11-08-2003, 12:42 PM
[cool]Hey, Coot, doncha know smoking may be hazardous to your health? It dang sure is for the fish. They never survive it. Oh yeah, to get the rest of the prerequisite jokes out of the way...you have to be careful that you light the right end, when you smoke fish. (dumb)
I have been smoking all kinds of fish...fresh water and salt...for years and years. I have built smoking sheds and made smokers out of old refrigerators, etc. I have tried many commercial spices and marinade preparations, and have experimented on my own. I have also tried just about every kind of wood I suspected would work...trying to stay away from pine and other resinous woods.
Smoked fish is like some other things in life. It's all good...some better than others. But, you do not have to have a culinary degree or a fancy smoker to turn out decent smoked fish. It all "boils" down to several basic elements as to whether you should smoke a fish or save it for the grill, frypan or oven. And, that is usually a matter of personal preference. Ain't no absolute right or wrong.
The next part of the process is whether or not to presoak...in a brine and/or spice solution. This hails back to the days before refrigeration, when meats were smoked as a means of preserving...not just to make nice snacks for watching football on the weekend afternoons. (I suspact the Patriots were the favorite team with the pilgrims.) Salt helps cure the fish, and the spices helped cover the taste of any that started to go bad before it was eaten. Not too glorious, but that's what spices were about in the old days.
Next, you find a balance between the thickness of the fish, the smoking temperature and how "done" you want the final product. "Slow smoking" is the traditional method...maintaining a fairly low temperature and smoke infusion over several days. This does the best job of totally smoke flavoring every last morsel, and gives you a well cured product that will last longer in cool storage...especially if you have brined it well too.
In our fast paced and impatient society, we all want our pleasures right now. And, for most anglers, who enjoy smoked fish..and who have family and friends to "help" them eat it up...a small batch does not last long enough to go bad anyway. So, it can be "hot smoked" for a shorter period of time and still turn out a good product.
Like BLM, I do not think there is a better candidate for the smoker than a fresh caught salmon...or steelhead. The rich, red oily flesh takes up the flavoring of the smoking process and becomes food for the gods. And, as BLM also indicated, larger trout are a close substitute. But, even smaller trout...and especially kokanee...are excellent when properly prepared and smoked. It is a great way to make use of the red kokes of fall, when they are not in their prime for other cooking methods.
As a rule of thumb, I prefer to smoke the more oily fleshed fish...like trout and catfish. I do enjoy smoked walleye, striper, wiper, bass and even perch and whities. But, their more delicate white flesh is so good in so many other recipes that it seems a shame to subject it to the smoker.
I tend to lean toward the instant gratification school, when it comes to smoking. I picked up my favorite recipe from an old fishing guide on the Klamath River, in California. Many of his steelhead and salmon customers liked to be able to take some smoked fish home with them, after a couple of days of fishing. So, he would often smoke the first day's catch, with an accelerated method. I picked it up and have used it for years.
Instead of soaking in brine overnight, I salt and season the fish and let them set for a couple of hours before hitting the smoke. Then, I smoke them over fairly high heat, for only three or four hours...finishing them in an oven if they need more cooking or drying.
I start by putting the fillets or chunks on the racks of my smoker (pre-sprayed with a nonstick oil). I dry them on both sides with a paper towel, positioning the racks on paper towels over newspaper. There will be some "drippings" as the "rub" draws out moisture from the setting fish. My first step is sprinkling on some fine "kosher" or sea salt (non iodized). I don't like my smoked fish too salty, and I don't usually have to worry about having it around too long for spoilage, so I do not over salt.
Next, I sprinkle on my own blend of "super spice"...a combination of black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, oregano and cumin. I like flavor and heat. I then rub the salt and spice mixture together evenly over the first side, and turn the fish over to similarly treat the second side.
(EDITED IN: Sprinkle on some sugar for a sweeter product. Use maple syrup or brown sugar for extra flavor)
I let the salty-seasoned fish set for an hour or two, during which time the salt draws moisture out of the fish and forms a glaze out of what does not drip onto the paper towels. When there is a glaze, the fish is ready for the smoker.
