Smoking Fish?

[HobieScot]

I have been smoking meats for about a year now and have had great success with ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey, prime rib and especially brisket.

But I have yet to try smoking fish. Anyone here regularly smoke your fish?

If so what time and temps are you smoking at?

I'd like to try smoking my first yellowtail of the season which I will hopefully catch soon!

Any tips for smoking fish in general?


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[nacho66]

I have a few different cookshack smokers an SM150 (chunks), FEC100(Pellet) and an A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER. Each use depends on what consistency I want the fish. For the cookshacks the temp is about 180-200 for between 3-6 hours. I use alder or a light fruit woods or pellets. I use the A-Maze for cold smoking in each of the smokers. I do also have the SM150 cold smoking shelf but I can use the A-Maze to smoke over night which works well. Marinade will depend on your taste and your type of fish. I use my salmon marinade for just about any fish though. hope this helps.

[HobieScot]

Thanks Nacho

Why so many smokers? Do you compete or own a Resturant?


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[spicolly]

This will work well for YT, too.

Brine the fish overnight. Google recipes that sound good to you. After soaking fish overnight, rinse off, then let air dry for a few hours.

I used a big green egg. Smoked at 165 for 3.5 hours. YUM!!!

[Kayak_Bernie]

So i know not many people consider bonito good eating, but I will take one anyday!! I started smoking them and making a fish dip out of the smoked fillets. I used to live in Wisconsin and they love to smoke everything, especially up near Lake Superior. Salmon, lake trout , and whitefish are the primary targets for smoking but any meaty oily fish will due. I'll brine it over night and smoke it the next day for about 3 hours. I wrap it up in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. Next day I will mix sour cream, mayo, and cream cheese in a 1:1:1 ratio (greek yogurt will also work) chopped jalapenos/ serranos , and some Worcestershire, and sriracha. flake up the fish with a fork and mix all together. It is insanely popular at my BBQ's. If you want detailed recipe PM me. Good Luck with the smoker!!!

[steveooo]

Smoked YT is the bomb!

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=17134

[Baja_Traveler]

Did somebody say "Smoked Tuna"??



Maple Smoked Tuna

Here's the Brine:

2 cups apple cider
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy (I used dark soy)
2 Tbs Molasses
1 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
And here is the secret ingredient: 3 cans Vernor's Ginger Ale

Why Vernor's - This Ginger Ale not only gives a nice ginger hint to the meat, but since the syrup is aged in oak barrels for years before canning, it has a beautiful sharp oaky flavor that simply works. Only Vernor's is made this way, so no substitutions will do...

I heated up the brine solution in a sauce pan to dissolve the ingredients, let them cool - then added the 3 pre-chilled cans of Vernor's. The Yellowfin tuna loins were sliced up into 1 1/2" thick pieces and brined for 6 hours. Then put on racks to form a pellicle. I used a fan to help speed up the process.

I fired up the smoker to 200* - no water pan, but a large tray of play sand is in place as a heat sink. The AMNPS was stoked up with Maple pellets, and the yellowfin went in for a 4 hour smoke to an internal temp of 140*.

[dmrides]

Originally Posted by steveooo

Smoked YT is the bomb!

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=17134

So damn good! I followed your recipe and took a batch on our recent hiking trips in Mammoth. Best trail snacks ever! Word of advise, do not tell your family where you hide your stash, it'll be gone before you can say "where's my fish?"

[Mr. NiceGuy]

I like this thread. I like smoking occasional fine hand rolled cigars too.

The photos above are seriously driving me nuts.

I once brought home lots of barracuda -- cut them in 1/3's and threw them in the smoker. Shredded the cooked meat into small portion zip-loc bags and then into the deep freezer. I used it for smoked fish salads, sandwiches, "tuna salad" style mixes and rice dishes. I was pleasantly surprised how good it tasted.

My preparation was simple --- fresh from the ocean and lightly salted. I let the smoke and natural flavors of the barracuda do the rest. I pulled them out when they were cooked, but still moist.

I think I'm a hedonist.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

I have a question:

For those of you who always use brine recipes to prepare fish for smoking, what is the main purpose of the brine?


I brine my beef jerky before I throw it in the dehydrator, but that's to break down tough meat, preserve the beef so it doesn't have to be refrigerated, and to make it savory and hot-pepper spicy. I'm taking a low quality cut of beef and making it into a delightful protein snack. When we eat beef jerky we are eating the spices as much as we are eating the underlying beef that holds it all together.


My fish is already delightfully fresh, moist, delicate and tasty by nature, so I have never brined my fish. What am I missing?

[spicolly]

Think of it like a marinade...it adds some depth and flavor. It doesn't overpower the fish or smoke, but it's very, very nice. Personal preference.

[nacho66]

Originally Posted by HobieScot

Thanks Nacho

Why so many smokers? Do you compete or own a Resturant?


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The reason for the smokers, I originally had a masterbuilt that the element burnt out in I found the cookshack SM150 for a great price. I wanted to get into competition so the wife bought me a used FEC100. She likes using the SM150 which to her is easy 1 piece of wood and your off. The others use pellets.

Brining is the process of soaking food in a salty solution. The heavy salt content helps in the breakdown of muscle and the absorption of moisture into the meat. If you add flavors from juices or spices into the mixture, it will be absorbed along with the saline solution.

Basically a cure.

[spicolly]

Originally Posted by HobieScot

Thanks Nacho

Why so many smokers? Do you compete or own a Resturant?


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I moved to Austin for 5 years...then returned home to SoCal in 2013. While in TX, I learned all about REAL BBQ. There is nothing like TX pit BBQ in San Diego, so I learned to smoke brisket, ribs, chicken, pork shoulder, etc. Since moving back, I have smoked a lot of tuna...it's amazing!!!

[HobieScot]

Thx Nacho

I got into smoking about a year and a half ago and have pretty good success with chicken, ribs, pulled pork. But I've found the most success with my brisket!

I was struggling with my brisket for awhile until I got some tips from a few teams on the competition circuit. My next brisket came out perfect after that and every one since has been sublime!

I'm looking forward to smoking some fish soon.

If you ever want to start a BWE competition team you let me know! 👍🏼

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[Lipripper92592]

My goal is to fill my chest freezer with the following:
1/1 salt sugar with chili lime seasoning made from a Catalina Offshore recipe. Low and slow....about 150-180 on temp.....4-6 hours on apple wood chunks on a propane burner. Double walled smoker could probably fit a 60-80lb tuna.

[Lipripper92592]

I would so love to leave a smoker at the launch in the morning with a note to top off the wood chips every hour. All get to enjoy the smoked fish when I land. I'd be interested to see if people actually put more chips in and keep it going. I guess we could monitor from the BWE launch cam.

[HobieScot]

Originally Posted by steveooo

Smoked YT is the bomb!

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=17134

Thanks Steveooo

I saved your link for my next yellowtail