Cold appetizers from meat products can hardly leave anyone indifferent. With proven technology, you can make a variety of dishes, from everyday to the most exquisite delicacies. Pork meat in its popularity is inferior, perhaps, to chicken meat. Moreover, the leading positions have to be taken solely because of the high cost. As for taste, there is no bright dominance.

Due to the fat layers, pork is quite soft and juicy, and if you cook it correctly, you can get the most tender meat pieces, which even chicken cannot be compared with.

Everyone knows that the key to a successful recipe is the preliminary preparation of the product. This law always applies, no matter what dish you decide to cook. Even such, at first glance, a product that is elementary in preparation, like smoked bacon, requires a step-by-step implementation of all the prescribed procedures, most of which are implemented even before direct smoking.

Some features of cooking meat dishes

The consumption of meat for the body plays an invaluable role. Even many nutritionists agree that no diet based on a diet of plant foods is able to fill the body with a full set of required substances. From raw meat man refused even in ancient times, and even the popular raw food diet implies preliminary salting of the product.

The structure of fat and meat makes the product quite tough and elastic when raw. However, there are several ways to turn a product into an edible food. The preparation itself initially involves heat treatment. Our ancestors thought of this from the moment fire appeared in their everyday life. Under the action of temperature, the protein is subject to restructuring, which leads to the re-formation of fibers. Denatured protein changes its density, and due to this, the meat or fat becomes looser.

Later it turned out that not only high-temperature exposure is capable of splitting fibers. There are a number of active substances that enter into chemical reactions with protein, these are all kinds of acids, as well as salts. Under the action of acid, animal fibers change their structure.

Salt can act as the mentioned substance, as well as a flavoring additive. If heat treatment is not planned (cold smoking), then all that remains is to salt the bacon to make an edible dish out of it. Otherwise, for example, with hot smoking, pickling of lard must still be done to fill it with taste.

Dry salting products

The most ancient way of storing meat products and preparing them for consumption is the salting. simple recipe. It has a lot of advantages.

• The relatively simple recipe eliminates the need to purchase a large number of ingredients.
• There is no need to maintain proportions, since the fat will not absorb excess salt. You just need to salt each piece abundantly, and then get rid of excess salt.
• The salting algorithm is so simple that it is accessible even to those who first encounter self-cooking.

To make it more convenient to salt the lard for smoking, you need a flat horizontal surface. You can prepare the mixture on the kitchen table. Salt is mixed with pepper, and spices are added to the resulting composition. Thyme or dried dill is great for a dry marinade. The composition of the mixture may be different, it depends on the desires of the cook.

With reciprocating movements, the salt is rubbed into the fat. At this stage, there is a great opportunity to diversify the recipe by stuffing the pieces with garlic. To do this, you need to make deep cuts and put finely grated garlic into the resulting sinuses. Salt should completely cover the pieces, so salting is carried out carefully, with the processing of each face.

Salted pieces are placed in an enamel pan. Pieces should be folded compactly so that there is as little space as possible between them. Oppression is placed on top. Under the action of the load, moisture will be released from the fat. In the resulting brine, it will be possible to quickly salt the product. By and large, the fat will be ready in a day, but for cold smoking it is advisable to extend the salting for another day. With a cold method of processing fat, it is very dangerous if the product is undersalted, this is fraught with damage to the semi-finished product.

After two days of salting, the fat is removed from the container and excess salt is removed by any available method. If there is no desire to wipe the remnants with a napkin, then you will have to soak the fat in water. The whole procedure will take no more than an hour, but after that the fat should be dried. Drying is an integral part of the whole process. Moisture in the fibers during hot smoking will make the lard boiled, and during cold smoking it will create favorable conditions for bacteria. At home, lard is dried by hanging in the fresh air. In half an hour it will be time to send it to the smokehouse.

Marinade with spices

Another way to prepare lard before placing it in the smoker is pickling. There is no fundamental difference from salting, since the ultimate goal is to impregnate the fibers with saline. The difference can be seen only in technology. It allows you to marinate meat or lard using various spices. The ingredients dissolved in water form a brine in which the product should be soaked.

The algorithm for preparing the marinade begins with the fact that you have to make simple calculations. Water should be salted according to a strict proportion, which involves adding 70 g of salt to one liter of water.

