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Hot smoked mackerel recipes. Smoking mackerel with liquid smoke at home

You should purchase mackerel only in trusted stores, so as not to accidentally buy a spoiled product. The quality of fish can be determined as follows. Firstly, it is unacceptable for it to have an unpleasant odor and looseness. Secondly, it should not be covered with a thick layer of ice (this is how stores disguise the poor quality of the product). The fresh product will be elastic, strong and without a distinct odor.

Having bought mackerel for cold or hot smoking at home, you first need to prepare it. It is advisable to gut the carcass, remove the head and intestines. After this, dry with a towel. By the way, you can leave the head. Clean and processed fish can be pickled or salted.

How to pickle mackerel?

It will be easiest; you won’t need to look for special ingredients or spend a lot of time. It is enough to cover the mackerel with a thick layer of salt and black pepper. If desired, you can add other spices intended for fish.

The easiest way to salt is to cover the mackerel with a thick layer of salt.

The container in which the carcasses are located will need to be covered with a plate or cling film. After this, you need to leave it in the refrigerator for about 10 hours. It is not advisable to shorten the time, otherwise the fish will not have time to salt.

Before cooking it in the smokehouse, you will need to shake off excess salt. The fish has absorbed everything it needs in a day, and now all that remains is to hold it in the smoke. This recipe is suitable for both hot and cold smoking at home.

Simple marinade for mackerel

Marinade for hot smoked mackerel is useful if you want to make the fish more flavorful. It is not difficult to prepare, the main thing is to follow the instructions.

Ingredients:

You need to boil water, add salt, sugar, bay leaves and onion peels. You should also add lemon juice (about 20 ml) and chopped garlic. You need to cook for about 10 minutes, then turn off and cool.

The fish carcasses should be dipped into the resulting brine and left there for at least 2 hours. After this, the meat must be removed and dried. Now you can begin the process of hot or cold smoking.

Marinade with bay leaf and coriander

Anyone can marinate mackerel for smoking. To do this, you don’t need to have any special cooking skills. The brine is made extremely simply and quickly: it usually takes 10-15 minutes to make it. Some people wonder why a marinade is needed to cook fish in a smokehouse? Of course, you can do without it, but it is what provides the unique taste. Spices, salt, and other elements make the fish aromatic, juicy, soft and tender. This is the kind of product that will delight guests and loved ones. You can't buy it in a store - it's prepared according to a unique recipe.

Ingredients:

The marinade is prepared at home as follows. Pour a liter of water into a saucepan; if there is a lot of fish, then the amount of liquid can be increased. Place on the fire and start boiling. When bubbles appear, add salt and sugar. There is no need to be afraid that a sweet ingredient will spoil the taste. Sugar just helps make the carcasses absorb spices and salt faster, so it is necessary in small quantities.

Marinade at home

Place the remaining spices in the water. If you wish, you can add your own seasoning; there are no restrictions on this - the main thing is that it does not spoil the product. The fish needs to be soaked for about 12 hours, you can increase the time to a day. Before smoking, you should hang it by the tail for about 1-2 hours. This is necessary to ensure that all the liquid is glass. Now the carcasses can be sent straight to the smokehouse. If you cook it hot, you can start eating in 30-45 minutes. According to this recipe, the dish turns out tasty, aromatic and piquant.

Mackerel is a fish very rich in useful elements. Let's consider smoking mackerel at home in a hot smoked smokehouse.

Mackerel in any form, but gourmets prefer to smoke it. To do this, they purchase or make their own smokehouses for hot smoking, so that delicious aromatic fish is always on the dinner table.

Smoking mackerel at home gives it an incredibly beautiful color and attractive aroma. In order to smoke fish, you should have a special device - a smokehouse. To start hot smoking, you should check the fish for freshness.

What is a smokehouse?

Smokehouses for hot smoking are made in different versions, but they have the same principle of operation: the smoking process occurs due to intense smoldering of wood in a metal container with a tightly closed lid and a grate inside on which the products are placed. Wood smokes due to the fact that the container is placed on fire.

