Very often after the holidays, a lot of meat or fish cuts remain in our refrigerator, especially after the New Year holidays and birthdays - brisket, loin, neck, smoked fish. All that many have enough imagination for is to cook, firstly, hot sandwiches, secondly, boil a hodgepodge and thirdly bake pizza. I do not argue, all this is very tasty, but there are many other delicious recipes with smoked meats according to which you can cook excellent dishes!

Brisket

To prepare the brisket, use the brisket portion of bacon, meat and fatty pork carcasses with a skin that is at least 2 cm thick in a thin layer. The brisket shape is rectangular, the bacon thickness is 1-3 cm, and the brisket weight is at least 1 kg. The stripped brisket is salted using the method of mixed salting with rubbing in a curing mixture, pre-pressing and holding in brine for 10-12 days. Then the brisket is laid out on racks for draining and ripening for 2-3 days. After ripening, they are soaked for 2-3 hours in cold water, washed, smoothed out and hung on frames for further processing.

Finished brisket is produced from salted and prepared raw materials, followed by short drying and smoking in thick smoke at 30-35 ° C for 36 hours. If finished brisket is produced for shipment, they are dried at 12 ° C for 24-36 hours.
Cooked smoked brisket can be stored at a temperature not exceeding 10 ° С for no more than 2 months, and at minus 7-9 ° С - up to 6 months.

Smoked-boiled brisket is prepared on slightly smoked brisket, which is boiled in water or steam at 68-72 ° C for 45-60 minutes. Then the brisket is chilled in the shower or in refrigerators. The shelf life of smoked-boiled brisket at a temperature not exceeding 12 ° C is no more than 6 days.

Smoked-baked brisket is prepared as follows: salted brisket is wrapped in 2-3 layers of cellophane, tied with twine and smoked in chambers at high temperatures of 100-120 ° C for 6-8 hours. After smoking, the brisket is pressed in a well room.
Store the smoked-baked brisket at 10-12 ° C for 7-10 days, and at 4-6 ° C for 20 days.
Boneless brisket (bacon) is produced from the belly of a pork bacon or meat carcass, rectangular in shape. The thickness of the bacon in the thin edge is not less than 2 cm, in the thick one - not more than 4 cm. The bones are removed, the brisket is compacted by rolling under the rollers or pressing, the edges are leveled, salted dry in boxes. After salting, the bacon is soaked for 2-3 hours in cold water, washed, cleaned, hung on frames to drain the brine and then smoked in thick smoke. Smoked bacon is dried for 5-7 days at 12 ° C, after which it is sent to the distribution network. Store the brisket at 6-10 ° C for no more than 2 months. Meat industry enterprises also produce smoked and smoked-boiled brisket and smoked lamb brisket.

Loin

The loin is produced from the back of bacon and meat pork carcasses in the skin or without the skin. A well-chilled loin is rubbed with a curing mixture (salt, saltpeter, sugar), placed in vats, kept in the salting for three days, pressed and then poured with brine for another 15-20 days. After salting, the loins are laid out for 1-3 days to drain the brine and ripen, then soaked in cold water, washed, cleaned and sent for further heat treatment.
Raw smoked loin after a short drying for 2-3 hours is smoked with thick smoke at 30-35 ° C for 36 hours (loins intended for local consumption are smoked for 12-18 hours). After smoking, the loin is cooled to 8-10 ° C and sent to the retail network. If smoked loins are produced for shipment, they are dried at 12 ° C for 24-36 hours.
The finished loin weighs at least 1.5 kg. The thickness of bacon in it is not less than 1 cm and not more than 4 cm. The smoked-boiled loin is boiled with steam or in freezer at 68-72 ° C for 45-60 minutes, then cooled under the shower and in the chamber to 8 ° C.
The shelf life of smoked-boiled loin at a temperature not exceeding 12 ° C is no more than 6 days.
Smoked-baked loin is prepared from salted raw materials, packed in cellophane and tied with twine; hot smoking and baking are carried out in roasting chambers at 75-85 ° С for 6-7 hours, then the products are cooled to 10-15 ° С.
Store the finished loin at 10-12 ° C for no more than 6 days.

Pressed boiled products

Pressed meat of pork heads I grade is prepared from raw or boiled pork head meat and spices (ground pepper, bay leaf).
When using raw meat, the cheeks are removed from the pork heads, salted in brine for 24 hours, after the brine has drained off, the meat is tightly placed in molds with the simultaneous laying of spices, covered with a lid and pressed, then boiled in steam chambers or water boilers at 82 ° C for 6 h.
When using boiled meat, chopped heads are injected with brine, rubbed with dry salt, poured with brine and salted for 3 days, after draining they are washed and boiled at a low boil for 5 hours, then cooled and the meat is removed from the bones in whole pieces.
Boiled meat is tightly packed into molds with the skin against the walls and sprinkled with pepper. The filled forms are closed with lids and pressed. Cook in steam chambers or water boilers at 82 ° C for 1 hour.
After cooking, the lids of the molds are pressed to capacity, the meat is turned over to drain and cooled at 0-2 ° C for 12 hours. The pressed meat of the bottom heads is removed from the molds, cleaned and wrapped in cellophane or parchment.
The shelf life of pressed pork meat at a temperature not lower than 0 ° C and not higher than 8 ° C is no more than 2 days.

Pressed beef of grade I is prepared from pieces of beef, separated from the scapular and group-ribbed parts of the carcass with the addition of spices (salt, sugar, black pepper, garlic, onion, bay leaf). Rub the beef abundantly with a curing mixture with spices, put it tightly in a mold, press it with a lid, keep it at 10-12 ° C for 3-4 hours, press it again and cook it for 5-6 hours at 80-90 ° C; press again and send the broth to drain and cool into the chamber for 12-18 hours; chilled pressed beef is removed from the mold and wrapped in cellophane or parchment.
The pressed beef should be stored at 0 - 8 ° С for no more than 3 days.
Pressed pork is prepared from the meat of the shoulder-scapular part of pork carcasses after removing fat, bones, cartilage and excess intermuscular fat. The prepared raw materials are salted using the dry method with the addition of spices, placed in a mold and pressed with a lid; after a short exposure of the meat in the salting, the pork is boiled, pressed again, the broth is drained from the mold; cooled, cleaned and packed.
Pressed bacon is prepared from cuts from the neck and abdomen (35% lean pork, 50% fatty pork and 15% skin). After rubbing with a curing mixture, the raw materials are placed in molds, pressed halfway and kept for 10-12 hours, then poured with brine and additionally salted for 2 days. Further processing is the same as in the production of pressed beef.

Baked meat products

The Moscow baked neck of the highest grade is produced from the unsalted neck part of the carcass after removing the adjacent subcutaneous fat. The tenderloin is rubbed with salt, ground black pepper and garlic, then placed on baking sheets and baked in ovens for 2.5-3.5 hours at 120-150 ° C; then the neck is cooled to 0-6 ° C and packed in cellophane. The finished product has an oval-elongated shape, dry surface, delicate consistency, its pleasant taste, with a pronounced smell of singing, on the cut - a kind of natural cooked meat with intermuscular fat layers.
You can store the neck at 5-8 ° C for no more than 5 days.

Boiled pork of the highest grade is prepared from the hip part of pork half carcasses. After removing the bones from the ham, the fat part is rubbed with salt and the ham is cooked. In the production of fried boiled pork, the ham is placed on baking sheets and fried for 1 hour on the stove, after which it is placed in the oven for stewing at 170-190 ° C for 3-4 hours. In the production of baked pork, it is laid and baked in special ovens for 4-5 hours at 120-170 ° C. In the production of boiled pork, it is placed on carts or in basins and boiled in steam chambers at 85-95 ° C for 5 hours.
After heat treatment, the boiled pork from the surface is seasoned with red pepper or a mixture of red pepper and garlic, cooled and packed.
Ready-made pork has a pleasant smell and taste, typical of a lightly salted baked product, with a pronounced specific aroma of roasted pork and spices. The shelf life of boiled pork is no more than 3 days at 6-8 ° C, with longer storage, dehydration, airing and darkening of the product surface occurs.

Premium carbonate is made from the dorsal or psoas muscles (sirloin) with a surface layer of fat 5-10 mm thick, rubbed with salt. To obtain fried carbonates, fillets are placed on baking trays with the fat side up and fried on the stove for 30-60 minutes, after which they are placed in the oven, where they are stewed at 170-190 ° C for up to 1 hour. 120-170 ° C for 60-90 minutes.
Hot carbonade is seasoned with finely ground red pepper powder or a mixture of red pepper and garlic, then cooled and packed in cellophane. A feature of the finished product is a fragrant, specific smell; slightly salted, juicy taste.
The shelf life of carbonates at 6-8 ° C should not exceed 3 days.

Smoked fillet

Smoked fillet of the highest grade is prepared from the back muscles of pork half carcasses. The fillets are cooled, rubbed with a curing mixture and kept for 2 days, after which they are pressed, poured with brine and salted for 5-6 days, then soaked for 1 hour in cold water, cleaned and tightly wrapped with an intestinal membrane; the loaves are tied with twine, scalded in boiling water, dried for 10-40 minutes and smoked at a temperature of 30-35 ° C for 24-48 hours, after cooling the fillets are dried for 10-15 days.

Pork pastroma

Pork pastry of the highest grade is prepared from the neck meat of pork meat or bacon carcasses. Prepared raw materials are cut into rectangular layers 2-3 cm thick along the muscle stratification line and diagonal cuts are made for better salting and retention of spices; rub with a curing mixture (salt, saltpeter, black pepper, fresh garlic) and put for 24 hours to ripen; salted semi-finished products for pastroma are hung on frames and smoked for 3.5-4 hours at a temperature of 90-110 ° C; then the paste is cooled and packed in cellophane or parchment. It is produced both as a whole and in packaged form: in portions of 100-500 g. Portions are usually packed under vacuum in transparent impermeable films.

Hot and cold smoked fish

Hot and cold smoked fish is a nutritious, tasty product, ready to eat without any additional cooking. There are two ways of smoking - hot and cold. The choice of smoking method is primarily determined by the properties of raw materials and consumer demand.
In hot smoking, fresh or defrosted fish is first treated with a flavoring salting so that the content of table salt in the mint of the finished fish is 1.5-3% (for some fish species up to 4%). Then the fish is smoked hot at an air temperature usually from 75-80 to 120-130 degrees. In this case, the fish is baked in its own juice; the temperature in the thickness of its meat by the end of the smoking process reaches 70-75 degrees. The surface of the fish acquires an eolithic color (color), its meat is impregnated with a pleasant smoked aroma.
Hot smoked fish is usually produced for local consumption, as it does not withstand long-term transportation and storage - it is a perishable product. Sometimes it is frozen immediately after the end of the smoking process and transported in frozen form to consumer centers.

Cold smoked fish, which also has a pleasant taste and aroma, is more stable during storage. It is produced from salted fish, subjecting the latter to first soaking and then smoking. The salt content in cold smoked fish is allowed within 5-12%, for herring - up to 14%. Cold smoking of fish is usually carried out at a temperature of about 30-35 degrees. With cold smoking of fatty fish, the temperature and the drying process and the actual smoking are maintained no higher than 25 degrees. For fish with lean and medium fat content, at the end of smoking, the temperature can be raised to 40 degrees.
In cold-smoked baking, fish is dehydrated and impregnated with smoke aromas. However, the final formation of the taste, aroma and consistency of cold smoked fish meat, called ripening, occurs after harvesting it in containers and storage for several days.

Many species of oceanic fish are currently processed by hot smoking, but products from mackerel, bream, sardines and some other fish are distinguished by the best bite qualities. Hot smoked fish is good as a snack, in addition, it can be served warmed up with vegetable side dishes.
For cold smoking from ocean fish send mero, negrita, oil fish, bluefish, marble, umbrina, mackerel, horse mackerel, etc. Cold smoked products from horse mackerel, mackerel, sea carp and bluefish are widely known.
The fish is smoked in an undivided form, gutted with the head or headless, cut into balyk or pieces.

From time to time, any person has an acute desire to taste some smoked meat yummy, fragrant and just melting on the tongue. It is certainly much easier to buy a finished product, but whether it will be natural is already a question. But such a wonderful snack as smoked brisket can be made at home, and you can be 100% sure of its quality, naturalness and benefits (it contains many saturated fatty acids necessary for the normal functioning of the body, vitamins and useful microelements).

If you think that the process of smoking pork belly requires special chef's talents, then we hasten to dissuade you from this, just stick to the chosen cooking recipe and you will succeed. Relatives and friends will be delighted with the culinary smoked masterpiece and will definitely ask for more. Smoked meats are used both as an independent snack and for preparing a wide variety of dishes: soups, borscht, main courses and salads.

Before you start the process of smoking pork belly, you need to take seriously the choice of the "right" piece of meat. You need a dense in consistency, pleasant smelling flesh of a young pig of pink color with streaks of white (by no means yellow) fat. The best option for cooking smoked brisket is the percentage of meat and lard about 50 to 50.

Next, it is important to choose a cooking recipe, whether it will be cold or hot smoking. A common nuance for these two methods of cooking brisket will be the need to pre-prepare the meat for smoking, i.e. salt or pickle. The hot smoking method significantly reduces the cooking time (3-4 hours), but with the longer cold smoking method (10-12 hours), the meat is surprisingly soft and tender and keeps much longer.

Dry marinade principle

The marinades and pickles from the articles above are great for your purposes, but if you're not sure which one to choose, try a simple dry marinade.

Rub the pork with salt, spices (red and black pepper, paprika, thyme, basil, rosemary, coriander) and grated garlic, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours. The ratio of salt to spices is 4: 1. Then you need to take out the meat and put it in a well-ventilated place for 2-3 hours, dry it and start smoking. The dry salting method is suitable for pork belly with a lot of lard.

In order to smoke brisket at home with a bang, you need to take 1 kg of pork pulp, one and a half liters of water, three tablespoons of salt, two teaspoons of sugar, ground red pepper to taste, allspice - 5 pieces, 4-5 cloves garlic, bay leaf. It is better to taste the brine for smoking pork belly in advance, if there is no salt there, the meat can quickly become unusable. To cook a hot smoked brisket:

• Wash a piece of pork, remove unnecessary film;
• Cut the meat into small pieces to facilitate the cooking process;
• Rub the meat with salt and spices, sprinkle with garlic;
• Immerse in a saucepan of water and place on the stove, simmer until half cooked for 30-40 minutes;
• Remove the meat, cool, remove excess water with a paper towel or napkins.

To prepare the marinade for pork belly using the hot smoking method, take one and a half liters of water, boil it, add a few allspice peas, salt and chopped pieces of bay leaf. Place the meat in a jar, spreading the pieces evenly over the entire container, and pour over the marinade. Place the marinated jar of meat in the refrigerator for 5-10 days. After the expiration date, remove the meat, cover with water for 10-12 hours to remove excess salt, rinse thoroughly and dry.

How to smoke brisket

Hot smoked brisket (video)

For greater clarity, we present a video of hot smoking brisket from Alkofan, which perfectly describes the whole process.

Hot smoking of brisket is as follows:

• We make a fire, let it burn out;
• We put a smokehouse on hot coals (factory-made iron box or made with our own hands), pour sawdust or chips on the bottom (the best option is fruit woods, oak, aspen or alder);
• Wrap the meat in foil or cheesecloth, put it on a wire rack at some distance from each other, close it with a lid on top and pour water into the water seal;
• After 30-50 minutes, open the lid and check the readiness of the meat, if the color is not saturated enough (it should be golden brown), we continue.

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Change the water and cook the beans for 1 hour, until the beans are soft. Scrape the young carrots with a knife, wash thoroughly. Cut the carrots obliquely into medium slices.

Boil a liter and a half of salted water in a large saucepan. Dip the carrots in boiling water and blanch for 7-10 minutes. The carrots should be soft, but not soft. Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon.

Blanch the zucchini for 3-5 minutes, and put them in a bowl with the carrots (they should also be soft, but not boiled).

Prepare the dressing. Whisk 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil with 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Wash the parsley, dry and chop finely. Add to dressing and stir. Mix hot vegetables and beans with dressing and marinate for 1 hour.

Cut the smoked pork brisket into thin strips. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the brisket until golden brown. Sprinkle the brisket over the vegetable salad and serve. Can be eaten both cold and hot.