The lard smoking brine is brought to a boil, and then garlic, pepper, bay leaf, basil and dill are added to it. Everyone has their own understanding of a deliciously prepared dish, so the composition of the ingredients may vary. Only salt remains unchanged, as the main preservative in any recipe.

The marinade should boil for at least 10 minutes. By choosing the right salting method, it is possible to manipulate the flavor bouquet. Traditionally, it is believed that for salting lard with spices, it is necessary to pickle it. This opinion is twofold.

• Firstly, no one bothers to add the listed ingredients to the dry composition.
• Secondly, when boiling the marinade, the taste is always kept under control, and it is easy to adjust it during the cooking process.

If you add all the components to the dry mix, then it will be quite difficult to evaluate the future result. Now you can decide once and for all how the preparation of fat for smoking should take place. For lovers of everything natural, including the natural smell and taste of pork fat, a simple salting recipe is suitable. And gourmets, whose taste comes down to bouquets of spices, should stock up on instructions for marinating meat products.

After the preparation of the marinade is completed, lard is immersed in it, while the pan is removed from the gas stove. After cooling the brine and the fat in it, you should still soak the product for 5 hours. Then the pieces are suspended so that the moisture swells and partially evaporates. The average drying time for bacon is 30 minutes.

Recipe for boiled smoked bacon

There is no limit to popular imagination, so all possible ways to pickle lard have long been tried. And yet there are more and more new recipes. The idea of ​​combining heat treatment with salting has found its way. At home, cooking boiled-smoked lard is not only possible, but also technically easy.

As a result of preliminary boiling, a product is obtained that is almost ready for use. In the oil lamp, it will quickly pick up a fragrant smell and will be urgently put on the table as a delicacy.

• First, prepare the marinade. Due to the fact that hot water penetrates more intensively into the fibers of the fabrics, the lard will not marinate for long. For the same reason, the solution will have to be made somewhat less dense. For 1 liter of water, 50 grams of salt will be enough.
• Water must be boiled, and lard is already immersed in a boiling solution, which is boiled for 40 minutes. During this time, all the desired ingredients are added. Boiling water kills bacteria and promotes more effective dissolution of spices in water.

Recipes for cold and hot smoking

Often, the same recipe can be taken from different sources. But in the first case, it is recommended for hot smoking, and in the second - for cold smoking. To avoid confusion, let's deal with this issue. The fact is that there is no fundamental difference, so the same recipe can be used for both smoking methods. Understanding in more detail with the device of the oil lamp and with the nuances of one and the other method, we come to the conclusion that despite the apparent similarity of the recipes, there are still some subtleties.

• Salting fat simple ambassador and marinade for cold smoking should take a little longer. Despite the recommendations, increase the salting time. Excess salt will not be absorbed into the fat, and this will have a positive effect on the smoking process.
• Welding fat during cold smoking is usually not used. This type of smoking is chosen for the naturalness of the resulting product. It makes no sense to cook lard if hot smoking is provided for this.
• When preparing for smoking, it should be remembered that hot-cooked products have much less fat, since a significant proportion of them is rendered at high temperature.
• To simulate smoking, the recipes remain unchanged. Even a simple ambassador takes a little less time, which is surprising. The secret lies in the fact that after a day spent in salt, lard is considered edible, and when cold smoked, it must be additionally held, excluding the possibility of microbial development.

Smoking at home allows you to get both elastic fat with a natural taste, and loose boiled fat, with a delicate texture. It is impossible to describe all the recipes because of their countless number, but we have considered the basic principles of pickling. They must be taken as a basis for the realization of your imagination.

Mix the spices with salt and rub each piece of lard well with them. Pour the rest of the mixture into the bottom of a deep enameled marinating bowl, distribute. We spread the lard in balls and sprinkle with bay leaves and allspice. The top layer should consist of spices. Do not cover the container, leave to marinate at room temperature for a day. Next, the fat must be removed in the refrigerator or cellar for 5 days. In the process of pickling, juice is formed in the container, which will be the marinade. Before smoking, the fat must be washed and dried.

How to pickle lard for smoking in brine?

This pickling option is well suited for lard with a layer - the meat softens and turns out juicy. I'm preparing the brine. For 1 liter of water we take:

• 150 g of salt;
• 5 peas of allspice;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 2 cloves.

