exact way you smoke fish

[Lloyd Smale]

need your recipe and procedure. Everything from your brine mixture to the lenght of time you smoke them. thanks

[oscarflytyer]

need your recipe and procedure. Everything from your brine mixture to the lenght of time you smoke them. thanks

Don't laugh... only recipe I have comes straight out of a Julia Childs cookbook I bought about 20 yrs ago! Bought it specifically for the smoked salmon recipe...

[Lloyd Smale]

Nobody smokes fish???

[David Caldwell]

Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas is worth it's weight in gold and available from Amazon for about $20. He used to have a website: thesausagemaker or something like that.

[fatnhappy]

Rytek is dead but his business and website live on. No recipes there though. His book is a "must read" though for anyone that wants to take a stab at sausage making. I've been to his shop in Buffalo and met him once before he passed.


Lloyd go here and check it out. I'm not at home so I don't have my notes/recipes. It doesn't matter much because I got all my advice from this website before I tried smoking fish.

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/fish

[Triggerhappy]

Lloyd, Perhaps you're trying to get too specific of information. In other words smoking is relative. For example I prefer my smoked salmon a little more done than a lot of people. I also like it smokier so I leave it in the smoker longer than some would. Different cuts of fish will take different lengths of time to smoke.

I think the most important part is what you to with the salmon before you smoke it. The night before smoking I make a mix of 1/3 salt, 1/3 white sugar, 1/3 brown sugar. Sometimes a lean a little harder on the brown. Mix that up really well and pat it on your fish, both sides until it's covered generously. Wrap it up and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 24. (This process will generate liquid so put the fish in a container that keeps it above the bottom and avoids drips) Then remove from the fridge and wash the mix off gently under running water. Let the fish dry completely, lightly pepper, then go smoke it. I smoke mine with the skin on, and usually skin down in the smoker. Use some mild wood for smoking and smoke slowly. Strong woods don't work well with fish in my opinion.

Smoking time and temp is something you'll have to experiment with a little. Next time I smoke a batch I'll take pics and try to pay attention to the temp and time.

At least it's a start....

TH

[Dennis Eugene]

1 cup white sugar,1 cup brown sugar,1 cup table salt. Need a deep dish pan (I use a big roasting pan,but then I catch big fish ;>)Mix together in seprate bowl, sprinkle very heavy on fish skin side down,place another layer of fish on top of first layer skin side up. Repeat until pan is full or fish is used up,be sure to cover every layer with dry brine. Let it soak in Frig at least over night. By Morning fish will be swimming in liquid. Lightly rinse extra brine off fish and place in smoker skin side down and smoke until done. I've been useing this brine for 35 years and will cotinue useing it for 35 more I'm hopeing. Dennis

[Lloyd Smale]

thanks guys. Any ball parks on the temp and time?

[WildmanJack]

LLoyd I tried smoking fish once, couldn't keep em lit long enough!!
Jack

[roysha]

WildmanJack

Did you inhale?;)

[fatnhappy]

I've never dry salted fish like Dennis. It's outside my skill level. The only fish I've ever smoked are alewives, trout and salmon.

Here's the brine I use:
2.5 gallons of water

2 lbs of kosher salt (use the best quality you can. quality salt should be perfectly clear when dissolved in the water. If there's any opacity then it's lower quality. Test it first.)

1 lb of brown sugar

1 oz mortons instacure

4 tablespoons of White pepper or black pepper corns

any other spices you like such as whole cloves



I'm assuming since you're in Michigan you're smoking salmon or trout from the great lakes, just like me. I fillet them with skin on, soak them half a day in a 5 gallon bucket then rinse them. Let them dry before smoking.

My last batch smoked for 3 hours at 150° ish. I get my applewood for smoke from the fruit farms along Lake Ontario. They're constantly pulling and replanting trees. $10 will usually get me permission to take wood from the old tree pile.

I'm sure there are others far more experienced smoking fish here and would certainly like to hear their input too.

[Dean D.]

+1 on TH and Dennis's recipes. That the way I've always done it. I'm with TH, I prefer my salmon drier than most folks. I'd add that I like to run my smoker a bit on the hot side for the first little bit (1/2 hour to an hour depending on how big the fish is) then let it cool down to a cold smoke for added smokey taste.