Smoked mackerel

The product, located on the grate above sawdust or wood chips, is thoroughly impregnated with smoke and reaches its proper condition due to the high temperature, which is more than 50 degrees.

The grate should be slightly above the middle of the smokehouse. In such designs there must be a lower tray that can be pulled out. It is needed so that ash and grease can fall there. Tall structures are not suitable for home smoking, as the fish will not be able to be properly smoked. At home, portable smokehouses are used, and in private homes you can install a stationary one. The material used is stainless steel sheets.

Preliminary preparation and salting of mackerel at home

The process of smoking mackerel at home in a hot smoked smokehouse is not expensive and is quite fast in time!

The final product has an excellent authentic taste. If the fish is frozen, it should be completely defrosted. Before the smoking procedure, the fish should be gutted by carefully cutting the belly and removing the entrails. The head of the fish does not need to be cut off, which will give the smoked product an aesthetic appearance. Next, the fish should be thoroughly dried.

After coating the inside of the mackerel with salt, turn it over on its back and sides every half hour.

You can salt fish by diluting salt in water. For three medium-sized mackerel you should take 50 grams of salt and one liter of water. Pour the solution over the fish and leave for 1.5 -2 hours, then rinse it thoroughly and dip it in a napkin. After drying, you can rub the mackerel on all sides with various spices to enhance the taste.

Hot smoking mackerel

The prepared fish should be tied lengthwise along the carcass with a cloth rope and placed on a wire rack, which has been pre-lubricated with oil or some kind of fat.

Wood should be poured into the bottom of the smokehouse. This can be alder chips, sawdust, chopped willow twigs, oak, juniper, birch. To enhance the flavor, wood chips from apple and pear trees are added to smokehouses. In order for mackerel to be smoked at home in a hot-smoked smokehouse, it is customary to add raw branches. The more different types of wood, the more flavorful the fish will be.

Place the grill with fish on special ledges that are located at the desired level in the smokehouse. The fish is placed so that the belly lies on the grill. Don't forget to check that the tray is in place. Ash should pour into it and fat should drain. The absence of smoke from burnt fat gives an excellent result without bitterness.

In order to smoke on a portable smokehouse at home, you need to move the gas or electric stove to the balcony. After heating the stove, place a smokehouse on top with a tightly sealed lid.

Switch the stove to medium heat and smoke for ten minutes. Open the lid, release the smoke and seal again for fifteen minutes. Hot smoked fish takes no more than half an hour to prepare. The fish should be smoked until an even golden color appears. It must be turned over once on each side. To prevent it from being damaged during smoking, the mackerel should be placed on the grill with a gap from each other.

Sometimes it is impossible to determine the readiness of a product by appearance. In this case, take a sample.

Smoked mackerel

Having considered smoking mackerel at home in a hot smoked smokehouse, the recipe for such a tasty fish can be supplemented. To serve, cut the mackerel into portions. You can serve it with onions pickled in vinegar, potatoes boiled in their jackets, fresh herbs and black bread.

Bon appetit!

Hot smoked mackerel recipe

Ingredients:

Mackerel s/m – 5-6 pcs.
Salt pepper.
Vegetable oil.
Well, a smokehouse.)

How to smoke mackerel at home?

To start, I bought mackerel (it's ideal for smoking) and defrosted it naturally. I took the fish headlong, as the seller assured me that this was the right thing for smoking!
I removed the fins from the mackerel and properly gutted the fish. I have already described a more detailed process in the article - mackerel baked in the oven.
Also, due to the small size of the smokehouse, I had to cut off the tails of the fish, which you don’t have to do. After that, I rinsed the fish and dried it with a paper towel.
Rub the mackerel well with salt, inside and out. I peppered it a little. You can also add a little lemon juice. I left the mackerel to salt for about 30 minutes.

