Everyone understands that lard is a fatty product, the frequent use of which can lead to excess weight. However, there is not only harm from it, but also benefits. First of all, pork fat provides the body with the required vitamins and elements. It contains fatty acids that strengthen the immune system and prevent the formation of inflammatory processes.
Boiled-smoked bacon is used for medicinal purposes, as it strengthens the cardiovascular system. Perfectly prevents colds, pneumonia, problems with the bronchi. It removes toxins and toxins from the body, which accumulate due to malnutrition and a polluted environment. The composition of the product is impressive: it includes potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, selenium and various vitamins.
It was not enough, it became fat
People leading an active lifestyle will benefit from this delicacy. It is recommended even to pregnant women, so they can safely take note of the smoking recipe. Salo maintains vitality and provides energy for the day. It is used in folk medicine to treat toothache, problem joints, and eczema. True, in this case, it is used not in a smoked form, but crushed, as an ointment.
Although the benefits are great, there are also harms. The boiled-smoked product contains cholesterol, which, when ingested in large quantities, can provoke the development of cardiovascular diseases, as well as problems with the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. It is necessary to use such fat with caution for people with diseased kidneys.
As for calories, hot smoked lard contains 775 kcal per 100 g. Such a figure can scare those who follow their figure. It is worth taking into account that the benefits of this product will be only if you eat no more than 50-80 g per day. An increase in portions can harm the body.
Hot smoked lard is prepared either in the oven or in a smokehouse. The second option is much better, since the product turns out to be really tasty, fragrant and of high quality. The recipe is suitable for those who have their own cottage or plot near the house. You only need to get a smokehouse or use a metal bucket instead. Then it will be possible at any time to smoke bacon in the fresh air.
Preparation of fat for smoking is necessary in order for the product to turn out really good. Cooking for smoking will not take much time. Rinse and cut into oblong pieces. Sprinkle with salt on all sides, you can add spices if desired. In this form, it should be allowed to stand for at least 2-3 hours, and preferably a day. How much to keep, everyone decides for himself.
Salo can be hung in a smokehouse on hooks
Now the equally important part is the preparation of the smokehouse for work. It must be properly installed over the fire. For this, bricks are needed, which are laid out around the fire. They put a smokehouse on them so that it is directly above the flame. Chips of fruit tree are poured inside, a grate is installed on top of them, and pieces of bacon are laid out on it.
At this stage, it remains to light the fire and cover the lid. It is important to monitor not the temperature, but the fire. The flame must be medium to cook everything properly.
Pieces lie in the smokehouse from 30 minutes to an hour - the time is about the same as when cooking in the oven. It will be possible to get them when they are covered with a delicious brown crust.
It is advisable to let the product cool down, you can even put it in the refrigerator for a day, until it hardens. Now hot smoked lard can be served on the table. It will be no worse than cold-cooked, but will significantly surpass in taste what was cooked in the oven.
Fat smoking is possible in different ways - both hot and cold. In these two cases, the temperature is different, as well as the process time. The recipe is easy to remember and implement. The only thing, if you want to get the finished product as soon as possible, it is better to smoke in the oven.
The readiness of fat is determined by an appetizing brownish color.
Cold-smoked lard turns out to be less greasy, acquires a brown color and a unique aroma. Harm is possible only when overeating, it is better not to allow this.
Ingredients:
Cold method lard can be pre-boiled in salt water with spices. Then it will become softer. The boiled-smoked version can be even more interesting than the standard one. Fat, meat with a fatty layer will need to be laid out on a grate in a smokehouse. The temperature should not exceed 20°C. How much to cook it like this? The recipe calls for 2-3 days. It can be done in the oven in less than an hour. It is noteworthy that boiled-smoked lard, cooked in a cold way, practically does not harm the body.
Video of cooking hot smoked lard in a smokehouse:
Any fat must be salted or marinated before smoking. We will not describe in detail here why this is necessary, because the reason is already clear to everyone - it tastes so much better! 🙂
Salting bacon for smoking is a simple process, which also allows any experiments. We give only three recipes for salting lard for.
Salo is better to buy with layers of meat. I think it's also called a brisket. So it will turn out more tasty.
When preparing lard for subsequent smoking, it is cut into slices about five centimeters wide (they used to say “two fingers”) and length, depending on your dishes, where you will salt it. Such slices will be more convenient to place in the smokehouse. If you salt the fat without intending to smoke it, then you can cut it as you like, down to small portioned pieces.
Dishes for salting should be taken enameled or stainless. Aluminum and especially galvanized containers cannot be used.
Wet salting recipes use water; if the water is spring or from a clean well, then you can use it immediately. If from a tap in the city, then it is better to boil it first and cool it to room temperature.
You can salt the lard without preparing the marinade. Here is a simple recipe. For 1 kilogram you will need:
Garlic needs to be peeled, disassembled into cloves and crushed into gruel.
You mix all the ingredients and rub the pieces of lard thickly with this mixture. Put them in a bowl and put them in the refrigerator for three days.
