How long to smoke mackerel in a smokehouse. Preparing the best marinade for hot smoked mackerel

Smoked fish lovers have recently found it difficult to purchase this product in stores because 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 type of smokehouse and fuel should it be?

If you decide to purchase a ready-made smokehouse, the best one will be the one made from 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, 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. Up to the bottom grate, the leaves are laid, preferably young ones, 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:

Processing. 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 when it comes to 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 consumed with light salads and vegetables. Due to the peculiarities of preparation, such dishes are classified as healthy food dishes.

Purchasing quality mackerel is not difficult, and many people are adept at choosing fresh fish. For those who have never had to deal with this before, here are some recommendations. To purchase good product, you need to pay attention to the smell. It should not be bright or have an unpleasant odor. It is also important to look at appearance. Fresh mackerel has smooth surface no greenish spots. It is elastic, resilient and not loose. Fish eyes can also tell about quality. If they are cloudy, glassy and sunken, then the goods have been sitting for a long time.

Having purchased mackerel, you will need to first prepare it for hot or cold smoking. It's quite simple and the process won't take much time. It is necessary to rinse the carcass thoroughly. Then you can leave it as a whole or cut off the head and gut the insides. Now it will be completely ready for smoking.

How to smoke mackerel with liquid smoke

Liquid smoke is a flavoring agent that gives the product a smoky taste and corresponding color. You can use it to cook fish in your apartment. The standard recipe is quite simple, so even novice cooks can handle it without difficulty.

Ingredients:

fish – 5 pcs.;
salt – 4 tbsp. spoons;
liquid smoke – 80 ml;
sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon;
water - liter.

Smoked mackerel at home with liquid smoke is made as follows. First you need to prepare the brine. Pour water into a deep saucepan and boil, then add sugar and salt to it and turn off the burner. Now you need to pour in and mix everything well.

After the brine has cooled, you need to lower the mackerel into it. It should remain in liquid smoke for about 3 days. Place a press on top, and then place the container in the refrigerator.

Smoking mackerel in liquid smoke

After three days, the fish smoked with liquid smoke will only need to be washed and can be served. If everything is done correctly, the taste will be excellent and will pleasantly surprise both guests and loved ones.

Recipe for mackerel in onion skins and tea

People who want to cook fish with only natural ingredients can use onion skins. It, together with brewed strong tea, will give the necessary shade and taste. In order for the recipe with onion skins to turn out as it should, you must strictly follow the instructions.

Ingredients:

mackerel – 2 pieces;
water - liter;
onion peel - about two handfuls;
salt – 4 tbsp. spoons;
black tea – 2 teaspoons;
laurel leaf – 3 pieces;
allspice – 5-10 peas;
crushed coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon;
sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon.

Pour water into a saucepan and mix it with onion peels. The recipe calls for the liquid to be brought to a boil and then simmered for 15 minutes. Now turn off the broth, let the onion skins cool and strain. IN clean water you need to put the tea in, boil it and turn it off. It must be infused for 15-20 minutes, after which it must also be strained.

Smoking mackerel in onion skins and tea

The decoction with onion skins and the liquid from the tea should be mixed, adding spices, salt, sugar and laurel leaves. Mix everything thoroughly and pour the resulting brine over the fish. You will need to place a press on top, and then put the mackerel in onion skins and tea in the refrigerator for three days. It is recommended to turn the fish from side to side once a day so that it is equally colored on all sides. A decoction with onion peels and tea will give it the necessary color and taste.

Smoking mackerel with tea leaves

Hot smoking mackerel at home can be done with regular black tea. The recipe must be followed strictly according to the instructions to achieve the desired taste.

Ingredients:

mackerel – 2 pcs.;
water – 1 l;
sugar – 2-3 tbsp. spoons;
salt – 1 tbsp. spoon;
black pepper – 10 peas;
coriander seeds – 1 tbsp. spoon;
black tea – 2 tbsp. spoons;
rice – 150 g.