Prepared the smokehouse:

During this time I prepared the smokehouse. To prevent the fish from sticking to the grill, we decided to cover it with foil.
And grease a little with vegetable oil. This process, I think, is also optional. But still.
I placed several freshly cut alder branches on the bottom of the smokehouse. By the way, you can take branches of any fruit trees: apple, plum, cherry, etc. Well, or buy a ready-made bag of sawdust for smoking in the store. A couple of handfuls will be enough.
I lit the grill in advance so that the large logs could reach the coals. In general, the smokehouse is placed on an open fire, but in our case the iron is very thin and you actually have to cook on coals, otherwise the mackerel will burn.
I put grates from an old gas stove on the grill.)) So the smokehouse fits perfectly on the fire.
I put a grate with foil in the smokehouse.
Placed the fish on top. I put the smokehouse on the grill.
And covered it with a lid. For half an hour I forget about the mackerel and go about my business.
After 30 minutes I open the lid and observe the following picture.
Hot smoked mackerel at home is ready! Bon appetit.
It is better to serve smoked fish with fresh herbs and your favorite side dish, or without it.)
By the way, the next day, cold mackerel (for me personally) becomes even tastier.
If anything, please do not scold me about the correctness of actions in this procedure, since I am not a professional and am simply telling you how we do it. This article is not a manual.
Next time I’ll share a recipe for chicken breast, also cooked on the grill.
And finally, I suggest you evaluate a “multi-cooker” made from a gas cylinder. Gorgeous thing!

Hot smoked mackerel

Ingredients:

Mackerel
Pepper

Preparation:

Slowly defrost the fish as in the previous recipe. Gut it, remove the gills and wash the mackerel well with cold water. Rub with a mixture of salt and pepper and put in the refrigerator for 5 hours. Before smoking, dry the fish well, laying it out on a dry napkin.
For smoking we use a handful of wood chips from alder or fruit trees. Place the fish in the smoker so that they do not touch each other, cover the lid. Smoke over moderate heat for 25-30 minutes.

Smoked mackerel without smokehouse

Ingredients:

Preparation:

While the mackerel is defrosting, add all the ingredients except “liquid smoke” to the water and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes.
After the liquid has cooled, you need to strain it and add liquid smoke. Place the gutted and headless fish in a tray and fill it with the prepared broth, cover it with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for three days, turning it over every day to ensure even salting.
After the salting time has passed, the mackerel must be dried by hanging it by the tails for 5-6 hours.
To give a brighter color, the fish can be rubbed with vegetable oil.

How to smoke mackerel in a hot smoker

Ingredients:

Mackerel
One lemon

Hot smoked mackerel at home:

First you need to prepare the fish.
Gut the mackerel and rinse under running cold water.
Cut the lemon in half and, squeezing it in your hand, thoroughly rub the fish with it. Then take salt and rub the fish.
In a grated state, let the mackerel stand for 1-2 hours.

Let's start smoking mackerel:

To prepare hot smoked mackerel, we need a special smokehouse.
Today, there are a huge number of different types of smoking boxes on the market. They all differ in price, size (from small to large) and the number of grilles. The choice depends only on your needs, whether you need to smoke one fish at a time or ten at once.
To smoke mackerel at home, I use a small smokehouse produced back in the Soviet years.
Sprinkle a small layer of alder sawdust on the bottom of the smoking box.
We install the grill and place the mackerel on it. Before placing the fish, wash off the salt!
Light a barbecue or fire.
Place the smokehouse on the grill and place a brick on top of its lid.
The cooking time for hot smoked mackerel depends on the thickness of the fish and your smoking box.
Usually I keep it for 10~15 minutes, no more. Otherwise, the fish can be overdried and it will not be as tasty and juicy as it should be. Read more:

Hot smoked mackerel is ready! Bon appetit!

Hot smoked mackerel in the oven

Ingredients for one mackerel:

Salt, black pepper
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
Sleeve for baking

Preparation:

Clean and gut the mackerel. I also cut off the head, but this is at your discretion, you can leave it.
Salt well inside and out, leave for 15 minutes to salt. Then pepper and pour 1 tbsp. smoke, coat well on all sides.
Place the fish in the sleeve and tie it. Place the sleeve on a baking sheet and place in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Our delicious, juicy mackerel with the smell and aroma of campfire smoke is ready. You can eat it hot, and the next day it is very tasty.

