A dish that is used both on its own and in combination with a variety of side dishes. In addition, there are many recipes for preparing delicious salads and cold appetizers, the highlight of which is smoked poultry. Ruddy, smoked chicken, which evokes pleasant associations of summer, picnic, fun, you can cook yourself.
Ways to smoke chicken
There are two types of birds: hot smoked and cold smoked. The choice of method depends on factors such as the type of meat, the duration of the chicken preparation process, and taste preferences.
- Cold smoking a chicken or parts of it involves hanging the carcass in smoke over a smoldering fuel. The procedure is lengthy and how long it takes depends on the recipe, about a few days. It is important to maintain the temperature in the smokehouse at 20-30 degrees. The meat turns out to be more rigid and dense than with the hot smoking method. In the process of smoking, the surface of the meat slowly dries up, and the smoke substances slowly penetrate into the product.
- Smoking using the hot method involves a temperature regime in the smokehouse from 80 to 140 degrees. How long the process takes in hours also depends on the recipe.
Preparatory stage
It is necessary to prepare a clean inventory:
- chop hammer;
- an ax for cutting a carcass or a large sharp knife made of thick steel;
- pot;
- cutting board.
Any smokehouse is suitable: working on wood or coals. Oak, alder, apple, cherry wood is great for fuel. Instead of this apparatus, you can use a bulky metal container, for example, a bucket, a pan, a metal barrel or the body of an old refrigerator. An important condition is tight closure of the product in the smokehouse.
In such a smokehouse, chicken is quite easy to smoke in nature.
Not all bird carcasses are suitable for smoking. It should be fresh, even in color. If the skin of the bird is sticky and there is mucus, this is a sign that the product is not fresh. It is advisable to smoke a young female, the meat will turn out tastier and softer. The naturalness of the product and the absence of additives is also an important factor.
Preparing the chicken carcass for smoking
- Remove fluff, feather. We lower the chicken for a while in a bucket of boiling water, then we pluck the feather;
- Singe the carcass over a flame of fire and wash it, removing the insides. Avoid burning the skin, as this will affect the taste and quality of the meat. We recommend that you rub the carcass with flour before singeing, which will create a protective layer. We wash so that there is no smell of burning;
- Optionally, if the bird is large, the chicken can be cut into two parts lengthwise;
- Next, beat the bird with a hammer, placing it between the cutting surface and the cutting board. The purpose of this manipulation is to soften the large bones and joints of the bird;
- Preparation of brine or marinade (recipes are given below);
- Put the bird in the prepared container and pour the prepared brine or marinade for a while, depending on the specific recipe;
- At the end of the period, take out the chicken, make punctures in the carcass, coat with a mixture of salt, garlic and spices;
- Then the chicken should be hung in a draft, at an air temperature of no more than +10 degrees and dried before being smoked for 2-4 days.
hot smoked chicken recipe
Cut the fresh, plucked and gutted carcass in half along the spine line. Beat the halves of the carcass with a hammer, placing it between the cutting boards. The chicken halves should be soft. Then you should generously rub the inner and outer surfaces for 2.5-3.5 hours with a mixture of salt, allspice, ground pepper, cloves, and garlic. Then remove excess salt with a dry textile napkin.
cold smoked chicken recipe
Ingredients for curing mixture:
- 2.5 kg. hen;
- 180 g of rock salt;
- 1 tablespoon of sugar;
- vitamin C.
Salt the prepared carcass with the mixture. Place in a saucepan for 2 days, sprinkle with pepper and bay leaf to taste. Then pour the brine and leave for another 9-11 days.
Brine Ingredients:
- 9 liters of cold boiled water;
- 1.5 kg of rock salt;
- 40 g of sugar;
- 20 g of ascorbic acid.
Before smoking, the chicken should be washed with water and dried for 9 hours.
Chips of masters of hot and cold smoking
1. Some recipes suggest pre-boiling the chicken with salt. Then it should be dried.
2. Use cherry or apple sawdust for smoking. The meat will acquire a specific taste of smoke and fruit, combined with juiciness and tenderness.
3. When smoking with the hot method, it is recommended to periodically spray the chicken with brine or marinade.
