Smoking Fish

[AIK68J]

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q283/cabinfeverdavid/IMPROPER_METHOD_SMOKING_FISH.jpg
Okay that joke out of the way :D
I don't own a smoker but, can you do it by using a indirect low heat smoke fire on a grill. Any speical seasoning?? I have a weber Kettle grill. Any wood better than others?
Thanks for the info

[AIK68J]

BTT

[crabby and son]

You can try it with a webber but the temperature needs to be controlled 180-190
hickory or mesquite works well....apple or cherry also
You need to soak the fillets in a brine of water, 1 cup Kosher salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup old bay for 24 hours
dry the fillets and sprinkle with coarse black pepper, a dash of old bay and top with maple syrup
Smoke for about 3-4 hours but keep an eye on the fish to make sure it doesn't burn.
You can but a cheap gas smoker at Walmart which allows you to control temperature. Iv'e smoker over 100 blues and they go quick when people taste it. Good luck Gary

[AIK68J]

Seeing as blues ain't an endangered in the Bay this year I may try it out Thanks for the info I will be watching the end of the summer sales for a smoker.

[college fund]

you also need to soak wood chips for at least 25 min. b efore using.

[yardbird]

My gang loves smoked blues. The bigger the better (for me, the cleaner and catcher!) No chompers under 15#'s in my opinion! My one suggestion during prep is to make sure you cut every bit of dark meat out during cleaning!!!!

[KenY]

Aren't you supposed to leave the skin on for smoking ??? If so, How do you cut out the dark meat ???

[done workin]

Find a recipe for blackened seasoning.

Coat one side of the blue completely with it and throw in the smoker. Yes it can be done on the grill.

Use hickory, fresh if possible and don't overdue it. 45 minutes or so of hard smoke is plenty. Fish is not dense and takes the flavor very quickly.

Chris

[night nurse]

Keep the skin ON during the smoking. It will peel off easy when you are done and prevents the flesh from sticking to the grates. Good Luck!!

TED

[college fund]

Tip--put a couple of spoons of lemon juice in brine and it will reduce the fishy smell

[Seadog1]

how do you prep the fish for smoking cut the head and tail off gut and smoke or do you try to filet it?never had a blue before

[Chris Surowiec]

I always smoke filleted fish not whole. A whole gutted fish will work just as well, it just requires more time for brining and more time for smoking due to thickness. I prefer to use a dry brine over a wet one mostly because it's idiotproof. I have currently in my fridge some killer applewood smoked wild coho salmon and this is how I did it.

(never use iodized salt for curing it will give the finished product a chemical taste)
Mix 1 cup each of coarse kosher salt and dark brown sugar. Spread half this mixture on the bottom of a nonreactive container(think pyrex or plastic). Lay fish fillets skin side down on the salt/sugar blend. Cover fillets with the rest of blend. Cover container and place in fridge for 24 hours. Remove fillets from brine and give them a quick rinse, just enough to get off any undissolved crystals. Now they must be dried. A quick way is to put them on a cooling rack and direct a fan on them. This should take about 2 hours. I sprinkled my salmon with coarse black pepper while it was still wet so the pepper would stick. When they are no longer wet to the touch they are ready for smoke. I have a Luhr Jensen Little Chief smoker that I use but this batch was done on the Weber kettle. I made a small fire on one side of the kettle and put hunks of applewood on it. The fish went on the other side of the grill. Turn the vents down as much as possible and walk away. In 20 minutes it's done. That easy and so good you'll want to do it all the time. If you need applewood let me know I have enough that I'm heating with it in my woodstove.