Storing smoked fish

After smoking, the fish is left for some time in a ventilated area or in a draft. Smoked fish is stored in a dry, clean and cool place at a temperature of 2-10 ° C. The shelf life of cold smoked fish is up to two weeks, hot smoked fish - 4 - 6 days.

Wood for smoking mackerel

Hardwood without bark is used for smoking, usually: alder, plum, apple, pear, cherry. The type of wood affects the color of the product. Coniferous wood is not used because it contains a large amount of resins, which impart bitterness to products. The exception is juniper, but it must be used very carefully and in small quantities.

As promised yesterday, I am posting a recipe for smoked mackerel in a smokehouse. I’ll say right away that homemade smoked fish is very different from store-bought smoked fish. You will be able to please and surprise your friends and family with such an unusual dish.

Ingredients for “Smoked mackerel in the smokehouse”:

Recipe for “Smoked mackerel in a smokehouse”:

First of all, we need to buy frozen mackerel from the store. From my own experience, I recommend choosing medium-sized carcasses for smoking; they are easier to clean and easier to smoke. In the photo you can see my test subjects.

The next step is defrosting the fish. Some people recommend soaking it in cold water for an hour or two, but I think it might soften there, so I just left it in the kitchen at room temperature for about 2.5 hours. You can see the result in the photo. Doesn't look very appetizing yet, does it?

The third stage is the nastiest. We need to clean the fish from its intestines and entrails. To avoid damage to the product, I do not recommend messing around. We cut off the heads and thoroughly clean all the insides.

A very important stage is salting the fish. There are several types of salting, I chose the simplest - dry salting. Place the fish in an iron container, cover it completely with salt, add 1 bay leaf to each fish, sprinkle fish seasoning on top, wrap the container tightly in something thick (I wrapped it in a bag) and put it in the refrigerator overnight. (Approximately 7-9 hours)

After this time, we take out the well-salted fish, wash it under the tap, and hang it somewhere in the kitchen for an hour to dry. (Personally, I hung it by the handles of wall cabinets) After an hour, remove the fish, wrap it with twine, and hang it in the smokehouse.

When we talk about smoked fish, which would be accessible and inexpensive, for some reason we think of mackerel. This representative of mackerel has truly won the love of our consumers, and not only because of the price. Mackerel meat is quite fatty, which makes it unusually tender and soft, and the small number of bones allows you to feed the fish even to small children.

Useful qualities of mackerel meat

Mackerel can be prepared in any form, and in any form the resulting product is deliciously prepared, which also carries enormous benefits for the body, and a detailed analysis of the chemical composition is proof of this. Mackerel meat is rich in proteins, fats, vitamins and microelements.

Proteins have never hurt anyone, and for those who are engaged in active activities, they are simply necessary. Some dieters try to exclude proteins from their diet. Here they make a grave mistake. It has already been scientifically proven that vegetarianism is not beneficial to the body, and all because plant foods do not contain the amino acids that are generated from meat. Protein is out of the question; to replenish your daily requirement, you will have to eat an incredible amount of “grass.” Fish can fill the body with half the norm.

Fats are broken down very quickly, and they are not deposited in their pure form, which means that it is simply impossible to gain weight from fish. Even the calorie numbers prove this statement. 100 grams of mackerel provides an energy output of 190 thousand calories. Of course, for fish the figure can be lower, but in relative terms, this is not much.

The complex of vitamins contained in mackerel covers all groups. It’s even difficult to imagine another such universal product, from which the body would replenish its pantry. Medicine claims that it is vitamins that can normalize all vital processes. Thus, vitamin A has a direct effect on visual acuity, vitamin B stabilizes the functioning of the central nervous system, improves memory, vitamin C is responsible for immunity, vitamin D is needed by children during the formation of the skeleton.

Microelements also play an important role. In addition to the fact that fish contains quite rare metals, they are also difficult to find in their pure form in other products. Smoked fish is one of the cooking methods. Despite the fact that it is not recommended to consume smoked meats in large quantities, their benefits outweigh their harm. When smoking, many useful substances are preserved, which cannot be said about boiling or frying.