After salting, you take the bacon out of the refrigerator, peel off the remaining mixture of spices and hang the pieces on hooks to dry. Drying time in air ranges from 12 hours to a day.
Now let's prepare the brine for smoking lard. I must say that there are a lot of such recipes, and this is just one of them.
For 1 liter of water you need:
Salo according to this recipe does not need to be cooked before salting.
Warm up the water; can be almost to a boil, so that everything dissolves better.
Add salt and sugar, stir. Generally speaking, the amount of salt does not need to be measured down to the gram. There is an old way to determine its concentration in water, you probably know it. A raw chicken egg should sink in water and float in brine. That is, you simply dissolve the salt in the pan, and watch the egg. When it floats so that its tip in diameter equal to a five-ruble coin is above the water, we can assume that the brine is ready.
After dissolving the salt and sugar, throw spices into the pan. Garlic must be peeled and crushed directly into a bowl with brine.
Load the fat into the pan. You need to cook enough brine so that it completely covers your entire product. The lard in the brine will float, so put oppression on top, for example, a grill grate, or a plate. You can also put a load on it, for example, a jar of water, so that nothing will definitely float up. Put dishes with lard in the refrigerator for 10 - 12 days.
After the lard is salted, it needs to be soaked for one or two hours in clean cold water, and then, as in the first recipe, hang to dry.
Another original recipe for salting lard for smoking. You will need:
Salo is cut into portions.
Seasoning can be taken in cubes: Maggi, Galina Blanca or any other suitable for cooking meat. It will take 4 cubes per kilogram of fat, they need to be crushed into powder. Or you can take a package of some ready-made seasoning "for lard" or "for meat" that you find.
Pour seasoning onto a plate. Add three to four teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of granulated sugar and ground black pepper to taste.
You need to carefully roll the chopped pieces of lard in this mixture. Or rub them well on all sides. Then you put them in a regular plastic bag. For reliability, you can put two or three more packages into each other.
Pour the minced garlic into the bag. Mix the contents of the package thoroughly inside.
Pour half a pot of water, put on fire. You need exactly half to fit a bag of lard; if it is full, then the water will splash onto the stove.
You tie a bag with lard well; try to keep as little air as possible in it. Put it in a pot and close the lid.
You need to cook for 1 hour 20 minutes from the moment the water boils.
When the time is up, turn off the fire and leave the pot with water and bag to cool completely. After that, you take the fat out of the bag, dry it and put it in the refrigerator.
After the end of salting, the fat can already be eaten right. But do not forget that our ultimate goal is still his. No more preparation is required - you can already charge the smoker.
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.
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. Man refused raw meat 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.
The most ancient way of storing meat products and preparing them for consumption is salting according to a simple recipe. It has a lot of advantages.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Universal products can easily replace both the main course and the appetizer. These include lard, which becomes especially tasty when smoked. Although the calorie content of food is high, it is worthy of any table. If you lack the experience of preparing such a dish on your own, then use the recipes and recommendations below.
In small quantities, this product even benefits. The main thing is to choose the right raw materials. Pieces with small layers of meat and thicker layers of fat are suitable for smoking at home. Parts from the piglet's abdomen have such characteristics. After choosing a raw product, it must be properly salted. You can do this in 2 ways:
The latter method is used less frequently, because it takes a lot of time, almost 2 weeks. For salting 1.5 kg of fat for any method, you need to do the following:
Before you smoke lard, you must choose between cold and hot methods. The first is lengthy. With it, smoking lasts for several days at a temperature of 20-25 degrees. The hearth should be formed so that there is no noticeable fire, and firewood is spent only on smoke. For this, sawdust from wood is suitable. The second method is faster, smoking here lasts no more than 50 minutes immediately after the wood burns out on the remaining coals. In addition to 2 ways, there is another one. This is an imitation of smoking, where you can cook lard not in a smokehouse, but in brine with onion peel.
This method is slow, because with it smoking takes place within 2-5 days. The installation is specially prepared. Wood is placed in the smokehouse and fired up. When the fuel burns out, pieces of meat are laid out on the grate. Smoking should take place at a temperature below 30 degrees. At night, a small fire can be extinguished, and in the morning kindle again and continue cooking.
A variation of this method is often the method using liquid smoke. It is a special smoke liquid. Instead of 4-5 days, she is able to smoke lard in just 5 minutes. The disadvantage of this method is that it is harmful to the human digestive system, so it is better to give preference to the classic cold method.
If you are in doubt about how long to smoke hot smoked lard, remember the rules:
According to this recipe, the product does not need to be smoked. It is simply boiled with onion husks. The taste and shade at the same time is very similar to smoked. For a greater return of color, it is better to take an old bow. A larger saucepan is needed so that you do not have to periodically turn the pieces over. It only takes 3 hours to prepare. The dish is perfect even for a holiday. The ingredients needed here are:
Instructions on how to smoke lard according to this recipe include the following steps:
For those who have a smoker for work at home, the following recipe will be required. Ingredients:
Here is an instruction on how to cook smoked lard in a hot smoked smokehouse:
This recipe presents a universal method of cold smoking. First you need to prepare the ingredients from the following list:
The whole cooking process includes the following steps:
The last method of home smoking is not the most useful, but it is still used. The products needed here are:
Cooking at home goes like this:
Salo is a delicious product rich in vitamins D, E, A and useful elements: calcium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium.
