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.
How to store smoked chicken in the refrigerator?
The bird should lie in food paper; it should not be wrapped in film, a bag or kept in a container. Condensation will form under the film, which will provoke the development of pathogenic bacteria. The product can be kept in the refrigerator for no more than three days.
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What affects shelf life
The preservation of smoked chicken meat in a usable condition depends on the following factors:
- Quality of raw materials . Only fresh meat can last for a long time.
- Compound . Store-bought smoked meats usually contain preservatives and antioxidants, which significantly extend their shelf life.
- Smoking type . Cold smoked products last longer than hot smoked products.
- Temperature . Must be kept in a cool place.
- Humidity . It is advisable not to exceed 70%.
- Package . Must protect from excess moisture and contact with air.
- Illumination . Must be kept in a place away from direct sunlight.
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.
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) | |
Pickling
At home, smoked chicken is usually prepared using the hot method. It is very fast, easy and requires a minimum of skills and knowledge. The main thing is to properly prepare the carcasses and get them out of the smoking cabinet on time. Poultry can be cooked in horizontal or vertical smokehouses, hot or cold. The technology for preparing carcasses usually depends on their type. If there is a horizontal cabinet and the chicken will be cooked on a wire rack, the carcasses are cut in half. In a vertical device, whole carcasses are usually cooked by hanging them upside down.
Next, the carcass is thoroughly washed under running water and the marinade is prepared.
Marinade recipe for 1 carcass:
- 1 liter of water;
- a little more than half a glass of salt;
- 100 g sugar;
- 30 ml vinegar;
- spices (black pepper, coriander, bay leaf, etc.);
- 4 cloves of garlic.
Smoked chicken in a smokehouse will be tastier the better it is marinated. To do this, bring 1 liter of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt, sugar, spices and stir until dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and pour out the vinegar, allow the marinade to cool.
The prepared carcass is placed in a deep container, poured with marinade and left in the refrigerator. The bird must be marinated for at least 12 hours. Next, the bird is dried. This is done so that the marinade and excess liquid are removed from the carcass, which will interfere with quality smoking. Usually the carcass is simply hung in a ventilated area for 2-3 hours.
If the carcass is whole, you can put a few cloves of garlic inside before putting it in the smokehouse. The carcass is tied with twine so that it holds its shape under the influence of high temperatures. This is how to properly prepare meat for smoking at the dacha. If smoking is carried out in a special cabinet over a fire, the preparation of the product is similar.
Homemade smoked meats are very tasty and aromatic. And most importantly, the meat is always fresh. You can smoke absolutely everything - from lard and fish to everyone’s favorite chicken and quail. To avoid making a mistake even for the first time, it is enough to study the technology of preparing products for smoking and their direct preparation.
Cold storage
The best decision would be to cook the chicken immediately after purchase. But when this cannot be done, you need to store the bird in the refrigerator, in the following packages:
- vacuum;
- glass with lid;
- polyethylene;
- plastic vacuum.
It is optimal to place the chicken in a vacuum bag, then in a larger plastic container, and fill the remaining voids with ice cubes.
The shelf life of chicken in the refrigerator will depend not only on the storage temperature and the initial condition of the bird, but also on its size and type of storage (in whole or in parts, with or without bones). Storage time for chicken in the refrigerator at a certain temperature:
- 3 – 4 days at -2°С – 0°С;
- 3 days at 0°C -+4°C;
- 1 – 2 days at +4°С -+7°С;
- 8 – 24 hours at +7°С -+10°С.
Application of the freezer
If it is necessary to preserve smoked meats for a longer period, they must be frozen. In such conditions they will not lose their original qualities. The best effect will be if you additionally use vacuum packaging.
Meat products
With this storage method, you can also choose the most suitable temperature regime from three possible ones:
- from -10 to -8°C degrees – storage is provided for up to 120 days;
- from -18 to -10°C degrees – meat freshness is preserved for up to 240 days;
- from -24 to -18°C degrees – the meat will not lose its former qualities throughout the year.