We mix all the ingredients and put the marinade to cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Lard is loosely placed in an enameled bowl, poured with brine, covered with a thick cloth so that it “breathes”, and sent to the refrigerator for 18 days. Every day, the pieces in the marinade must be shifted, then they will be salted evenly.

After a specified period, the fat is removed, washed and sent under oppression so that the excess liquid is gone. After 1-2 days it can already be smoked.

Salo is a versatile product that can be used both as an appetizer and as a main course. There are several varieties of this product, but many people love smoked lard. By the way, hot smoked bacon can be easily prepared at home.

Preparing lard for hot smoking: the choice and method of salting

Most often, for smoking lard, pieces with a meat layer and with a fairly thick layer of fat are selected. It is advisable to take pieces from the piglet's abdomen, as the fat is softer there. When cooking, it is not the smoking process itself that is of great importance, but the correct way of salting the fat.

How to salt lard for smoking?

There are two ways of salting fat:

• in marinade;
• dry method without water.

The dry method without water is quite lengthy, and for a good salting it will take at least two weeks for the lard to absorb enough salt and spices. Most often, they prefer to salt lard in the marinade, since it evenly absorbs all the necessary juices and salts out much better. Lard must be cut into strips 10-15 cm long and about 5-6 cm wide - due to such dimensions it is convenient to put it in a pan.

Cooking delicious marinade

It is important to note that how the brine for smoking lard is prepared depends on its taste and structure. To prepare the marinade, you will need a plastic container and an iron pan.

Compound:

• egg;
• coarse table salt;
• dry garlic;
• fresh garlic;
• black pepper;
• Bay leaf;
• dry mustard.

Cooking:

1. Of great importance for the correct marinade is the amount of salt, since oversalting can lead to stiffness of the meat layer and will not absorb all the flavors of seasonings. To determine the right amount of salt, you will need a chicken egg, which should be put in warm water. You need to add salt until the egg floats to the surface and its top is visible the size of a ruble coin.
2. After adding salt, add the rest of the ingredients to the pan one by one.
3. For five liters of marinade, pour ½ tbsp. l. dry garlic and 6-7 fresh cloves. Fresh garlic does not need to be chopped, it can be laid whole.
4. Add black pepper to the resulting mixture, 5 pcs. bay leaf, finely chopped or pounded, and ½ tsp. mustard. Some people add sugar to the marinade for lard, but it all depends on the method of preparation and taste preferences.
5. Pour the bacon with the resulting marinade, which was previously placed in a plastic container. It must be remembered that the brine should completely cover all the fat for a more thorough absorption of spices.
6. In order for the fat not to float to the surface, it must be pressed with oppression. The brine for smoking bacon must be hot enough so that the salt and spices completely give up their trace elements to the water.
7. Salo, filled with marinade, must be removed in a cold place for 5-6 days.

cold smoking process

Cold smoking lard requires more time and effort. It may take at least a day to prepare 4 kg of fat. The process of cold smoking bacon should start at 15 degrees, gradually increasing the temperature to 20 degrees. At the last stage of cooking, the temperature inside the smoking cabinet should be at least 25 degrees.

The duration of cold smoking of fat has its advantages:

• pieces do not burn;
• lard is smoked evenly from all sides;
• fat turns out to be more juicy, since fat is not rendered, but languishes;
• The layer of meat is not hard, but melts in your mouth.

The only disadvantage of cold smoking is the high probability of spoilage of fat. When cold-smoked, lard should be eaten within 2-3 days, since its long-term storage is impossible due to poor heat treatment.

Recipe for cooking in the oven

Some housewives do not bother creating a smokehouse and cook lard in an ordinary home oven. To make smoked bacon at home in the oven, you need a baking sleeve.

Compound:

• seasonings;
• salt;
• mustard;
• garlic;
• pepper;
• Salo.

Cooking:

1. Fat, salt, pepper, garlic, mustard to taste are laid in the baking sleeve.
2. The resulting mixture is well mixed and allowed to brew for 12 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Then the mixture is sent to the oven, heated to 130 degrees.
4. The languishing time is 45-50 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.

Some housewives add liquid smoke to the fat to give it flavor and color.

Experienced masters of smoking lard are advised to remember a number of requirements:

• it is better to use for smoking only chips from fruit trees, but in no case from conifers;
• it is impossible to raise the temperature in the smokehouse above the norm;
• Salt must always be salted before smoking;
• it is better to eat lard chilled.

