Smoked chicken is a tasty and nutritious product that is popular not only due to its richness and smoked taste, but also dietary. Chicken meat is one of the most dietary, so it can be consumed by overweight people and mild gastrointestinal diseases, including smoked meat. Smoking not only adds an unusual taste and aroma, but also extends the shelf life of the product. But, smoked chicken also needs special storage conditions.
What determines the shelf life of smoked chicken?
The shelf life of smoked chicken depends on the following factors:
- The original freshness of the meat that was used for smoking.
- The presence of substances in meat that extend shelf life. So, store-bought meat contains preservatives and antioxidants.
- Type of smoking: Cold smoked chicken will last longer than hot smoked chicken.
- Temperatures – Smoked chicken should only be stored in a cool place.
- Humidity – chicken does not tolerate humidity above 70%.
- The quality of the packaging - it protects the meat from chapping and drying out.
- Light: smoked meat does not tolerate direct sunlight. In the sun, meat dries out and loses moisture.
Storage without refrigeration
Long before the advent of refrigeration, our ancestors widely used smoking briskets, hams, fish and used the following methods to preserve prepared delicacies:
- Wrapping with cloth. It must first be soaked in a saline solution, then put the smoked meat there and wrap it up. Place the package in a special place where there are no temperature changes and it is cool enough, for example, in a cellar.
- In ventilated areas. They must be clean, dry and free of flies. The attic is often such a place. On it, smoked meats, suspended in a special winding, are preserved for a long time.
- In nettle leaves. Outdoors or at home, if there is no refrigerator and there are a lot of nettles growing nearby, wrap the grass around the meat or fish and place it in the shade. This way the products can stay fresh for 2-3 days.
Any smoked product, be it fish or ham, is always a welcome dish on the table, not only on holidays, but also on ordinary days. To extend the shelf life of smoked products, you need to know the rules for storing them. By following all the recommendations, you will preserve the unique taste and aroma of smoked products.
How and how long to store smoked chicken
Smoked chicken belongs to the category of perishable products. Therefore, you only need to store meat in a cool place - ideally in the refrigerator. Smoked chicken can also be frozen by first dividing it into small portions.
You can store the chicken in a tight container with a lid or in a ziploc bag. Before placing the chicken in a container, wrap it in foil or food paper.
We recommend reading: How long does dried meat last?
How long does smoked chicken last ? A hot smoked product can be stored for a maximum of 3 days. Cold smoked chicken will easily last 1 week in the refrigerator and 3-4 months in the freezer. If the chicken is vacuum-packed, its shelf life will increase: in the refrigerator up to 10 days and in the freezer up to 6 months.
You need to know this. Hot smoking of chicken is its short-term heat treatment at a temperature of 90 to 150 degrees. Processing time – up to 3 hours. Hot smoked chicken can be stored for a maximum of 3 days from the date of preparation. Temperature range from +2 to +6 degrees. Cold smoking is a long-term processing of the product (3 days) at a low temperature (from +18 to +28 degrees). The advantage of cold smoking is the deep processing of meat fibers. This allows you to store smoked chicken for up to 3-4 months.
The best marinating recipes for smoking
Smoking chicken at home is carried out after preliminary marinating. Which method to choose depends on the processing method, as well as personal taste preferences. There are options that preserve the natural taste as much as possible, as well as those that add a piquant aroma and saturate the meat with unique flavor notes.
Universal recipe
A universal marinade is able to preserve the natural taste of chicken meat. After such salting, you can smoke the chicken in a hot or cold smokehouse. For 3 liters of water take the following proportions of ingredients:
- 150 gr. salt;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 0.5 tsp each each of the spices: dried dill, cilantro, parsley, cumin, allspice.
All components are mixed. The garlic is pre-chopped. The marinade is boiled and cooled. Pour the cold solution over the chicken and leave to marinate for 10-12 hours. The best option is to leave the marinated product overnight.
This marinade option will make hot smoked chicken incredibly juicy and flavorful. For preparation you will need the following ingredients:
How long can smoked chicken last in the refrigerator?
Store-bought smoked chicken should be consumed as quickly as possible. Immediately wrap the carcass in foil or food paper and put it in the refrigerator. The maximum shelf life of purchased chicken is 1 day. We also recommend wrapping the chicken in a bag so that its smell does not transfer to other foods in your refrigerator.
