Balyk products are considered to be one of the best fish products. A fish balyk can be smoked and sagging (dried). In order to prepare balyk products, the fish should first be cut up, then moderately salted, and then either slightly dried and smoked in smoking chambers in a cold way, or dried in the air.
Types of fish balyk
Dried balyk
Hanging (dried) beams are dried on specially designed towers in a well-ventilated room with closed blinds. It is under these conditions that the fish gradually withers to the desired moisture content.
In terms of their taste, suspended fish balyks are valued higher than smoked ones, because, being in the above conditions for a sufficiently long time - up to one month or more - the product fully ripens and acquires its own special "bouquet". Under the influence of heat and air, its own proteolytic enzymes and microflora are activated, due to which a gradual maturation of the fish occurs. This process is somewhat similar to the ripening of cheeses.
Cold smoked balyk
As for cold smoked fish balyk, they are dug out and dried in 5-7 days. The ripening process of such balyks is quite simple and therefore their "bouquet" is limited by the own taste of fish and the aroma of smoked meat. Both together provide excellent gastronomic qualities of cold smoked balyk.
What kind of fish is balyk made of?
For the preparation of balych products, large fleshy and fatty fish are used, for example, fish of the sturgeon, herring and salmon families. In addition, good balyks are also obtained from oceanic fish - sea bass, catfish, notothenia, halibut, umbrina, merou and others.
In order for all technological processes of obtaining balych products to proceed correctly, and the finished product to be sufficiently uniform in taste and quality, the fish must be cut in a special way. As a result of such cutting, parts of fish are obtained, called tesha, back and side. Tesha is the abdominal part of the fish, and the sidewall is the two halves of the fish carcass, which contain both the dorsal and abdominal parts. Beluga carcass sidewall is prepared only from the dorsal part of the fish.
Requirements for fish balyk
The preparation of fish balyk requires a high level of sanitary and technical production. This level of production is found in fish processing plants to which raw materials are delivered - most often in the form of salted semi-finished products or in the form.
In industrial refrigerators, dried and smoked fish balyks are usually stored for no more than 1-2 months. However, they should be periodically checked for the appearance of mold. And in a home refrigerator, balych products can be stored no more than 5-7 days as a whole (in a piece) and 1-3 days in the form of cut slices.
Pork balyk is a type of jerky and is easy to cook at home. Such a hand-made preparation is a guarantee that the meat does not contain harmful additives and preservatives. Homemade pork loaf is delicious both simply dried and smoked in the smoke (cold) from fruit sawdust. This allows you to get a delicious snack with an appetizing crust and delicate aroma.
Despite the fact that the home balyk matures (withers) for a long time, the result cannot but rejoice. Pink pieces of pork, laid out on a plate, can decorate any table. As practice shows, any meat and fish preparations can be successfully cooked at home, the main thing is the presence of such a desire.
What is needed for this?
In order to make pork balyk at home, you need to choose the meat well. The right choice would be a loin or pork neck. It is best to make this delicacy with fresh meat, since defrosted food has a distorted taste and gives a lot of moisture. If you decide to choose steamed pork, the best choice is to keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two. Thanks to this, the finished product will turn out to be softer and juicier, and will have an appetizing aroma. The recipe for pork balyk at home can be different - both with the use of dry salting, and with dipping in brine, both with and without various spices. If you use any spices, it will give the meat a specific taste and increase its shelf life.
Natural salting
It is best to use coarse sea or rock salt for salting pork. This variety does not dissolve in meat juice too quickly, and the meat is salted less. The time required for salting may vary, depending on the size of the piece. As a rule, about three days will be enough for one kilogram of pork. In addition, you need to take into account the age of the pig - the meat of a young animal will be cooked faster.
How to cook pork balyk at home?
To do this, you need the following ingredients:
- 1 kg of pork;
- 100 grams of salt;
- spices.