For hot smoking, choose pieces from the abdominal area or sternum. It is desirable that the lard be with a meat layer, and not just fat. In this case, it will turn out tastier and will be a real delicacy.

For smoking, you need to choose bacon with a meat layer. When the bacon has already been bought, it's time to prepare it for soaking in brine: rinse well and cut into large pieces. It is advisable to leave the skin, as it will need to be smoked with it. After that, it’s time to marinate the pieces of fat: you can’t leave them chopped for a long time, otherwise they will deteriorate.

Exists different ways marinade, but classic recipe remains the most versatile. It is suitable for any occasion, bacon is easy to prepare and tastes great.

Ingredients: water; garlic; edible salt; bay leaf, pepper, mustard seeds.

Pass the garlic through a press so that a porridge-like mass is obtained. To it, add 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds and the same amount of black pepper. Mix everything well and spread on the bacon. Put a bay leaf on each piece, it will add additional flavor.

The marinade recipe is designed for 1 kg of fat

Now you need to put the product in a container, pour 0.5 liters of water into it, add 80 g of salt and mix everything. Put in the refrigerator for two days. Marinating time can be reduced to 24 hours. After that, it will be possible to begin the process of hot smoking.

Marinade for lard with soy sauce

Soy sauce is good for both fish and meat. Marinade for smoking lard with this ingredient will help make the product taste unusual. The recipe is no worse than the standard one and is easy to perform.

Ingredients: lard - 1 kg; soy sauce- 100 ml; garlic - 6 cloves; spices to taste; salt.

Garlic must be passed through a press, and then mixed with spices and salt. Add soy sauce to them and mix thoroughly. Coat the salo with the resulting mass on all sides. If it is not enough, then you need to cook more. It is important that the entire surface is covered with spices.

The lard should be placed in a container, covered with a lid and put in the refrigerator, where it can be kept for up to three days. The marinade for smoking lard should be well absorbed and give a piquant taste to the product. After that, you can start smoking it at home.

Brine for smoking lard

For hot smoking, raw materials can be prepared in different ways. For example, you can use brine for lard - it will make the product more fragrant, quite salty and tasty. The recipe is best to choose a standard, time-tested.

Ingredients: water; spices to taste; garlic - 2 heads; Bay leaf. The amount of ingredients directly depends on the volume of fat. If there is a lot of it, then you will have to take a larger pan. On average, in order to pickle, a volume of 3-5 liters is enough.

Brine at home is prepared as follows:

Pour water into a saucepan and put on fire. Sprinkle about 1 cup of table salt, add more spices and 10 bay leaves. Put 10-15 cloves of garlic in the pan as well. The brine should cover the fat with the top.

The lard brine should be boiled for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the liquid cool. Now the fat should be put in a saucepan and put in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days, and preferably for a week. When it is infused in brine, it will be possible to start smoking.

Marinade with ground cumin and marjoram

A simple recipe that will help you make delicious smoked bacon. It turns out very fragrant and tender thanks to this recipe. Sea salt, black pepper, crushed garlic, bay leaf, cumin, cardamom and marjoram should be mixed together. The prepared lard should be grated with the resulting mass so that the spices cover the entire surface. You can marinate in a jar, covered with a lid and put in a cold place. After 5 days, you can start smoking.

We tell you how to prepare a marinade for smoking lard. These recipes are best suited for the hot smoking method. But they are also quite suitable for cold.

As you know, the process is much shorter than cold smoking, however, there are some nuances here. For example, in order for the lard to end up tender, but not too softened, it is recommended to keep the lard in the marinade for no more than one day. The second point is that the fat should be fresh, not stale, otherwise the result will be rubbery in taste. And the third rule: after marinating the fat, it is necessary to let it ventilate in the fresh air. Airing will allow you to get rid of excess, unnecessary moisture, while the product itself will be “saturated”, if I may say so, with oxygen, and therefore, it will become even more tender.

This can be said to be one of classic recipes marinade for smoking lard. For cooking you will need the following ingredients:

• 2 liters of water;
• 200 gr. coarse salt;
• a few peas of hot pepper;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 2 cloves;
• cumin - to taste, but better on a pinch of a knife.

First you need to cook, which should turn out to be very saturated. Boil 2 liters of water on the stove and mix with salt. The saturation of the solution can be checked as follows: dip a small chicken egg into the saline solution. If the egg floats to the surface, then there is enough salt.