The shelf life of homemade smoked chicken in the refrigerator is much longer - up to 7 days. In a sealed package and at a temperature of 0 to +3 degrees, the chicken will last 3 days longer.
Methods of smoking meat, poultry and fish, and their differences
Smoking at home and in production workshops can be cold, hot and semi-hot. An alternative to the traditional method is smoking liquids of natural and chemical origin, which are added to ordinary dishes to create a smoky aroma.
The temperature of heat treatment of raw materials is different for each method. The lowest – 16 – 22˚С – for cold smoking, 40 – 80˚С – for semi-hot smoking and 80 – 120˚С – for hot smoking.
How long to smoke?
The lower the smoke temperature in the smoking chamber, the longer the cooking time for delicacies will be. Thus, cold-smoked delicacies take several days to process, while hot-smoked products are prepared quite quickly – from 40 minutes. up to 2-3 hours. Semi-hot dishes are brought to temperature in 1.5 - 3 hours.
For convenience, all the main parameters of different smoking methods are collected in a summary table.
A separate point is to consider the smokeless method using natural smoking liquids. Natural liquid smoke is added in small quantities during the cooking process and gives it a special smoky aroma.
Cooking food in this way is considered the most harmless, since there are no combustion products that emit carbon and carcinogens.
That is, the finished dish, in contrast to traditionally smoked dishes, is considered by experts to be the safest.
Along with natural smoking liquids, artificial ones are also offered today, obtained by synthesizing a number of chemical compounds. They are used mainly in industrial production to speed up and reduce the cost of the smoking process. However, there is still no consensus on the harm/harmlessness of such additives for humans.
What is the difference between cold smoking and hot smoking?
So, the main differences lie in the preparation of raw materials (pre-salting), heat treatment temperature in the smokehouse, shelf life and gastronomic properties of the products.
Food preparation
Each smoking method and type of product requires different curing times. Raw materials for cold smoking are kept in dry or wet salting for several days. And for semi-hot and hot smoking, a few hours of preliminary salting of the raw materials is quite enough.
Heat treatment
Different levels of heat treatment of raw materials affect the consistency of the finished smoked meats. The fibers of cold-smoked delicacies are dried under the influence of cooled smoke. Since the raw materials are previously kept in a saline solution or in dry salt, the pulp of the delicacies is compacted and the fiber structure is preserved.
Semi-hot and hot methods involve heating the moisture contained in the original products. The result is boiled-smoked gastronomy. Ready-made dishes with tender flesh contain notes of smoke and spice. The fibers of delicacies soften under the influence of temperature and are partially destroyed. For this reason, the smoked product is very soft.
Which smoking method should I choose?
To say that cold-smoked mackerel or pork belly is better and tastier than hot-smoked mackerel is completely wrong. Both delicacies are original in their own way and will decorate the table.
When it comes to smoking at home or in a smoking shop, the choice of method is influenced by many factors.
For example, which product will be sold faster or what are the preferences of those for whom homemade delicacies will be prepared? That is, everyone makes the decision about whether to use cold, hot or semi-hot smoking based on personal motives or the state of consumer demand for smoked meats in their region.
Smoking technology
Preparing smoke chips and spices
Preparation of wood material that ensures uniform smoldering and smoke formation is the first technological stage of the smoking process.
As a combustion product, varietal chips of hard and fruit wood have proven themselves to be the best. You can also use regular large shavings and a small amount of sawdust. Adding the latter allows you to reduce too much heat and increase the amount of smoke.
An alternative to wood chips in home smoking can be solid fuel (dry lumps) and wet sawdust. If you use small logs for smoking production, you should control the combustion process.
Chocks need to be added regularly, making sure that the fire does not get out of control and does not exceed the temperature limits specified in the recipe. Otherwise, the flame is covered with sand.
But smoldering sawdust constantly releases heat at low temperatures and does not require too much attention.
Do not forget about aromatic natural additives - juniper berries, grapevine, blackcurrant and cherry leaves, rosemary. Some recipes also include more exotic natural smoke flavors, such as eucalyptus, almond shells and mahogany.
Actually, the selection of smoke chips and spices in each case should correspond to the recipe for preparing delicacies. The main thing is to prepare enough wood material so that it is enough for a full smoking cycle.
Smoking process
The general rules for preparing for smoking are the same for all methods. Before starting the process, the smoking chamber is prepared. It is well cleaned of ash, old coals, soot and fat deposits. Only after this fresh wood chips are added for smoking.