As someone said, fish size and different types of smokers will dictate how hot and how long you need to be.

[Jack Stanley]

My recipe starts like triggerhappy but I add onion powder , pepper some hot sauce and garlic to it with just enough water to cover the skinned fish fillets .

After twenty-four hours they are taken from the brine and placed on the racks to dry to the touch before the smoke is lit .

When fillets are dry I light off the cherry shavings and keep the fish at a huindred thirty degrees for six to ten hours . I like the fish rather dry so you might not like your fish as dry as jerky .

Apple is good as well but I don't use hickory unless I've got lot of smelt . Smelt will get a touch of vinegar in the brine .

Jack

[waksupi]

LLoyd I tried smoking fish once, couldn't keep em lit long enough!!
Jack

You were sucking on the wrong end!

[Lloyd Smale]

well i got some in the fridge using the dry method. I know my father used to use a liquid brine but ill give this a try first. Ill try the liquid brine next time and see which i like better. thanks again guys.

[kbstenberg]

I will give it a shot. By the other posts I use a wet soaking. All of my fish have been either Tulipy, Crappie, Carp.
First step is to gut an de-head the fish.
Second step is to put the fish into some container ( for me usually a plastic cooler) to see how deep the fish fill the container. Mark the container for how deep to fill with water to just cover the fish. Take the fish out. Fill the container to the mark with water. Add Kosher salt to the water till it can float a raw egg. Some times I also will add some Brown sugar but not always.
Third step Put the fish back in the brine for up to 24hrs. Occasionally stir the fish so all parts soak up the brine evenly. I don't like to soak the fish over 24 hrs or they get too salty for me.
Forth step take the fish out of the brine rinse in clean water. If you don't rinse the fish they are more salty. Let the fish dry for 4 or 5 hours.
Fifth step put the fish in your smoker for as long as you like. I try for 24 hrs. If they are still damp let them smoke until they are dry. Or else they will mold.
My smoker is a cold smoker. I don't put any heat on the fish just smoke.
Kevin

[Lloyd Smale]

well it came out pretty dammed good if i have to say so myself. Not the absoulte best smoked fish i ever ate but surely exceptable. thanks guys.

[Jack Stanley]

Now experiment with different spice in the mix , you'll find what you like I'm sure .

Jack

[redneckdan]

well it came out pretty dammed good if i have to say so myself. Not the absoulte best smoked fish i ever ate but surely exceptable. thanks guys.

May have to make a trip over to check it out. Sorry I didn't stop through on the way back north. Went through your AO at about 8pm and just wanted to get home before the deer came out thick.

[tomme boy]

I do a liquid brine. My uncle commercial fished for 45 years. He showed me a few things about smoking fish. One never put meat in that is cold. The smoke will attach too quick. Depending if you like it dry or moist is if you leave the skin on or not. We also do not put any wood in the coals until the last hour or so. Just make sure to not let it get too warm. Slow and low for the heat.

I also like Lilac wood for smoke. It is a lighter flavor. Just make sure it is really dry. I have mine drying for about a year before I use it. Most of the fish we do are catfish and carp. I also like to add apple juice to the water pot under the fish I mix it 1/2 an 1/2.

[Recluse]

+1 on TH and Dennis's recipes. That the way I've always done it. I'm with TH, I prefer my salmon drier than most folks. I'd add that I like to run my smoker a bit on the hot side for the first little bit (1/2 hour to an hour depending on how big the fish is) then let it cool down to a cold smoke for added smokey taste.

As someone said, fish size and different types of smokers will dictate how hot and how long you need to be.

I have a large cabinet smoker with the firepit separate and off to the side, so it's easy for me to control temperature via the firepit and vents on the firepit, and the flute on the (smoker) cabinet.

Like Dean, I like to "flash" the fish, but I do it at the end of the smoking to get a bit of "smoke sear" and sizzle into them. I put the fish on some aluminum foil then place it in the smoker. Keeps the juices in better, plus it helps form a "candy crust" around the edges with my marinades and glazes.

My wife likes smoked salmon, as do some of our friends and my uncle (flying and airplane partner) will eat smoked salmon like some people eat M&Ms.