So, put the saline solution on fire, bring to a boil and add all the previously prepared spices to it. Make sure that the solution continues to boil all this time, leave it on the stove for 8-10 minutes, and then remove from heat. While the brine is cooling, prepare the lard. Rinse a piece of lard under cold water, and when the brine has cooled down, lower the lard there. The saucepan with the marinade can not be put in the refrigerator; it will be enough to leave the fat in a draft or just in a well-ventilated place, for example, on a balcony or on a veranda.

You need to marinate the bacon for smoking in the marinade for a day. After a day, pull the fat out of the marinade, dry it well and you can send it to be smoked. Bon Appetit!

Recipe number 2 Marinade in brine

Translated from the Turkic languages, "brine" means a saturated saline solution. To prepare the marinade, you will need the following ingredients:

• lard with a meat layer - 2-2.5 kg .;
• water - 2 liters;
• coarse salt - 400 gr.;
• small head of garlic;
• 4 bay leaves;
• 10 peppercorns.

Cooking method:

To begin with, the lard must be rinsed well under cold water, cut into large pieces and leave on a paper towel to dry.

While the fat dries up, prepare the brine. To do this, pour cold water into the pan, add salt, put pepper and bay leaf and leave to boil on the stove.

Peel the garlic and pass through the garlic press. Put one piece of bacon in a wide container, alternately rubbing each piece with the garlic mixture. After that, pour lard with warm brine (its temperature should not be higher than 20-25 degrees) and leave in a cool place for 3 days. Do not be afraid that there is too much salt - the fat will take in exactly as much as it needs. In other words, the likelihood of oversalting fat is excluded.

After three days, remove the lard from the marinade, dry it well again on a paper towel and can be sent to the smokehouse. The result will be very, very tasty. Bon Appetit!

Recipe No. 3 Marinade for smoked bacon with onion peel

Onion skins, along with the main ingredients for preparing the marinade, will ultimately give the finished dish a delicate, golden brown hue, as well as flavor it with a slightly noticeable smell.

To prepare the marinade according to this recipe, you will need the following components:

• pork fat (possible with meat, can be without) - 2 kg .;
• 1.5 liters of water;
• 3 handfuls of onion peel;
• 120 gr. coarse salt;
• bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
• 6 small cloves of garlic;
• black peppercorns - to taste.

Cooking method:

Freeze the fat slightly, after which you need to rinse it well under cold water and cut into large pieces.

Pour 1.5 liters of water into a separate saucepan, then put on a slow fire and wait until the water boils. Immediately after boiling, reduce the heat (but so that the brine continues to boil), add spices there, boil for 10 minutes, and then add the onion peel.

You need to cook the marinade for another 5 minutes, then lower the prepared pieces of fat there and cook for another 10 minutes over low heat. After 10 minutes, remove the marinade from the heat and leave to cool (do not pull out the fat). Immediately after the temperature of the marinade reaches room temperature, cover the saucepan with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for a day. After a day, take the fat out of the refrigerator and you can start smoking. It should immediately be clarified: this marinade recipe is more suitable for cold-smoked lard.

Salo smoked after soaking in such a marinade will turn out tender, dense (but not hard) and very tasty. Bon Appetit!

Recipe No. 4 Marinade for smoked lard with soy sauce

Soy sauce, a well-known and beloved product in Asian cuisine, is a concentrated brine with a characteristic taste and aroma. Soy sauce is quite salty on its own, so the addition of salt is not recommended, except perhaps a little. It should be noted right away that the final taste of the dish will differ from the traditional smoked lard, but if you want something unusual, then this recipe is definitely worth a try.

To prepare a marinade with soy sauce, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1.5 kg. fat;
• 120 ml. soy sauce;
• small head of garlic;
• salt - a pinch;
• spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

For this recipe, spices can be omitted in principle, only soy sauce will suffice.

So, peel the garlic and pass through the garlic press. Mix the resulting garlic mass with salt and spices. Pour soy sauce into the mixture and mix well again.

Rinse the lard and divide into portions, coat each piece with the resulting garlic-soy mass, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 2 days. After 2 days, remove the lard from the refrigerator, ventilate for 2-3 hours, after which you can remove the lard into the smokehouse. Bon Appetit!