The difference in smoking technologies lies in the distance of the smoked products from the heating source.
Thus, to cool the smoke during cold smoking, a long pipe (2 - 3 m) is used, passing through which the hot smoke quickly cools to a temperature of 16 - 22 ˚C.
Hot and semi-hot smoking is performed directly over smoldering combustion products. Here it is only necessary to regulate the smoldering process by reducing or increasing the temperature using wet sawdust.
Hot/semi-hot smoking
These methods involve heat treatment of raw materials at high temperatures. Products in the smoking chamber are simultaneously boiled in their own juice and soaked in smoking substances. The result is delicacies with juicy pulp and a refined aroma.
Cold smoking
The basis of this method is the treatment of raw materials with chilled smoke for several days. There is a process of gradual drying and deep smoking. The pulp of the prepared dishes is juicy, close in consistency to the raw product. The taste of cold-smoked delicacies has a thick aroma of fire and spices.
Product selection
Meat, lard, fish, poultry, some seafood, homemade sausages, sausages and vegetables are smoked using cold, hot and semi-hot methods. It all depends on personal preferences and availability of free time.
Storing smoked meats
You should always remember about the shelf life of products smoked in one way or another. Hot and semi-hot smoked products have a short shelf life - only 3-4 days. Therefore, you should not smoke them in large quantities if you do not plan to immediately sell or consume them.
Cold-smoked delicacies are stored well in ventilated areas (for example, in the attic or attic). Their shelf life is at least 14 days, and after deep smoking it reaches 2-3 months without any deterioration in taste and aromatic properties.
How to store it correctly?
Regardless of what product is prepared - cold or hot smoked, it must be stored in the refrigerator (refrigerator).
There is a constant low temperature regime here, which does not allow the development of bacteria that decompose the pulp of smoked meats.
For cold smoked delicacies, you can make an exception and store them in a cool, ventilated area. They are hung from a ceiling beam and are allowed to ripen (wither) naturally.
It is not recommended to store smoked meats in PET bags and film. Moisture condenses in them, the delicacy “suffocates” due to lack of oxygen, and quickly deteriorates.
For hot-smoked delicacies, metal or glass containers with a lid are suitable. Cold smoked products can be wrapped in parchment paper (tracing paper) or food foil.
Then the products will not become airy and moldy for a long time.
Useful tips
- Smoked foods should be cooled completely before packing or deep freezing.
- Smoked products should not be consumed immediately after the cooking process is completed.
It is better to let it sit for 24 hours, allowing it to “ripen”. Eating smoked meats ahead of time will not cause any harm to the body, but the real taste and smell will not have time to form.
How to store smoked chicken in the freezer
Smoked meat can be frozen - the taste and nutritional properties do not deteriorate. Cold smoked meat can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months, and hot smoked meat for up to 30 days.
The freezing procedure is as follows:
- Divide the chicken into small pieces.
- Wrap each portion in food paper.
- Place everything in a plastic bag.
- Place in the freezer for storage.
Important: do not store wet meat! Before storing, you can dry it with paper towels. To defrost meat, place it in the refrigerator for a while. Defrosting at room temperature degrades the product's taste and consistency.
How to choose
Before buying, you need to take a good look at the bird, paying attention to its appearance. The skin of the chilled chicken should not have bruises, dark spots or damaged areas. Her normal color is white. Poultry that is too fat may have a slightly yellowish tint. A fresh, pleasant smell is the best recommendation for this product (a faint smell of bleach or vinegar indicates that they tried to “reanimate” the meat).
Frozen chicken should not be covered in ice. It can only appear if the bird has been frozen twice. It is better to avoid such chicken meat. At the same time, it is best to try to buy only chilled poultry, since frozen ones may be initially stale.
Marinating chicken is mainly carried out for making barbecue. And if for some reason going outdoors is postponed, a natural question arises: how long and how to store marinated chicken?
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| Characteristics and norm | ||
| Appearance | Characteristic of this type of product. Surface free from dirt and mildew | |
| Consistency | Elastic – for products made from whole chicken parts | |
| Form | In accordance with the recipe and technological documentation for a specific type of product | |
| Taste and smell | Characteristic for this type of product, moderately salty, without any foreign taste or smell. | |
| Mass fraction of table salt, %, no more | 3,0 | |
| Mass fraction of sodium nitrite, %, no more | 0,005 | |
| It is allowed to increase the mass proportion of table salt in the finished product by 0.3% during the warm period of the year (May-September). | ||
| Permissible levels mg/kg, no more | Note | |
| Toxic elements: | ||
| lead | 0,5 | |
| arsenic | 0,1 | |
| cadmium | 0,05 | |
| mercury | 0,03 | |
| Antibiotics: | ||
| chloramphenicol | not allowed | 1.5. Microbiological indicators of products must comply with the technical regulations of the Customs Union No. 021/2011, indicated in Table 3. |
| KMAFAnM, CFU/g, no more | 1x10 3 | |
| Weight of product (g), which is not allowed | Coliforms (coliforms) | 0,1 |
| S. aureus | 1,0 | |
| Pathogenic microorganisms, including salmonella | 25 | |
| sulfite-reducing clostridia | 0,1 | |
| L.monocytogenes | 25 (From the ventricles) | |
How long does smoked chicken last without refrigeration?
Well-salted dried chicken can be stored without refrigeration for up to six months. A product with a high moisture content and low salt content can be stored for a maximum of several days. A cool, well-ventilated and dry place is suitable for storing smoked chicken carcasses. For example, you can store meat in the attic or in an unheated pantry.
It is best to store chicken hanging. Before hanging, wrap the meat in a clean natural cloth or place it in a linen bag.
Signs of corruption
You can determine that a delicacy has gone bad by the following signs:
- Mold formation on the surface.
- Rotten, fungal or sour odor.
- Covering the surface with sticky mucus.
- Formation of a grayish coating.
- Rancid taste.
You should not eat spoiled meat; this can lead not only to severe poisoning, but also to various diseases, such as botulism. Lost smoked meat should also not be given to animals. A spoiled product should be disposed of immediately.
Raw smoked chicken breast recipe
Carpaccio is a very popular dish in Italian cuisine. It was originally prepared from beef, but it turns out just as good from chicken.
- chicken fillet or breast – 1 kg;
- table salt – 12 g;
- nitrite salt – 12 g;
- spices – ground black pepper, paprika, ground white pepper – to taste.
Remove the skin from the chicken fillet, wash it, clean it of films and fat, and trim it.
Prepare the pickling mixture. For raw smoked breast, mix spices with table salt and nitrite salt, in accordance with the recipe. The poultry is breaded with this mixture, placed, lightly pressing, in a dish made of non-oxidizing material, pressure is placed on top and left for 24-72 hours. Periodically (at least once a day) semi-finished products are turned over.
At the end of salting, the pieces are washed in cold water and placed on napkins to remove moisture. They make a puncture with a needle and thread it through. Tie a loop and hang it in the air to remove excess moisture and dry the crust for 2 hours. You can turn on the fan.
Semi-finished products for raw smoked breast are transferred to an electric dryer and dried for 5-6 hours at a temperature of 40-45 °C. During this time, the chicken loses a lot of moisture and becomes dense.
Smoke the breast in a smokehouse with a smoke generator using a cold method, maintaining the smoke temperature at 27 °C for 6 hours.
Can be smoked semi-hot at a smoke temperature of 60 °C for 1.5-2 hours.
After smoking, the meat is kept in air for 2-3 hours, cut across the grain into very thin slices.
It turns out to be a very tasty and satisfying dish.
How to keep smoked meats tasty and as healthy as possible
It’s a paradox, but not every smoker knows where to store smoked meats. The best place for this is a well-ventilated, dry area. The air temperature in it should not exceed 8 degrees (the optimal temperature is 5-6 degrees Celsius). The optimal place, suitable for all the above parameters, is the attic. Here, smoked meats, hung in clean bags or placed in specially designated boxes, can be stored for a long time.
You should not store smoked meat and fish products in cellars, since the air here is quite humid and the temperature may be lower than recommended. All this will lead to the products becoming moldy and quickly spoiling.
How to determine that smoked meats are starting to spoil
Signs indicating that our supplies have spoiled and are unfit for consumption are the following: mold that is white in color and slippery to the touch; strong, unpleasant sour odor. If any of these signs appear, you must immediately wash the product with warm water, then wash it again, but with a salt solution. The solution must be very strong. After this, it is advisable to dry the smoked meats and generously grease them.