I preheat my smoker and make sure the hot plate is working. I failed to do that a couple of times and had to work with the electrical to make sure all the connections were good. Delayed but did not ruin my batch of smoked fish.
Oh yeah, the amount of time in the smoker will be influenced by what kind of smoker you use (insulated or not) and where you set it up...and if you do it outdoors, what is the weather like? Obviously, your fish will cook faster on a hot summer day, when you set the smoker in direct sunlight, with no wind. On a cold winter day, with the wind blowing on your smoker, you won't do very well very fast. I have even set up my smoker in a well ventilated fireplace, inside...when I was on good terms with the "house warden". Just make sure that the flue is open and the smoke goes up the chimney. Otherwise you will be "enjoying" the aroma of smoked fish in your house for a long time.
If you have one of the small smokers that heat the wood chips in a small pan, it will usually take about an hour to go through a pan completely. I change the pan about three times. That puts about all the smoke flaver in the fish that it is going to take. The heat keeps on cooking and drying the fish, however...and it will be slightly hotter in the smoker if you do add more chips to complete larger fish chunks.
If your smoking trays are stacked vertically in the smoker, rotate the top to the bottom at about the two hour mark...to get more even smoking and cooking. Or, leave them as they are, for a varied product. The pieces closest to the heat will come out harder and dryer...like fish jerky.
When I do catfish, I often remove the fish from the smoker after about three or four hours and put the pieces on aluminum foil...on a cookie sheet...and pop them in the oven at about 160 for another hour or so. Keep checking on the fish until it is the desired degree of texture. I like to get it just a couple of notches away from jerky. Then, I thin slice it and serve with cheese and crackers.
When it comes to woods, you can start an argument among dedicated smokologists very easy. Ain't no right or wrong. Strictly personal preference. As has been mentioned, apple, aspen, cherry, hickory and others all work. Hickory is traditional for fish, but the others can turn out a good product too. Mesquite and other stronger tasting smoke is best left to beef, pork and chicken...but can make some good catfish jerky.
That's my humble and succinct contribution to your question Mr. Coot.
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I have been smoking all kinds of fish...fresh water and salt...for years and years. I have built smoking sheds and made smokers out of old refrigerators, etc. I have tried many commercial spices and marinade preparations, and have experimented on my own. I have also tried just about every kind of wood I suspected would work...trying to stay away from pine and other resinous woods.
Smoked fish is like some other things in life. It's all good...some better than others. But, you do not have to have a culinary degree or a fancy smoker to turn out decent smoked fish. It all "boils" down to several basic elements as to whether you should smoke a fish or save it for the grill, frypan or oven. And, that is usually a matter of personal preference. Ain't no absolute right or wrong.
The next part of the process is whether or not to presoak...in a brine and/or spice solution. This hails back to the days before refrigeration, when meats were smoked as a means of preserving...not just to make nice snacks for watching football on the weekend afternoons. (I suspact the Patriots were the favorite team with the pilgrims.) Salt helps cure the fish, and the spices helped cover the taste of any that started to go bad before it was eaten. Not too glorious, but that's what spices were about in the old days.
Next, you find a balance between the thickness of the fish, the smoking temperature and how "done" you want the final product. "Slow smoking" is the traditional method...maintaining a fairly low temperature and smoke infusion over several days. This does the best job of totally smoke flavoring every last morsel, and gives you a well cured product that will last longer in cool storage...especially if you have brined it well too.
In our fast paced and impatient society, we all want our pleasures right now. And, for most anglers, who enjoy smoked fish..and who have family and friends to "help" them eat it up...a small batch does not last long enough to go bad anyway. So, it can be "hot smoked" for a shorter period of time and still turn out a good product.
Like BLM, I do not think there is a better candidate for the smoker than a fresh caught salmon...or steelhead. The rich, red oily flesh takes up the flavoring of the smoking process and becomes food for the gods. And, as BLM also indicated, larger trout are a close substitute. But, even smaller trout...and especially kokanee...are excellent when properly prepared and smoked. It is a great way to make use of the red kokes of fall, when they are not in their prime for other cooking methods.