It’s not difficult to buy smoked fish in a store, but hot-smoked products, as you know, will not be stored for a long time, so you are buying a “pig in a poke.” And, what is important to emphasize, hot smoked mackerel cooked at home looks much more presentable, and there is no competition in taste.

Choosing fish for smoking

Unfortunately, not every supplier or seller can boast of an impeccable reputation. Today there are many ways to imitate the freshness of a product that has long expired. That’s why when choosing fish you will have to rely only on your knowledge.

Any literature will indicate that the best raw material for home smoking is live, freshly caught fish. In central Russia, mackerel on the counter can be found smoked, salted, chilled and frozen. For obvious reasons, the first two options are not considered. Next, I would like to give preference to chilled fish. But look at the map, find the commercial production area, and then compare the transportation period with the shelf life of the chilled carcasses. Have you changed your mind?

Unfortunately, freezing is considered the optimal and safest storage method. But if you are absolutely sure of the freshness of the fish, then, naturally, you should buy chilled mackerel. There are simple rules for choosing fish that probably apply to every species. If you doubt the expiration date indicated on the price tag, then pay attention to the following signs:

carcasses should not be covered with a sticky matte substance;
the film on the eyes is transparent, the eyes themselves are not sunken;
there is no foreign odor;
When you press a finger on the meat area, the indentation should quickly disappear, which indicates proper storage conditions.

Popular recipes for preparing for smoking

Before moving on to the description of specific actions that should be performed step by step, let’s talk about what is meant by a recipe, because the ability to supplement the dish with your own fantasies depends on this understanding. If the smoking process always proceeds the same way, then the same cannot be said about salting.

There is a basic principle that allows you to cook meat or fish so that it becomes suitable for consumption, it is based on the need to salt the product and then expose it to temperature. As a result, the protein structure changes and the fish can be eaten.

All differences in the process are aimed at the use of certain ingredients that can only emphasize the taste, add smell, and increase shelf life. But what remains the same is the preparation of the carcass itself.

Work begins with defrosting. Under no circumstances should fish be soaked in hot water or placed in the microwave. In this case, the structure of the fibers is disrupted. If you don’t have time to wait for the natural melting of the ice, then the correct and quick way to defrost is to immerse the carcasses in cold water.
We cut the fish by removing the entrails and the separation is ready. The black film covering the cavity must be removed, otherwise it will spoil the delicious delicacy by adding bitterness. Wash the resulting carcass thoroughly in water. Now you can start implementing the recipes.

The most trivial way to salt mackerel at home is to use a dry marinade. It contains salt as the main component, black pepper (ground) and other seasonings to taste. These seasonings can be replaced with chopped bay leaf.

To get an idea of the proportions, you should calculate the ingredients as follows: for 100 grams of salt there are 5 grams of pepper and 10 grams of seasonings.

Salting of mackerel for hot smoking takes place within 5-6 hours after each carcass is generously sprinkled with the prepared mixture. This salting is also called dry pickling. To prepare fish more effectively, you can salt it under pressure. The pressure releases moisture from the fibers, which mixes with salt and re-infiltrates the meat. After lying in the refrigerator, the mackerel is ready to be put into the smokehouse, but first it will have to be dried or at least wiped dry with a napkin. Please note that this recipe does not require soaking the carcasses after salting. The thing is that fish meat will not absorb too much salt, so regular wiping can be done.

The following recipe will allow you to marinate fish at even lower costs, because properly prepared natural mackerel only needs salt. Experts say that excess seasonings will only disrupt the bouquet that is characteristic of fresh fish meat, especially mackerel. The manipulations here are simple: just generously grate each carcass or each piece, and put it all in an enamel bowl. The fish should lie for a day, and after that it is washed in water, dried and sent to the smokehouse.

