Disputes about the dangers and benefits of smoked products have been going on for a long time. However, lovers of food prepared in a similar way, this does not become less. And although such household appliances as hot smokers cannot be attributed to consumer products, they have recently become more and more popular. This is primarily due to the fact that many different models have appeared on sale, allowing you to cook your favorite dishes by hot smoking.
Design and principle of operation
Structurally, a hot-smoked home smokehouse is a metal container, on the bottom of which wood chips are laid, which are not in direct contact with the fire during the cooking process. Inside the smoking device there is a grate for products, and under it there is a tray for collecting dripping fat. The container is closed with a sealed lid, which has a fitting for removing smoke and maintaining the required pressure inside the chamber.
The smoking process is as followsway:
- the bottom of the structure is heated with an external heat source;
- wood chips begin to smolder (but do not burn);
- smoke, passing through the grates, thermally processes (that is, smokes) the products until they are fully cooked.
The temperature inside the smoking chamber is between 60 and 120 °C. Full cooking time (depending on the weight and type of food loaded) does not exceed 1.5-2 hours.
Note! With the help of such rather simple and useful devices, you can cook a wide variety of products: cheese, lard, meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, mushrooms and much more.
Varieties of hot smoking devices
All domestic hot smokehouses are divided into two main groups:
- for outdoor use (as an external heat source, as a rule, an ordinary barbecue is used);
- with the ability to install on a standard stove (design features allow you to remove excess smoke through the kitchen hood or window vent).
It is the latter that are gaining more and more popularity, since you can smoke in a hot-smoked smokehouse and delight yourself and your loved ones with culinary masterpieces “with smoke” not only outdoors during a short summer season, but throughout the entire calendar year.
What determines the taste of hot smoked products
The two main things that affect the final taste of dishes cooked in a hot smoker are the recipes and the wood chips used to produce the smoke.
A "universal" smoke, suitable for almost all types of products, is obtained using alder chips. In addition, it is also the cheapest. Packing weighing 1 kg will cost you only 350-390 rubles. Fruit wood (apple, cherry, pear or apricot) gives a special flavor to smoked dishes. A package of such material for producing smoke (also weighing 1 kg) will already cost about 500 rubles.
Some manufacturers offer blends of different types of wood tested by professional chefs:
- for fish - beech, alder and thyme;
- for chicken - cherries and alders;
- for meat - alder, beech and rosemary.
Main manufacturers of indoor smokehouses
For quite a long time, only owners of dachas or suburban areas could “pamper” themselves with dishes cooked at home in hot smoked smokehouses. This was connected, of course, with the smoke that inevitably forms during the smoking process. Recently, however, devices that can be used without problems in the kitchen of an ordinary city apartment have become increasingly popular. Excess smoke (which is discharged through a special hose) can be easily handled by a conventional kitchen hood. The most famous manufacturers of homemade hot smokers today are:
- Finnish Hanhi and Suomi;
- Russian Bravo and Dymka;
- German Peter Kohler, Kasseler, Fansel and Zolinger.
Models, equipment and prices
All of the manufacturers listed above offer users three models of home hot smokehouses with a useful internal volume of 10, 20 and 30 liters. The price of devices is almost the same regardless of the manufacturer and amounts to 4900-5000, 6000-6500 and 7900-8100 rubles, respectively. Outwardly, they are a cylindrical container made of high quality stainless steel. In order for the devices to be used on any stoves (including modern induction hobs), the bottom of the case is made of a special ferromagnetic alloy. A vertical metal rod is fixed inside the smoking compartment, onto which the rest of the accessories are mounted.
Standard package includes:
- the smokehouse itself with a lid;
- bottom chip tray;
- capacity to collect dripping fat;
- shelves with holes for smoking lump products (from 1 to 3 depending on the volume of the model);
- nozzle with hooks for smoking products (for example, fish or homemade sausage) in a vertically suspended state;
- hose (silicone) to remove excess smoke, usually 2 to 5 meters long;
- thermometer that is screwed to the top cover;
- recipe book that helps the user choose the right temperature and cooking time;
- instructions for use.
Some manufacturers (as a free bonus) additionally includedelivery:
- 1-3 bags of various wood chips for trial testing of the purchased device;
- hank of special jute twine;
- shaping mesh roll;
- a small package of natural casings for making homemade sausages.
Technological feature of models from Bravo is the spherical (dome-shaped) shape of the top cover. According to the manufacturer, this contributes to the flow of condensate formed during smoking into the water seal.
The disadvantage of Kasseler products is the lack of a bottom chip tray, which makes it difficult to clean the product after use.
Smoked chicken
A short review of proven recipes should start with one of the ways to cook hot smoked chicken in a smokehouse. After all, it is this kind of bird in one form or another that is most often present on our table.
Preparatory stage:
- into a large saucepan pour 3 liters of water, a tablespoon (with a slide) of s alt and a teaspoon of sugar;
- bring the solution to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of 3% table vinegar, 3-4 cloves of garlic, 30-35 black peppercorns, 20-30 mg of dried herbs (depending on personal preference);
- mix everything thoroughly and let the solution cool;
- put the chicken carcass in a container, close the pan with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for 18-22 hours.