First you need to boil the water, adding sugar, salt, pepper, coriander and 1 tablespoon of tea. After 20 minutes, turn off the brine and cool. They will need to pour the fish and let it sit in it for about a day. After this, you will need to hang it by the tails so that the remaining brine drains off.

About a day before cooking, you need to take the rice, fill it with water and let the liquid absorb. Already swollen grains need to be mixed with black tea (take 1 tablespoon). The resulting mixture should be wrapped in foil, leaving a small hole for smoke. After this, you should place the foil with tea on the bottom of a metal container, for example, a pan. Next, you need to light the fire and wait until the mixture starts to emit smoke, as this is necessary for the hot method.

Ingredients mixed with black tea

Now you need to place a grate inside on which to place the mackerel. Place the lid on top so that there are no holes left. The heat should be reduced to medium. The fish should first be smoked for half an hour on one side, and then turned over to the other and cooked for another 30 minutes. After this, the recipe with tea and rice will be completed. If necessary, the time can be increased slightly, but keep the fish in the water for too long. homemade smokehouse hot smoking is not recommended.

Mackerel with liquid smoke and onion skins

In order not to cook mackerel in a hot smoked smokehouse, you can marinate the fish in onion skins and liquid smoke. The meat will be tender, aromatic and pleasant to the taste. This recipe can even be used for festive occasions, as the dish turns out really successful.

Ingredients for smoking mackerel in liquid smoke and onion slurry

Ingredients:

mackerel – 2 pieces;
sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon;
onion peel - 3 full cups;
water – 1 liter;
salt – 3-4 tbsp. spoons;
liquid smoke - 3 tbsp. spoons.

To properly marinate fish in onion peels, you will need to do the following. You need to pour water into a pan and put it on the stove. To ensure that there is no dirt in the husk, you will need to rinse the ingredient and then put it to boil. You need to boil for about 20 minutes.

The broth must be strained, then add salt, sugar and pour in liquid smoke. Everything needs to be mixed and allowed to brew. Next, the recipe requires that the fish be placed in brine. It is advisable to remove the mackerel's head, tail and entrails.

You need to marinate in the husk for two days at room temperature. For convenience, you can keep the fish in a jar. It is even acceptable to use a plastic two-liter bottle without a neck.

If you want to achieve the most unusual taste, you can add spices as you wish. They will give the dish a pleasant aroma. If all the listed ingredients were used, you will be able to get a real delicacy. The main thing is not to rush in this matter and not to shorten the marinating period, since in just two days the product will be sufficiently smoked.

You can serve by cutting into pieces and garnishing with greens along with onion rings. The fish will be an excellent snack, which will be in no way inferior to the store-bought version.

White mackerel meat is healthy and tasty, no matter how it is prepared. There are many cooking methods: fish can be baked in the oven, stewed, marinated. You can also smoke the fish. Smoked fish has a bright aroma and taste, and is perfect for festive table.

Smoking mackerel - preparing food and utensils

There are several ways to smoke fish at home, however, no matter how you decide to do it, the mackerel must be prepared first.

You should buy fish in “trusted” stores, where you definitely won’t find expired goods. Good frozen fish should have a uniform carcass without any looseness or odors. Under no circumstances buy fish unless there is a thick layer of ice on it, because sellers often hide its poor quality with this.

There are two ways to smoke fish. The first (and only correct) is to cook the fish in a real smokehouse. The fish will be saturated with sawdust smoke and acquire an incomparable aroma. However, it is unlikely that every housewife has such a device at home. In this case, use the second method, using liquid smoke. This pseudo-smoking will allow you to get delicious fish without huge labor costs. It is liquid smoke that will be the second main ingredient after fish. 200 ml of additive is enough for eight to ten times of preparing the dish.

An air fryer, in which the required temperature is pumped up by moving blades, will speed up the process of “smoking” mackerel.