So far, the favorite two recipes are the following:

Honey mustard smoked salmon

Prepare salmon by lightly peppering with either garlic pepper, or an equal combination of fresh ground pepper and minced garlic. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

To make the glaze:

Equal parts of honey and dijon mustard.
Add ground pepper and garlic to taste preference.
Add a dash of soy sauce, again to taste preference

I smoke this salmon recipe over a blend of hickory and pecan, but if pecan is scarce where you're at, hickory will more than do the job just fine.

Smoke at between 150F and 200F at a rate of approximately one hour per pound of fish. Do not apply glaze until the fish has smoked for thirty minutes, then apply glaze every ten minutes For the last three to five minutes, add wood to the fire in order to increase smoker cabinet temperature to between 350F and 400F. After three to five minutes, remove fish and devour.


Apple Glaze Smoked Salmon

For this one, I use apple wood and hickory--hickory for the heat, then I break up pieces of the apple wood, soak them overnight, and use them for the smoke. Same temps--150F to 200F and same times--approximately one hour per pound of fish.

Marinade the salmon in apple juice between one and two hours. Upon removing from fridge, lightly salt.

Glaze recipe:

Apple jelly
Honey
Ground pepper
Butter.

I honestly can't remember the exact proportions as this is a recipe I "just came up by adding this and adding that," but the base ingredient is apple jelly I melt in the microwave. I then add just a dash of honey, a dash of butter and then just enough ground pepper so that I can taste it when I dab my finger in the mix.

Melt everything together in the microwave and stir well. Let salmon smoke for first half hour with no glaze, then apply glaze every fifteen minutes--which should give you two applications of glaze for one pound of fish.

I also "sear" this one at the end too, which seems to really bake the glaze on. It gives the fish an incredible light and sweet flavor which offsets the usual "heavy" taste that salmon has.

Enjoy.

:coffee:

[Lloyd Smale]

recluse those recipe sound great. Just got to get some more fish now!

[PbHurler]

Lloyd,
The best smoked salmon I ever had was smoked by a friend of mines' mother. Pacific northwest Indian. She told me she only used cold smoke from alderwood. I've never gotten the brine / rub worked out to my taste, but I can swear by the alderwood! I managed to find some bags of alderwood chips at the Sportsman's Warehouse here before they closed. They were by the "Luer-Jensen" smokers they sold there. Heck, you might probably have indiginous alderwood up where you are, (it's as scarce as cool weather here) Keep us posted, good luck!

[Dennis Eugene]

if you use alder be sure to remove the bark or it'll creosote the fish black and ugly. and will spoil the flavor.

[bearcove]

I only smoke red and silver salmon. I use a wet smoke cook till done.

Woods are alder apple and hickory. Never brine or season my fish just use fresh fish. Put it on the smoker tommorow is best if you aren't a procrastinater. (Usually get home clean fish and go to bed) Salmon bellies that are real fatty are great on pasta. (Most deck hands will give the whole boats worth to you if you hang out and talk/help while they clean the fish)

[Changeling]

I only smoke red and silver salmon. I use a wet smoke cook till done.

Woods are alder apple and hickory. Never brine or season my fish just use fresh fish. Put it on the smoker tomorrow is best if you aren't a procrastinator. (Usually get home clean fish and go to bed) Salmon bellies that are real fatty are great on pasta. (Most deck hands will give the whole boats worth to you if you hang out and talk/help while they clean the fish)

I think you have just said it all , me saying anything that is the truth and you saying nothing!!

[bearcove]

I think you have just said it all , me saying anything that is the truth and you saying nothing!!

Dang I need a translater I don't understand what you just said. At least the second part.:confused:

[Tom-ADC]

I make a brine where I can float a slice of raw potato, I add pickling spices, I soak for four to six hours depending on the weight of the fish. I rinse the fish and let sit over night in the fridge. if I see a glaze on the fish I know I did it right. Into the smoker try and hold 200-220 just want to smoke it not cook it. Alder or Pecan sometimes hickory.
Goes great with cold beer and football.
BTW I dry smoke, always thought purpose of smoking was to remove the moisture.