The aroma of lemon goes well with the taste of fresh and smoked fish. But not everyone knows at what stage and in what form this ingredient should be added. To marinate fish in this way, in addition to the traditional ingredients, you need to prepare one lemon. The fish is rubbed with salt, as in the cases described above, and the lemon should be cut into slices and placed in the abdominal cavity. After 10 hours, the fish is dried and you can start smoking. But mackerel should be smoked using this hot smoking method directly with lemon. Its juice will saturate the fibers without harming them, but will make the meat aromatic and juicier.

We'll tell you how to prepare a liquid marinade. With this salting, less salt will be required, and the process itself will occur faster. It is necessary to add 50 g of salt and those spices that you consider necessary to the water brought to a temperature of 80°C degrees. The hot marinade must cool down, and only then it is poured over the fish. It is salted for a couple of hours, and the degree of salting can be slightly adjusted. If you want to make the fish lightly salted, you will have to soak it in water.

Hot smoking process

Not every sawdust will be appropriate in a smokehouse. It is advisable to use fruit trees (apple, cherry). But the easiest way to get alder chips is that they are sold in stores and are inexpensive. One bookmark will require three handfuls, so there is no point in buying large quantities. The wood chips are spread evenly on the bottom of the box, which, in turn, is placed on the grill. To prevent sawdust from burning, they are pre-soaked in water.

Directly under the sieves where we will cook our fish, we will have to place a tray. This can be a ready-made vessel or a bowl made of foil, which serves to collect liquid, because juice from fish carcasses getting into the wood chips is unacceptable.

Cooking smoked fish in an apartment is quite possible, but technically requires a more complex device. The smokehouse lid must be equipped with a water seal. There is a ready-made convection oven that pumps smoke into a special chamber. You can also imitate smoking with liquid smoke by soaking the carcasses in it. Heat treatment is carried out in the usual way in the oven. But the process itself, and the result of smoking in nature, in the countryside, cannot be compared with any imitation.

One way or another, after 30 minutes of smoking the product will be completely ready. But they are in no hurry to remove it from the smokehouse. First you need to wait for the box to cool completely, and then it is advisable to ventilate the fish from excessive smoke. It is noteworthy that hot smoking will allow you to enjoy your favorite dish on the same day that cooking began.

Lovers of smoked fish have recently found it difficult to purchase this product in stores due to the high cost and sometimes not always the first freshness. But if you really like to regularly enjoy the taste of smoked meats, some find an alternative way out, especially fishermen and summer residents. For them, there is no question of how to smoke mackerel in a hot-smoked smokehouse, and many are happy to share their recipes, revealing secrets and nuances. Moreover, smoking mackerel does not require any special skills or industrial smoking installations; the one you made yourself is quite suitable. The latter can be used in camping conditions, in the country, and even at sea. In order for you to get really tasty fish that will literally melt in your mouth, you must follow certain rules and conditions.

How to choose the right fish

If we are talking about purchasing fish in a store, ideally it should be alive, this is 100% proof of its freshness. If the fish has already “introduced itself”, first of all pay attention to the eyes and gills. The eyes should be light, without cloudiness, slightly protruding. The gills are shiny, not slimy. Smell the fish - the smell should be quite fresh with a distinct hint of iodine. Another way to check the freshness of the fish is to test it with your finger - press on its body and notice how quickly the depression disappears.

Pay attention to the fins and tail - they should not be stuck together. In general, fresh fish appears shiny and firm.

You shouldn’t even start cooking if you don’t understand in principle how and how much to smoke - the blood remaining inside the fish after baking is dangerous to your health and general well-being. Before you start smoking, read the recommendations;
You should not smoke fish of different sizes at the same time, as this will lead to uneven quality of cooking.

choose the right combustible material - cherry, apricot or hardwood chips are ideal;
Do not open the smokehouse during cooking or a few minutes after removing it from the heat - the escaping steam can lead to burns to your hands and face;
study the mode, exposure time and strength of fire.
Children should not be near the smokehouse during smoking.

What kind of smokehouse and fuel should it be?

If you decide to purchase a ready-made smokehouse, the best one will be one that is made of stainless steel; the material of the product is considered to be stainless steel, unlike others. Control the heat while cooking the fish so that it does not burn, but still has time to smoke until fully cooked.