Recipes for smoking mackerel:

Recipe 1: Smoking mackerel

Required ingredients:

Mineral water for brine – 1.2 liters
Mackerel – 3-4 carcasses
Sugar – 1 1/2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
Husk from 2 onions

Cooking method:

Prepare the fish. To do this, first clean it, cut off the head and tail, and gut it thoroughly. Don't forget to remove the black film.
Pour water into a saucepan, heat it, add salt, sugar, onion peels, bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Strain the marinade and cool. Add liquid smoke.
Pour the resulting marinade over the fish and keep it under weight at room temperature for 26-30 hours. After this, turn the fish over and put it in the refrigerator for two days, also under load. Turn the fish over every day.

Recipe 2: Smoking mackerel (cook for 2 days)

This recipe is similar to the previous one, but by changing the recipe for preparing the brine, you will “smoke” the fish faster, in about two days.

Required ingredients:

1 liter of purified water for brine
Mackerel – 3-4 carcasses
Peel from two onions
Sugar – 2-3 tbsp.
Liquid smoke 1 tablespoon

Cooking method:

Let's pour mineral water in a saucepan, put the onion peels there and, bringing to a boil, cook for 25 minutes.
Then remove the broth from the heat and leave for 10-12 hours, then add salt, sugar and liquid smoke to the marinade.
Clean the fish, cut off the head and tail, remove the giblets and fill with the resulting brine. Press down with a weight and put it in the refrigerator to “smoke” for 2 days. Don't forget to turn the fish over.

Recipe 3: Smoking mackerel in an air fryer

If you have an air fryer, then you won’t need to wait long for the fish to “smoke”. In addition to liquid smoke and salt, prepare in advance a plastic bag for marinating mackerel.

Required ingredients:

Liquid smoke – 2 tablespoons
Mackerel – 4-5 carcasses

Cooking method:

Let's prepare the fish. Gut it, cut off the head and tail. Lubricate the inside with salt (about one tablespoon per carcass), and coat the carcass itself with liquid smoke.
Place the fish in a bag, add liquid smoke and tie tightly. Leave the mackerel to marinate for forty minutes. Then remove it and wipe thoroughly until the fish is dry.
Turn on the air fryer and set the temperature to 200 degrees. Place the fish on the middle rack and cook for 25 minutes.

Recipe 4: Smoking mackerel (using an electric smoker)

Do you have a small smokehouse at home? In this case, you can completely do without liquid smoke. The recipe is simple, and the fish turns out to be as “close” in taste as smoked. Don't forget to prepare fruit or alder sawdust, a spoonful of tea and sugar for the smoker.

Required ingredients:

Mackerel
Lemon – ½ piece

Cooking method:

Cut off the head of the fish, remove the giblets, wash, and coat the inside with salt.
Cut the lemon into slices, put it inside the fish and place it in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Take the fruit sawdust and place it on a tray. Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar and fine black leaf tea onto the sawdust.
Wipe the fish dry and place it in the smokehouse. The mackerel should be cooked without smoke for the first 10 minutes, then insert the tray and cook with smoke for 25 minutes. Then turn off the electric smoker, but do not remove the lid, let the mackerel lie there for another 20 minutes.

Recipe 5: Smoking mackerel (using a country smokehouse)

Smoking fish will cause you less trouble if you have a country smokehouse. The recipe is simple, but in any case, the fish will need to be marinated for a day in the refrigerator.

Required ingredients:

Mackerel

Cooking method:

Prepare the mackerel before smoking: cut off the head and tail, gut it. Rub the inside of the fish with salt, then place it in the refrigerator for 20 hours.
Place sawdust (fruit or alder) on the bottom of the smokehouse in a 1 centimeter layer.
Place apple tree branches on the net, and fish carcasses on them. Smoke the mackerel for 20 minutes.

