3 Step Smoked Fish

There are 3 steps to great smoked fish. Select prime fish, build a great brine, select excellent smoking materials. Each step is critical to ensure any Smoked Trout, Pike, Walleye or any fish has that characteristic smoked flavour. It is said that North America was discovered because of explorers searching for fish and new resources. I think it was because they got a wiff of smoked fish and came looking for that great smell. Our ancestors didn’t have refrigerators so they had to smoke the fish and game to preserve it. This information came from my grandfather, I can still see him at his big old made from an old refrigerator homemade smoker either putting in or taking items out of it. Today we use Landmann 2-Drawer Propane Smoker, Bradley Electric or a Bradley 4-Rack Digital smokers.

STEP 1: Selecting and Preparing Fish

Use only freshly-caught fish that have been kept clean and cold. If you catch fish and you want to smoke them, clean and store on ice right at the lake, before heading home. Fish that have been handled carelessly or stored under improper conditions will not produce a satisfactory finished product. Do not use bruised, broken, or otherwise damaged flesh. Store the fish in the refrigerator until ready to prepare them.

Remove scales by scraping against the grain with a knife or scaling tool (see Clean Pike). Remove head, fins, tail, and innards, then, wash body cavity with running cold water to remove all traces of blood and kidney tissue (dark red mass along the backbone). For really large fish (pike, lake trout, salmon) remove the backbone by cutting along the backbone to produce two fillets or boneless sides, leave skin on fillet (see How To Fillet A Fish) . Cut the fillets, with skin on, of large fish into uniform pieces about 1½ inches thick and 2 or 3 inches wide. Smaller fish just split the fish by cutting through the rib bones along the length of one side of the backbone, halves can be brined and smoked in one piece.

STEP 2: Brine The Fish

Prepare a brine of 3½ cups table salt in 1 gallon of liquid in a plastic pail, or crockery container, try not to use any stainless steel. Water, red or white wine can be used for a portion, or all the liquid, if desired. Stir the salt until a saturated solution is formed. Spices such as black pepper, bay leaves, thyme, pepper corns, seafood seasoning, garlic, brown sugar, or liquor may be added to the brine depending on your preference.

Use 1 gallon of brine solution for every 6 pounds of fish. Make sure to keep the fish covered but do not, pack the fish to tightly, the brine needs to cover and circulate around each piece. A 1 gallon pail filled with brine can be placed on top to keep the fish submersed. Keep fish in brine 2 hours per 1 inch of fish thickness. Grandpa put enough fish, to fill his smoker racks, in a large pail and left in the brine overnight. You can also purcgase a commercial brine mixture such as Hi Mountain Gourmet Fish Brine Mix follow their directions, but boughten mix never tastes the same as your own.

STEP 3) SMOKING DIRECTIONS:

1) Rinse the fish quickly when taking out of brine solution and place skin-side down on greased smoker racks.

2) Place racks in a cool place and turn on fan to dry fish. Dry for 2 to 3 hours or until a shiny crystal skin forms.

3) Place the fish in your smoker commercial or homemade design.

4) Keep smoker temperature at about 80°F, and never exceed 90°F.

5) Smoke fish until brown. Small fish 36 – 48 hours. Large fish will require 3 to 4 days and nights of steady smoking.

6) To store longer than 2 weeks, smoke all fish a minimum of a week.

NOTES:

The smoker should not produce a lot of smoke during the first 24 hours but after this build up a dense smoke (use wet wood) and maintain it for the balance of the cure.

Use seasoned non-resinous woods: hickory, oak, apple, maple, birch, beech, or alder.

Avoid: pine, fir, spruce, etc. or green woods.

If heavier smoke flavour is desired, add moist sawdust to the heat source throughout the smoking process. If using the Bradley 6-Rack Digital Electric Smoker follow their directions for using Bradley Smoker Flavor Bisquettes.

If smoked fish has been brined for at least 2 hours and smoked for at least 5 days, it will keep in the refrigerator for several months