The cover on the unit must be securely fixed - the most optimal would be with a plug or with screw-on valves.

The size and shape of the smokehouse depends only on how much and how often you are going to smoke, but its height should be 50 - 60 cm. Less - it will burn, more - it will not have time to cook.

Be sure to clean after every third smoking cycle to get rid of soot, resin and other contaminants. The racks should be placed after each cooking.

The best firewood for smoking not only mackerel, but also chicken, lard and other products is birch, willow, and fruit trees. It's better to stock up on firewood in advance. Those who regularly pamper themselves with goodies buy or prepare firewood for the season.

To add a certain piquancy to the taste of the fish, you can add a juniper sprig along with the wood chips. You don’t need a lot - too much, on the contrary, will spoil the taste, but one is ideal.

How to make a smokehouse with your own hands

Cut the stainless steel sheet into 3 rectangles (sides and bottom) and 2 squares (sides), which are welded together by electric arc welding into the shape of a parallelepiped. Make the lid separately - it is better if it is removable. Weld a “skirt” along the edges of the lid, which will seal the smokehouse hermetically. You also weld screw-on valves and handles to make it convenient to move the installation.

Inside the smokehouse, at a distance of 5-7 cm from the bottom, you can make a removable grate under which fuel will be placed - this is done so that the wood does not “shoot” and does not burn the food. You can do without a grille.

You also make a removable grid from the rods, similar to a barbecue grid, on which fish, lard, etc. will subsequently be placed.

Be sure to weld hooks around the edges on which the spit will be placed. This makes it so convenient to smoke chicken that you can’t put on the grill.

Before cooking, a 2-centimeter layer of small wood chips and small twigs is placed on the bottom and covered with a one-centimeter bark. The leaves, preferably young ones, are placed up to the bottom grate, which ensures an excellent smoking regime.

The smokehouse can be placed either on the stove and cooked over a fire, or over a fire. The taste and aroma will be the same.

Ingredients, selection, preparation of fish for smoking

To prepare you will need:

mackerel (usually 1 per person, but depends on size);
salt, ground pepper, fish seasoning to taste.

All fish should be as similar as possible. If it is of different sizes, then sort it to achieve equal cooking. Homogeneous fish is cooked at the same time.

Smokehouses with two grates allow you to place 3-4 fish on each. If you have a large number of people, you can carry out the smoking process several times, and you can store it in the refrigerator as a reserve for much longer than fresh and fried. Large mackerel is tastier and fattier than small mackerel, which should be taken into account when choosing a purchase.

The preparatory process can be divided into three stages:

Treatment. In general, there are 2 main options - who likes what. In the first, the fish is completely gutted, the head is cut off, and the entrails are removed to get rid of the bitterness. In the second, the whole fish is smoked, only without scales. Experienced smokers assure that such fish is many times tastier than gutted fish. We will not argue, we will only advise you to try both options.

Salting. The fish is sorted by size and then covered with salt. For large specimens, the exposure should be no more than 2.5 hours, for medium-sized specimens 2 hours is enough, for small specimens an hour and a half is enough. No weight is required for salting. The appearance of brine is a sign of the end of salting.
Washing, drying, treatment with oil or fish oil. After salting, the fish is washed and hung to dry. When dry, it should be generously lubricated with oil, preferably sunflower, as other oils worsen the properties. Place the fish on the grill so that they do not touch each other, and then safely smoke.

How to determine the readiness of fish

Smoking should begin over high heat. After 5-7 minutes it should be made weaker. On average, cooking time takes from 25 to 30 minutes, if we're talking about about fish. The whole chicken will be smoked for 1.5-2 hours depending on the size of the carcass. Lard smokes faster if you cut it into small pieces.

It is not recommended to open the smokehouse under any circumstances before the end of the cooking time. After it has cooled, you can check it; if the color is not intense enough (golden or even whitish), return the smokehouse back to the fire and cook for some more time.

Dark and golden colors are indicators of readiness. The finished dish is served on the table and eaten with light salads and vegetables. Due to the peculiarities of preparation, such dishes are classified as healthy food dishes.