The process of cooking chicken in a hot smoke oven:
- 1 hour before the start of smoking, we take out the carcass from the marinade and remove excess moisture with napkins;
- pour 30-40 grams of alder chips (or a special mixture) into the bottom tray and place it in a container;
- then we mount a container for collecting fat and one grate on the rod;
- we put the chicken carcass on the central rod (if we use the model from Bravo, then we additionally insert a special spacer nozzle inside the carcass);
- tighten the lid, fill the airlock with water and turn on the stove (do not forget to connect the smoke exhaust hose and fix it to the kitchen hood).
Smoking temperature - about 80 degrees; cooking time - from 45-50 minutes to 1-1.2 hours (depending on the size of the chicken).
Important! We start counting the time from the moment the first signs of smoke from the choke appear.
Chicken prepared in this way, in terms of its unique aroma and exquisite specific taste, leaves no chance for competition with analogues baked in the oven or on the grill. Everyone who has ever tried a dish from this popular bird will undoubtedly agree with this statement.
Note! The 30 liter units can cook 2 or even 3 chickens at the same time.
Smoked pork
Pork is even easier to smoke in a hot smoke oven than chicken. Many experts believe that the use of pre-marination and numerous spices “kills” the taste of already quite tender and soft meat.
To do:
- cut the pork into fairly large pieces;
- rub the resulting "blanks" with a mixture of s alt, chopped bay leaf and ground pepper (red and black);
- put the processed pieces of pork in a suitable container and leave for 1-2 hours.
The method of smoking is in many ways similar to cooking chicken. Key differences:
- meat spread on 1 or 2 horizontal grids (depending on quantity);
- we use a mixture of beech and alder chips (in a ratio of 1:1) as the starting material for obtaining smoke;
- cooking time - 1-1.5 hours, temperature - 90-95 degrees.
Note! A variety of foods can be smoked this way: chicken pieces (wings or thighs), pork ribs or small fish.
Hot smoked mackerel
The taste of hot-smoked mackerel is familiar to every fish lover. However, few people know that it is possible to cook fish in a hot smoke smokehouse without much difficulty even at home.
Preparing the marinade (based on the preparation of 4 carcasses of mackerel, because just such an amount can easily be placed in a home smokehouse):
- Pour 2 liters of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil;
- add 200 grams of s alt and sugar, 5-6 bay leaves, 18-20 black peppercorns, 20-30 ml of natural lemon juice;
- mix all the ingredients thoroughly and boil them for 8-10 minutes;
- cooling readymarinade;
- put 4 carcasses of mackerel in it (without heads and entrails);
- close the lid and refrigerate for 18-20 hours.
Smoking fish in a hot smoker:
- get the fish from the marinade;
- we remove all excess moisture with paper towels both outside and inside;
- we tie the carcasses with a tourniquet, leaving a loop in the tail section for hanging on a device for vertical smoking;
- 50-60 grams of alder chips moistened with 3 tablespoons of water;
- spread it evenly on the surface of the lower tray and lower it to the bottom of the smokehouse;
- next, install a container for collecting fat;
- we hook the carcasses on the hooks of the device for vertical smoking, and install it on the central vertical rod of the smokehouse;
- close the lid;
- we attach the hose for removing excess smoke to the hood;
- fill the water seal with water;
- turn on the stove at medium power.
Smoking temperature - 65-75 degrees, cooking time - 35-40 min.
Smokehouses for outdoor use
The choice of hot smokers designed for outdoor use is very diverse in both price and size.
For example, the simplest compact portable design of domestic production (dimensions 500X250X200 mm, with a fat collection tray and two grates) can be purchased for only 850-900 rubles. Although such a device does not havea water seal and a fitting for removing excess steam, it will perform its main purpose (smoking products) properly. As a heat source, you can use a barbecue (if you have one) or install the product on several bricks and simply make a fire under it. The absence of a thermometer makes it necessary to carry out the cooking process “by eye”. Therefore, it will be possible to achieve a really good result only after conducting numerous experiments.
Stainless steel products with a water seal and a built-in thermometer are similar in price to cylindrical universal devices from Hanhi, Bravo or Zolinger. Therefore, their choice is justified mainly for those who live in their own country house or spend a significant part of their free time on their garden plot.
The popular model Sfera Lux 450 (Russia), made of high-quality food-grade stainless steel (450X300X300 mm with a water seal and a thermometer built into the top cover) costs about 5,500 rubles.
Standalone Models
Autonomous devices for hot smoking are equipped with built-in thermal elements: electric (heaters) or gas (burners). Both options are for outdoor use only. Their acquisition, due to their significant size and high price, is justified either for large families permanently residing in the countryside or in the countryside; either for small restaurants or cafes.
The most famous manufacturers of this category of smokehouses:Smoke Hollow, Masterbuilt, Chair-Broil and Camp Chef. The minimum price is 25,000-30,000 rubles.
DIY Option
Building a do-it-yourself hot smoke smokehouse for people with even minimal plumbing skills will not be difficult. There are a lot of manufacturing options. Easiest:
- As the main container, we use a small barrel, a bucket of sufficient size or a tank for boiling laundry (which, by the way, almost no one now uses for its intended purpose).
- The fat collection tray can be crafted from a used pot by cutting it to the desired height.
- Grids for groceries are easy to weave yourself from metal wire of suitable diameter.