First of all, you need to properly process and prepare a piece of meat. It is imperative to remove all the veins and films, as well as, if desired, fat (you can leave it). Then the peeled pork must be rinsed under running water and dried, then rubbed with salt and put in a prepared dish. A plastic bag equipped with a clasp is good for salting pork. It is convenient to salt meat in it, since you can turn it over several times without getting your hands dirty.
How to dry meat?
After that, the salted pork must be removed to a cold place, with a temperature of no higher than 6 degrees. If meat is salted while warm, there is a risk of developing dangerous bacteria. A pork loaf at home during cooking will start up juice, which does not need to be drained. Turn the pieces of meat several times a day. As soon as the balyk is salted, it should be dried with a clean towel and rubbed with a mixture of any spices to taste. For dried pork, spices such as allspice and black pepper, coriander, marjoram, rosemary, caraway seeds, bay leaves, chili peppers, and paprika are well suited. There are also ready-made pork spice mixes commercially available, but these tend to be high in salt.
After sprinkling with spices, the balyk should be wrapped with gauze to avoid airing it and spices falling off. On top of the gauze, you need to wrap a string (like on sausage loaves), making a loop at one end, on which the product can be hung. Dried pork loaf at home should be dried for several days at room temperature, and then it should be placed in the refrigerator. You can do a little differently: place the meat near a hot battery for a couple of days, and then put it in the refrigerator. Until the final readiness, it is better to keep pork for another 2-3 weeks, despite the fact that you can eat the product on the fifth day. If you wish, you can dry it for even longer - it only becomes tastier.
Pickle method
You can cook pork balyk at home and in another way. To do this, you will need:
- 2 kg of pork loin on the bone or 1 kg of boneless meat;
- 100 ml of water;
- 6 grams of salt.
If you have purchased a piece of bone-in pork, you will have to start preparing it. It is necessary to separate the meat from the bones by holding the knife almost perpendicularly. As soon as you cut the meat off the ribs, you need to carefully cut out the spine. After that, the loin needs to be cleaned, excess fat removed. The output should be a neat piece of meat with a small layer of fat.
After that, using a syringe, brine is injected into the prepared pork, at the rate of 100 ml per kilogram of meat, with a salt concentration of 6 grams per 100 ml of water. After that, the meat is placed in a prepared dish and pressed down with some heavy load. Then turn the meat several times a day.
Aging meat
After 3 days, the salted pork must be washed, tied with strong linen thread, wiped with a clean natural cloth and hung to dry. Initially, pork balyk at home, the photo of which is presented in the article, is placed indoors at a temperature of 25-30 degrees per day. After that, the meat should be left for further drying in a cooler place or smoked in cold smoke on fruit sawdust. The product is ready for use in a few days.
- 1 kg pork tenderloin;
- coarse (rock) salt - 3 tbsp. top spoons;
- granulated sugar - 0.5 tablespoons;
- freshly ground black pepper - 1 tsp;
- spices to taste.
- Preparation time: 96:30
- Cooking time: 96:00
- Servings: 8
- Complexity: easy
Preparation
We will cook dry-cured pork balyk at home in two stages: salting pork tenderloin and drying it.
- Put a mixture of salt, sugar and pepper in a deep bowl, roll a piece of meat in it, then rub the surface with this mixture. Close with a white napkin, put oppression on top so that the juice stands out from the meat. Refrigerate for 4 days. Turn the meat every day. On the fifth day, remove from the refrigerator, dry thoroughly with a napkin or paper towel.
- The prepared meat is put into the refrigerator in a container with a closed lid. On the second day, the allocated juice is drained, and the container is placed with a slight slope so that excess liquid collects. For this purpose, you can put a plastic jar lid under the bottom of the container. The accumulated liquid is removed every day by turning the piece of meat. Remove from the refrigerator on the sixth day.
- Further, to make pork balyk at home, you need to dry it. Grate a well-dried salted piece of meat with a mixture of spices. Which one to choose depends on your taste, this is a completely creative stage of preparation.
You can compose it from ready-made "hops-suneli" by adding mustard seeds. The second composition: crushed nutmeg, coriander seeds, paprika powder. Caraway seeds, juniper berries, dried and crushed are also used.
- After the pork is well grated, it is wrapped tightly in several layers of gauze, tied tightly and hung in a dry, warm place. Preferably where there is air movement. After 4 - 5 days, the surface of the meat hardens, a small crust forms. Pork loaf is ready, you can serve it to the table. Store it in the refrigerator without removing it from the gauze package until it is finally ripe. See how it looks in sliced form in the photo. The cut is evenly colored.
The most reliable and ancient way of preserving meat products is balyk, the name is caused by an analogy with dried red fish. Pork loaf, at home, is a delicious, spicy product and an excellent cold snack for the festive table.
The decisive moment is the choice of tenderloin: pork neck, sirloin or loin - pork flesh from the back. A small layer of fat is required so that the dried delicacy is not too dry. The tenderloin piece can be large, but not too thick. You can even cut it lengthwise, remove the veins (if any). After all, it should be evenly salted.
This type of balyk can be prepared with your own hands if you have at your disposal a home smokehouse or a smoke generator for cold smoking factory production. Some craftsmen make smokehouses from metal barrels. You can replace them with the most ordinary barbecue. 
This recipe for pork balyk at home, at first also requires salting the meat. The method of salting, in contrast to the above-described (dry), also has a "wet" version. A brine is prepared at the rate of: for 1 liter of water 10 g of granulated sugar and 100 g of salt. In boiled brine, the meat is kept under oppression for 5 days in a cool place, also turning it over every day. It is believed that a wet ambassador will make the balyk more juicy and tender. After salting, no matter how it was carried out, the meat is dried, that is, it is hung in a draft for 2 days. Before that, it must be thoroughly rinsed in clean water, dried, packed in gauze.
Now you can start the smoking process, which will take no more than 2 hours. Let's describe the sequence of actions:
- make a fire in the grill;
- pour alder chips or sawdust onto the bottom of the smokehouse, 3 handfuls will be enough;
- put the meat on the wire rack, cover the chips with a pallet;
- tightly close the smokehouse with a lid, put on fire;
- after 1 hour, remove the smokehouse from the heat, replace the burnt chips with fresh ones, clean the carbon deposits from the lid and put them back on the fire;
- smoke for another 1 hour;
- The product will be finished after 2 - 3 hours of air cooling. It is also recommended to keep it in the refrigerator for several hours before use.
Sometimes it is believed that smoked pork balyk, juicy, aromatic, with a ruddy crust, is preferable to dry-cured. And he prepares faster. This, as they say, is a matter of taste. But the smoked product should be stored wrapped in foil for no more than 4 days at a temperature not higher than +2 degrees. While the shelf life of dry-cured products is much longer.
We offer you to visually familiarize yourself with how to cook pork balyk at home. The video will teach you how to cook hot smoked balyk in a summer cottage.
Video:
The cost of smoked products that can be found in the store depends on the type of meat: fish, chicken or pork, each with its own price range. Both sturgeon and sturgeon can be on the table as a cold snack. Another important parameter is the part of the cut carcass. This is especially true for pork.
Traditionally, it is believed that the most expensive type of meat is balyk. In our understanding, as in the understanding of many sellers or suppliers, balyk is a meat tenderloin, in which there are no bones, sebaceous veins, and elements of fat. However, if you approach this issue strictly, you can find that balyk is related only to fish.
The word "balyk" came from the Turkic language and is reliably translated as "fish". In the modern lexicon, the dorsal part of valuable fish species is called balyk. The meat removed along the ridge is salted and then dried. It is understood that the meat of pink salmon or chum salmon can be used as balyk. Salmonids are prominent salmon and sockeye salmon and trout. All of them have meat similar in consistency and taste. Often, an inexperienced consumer cannot even distinguish what kind of fish is presented to him.
Varieties of balyk
A more inexpensive alternative available for purchase is silver carp or catfish balyk. Their meat has a slightly different structure, but if you cook it correctly, you get a product that is not inferior to red fish in taste and useful qualities.
Fishing enthusiasts also have the opportunity to pamper themselves and their family with homemade balyk. Pike is considered a popular trophy among them. Its meat is quite dry and fibrous, but if you follow the tips given in recipes with preliminary marinating step by step, then after hot smoking the fibers will be saturated with the necessary moisture, as a result of which the meat will become tender and juicy.
It cannot be stressed enough that our original catalog of seafood is crowned with sturgeon. Due to its high cost, it is not always on sale. It is difficult to find sturgeon balyk in a provincial town. But in large metropolitan areas, there are always specialized stores or hypermarkets, so here residents are somewhat more fortunate. Nevertheless, you will have to pay a decent amount for the delicacy.
Gradually, the term "balyk" migrated from the sea to land, and now even on the price tags they write that the buyer is provided with a pork balyk, although it simply cannot exist in nature. We will not focus on these intricacies and present popular recipes for making balyk from different meats.
If everything is fairly straightforward with the fish, then it is not yet known which part of the pork carcass is the balyk. Here again there is a divergence of opinions. Originally, balyk was the name given to two clippings of muscle formations, which were located along the spine in the back of the carcass from the inside of the abdominal cavity. Today there is no such principled approach. The role of a balyk can be played by a loin or a neck. The most important condition is the absence of interlayers.
The classic fish recipe
By definition, it becomes clear that small fish will not go for making balyk. From it, at least, it is necessary to remove fillets, and this will be possible only if the carcasses have impressive dimensions. The technology of making smoked balyk for all types of fish remains the same. The reason for this is the similar consistency of the meat. For drier and more fibrous meats, marinating is recommended, but a simple salting is considered the most natural way to prepare balyk.
- The first step is to separate the sirloin. It is convenient to cut it off with a sharp knife along the ridge on both sides, and then remove the rib bones.
- A mixture is prepared, to which salt, red and black pepper, thyme and dill are added. The tenderloin is sprinkled with the mixture and placed in a flat container.
- If the loin pieces are large, then oppression is placed on top.
- After a day, the balyk can be sent to smoke, but before that, you should remove the remaining salt by wiping the pieces with a napkin. Some people prefer to soak the fish. This method of removing salt is also effective, only after the procedure you will have to dry the balyk for several hours.
Marinade with spices
The fastest way of salting is associated with marinating, this is soaking the meat in a liquid solution of salt with the addition of spices. This solution can be made using water, white wine, or vegetable oil as a base.
At home, the easiest way to make a marinade is in water. All additives are added to boiling water. The recipe assumes compliance with the proportions of water and salt. The rest of the seasonings are taken to taste. For fish, the marinade is made in the following proportions: for one liter of water, 70 grams of salt is taken when cold smoking or 40 grams of salt when hot.
After the water with spices has boiled for 5 minutes, it must be cooled. Balyk is placed in the finished marinade, and after 6 hours it will be ready. Excess moisture will have to be removed. It is enough to hang the tenderloin in a draft. After an hour, the surface of the meat will be covered with a thin film, which indicates that it is time to smoke the fish.
Cold smoking
To smoke balyk, you need to have a smokehouse at hand, in which the smoke, cooled to a temperature of 25 ° C degrees, processes the product in a special box. This method of processing is called cold smoking. At the same time, the structure of meat fibers does not change significantly. The balyk turns out to be elastic, slightly moist with a pronounced smell of smoke and the taste of fish. The product retains its calorie content and all useful elements.