As a rule of thumb, I prefer to smoke the more oily fleshed fish...like trout and catfish. I do enjoy smoked walleye, striper, wiper, bass and even perch and whities. But, their more delicate white flesh is so good in so many other recipes that it seems a shame to subject it to the smoker.
I tend to lean toward the instant gratification school, when it comes to smoking. I picked up my favorite recipe from an old fishing guide on the Klamath River, in California. Many of his steelhead and salmon customers liked to be able to take some smoked fish home with them, after a couple of days of fishing. So, he would often smoke the first day's catch, with an accelerated method. I picked it up and have used it for years.
Instead of soaking in brine overnight, I salt and season the fish and let them set for a couple of hours before hitting the smoke. Then, I smoke them over fairly high heat, for only three or four hours...finishing them in an oven if they need more cooking or drying.
I start by putting the fillets or chunks on the racks of my smoker (pre-sprayed with a nonstick oil). I dry them on both sides with a paper towel, positioning the racks on paper towels over newspaper. There will be some "drippings" as the "rub" draws out moisture from the setting fish. My first step is sprinkling on some fine "kosher" or sea salt (non iodized). I don't like my smoked fish too salty, and I don't usually have to worry about having it around too long for spoilage, so I do not over salt.
Next, I sprinkle on my own blend of "super spice"...a combination of black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, oregano and cumin. I like flavor and heat. I then rub the salt and spice mixture together evenly over the first side, and turn the fish over to similarly treat the second side.
(EDITED IN: Sprinkle on some sugar for a sweeter product. Use maple syrup or brown sugar for extra flavor)
I let the salty-seasoned fish set for an hour or two, during which time the salt draws moisture out of the fish and forms a glaze out of what does not drip onto the paper towels. When there is a glaze, the fish is ready for the smoker.
I preheat my smoker and make sure the hot plate is working. I failed to do that a couple of times and had to work with the electrical to make sure all the connections were good. Delayed but did not ruin my batch of smoked fish.
Oh yeah, the amount of time in the smoker will be influenced by what kind of smoker you use (insulated or not) and where you set it up...and if you do it outdoors, what is the weather like? Obviously, your fish will cook faster on a hot summer day, when you set the smoker in direct sunlight, with no wind. On a cold winter day, with the wind blowing on your smoker, you won't do very well very fast. I have even set up my smoker in a well ventilated fireplace, inside...when I was on good terms with the "house warden". Just make sure that the flue is open and the smoke goes up the chimney. Otherwise you will be "enjoying" the aroma of smoked fish in your house for a long time.
If you have one of the small smokers that heat the wood chips in a small pan, it will usually take about an hour to go through a pan completely. I change the pan about three times. That puts about all the smoke flaver in the fish that it is going to take. The heat keeps on cooking and drying the fish, however...and it will be slightly hotter in the smoker if you do add more chips to complete larger fish chunks.
If your smoking trays are stacked vertically in the smoker, rotate the top to the bottom at about the two hour mark...to get more even smoking and cooking. Or, leave them as they are, for a varied product. The pieces closest to the heat will come out harder and dryer...like fish jerky.
When I do catfish, I often remove the fish from the smoker after about three or four hours and put the pieces on aluminum foil...on a cookie sheet...and pop them in the oven at about 160 for another hour or so. Keep checking on the fish until it is the desired degree of texture. I like to get it just a couple of notches away from jerky. Then, I thin slice it and serve with cheese and crackers.
When it comes to woods, you can start an argument among dedicated smokologists very easy. Ain't no right or wrong. Strictly personal preference. As has been mentioned, apple, aspen, cherry, hickory and others all work. Hickory is traditional for fish, but the others can turn out a good product too. Mesquite and other stronger tasting smoke is best left to beef, pork and chicken...but can make some good catfish jerky.
That's my humble and succinct contribution to your question Mr. Coot.
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