Not everyone knows that you can not only buy smoked meat and fish, but also make it yourself. Moreover, in the latter case, you will be able to control the quantity and quality of the ingredients used, which will allow you to make a choice in favor of a higher quality product.
Smoked beef in Quebec style
This is a traditional recipe from the French community in Canada. Thus, the meat was stored even in the days when household refrigerators did not exist.
You will need:
- 4 kg of beef tenderloin;
- 85 g of sugar;
- 65 g of coarse salt;
- 1 tbsp. ground cloves;
- 1 tbsp. ground cayenne pepper;
- 6 tbsp. a ground mixture of black, green and white peppers.
The sugar in this recipe is sometimes substituted for maple syrup. In such a situation, the meat is first covered with syrup and then sprinkled with salt and spices.
Combine all seasonings, sugar and salt. Take a large piece of foil and sprinkle half of the spice mixture on top of it. Place a piece of tenderloin over this mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the seasoning on top. Wrap the meat tightly in foil and freeze for 5-7 days. Preheat your airfryer. Place the meat in it without defrosting or unrolling the foil. Smoke the product for 6 hours. Note that the meat should be placed on a cold grill and only reheated during cooking. Serve hot or cold beef, thinly sliced and accompanied by herbs, vegetables and a little Dijon mustard.
Cold smoked salmon
You will need:
- small salmon or part of it;
- sugar (1 tablespoon per 1 kg of fish);
- salt and freshly ground black pepper.
A similar recipe can be used to smoke fatty white fish.
Cut the fish into several fillet pieces, remove the head, tail, skin and bones. Wash the fillets in running water, then pat dry with a paper towel. Rub the finished fillet with salt, wait 15-20 minutes. After this, sprinkle the fillets with a little sugar and ground pepper. Light the grill and hang the fish over it. The purpose of cold smoking is to keep the fillet from getting hotter than 35 degrees, but it still gets soaked in smoke. If you plan to eat fish quickly, within a week of cooking, smoke it for no more than 15-17 hours. long-term storage will require processing for several days. When smoking, the fish should not be exposed to the sun, otherwise it may deteriorate.
After smoking, wrap the fish in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 days. Salmon prepared according to this recipe is well suited for sandwiches, hot snacks, and can be served as part of the second course. Keep in mind that cold smoked salmon must be kept in the refrigerator.