Such long periods of freezing are used in most cases on a production scale. However, in the household, if you need to preserve a significant amount of smoked products, this will be relevant. An important point is proper defrosting before consumption: meat should be kept at 12°C until completely thawed.
Fish products
If there is a need to preserve smoked fish from spoilage for a longer period, place it in the freezer, using vacuum packaging for better effect. The freezer must operate in a stable mode. It is recommended to avoid sudden changes in temperature and maintain it at a level of -1 to -6°C degrees.
Different types of fish have their own shelf life. For example, for smoked mackerel and herring they are approximately 1.5-2 months at optimal temperature conditions. Valuable types of smoked fish may not lose their quality for 3-4 months.
Smoking chicken in a smokehouse
This is the most crucial moment. You need to prepare the smokehouse in advance: prepare wood chips and heat the cabinet. To smoke chicken deliciously, they prefer bird cherry, alder, cherry and oak wood. They are the most fragrant. The wood chips are soaked in water an hour before being placed in the oven. So it will not burn, but only smolder, giving the desired smoke.
The smokehouse should be equipped with a tray into which the fat will drain; foil is usually placed on the tray so that the fat does not burn, and later it is easier to clean the pan.
To warm up the smokehouse, light the stove and allow the unit to heat up.
Next, hang or place the bird inside and close the door.
There is no single smoking recipe. You just need to keep the level of hot smoke in the smokehouse constant.
The maximum temperature to which the cabinet can be heated is 180°C. If it rises higher, the meat must be removed.
How long should the bird stay in the smokehouse? The cooking time for smoked chicken depends on the size of the carcass and the volume of the installation itself. On average, this will take from 1 to 3 hours. It is better not to open the cabinet door while smoking. The first time the carcass is cooked is checked after 1 hour. After cooking, smoked chicken can be consumed only when it has cooled thoroughly. It doesn't taste as good when it's hot as when it's cold. The shelf life of home-smoked meat should not exceed 5 days.
Smoking chicken in a smokehouse has several nuances:
- if the carcasses are small and thin, so that during smoking they do not turn out to be dry, pieces of lard are placed inside;
- It is not recommended to use liquid smoke, since when heated to high temperatures it turns into a carcinogen;
- To marinate the meat faster - in 1-2 hours, the marinade can be injected into the carcass using a syringe.
Now the answer to the question of how to smoke chicken has been exhausted. All that remains is to personally try to put the acquired knowledge into practice and improve your skills. You should always remember about the quality of the products you purchase, because half the success of a new home-made culinary masterpiece depends on this.
How long should the bird stay in the smokehouse? The cooking time for smoked chicken depends on the size of the carcass and the volume of the installation itself. On average, this will take from 1 to 3 hours. It is better not to open the cabinet door while smoking. The first time the carcass is cooked is checked after 1 hour. After cooking, smoked chicken can be consumed only when it has cooled thoroughly. It doesn't taste as good when it's hot as when it's cold. The shelf life of home-smoked meat should not exceed 5 days.
APPLICATION AREA
These technical specifications apply to boiled-smoked poultry meat (hereinafter referred to as “products”, “products” ) - large-piece and small-piece semi-finished products intended for sale through public catering establishments or in the retail chain.
Can storage be entrusted to the refrigerator?
If you are going to eat smoked chicken the day after smoking it at home (or buying it in a store), you can keep it on the top shelf of the refrigerator for a day. During this time, nothing will be done to her. The only condition: no polyethylene or plastic container; Only food or wax paper. Let the meat become a little drier, but it will not be exposed to pathogenic microbes that quickly multiply in a humid environment (and condensation will certainly form under the film!).
In this way, smoked meats can be stored for a maximum of 3 days, with daily monitoring of the product: you need to unwrap it and check whether plaque, mold, sour or musty smell has appeared on the crust. A vacuum container or vacuum bags will help extend the shelf life of the product in the refrigerator. Air is removed from them, and the storage environment at a constant temperature of 0 to +3°C becomes more favorable. The chicken will remain good to eat for 7-10 days.
