smoking meat is much more suitable for home conditions. Meat with this method is processed not only by smoke, but also warm. The temperature of the smoke is within 40-60 degrees. Cooking time from an hour to 12 hours, sometimes up to two days.
Depending on the type of the meat product, smoking is carried out with different temperatures of smoke: from 40 degrees for the sternum, semi-compound sausage up to 100 degrees for the bird, bodies.
The main advantage of this method is the cooking speed. It also determines the main disadvantage - too short shelf life. Meat with hot smoked becomes ready too quickly - only a small amount of moisture has time from it. Maximum storage period for this delicacy - Three days.
At the same time, the meat that has lost a slight volume of moisture, has time to so much soak fat. That is why hot smoking meat products have such an excellent taste, juicy, tender consistency, an attractive smell. Due to this way of smoking is especially popular among lovers and professionals.
Selection and preparation of meat
You can smoke any meat perfectly. Traditionally, it is customary to use more rigid parts of the carcass for this purpose. During slow cooking, connective tissues will gradually collapse - the meat will become soft and gentle.
Classic pieces of meat carcasses:
- beef - ham, breast, ribs, blade, tongue
- pork - breast, ham, fillet, ribs, legs, head, tails, ears, tongue, fat;
- lamb - saddle, blade, back.
Meat for future juiciness and saturated taste before smoking should be pre-subjected to standard processing: to pickle, sleep, grasp spices, slightly graft
For salting, you need to prepare a special brine for smoking meat. There should be soaked the ham, bird or ham at least two days. For different parts of the carca use different ambassadors: dry, wet. It is necessary to solit in a cool, dark room. At home - use the refrigerator. Singing will give the product a specific taste, which will only increase in the course of smoking, and the perfect salinity.
Marination or rubbing spices is used for specific parts of the carcass - breasts, ribs. Marinadov recipes can be the most diverse.
Before starting smoking, it is important not to forget to bring meat pieces to room temperature. This will allow them to smoke evenly.
How to smoke
So, the homemade smokehouse has been purchased, the instructions for it read, squeezing with chips are harvested, the meat is sleeping and is looking forward to the hour, what to do next?
First you need to estimate time - how much to smoke. It needs to be determined based on the technical characteristics of the smokehouse, the species and sizes of the piece of meat, a good selected recipe
A well-pickled breast can be shipped on average for 4-6 hours, a bauly of cutting smokes 6 hours, carefully saline pork - 4 hours. In general, smoking recipes are very diverse, therefore it is worth readingly reading and fully understand them for proper planning of effort and time.
Meat in homemade smokers fit, as a rule, on the grille or tray. To wrap it with a thermal paper or foil is not necessary - smoke must be easily accessible to him. Meat pieces should not be under direct thermal exposure.
In the process of cooking a dish, breast or ribs can be watered with special mixtures of water, vinegar and spices.
Control the temperature indicated in the recipe should be done by means of a special culinary thermometer. The determination of the optimal temperature inherent in each type of meat is especially important, since there is simply no other accurate ways to determine the readiness.
Visually readiness is determined by the color of a meat piece. The surface of it ideally should have a red-brown or golden crust, while being dry, elastic and brilliant
To help understand whether the meat is ready, and pink rings formed in its thicker in the course of smoking are ready. To do this, cut a piece - the presence of the rings will talk about the successful outcome of the smoking.
Hot smoked meat products in the end are perfectly impregnated with fat, become juicy. They can be used in boiled form for soups and a variety of second dishes.