If you eat less than 100 grams per day, it will not harm your health or figure.
Salo strengthens the immune system, stimulates bile formation and protects the gastric mucosa, so it has become a favorite snack “for vodka”.
It is eaten salted, boiled-smoked, Ukrainians produce lard in chocolate, but it is especially appreciated in smoked form.
A beginner can also handle hot smoking of lard. Cooking does not take much time with proper preparation of the product.
By these signs, one can distinguish the “correct” fat from low-quality:
white color (yellowness is a sign of an old product);
slight odor or no odor;
thickness from 2.5 to 4 cm;
thin meat layers.
Pieces are taken from the sides or peritoneum. They should be fresh, juicy, with a skin.
Whatever recipe for smoking lard in a smokehouse you choose, it is important to properly prepare the product. 
Cut into large pieces up to 10 cm wide (any length).
Don't take off the skin!
Salt or pickle.
Ideal fat - 3-4 cm thick with meat layers. Pieces thinner than 2.5 cm should not be smoked - it is better to salt them.
The time of smoking lard in a hot smoked smokehouse is affected by
the size of the pieces;
salting duration.
The larger the piece, the longer it will take to cook! A sign of readiness is a golden brown crust and a dry surface of the product.
Boiled bacon is cooked for 30 minutes at a temperature of 50-60ºС (on coals or medium heat).
More time will require hot smoking of salted lard in a smokehouse. The temperature must first be above 80ºС. After 15-20 minutes, the heat is reduced to medium and the product is left for at least another 30 minutes, and if the pieces are large, then for 1 hour.
Helpful advice! Watch the color of the smoke.
While the products are being smoked, you should not open the smokehouse. To make sure that the process is proceeding correctly, keep an eye on the smoke. It should be thick at first as the moisture evaporates. Then, when the products are dried, the smoke will turn white. This is the "correct" color.
Yellow or brown smoke is a sign that food is burning. You need to turn down the heat. If the wood chips flared up, cover the hearth with new sawdust. Chips should only smolder.
When the fat actively melts and gets on the wood chips, the smokehouse begins to smoke. To prevent this from happening, do not heat the fat for a long time and too much. And don't forget to use the drip pan!
Marinating bacon is an important step in preparing for smoking. It is necessary to give taste to the future delicacy.
To prepare a simple brine for smoking lard in a smokehouse, prepare the products in advance:
allspice and / or peas;
Bay leaf;
optional - garlic cloves, a few cloves.
The bacon must be placed in a container and pour water so that it covers the pieces completely. So you determine the desired amount of marinade. Then start adding salt. On average, they take 100-150 grams per 1 liter, but it is better to resort to tricks.
In order not to oversalt the marinade, use a raw egg!
Dip it in the brine and add salt to the solution until the egg floats. If you oversalt the bacon, the layers of meat in it will become tough.
Add the indicated spices to the prepared brine, lower the lard and do not forget about oppression. Marinate food in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Then dry and smoke first over high heat. After 15 minutes, the heating can be made weak and the fat can be left for 1-1.5 hours.
If there is no time to prepare a marinade for hot-smoked lard, dry-salted products are laid out in the smokehouse. Use spices to your liking. Pairs well with lard
black pepper;
Bay leaf;
coriander;
Each piece is thickly rubbed with salt and spices. Salt is also poured to the bottom of the container, where the lard will marinate. Pieces are laid in layers, from time to time adding laurel leaves.
Salted fat in this way for 2.5-3 hours. If there is no time, you can leave it under oppression in the refrigerator for an hour, and then send it to be smoked.
The better the marinated lard, the faster it will smoke!
Before sending products to the smokehouse, you need to rinse them from salt and dry them. Time and temperature - as in the previous recipe.
To prepare boiled-smoked bacon, you need to salt the products, as in recipe 2. Then boil the bacon.
Pour water into a saucepan with food, add another 3-4 tablespoons of salt, dried dill, a few peppercorns. You do not need to cook for a long time - 30 minutes after boiling is enough.
Boiled-smoked bacon is cooked in 30-60 minutes over medium heat. This is an approximate time - the exact time depends on the size of the pieces.
When the fat is smoky (becomes golden brown), it must be cooled and ventilated. You can leave it overnight or for a day in the refrigerator or hang it in a dark place with good ventilation.
At room temperature, hot-smoked lard is stored for 10-14 days. In the refrigerator - up to 3 months. In the freezer - a year. Cellar/cellar storage is not suitable due to high humidity!
Smoking lard in a home smokehouse will be mastered even by a beginner! It is important to choose a fresh product, marinate well and smoke on alder chips. You can add a little cherry or currant sawdust, a sprig of rosemary or juniper berries. The main thing - do not overdo it! Alder chips should remain the base.
