Content
- 1 Benefits of hot smoking chicken legs at home
- 2 How to smoke hot smoked legs
- 3 How to cook hot smoked chicken legs on a gas stove
- 4 How long to smoke hot smoked legs
- 5 Storage rules
- 6 Conclusion
You can smoke chicken legs in a hot-smoked smokehouse at your dacha in the fresh air or at home in your apartment on a gas stove. You can buy a smokehouse ready-made or build it from a saucepan or cauldron.
Smoked chicken legs have a delicious golden brown crust
Benefits of hot smoking chicken legs at home
Hot smoking chicken legs at home has several advantages:
- A simple algorithm of actions.
- Quick cooking.
- Safe technology: the product is exposed to high temperatures.
How to smoke hot smoked legs
Hot smoking technology is simpler and safer, so it is preferable to prepare food in this way at home. In addition, smoking hot smoked legs takes much less time than using the cold method.
The smokehouse is a metal chamber with a lid, which has a pipe for the smoke to escape. At the top of the chamber there is a groove that serves as a stop for the lid and a water seal. Water is poured into this gutter if smoking occurs indoors; outdoors there is no need for a water seal. The lid holds the smoke inside the smoking chamber, as a result of which the product is saturated with it. To remove excess smoke, put a hose on the pipe and lead it out the window or ventilation hole.
The smokehouse has a tray with curved edges and legs, which is placed on the wood chips. It is necessary so that the fat dripping from the meat does not fall on the wood, otherwise the smoke will be bitter and unsafe for humans.
The smokehouse is equipped with one or two grates, depending on the number of tiers. Products for smoking are laid out on them.
The hot smoking temperature for chicken is 70 degrees.
Meat selection and preparation
When buying chicken legs in a store, you need to pay attention to the following:
- Color. Solid color, no stains.
- Leather. Without damage, not dry, but not too wet, without small feathers.
- WITHcut-off charter. White, wet. Yellowish and dry indicates long-term storage.
- ANDir. It has a yellowish color and should not be dark.
Fresh legs have a pleasant smell and appearance
Before cooking, the legs are cleaned, everything unnecessary is cut off, washed, dried with a paper towel, and the skin is singed.
How to marinate chicken legs for hot smoking
You can marinate the legs using dry or wet methods. Traditional spices include salt, black pepper, and bay leaf.In addition, garlic, coriander, cumin, allspice, fresh herbs, and herbs are added to the marinade or brine.
How to salt chicken legs for hot smoking
The easiest way to prepare a chicken leg for smoking is to rub it with salt. You can add ground black pepper and chicken seasoning. Keep in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours, then start smoking.
You can prepare a dry marinade for hot smoked legs using the following seasonings:
- salt;
- Chile;
- black pepper;
- basil;
- thyme;
- marjoram.
Cooking rules:
- Combine seasonings and mix.
- Rub the legs with the prepared mixture, place in a bowl and refrigerate for 6 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator, dry the meat for 30 minutes, spreading it out on a paper towel, then place it in the smoker.
To get delicious smoked chicken legs, just rub them with salt and black pepper.
How to marinate chicken legs for hot smoking
To prepare a universal marinade, you need to take the following ingredients per 2 liters of water:
- coarse salt – 1.5 tbsp. l.;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- ¼ tsp. caraway;
- dried herbs (a mixture of dill, parsley, basil) - 1 tbsp. l.
Cooking rules:
- Boil water, add all ingredients, cook after boiling for about 10 minutes. Cool the brine.
- Place the legs in a saucepan, add brine, and put in the refrigerator for 2 days.
To prepare marinade with juniper, you will need the following ingredients per 1.5 liters of water:
- coarse salt – 1 tsp. with a slide;
- vinegar 9% - 2 tbsp. l.;
- bay leaf – 1 pc.;
- sugar – ½ tsp;
- garlic – 1 clove;
- juniper berries – 4 pcs. (can be replaced with 1 twig);
- ground ginger, coriander, allspice and black pepper - 1 pinch each.
Cooking rules:
- Boil water, add salt and sugar.
- After boiling, add pepper, ginger, coriander, juniper and vinegar. Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cool.
- Place the legs in a pan or other suitable container and pour marinade over them. To better soak the meat, you can place it under pressure.
- Place the dishes with chicken in the refrigerator for a day.
How long to marinate chicken legs for hot smoking?
The marinating time for the legs can be from 6 hours to 2 days in the refrigerator.
The time can be reduced if it is necessary to quickly begin the smoking process. In this case, marinating can last 1-2 hours at room temperature.
Selection and preparation of wood chips
For smoking, it is better to give preference to large wood chips, which smolder evenly, maintaining the same temperature.
Fruit is good for chicken legs. It contains a lot of essential oils and emits aromatic smoke, which gives the finished chicken legs a pleasant smell. With fruit chips, the smoking process goes faster, with a small amount of soot. For chicken, you can take cherry, pear, apricot, peach, and sweet cherry chips.
You can add branches of fruit trees, such as cherry plum, to the wood chips during smoking.
As a rule, purchased wood chips are dry, which is necessary for its storage. Before smoking, it must be soaked in water, otherwise the dry wood will immediately flare up and scorch the meat. After soaking, you need to squeeze it out or lay it on a cloth in a thin, even layer.
How to smoke chicken legs in a hot smoker
To prepare, you will need a smokehouse, wood chips and pickled chicken legs.
After salting, chicken pieces are wiped with a napkin and allowed to dry for 30 minutes.
The smokehouse needs to be prepared for use:
- Cover the bottom with foil.
- Pour wood chips onto the foil.
- Place a tray on it.
- There is a grill on it.
Typically, a smokehouse has 2 grates on two levels. You can use one or smoke both.
Place the legs on the grill and close the device with a lid that has a fitting for the smoke to escape. There is a groove around the perimeter of the smokehouse that needs to be filled with water.
Place the smokehouse on low heat. The smoking time countdown begins after smoke comes out of the fitting. For chicken legs it is approximately 1 hour or a little more.
Check readiness by piercing the leg. If pink juice mixed with blood comes out, the meat is not ready yet. If it is light and transparent, the fire can be extinguished. Do not remove the legs immediately and do not lift the lid until smoke comes out of the smokehouse. That is, the chicken needs to be kept in the container for about 20 minutes.
Then remove the finished product from the smokehouse, let it stand for 5 hours, and you can start eating.
Compact smokehouses can be used both in the country and in a city apartment
How to cook hot smoked chicken legs on a gas stove
You can smoke the legs on a gas stove in a casserole with a lid. To do this, you will need heat-resistant foil, a wire rack (steamer) or microwave mesh, wood chips and salted chicken legs.
The smoking process consists of the following steps:
- Place foil on the bottom of the duckling pan.
- Moisten the wood chips, pour them out, and level them so that the layer is of the same thickness.
- Next, put the foil folded in 4 layers, forming sides on it, like a pallet.
- Install the grid.
- Place the legs on it so that they do not touch each other or the walls of the dish.
- Cover with a lid. To ensure a tight fit, wrap it in foil.
- Place the cauldron on a gas stove over high heat.
- When smoke appears, reduce the gas to medium and count the smoking time - approximately 40-60 minutes. After this time, turn off the stove, but do not remove the legs or open the lid for another 10 minutes.
A smokehouse can be built from an ordinary saucepan
How long to smoke hot smoked legs
It depends on the strength of the fire and the size of the meat pieces. In terms of time, hot smoked legs need to be smoked approximately 60 minutes after the smoke begins to exit the chamber.
Storage rules
Hot smoked legs are a perishable product. It can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3-4 days. It is advisable to wrap the chicken in parchment paper.
Conclusion
You can smoke chicken legs in a hot smoked smokehouse at home, in the country or in the kitchen of a city apartment. The process is quite simple; even novice cooks can handle the preparation.