How and how much to store
Smoked chicken is a perishable food product. It should be stored in a cool place, preferably in the refrigerator. It is important to use a tightly closed container - a container with a lid or a bag with a zipper. It lasts the longest in vacuum packaging. If you don't have a tightly sealed container, you should at least wrap the chicken in foil.
Vacuum packed smoked chicken
The shelf life depends on the type of smoking:
- Cold – up to 3-4 months in the freezer and up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Vacuum-packed - up to 10 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.
- Hot – up to 3 days .
In a refrigerator
Store-bought or home-cooked smoked chicken, regardless of the processing method, must be stored in the refrigerator . You cannot leave it in room conditions for a long time, even if there is vacuum packaging. The cold smoked delicacy should be consumed within 1 week . If the meat is vacuum packed, the shelf life is 10 days . But, after breaking the seal of the package, the shelf life is significantly reduced.
It is not advisable to pack directly into a plastic container or polyethylene. Additionally, be sure to use foil or cooking paper . Paper packaging will protect against the formation of condensation and the development of pathogenic microorganisms in a humid environment.
A hot-cooked product can be stored for no longer than 3 days . You also need to use paper and tightly sealed packaging. The optimal temperature in the refrigerator compartment for all types of smoked meats is up to +4°C .
In the freezer
Smoked chicken meat tolerates freezing well. The taste and consistency remain virtually unchanged. Frozen can be stored for the following periods:
- Cold smoked – up to six months .
- Hot smoked – up to 1 month .
To freeze:
- Cut the chicken into portions.
- Wrap each piece with cooking paper.
- Place the workpieces in a plastic bag or wrap in cling film.
- Place in the freezer for long-term storage.
It is important that the meat is not wet . Therefore, before freezing, if necessary, remove excess moisture from the surface with paper towels. You need to defrost in the refrigerator. A sharp temperature change leads to a deterioration in consistency and taste.
Outside the refrigerator
Smoking is a type of canning that allows you to extend shelf life . Smoked meat can be stored for a short time even without refrigeration. But, this is only true for thoroughly salted meat cooked in a cold way.
For storage, use a well-ventilated, cool place. This could be an attic or an unheated storage room. You should not leave it in the cellar due to high humidity. The place must be dry. If the basement is dry and has effective ventilation, it can also be used.
Outside the refrigerator, smoked chicken is stored hanging . Each carcass must be placed in a linen bag or wrapped in clean natural cloth, you can use gauze. In a cool place, properly prepared smoked meats can be stored for up to six months . But, this period is relevant only for thoroughly salted dried chicken. If the product is not salty enough and contains a lot of moisture, it cannot be stored for more than a few days.
Features of preservation depending on the smoking method
During the smoking process, meat acquires antiseptic and bactericidal properties, which allow you to preserve a tasty dish.
There are two smoking methods:
- hot;
- cold.
The shelf life of hot-cooked chicken is very different from the shelf life of cold-smoked chicken.
Hot smoking
Hot smoking is like regular heat treatment; such chicken will not last long.
Hot smoked products cannot be stored for more than 4 days.
If the storage temperature is less than 5°C, then such a product can last up to 30 days.
To extend this period, you need to wrap the chicken in a thin cloth soaked in saline solution. They make it very strong. The top of the fabric is covered with thick paper.
To keep smoked chicken flavorful, you can wrap it in parchment paper.
Cold smoking
With the cold smoking method, the product undergoes long-term processing, up to 7 days.
Due to the fact that the chicken is exposed to cold smoke for a long time, the shelf life increases to 4 months.
It is necessary not only to pay attention to the method of processing the product, but also to its original condition. When storing for a long time, you need to carefully check the pieces to prevent the formation of mold and odor.
It’s better to make it a rule that what you didn’t have time to eat on the first or second day is disassembled into portions and frozen.
Smoked chicken can withstand freezing well and its flavor characteristics are not lost when defrosted.
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:
