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Santiago
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Smoking Fish techniques?
I recently picked up a cheap Brinkman charcoal smoker at a swap meet and have tried beef and pork. I want to take it to Baja and try smoking fish but
have run into a gillion different ways to do it. Rubs without brine, brine only, saw dust, chips, or chunks etc. Which fish seem to be best?
Shrink wrap when done and freeze?
I know Shari does a bunch.
Thanks.
Edit: and just to get this out of the way - you guys from Gecko can leave out the answers like "Takes at least 3 Zig-Zags", "A 4-way hooka full of
Boonsfarm Strawberry" etc etc.
[Edited on 5-13-2010 by Santiago]
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torch
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I am always doing things different , using a new recipe, different brine, different types of wood etc. I think the most important Item to bring to
baja would be the type of wood for the smoke. I like apple for fish and hickery for meats. sometimes I will save onion and garlic skins and add them
with the wood too. Love to experiment
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torch
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- you guys from Gecko can leave out the answers like "Takes at least 3 Zig-Zags", "A 4-way hooka full of Boonsfarm Strawberry" etc etc.
yea but even if it comes out just ok they will think it is great
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Udo
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By far the best fish to smoke is an oily fish, such as salmon, marlin, shark, yellowtail, sierra, dorado, etc. Stay away from red snaper, lingcod. I
don't know about roosters,  common in the SOC.
Freezing will last about 6 months when flash-frozen (dry ice) then in the freezer. Starting the freezing in the freezer only will reduce the
durability to about 8 weeks. After that the taste loses some intensity.
Time your fillets to cook for about 6 hours if about an inch thick, and the internal temperature should be about 145 degrees
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Santiago
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Torch and Udo: do you brine first? If so, what is in the brine besides water and salt, if anything. I don't suppose anyone tries 'cuda, do they?
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torch
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Santiago
Torch and Udo: do you brine first? If so, what is in the brine besides water and salt, if anything. I don't suppose anyone tries 'cuda, do they?
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Ive smoked almost everything uh but I didnt inhale.
With fish I brine everytime and not too long or its too salty. A good first recipe is "three mens fish brine". I think that is the name ( I'm bad with
this computer stuff) or I would post a link.
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torch
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Damn I wish I knew how to post a link but it comes right up on google search.
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Santiago
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http://www.3men.com/threemen1.htm
Yeah - I've read this and I've copied their recipes.
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torch
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that is great start. just dont over do the brine time or the smoke time. The rest you can experiment with. also mesquite burns pretty hot so if you
have to use it mix in something or use a little at a time. I'm getting hungry
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estebanis
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I quit using brine and went to a dry cure years ago. Moved my smoker to baja where I am away from the hustle and bustle and more in the mood for
smokin'
I have been buying sculpin from the packing house dirt cheap, curing them overnight and then smoking them up. Not too worried about freezing since it
doesn't last very long with all the "Happy Hours" while I am there.
I use a simple salt,brown sugar and powdered Teriyaki marinade. That gives me the ginger and soy flavors.
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DENNIS
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Last night on "Good Eats"...Alton Brown, Food Channel, the episode was about smoking Salmon. If you don't know about this dude, it won't matter, but
he says "Sawdust" at about 150 degrees is best.....for that fish anyway.
It was a good show. Sorry you missed it. You could have learned how to make a smoker out of a big Kotex box.
"I quit using brine and went to a dry cure years ago."
Alton agrees with Estebanis.
[Edited on 5-13-2010 by DENNIS]
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torch
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estebanis Ive never done a dry rub on fish but would love to have the recipe or at least a little more than above , also powdered teriyaki (ive
never seen this)
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DENNIS
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Here's the Alton Brown salmon thing I was talking about, with a recipe for the rub.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/smoked-salmon...
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Mexitron
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1) Build one of these on the beach with local materials.
2) Catch fish---yellow croaker is easy and good...
3) Baste w/ soy sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
4) Smoke...we've used Agave leaves, citrus wood, you name it
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capt. mike
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cold smoke is best and go a longer time. 145 is too hot, cooks the meat instead of curing it.
max it at a low 110 and don't brine - go rubs and a wet one.
let 'er rip for 12 hrs and never a heavy wood.
hickory chips or pecan.
get it to coals and not too much smoke.
a water pan is good too.
i smoke so much my wife thinks i am an indian.
how. 
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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torch
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mexitron
1) Build one of these on the beach with local materials.
damn, even if it didnt turn out great i'm sure the mushrooms would turn that into an alter - just kidding |
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Mulegena
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Can I jump in here with a related question, plz:
Can you do smoked goat cheese also like this? I had some this winter that some friends made from local produce and it was killer!
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Santiago
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Dennis: I did watch Good Eats last night and saw this episode - it was the first time I saw smoked fish without brine which lead me to this post.
Estibanis's rub is just about what Elton used.
Estibanis and Mike: how long do you let it sit with the rub before smoking. I do not think I can do a cold smoke in this unit?
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comitan
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You have the same unit I Have, I take brown sugar, salt, Teriyaki Mix it together thick is best put it in ziplock with fish overnight. In the
firebowl I start mesquite charcoal when its started I put 3/4 chunks green mesquite, then waterbowl above, then fish on rack, for me 6-8 hrs. The
best fish for me is Sierra, Tuna.
[Edited on 5-14-2010 by comitan]
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Mike99km
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I am not a brine fan. I will smoke just about anything that I can, last year 600# of tuna. (Good fishing trip!) The brinkman is a hassle to cold smoke
on. To cold smoke the temp should be about 150 to 160 max. and it takes 6 to 8 hours to finish the meat. Some times longer if it's cold outside. If
you want to tend the smoker for that long and manage the charcoal have fun. I use a gas smoker and manage the smoke via a smoke box.
Hot smoking will work on most fish and is very easy to do. The smoker should be about 225 to 250. It will take apx. 3 to 4 hours to finish the
product, depends thickness of the meat. There are a bunch of dry rubs out on the net check out All Coast andBloody Decks. Dry rubbing the meat will
add taste to to product as will mopping it. I mop with thick a maple syrup, brown sugar, pepper, and tapio mix. It's a sweet and sour/hot mop,it goes
on after the first hour and is mopped every 20 min after that.
Start playing around with what ever sounds good to you and then change 1 thing at a time until you get what you want as a finished product. Taking
notes and keeping the process the same will help you perfect the end product. I did some very good yellow tail that I can't recreate again. Wet
smoking will add some flavor and slow the drying process down
We wrap in plastic and vacuum seal the product and bit will hold for about 9 months to a year. It's always best right off the smoker.
I use nut woods and fruit woods or the smoke. Stay away from walnut and other harsh wood.
This is a old way to keep meat from going bad, the smoke and the brine were to help the preserving process, Now we smoke for flavor.
You live the life you settle for.
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W. C. Fields.
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