Chips of fruit trees are used as material. The process itself lasts more than a day. The exact duration cannot be named, since it depends on the size of the pieces. The finished product should not only be covered with a golden crust. The cut meat will be solid, and moisture will no longer be released.
Raw fish have different shades of fibers, but they all resemble a glassy mass. Smoked meat acquires an opaque color, by which one can judge the degree of readiness of the balyk.
Salting meat with dry marinade
Pork balyk is prepared using a similar technology, only each stage takes much longer. This is due to the specific structure of the fibers. The salt must penetrate the entire depth, otherwise the cold-smoked balyk will turn out to be tough.
- The first step is to cut the meat so that layers no more than 4 cm thick are obtained. Then salt and pepper are poured onto a cutting board. The meat is not only dipped into the composition, but also pressed into it, as if dough is being prepared. This will allow the salt to penetrate the fibers more efficiently. Finished pieces are placed under oppression. They should be completely salted, and for this you will have to wait 3 days.
- After salting, the meat is soaked in cold water for about an hour. Damp meat must not be sent to the smokehouse. It is pre-dried in a well-ventilated area. As for fish, the real preparation of balyk is determined only by the cold method. In the absence of heat treatment, the meat does not lose its structure, which means it will remain elastic. But if it is wrong to salt it, then it will become tough. Many try to avoid such troubles by subjecting balyk to hot smoking. Indeed, the effect of this will be amazing, but the taste of real freshly smoked meat will change.
Salting with liquid marinade
Choosing a recipe with a liquid marinade allows you to smoke the balyk both cold and hot. In addition, a small change in the algorithm will make it possible to smoke cooked meat to get a cooked-smoked product. The preparation of the marinade is based on dissolving salt and spices in water or oil.
Vegetable oil will be used only when it was decided to abandon the boiling procedure. For 1 kg of meat, 200 g of oil is required, a tablespoon of salt, pepper, garlic is added to it. You can use lemon juice or vinegar, these ingredients will break down the fibers, making the meat softer. However, they are not suitable for cold smoking, because the sour taste will remain. When smoked hot, the smell and taste of vinegar disappears.
Chunks of meat are dipped in oil, and then placed in a bowl in the refrigerator. Turn the meat every 3 hours. It will be ready in a day of such pickling.
The traditional way to prepare a marinade is broken down by steps.
- One liter of water dissolves 60 g of salt.
- The water is brought to a boil.
- Ingredients are introduced: garlic, basil, peppercorns, bay leaf.
- Added 20 g of sugar.
- Boil for 10 minutes.
The cooled marinade is poured into the meat and soaked for 2 days. Then, with the help of napkins, excess moisture is removed, and the smoking process begins. To boil the meat, you just need to dip it in boiling water. Then the boiling time will increase by 40 minutes. During this time, the meat will become soft, so it is enough just to smoke it with smoke, and the delicious dish will be ready.
Smokehouse for pork balyk
The question arises again about the true method of making a real balyk. But since we have long since moved away from strict limits, we note that both hot and cold smoking are used. Hot smoking is recommended for those who are just starting their business. It is believed that the algorithm for cooking dishes with high-temperature smoke is simpler. Chips are poured into the smokehouse, a container for fat is installed on top. In the upper part, the product itself is located on the sieves. Meat, unlike fish, will take a little longer to smoke. Full cooking will come in 1.5 hours from the moment the sawdust smolders.
Cold smoked balyk has absorbed all the delights of natural smoking, fresh meat and a harmoniously selected set of spices. However, this will require the sacrifice of time. To prepare balyk, you will have to smoke meat for 7 days. Although this calculation is given with the break conditions. If it is possible not to interrupt the process, then the dish will be ready after 5 days of hard work.
Store smoked balyk in the refrigerator. If long-term storage is planned, then it is advisable to freeze the product. Chilled meat will only be suitable for consumption for the first few weeks. Subsequently, the quality of the delicacy will begin to decline sharply.