Is liquid smoke harmful? This question is often asked by those who want to cook fish at home without having a real smokehouse. However, what is quite curious is that almost all store-bought smoked fish has long been prepared using liquid smoke. After all, “smoking” food in this way is quick and cheap. Of course, liquid smoke is not beneficial, but soaking a product in real smoke is not entirely beneficial either. So if you decide to enjoy smoked mackerel, just enjoy delicious dish, the main thing is not very often.

Before smoking fish in a smokehouse or convection oven, you need to blot it thoroughly with napkins so that it becomes completely dry.

When preparing fish, it is very important to remove the black skin inside. It is very thin, but if it is not removed, the finished fish will taste bitter.

Some chefs advise greasing the mackerel carcass not only with salt, but also with a small amount of sugar. This will make the fish more tender in taste. Use brown sugar for this purpose.

When making brine for fish, add a little soy sauce to it. The aromatic liquid will give the fish a light, pleasant smell. In addition, a little spice will not interfere with the brine. Suneli hops and pepper would be appropriate sweet pea, dried basil, parsley roots.

Chefs do not recommend cutting the carcass into pieces before you smoke the fish. If you cook mackerel in its entirety, the fish will be more juicy.

Smoked mackerel is very tasty. But is it necessary to buy it in stores, or can you try to cook such a delicious dish yourself?

Benefits and harms

It's worth starting with beneficial properties. In general, fish must definitely be included in the diet, because it contains a lot of different nutrients: phosphorus, fluorine, zinc, sodium, manganese, sulfur, potassium, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins PP, A, E and group B.

Mackerel is good for the brain, cardiovascular system, central nervous system and, in general, the entire organism as a whole. It improves brain activity, stimulates protein synthesis, normalizes metabolic processes, and protects tissues from premature aging and damage.

By the way, the calorie content of 100 grams of the product is only 220-230 calories, which is not much at all.

Now about the harm

Like any smoked fish, mackerel contains many carcinogenic substances that can damage tissue and provoke the degeneration of healthy cells, causing cancer.

In addition, if smoking is done incorrectly (and it is not easy to follow all the rules), some pathogenic microorganisms may remain, which will cause serious poisoning. So eating smoked mackerel too often is not recommended.

How do professionals prepare?

In general, smoking is a treatment with smoke. There are two ways: hot smoking and cold smoking. In the first case, the fish is treated with hot smoke. Thus, the fillet is subjected to heat treatment, as a result of which all bacteria die.

That is why this method is considered safer and more correct. During cold smoking, the processing is carried out with so-called cold smoke, that is, there is essentially no thermal effect. But the fish is well salted, and salting, as is known, also helps to destroy pathogenic microorganisms (if it is done correctly).

How to cook at home?

So, is it possible to prepare a dish like this? smoked mackerel at home? Yes, and in several ways.

Method one

You can cook mackerel in liquid smoke - a special liquid that gives the fish a smoky aroma and taste.

You will need:

5 mackerel carcasses;
100 ml liquid smoke;
4 tablespoons of salt (heaped);
1 tablespoon sugar;
1 liter of water.

Preparation:

First you need to prepare the mackerel. To do this, you need to rip open her abdomen and remove all the insides. There is no need to remove the head and tail.
Now start preparing the brine. Pour water into the pan and bring to a boil. Dissolve sugar and salt in it and after a minute turn off the heat. Now add liquid smoke and mix everything well.
Immerse the mackerel in the prepared brine and place the press on top. Leave the fish to salt and smoke for 2-3 days.
Then remove the carcasses, rinse them in running water, cut into portions and serve.

Using this recipe, you can cook mackerel almost like in the store. But remember that liquid smoke is quite harmful.

Method two

This method is more complicated, but only natural products are used.

List of ingredients:

two fairly large mackerels;
two large handfuls of onion peels;
two glasses of water;
2 teaspoons of black tea (or two bags);
three tablespoons of salt;
a tablespoon of sugar;
three bay leaves;
10 peas of allspice;
half a teaspoon of ground coriander seeds.

Cooking method:

First you need to prepare the marinade. To do this, pour one and a half glasses of water into the pan, and put the onion skins there. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, then leave for about another 15 minutes. Strain the broth.
Boil the remaining water and put tea in it. Leave it for 10 minutes, strain well.
Mix the tea leaves with a decoction of onion peels, add bay leaf, pepper, coriander, salt and sugar. Mix everything thoroughly.
Now prepare the mackerel. The head can be cut off, but this is not necessary. Gut each carcass and wash under the tap.
Pour the marinade into a shallow container, place the mackerel in it, place a weight on top (you can put a regular plate) so that the carcasses do not float.
Place the container in a cool place for two or three days. To ensure that the welding and decoction of onion skins evenly colors the fish in a beautiful golden color, periodically turn the carcasses over.
Delicious smoked mackerel is ready!

Method three

This recipe will help you prepare delicious hot smoked mackerel. Here's what you'll need:

two fairly large mackerel carcasses;
liter of water;
three tablespoons of salt;
1.5 tablespoons sugar;
10 peas of allspice;
3 bay leaves;
2 tablespoons of black leaf tea;
150 grams of rice.

Description of preparation:

About 12 hours before smoking, you need to fill the rice with water so that it only slightly covers it. Leave the mixture overnight so that the rice absorbs all the liquid. Next, simply mix the rice with one tablespoon of tea. Wrap the entire mixture in foil, leaving a hole (it will be needed for the smoke to escape).
Prepare the marinade. To do this, boil water, add salt, sugar, pepper and bay leaf. Boil everything together for another minute, then turn off the heat.
Gut and rinse the mackerel well in running water, then immerse it in the marinade, press down with something and put it in the refrigerator or in a cool place for a day.
Remove the mackerel and proceed to the hot smoking stage. Take a frying pan, cover its bottom with several layers of foil (you can additionally grease it with oil), put rice and tea, wrapped in foil so that the hole is at the top. Heat the mixture until light smoke begins to emerge.
Place a wire rack in the pan and place the mackerel on it. Cover the pan with a lid.
Smoke the fish on each side for twenty minutes. Cool the finished mackerel and serve.

Bon appetit!

Hot smoked fish – mackerel, pink salmon, trout or herring, everyone probably likes it. You can buy it in the store, but it is not always possible to buy real smoked fish, since in the store it can be treated with liquid smoke. Real smoked fish can be prepared at home using a smoker. I want to offer a recipe for hot smoking. The fish in the smokehouse turns out very tasty, juicy and aromatic.

Products:

fresh frozen - 3 pieces;
spices for fish – 1 sachet;
salt to taste.

Smoked mackerel in a smokehouse - recipe

Thaw freshly frozen mackerel. It is advisable not to buy too much big fish, but medium in size. Large mackerel may not be smoked in places. Then gut the fish and rinse thoroughly.

Then you need to prepare a saline solution. For 1 liter of water 50 grams of salt. Pour over the mackerel saline solution, so that the solution lightly covers the fish. Leave to salt for 1.5 hours. If you like it not too salty, you can rinse it with water. And if you want it saltier, don’t rinse it.

Next, rub the mackerel with fish spices on top and inside. Tie the fish with thread to prevent it from falling apart when smoking. Now prepare the smoker. To do this, pour alder chips of the same size into the bottom of the smokehouse. Alder chips can be bought in the store.

Then place a drip pan to prevent the fat from burning and adding a bitter taste to the fish. Then install a wire rack on which to lay the mackerel belly down. This allows the fish not to break and have a marketable appearance.

You need to smoke fish over medium flame. After 10 minutes, open the smokehouse lid to allow excess smoke to escape. Then close the lid again and smoke for another 15 minutes. On average, fish is smoked for 20-25 minutes. Once the smoking time is up, remove the smoker from the heat and let it cool slightly. That's it, the mackerel is ready. Remove it from the smokehouse and carefully remove the string from the fish. Serve either hot or chilled.