As a new guy I presume most of you out there from Canada or U.S. . I do'nt know if you can get herrings outside of northern europe but I thought you might like to share this . This may work with any small (1lb or so) oily fish.
After gutting and cleaning, the fish needs to be split from head to tail not quite all the way through. Mix an 80% brine (2lb 10 oz salt to one gallon water.) Brine for 15 mins max for big fish. 10 for smaller. Drain and air dry for an hour or so.
If poss hang vertically in the BS and wedge the belly flaps open with small sticks or similar. Load up with oak pucks and cold smoke for 4 to 5 hours. Keep the temp LOW, 85f max or these rascals will cook on you. Let them rest for 24 hours in the fridge.
To cook, grill or bbq for 5 or 6 mins. Can also be microwaved for 2 to 3 mins on high. Local variation is to put them in a tall jug of freshly boilied water for a few mins. A knob of butter on top, some wholemeal bread and enjoy.
Howdy,
Thanks for the recipe. Now all I have to do is find some herring. Not a simple task here in land locked Switzerland >:(. We do get Matjes from Holland which are wonderful but have already been processed so are not fit for kippers. I will look though. When I get to the UK I love kippers for breakfast, with a mug of strong tea and, as you mentioned, some bread. Thanks for the post.
Tom
Hi Tom
Small Haddock work well if done similar. Known as Finnan Haddock over here. I'm trying to get hold of Cod roes as these are reckoned to be superb cold smoked though mean to handle as they are very soft & delicate.
If you ever come across our local Manx kippers in the U.K. order them. They are the best. No question.
QuoteSmall Haddock work well if done similar. Known as Finnan Haddock over here. I'm trying to get hold of Cod roes as these are reckoned to be superb cold smoked though mean to handle as they are very soft & delicate.
If you ever come across our local Manx kippers in the U.K. order them. They are the best. No question.
Hi Dalby Spook and welcome to the forum, before I even read your post I obviously knew you were also from the Isle of Man. You are spot on about Manx Kippers, best in the world by a long way! ;)
I have yet to be able to successfully recreate them in the Bradley as yet, they are OK but certainly not as good as Moore's best! Had more success with mackerel, calig, cod and haddock to date, it may be something to do with the oil content and the time of year I have bought my herring. The ones we catch in the boat nowadays are always too small to do much with in any case!
I too have tried to get hold of some cod roe without success, I actually bought some smoked cod roe by mail order from a small smoke house in Suffolk as I love it!. Apparently Devereau's do get it occasionally.... ?March/April time.
There must be a few BS's on the island by now, just read on your other post that you have had yours for a couple of weeks. I have had mine coming up for two years..... had a lot of fun with it in that time from mackerel to bacon, brisket to calig. Hope you get as much fun from yours...... ;D
In early Spring of each year, I see lots of folks dipping in Turnagain Arm, (near Anchorage, AK), tidal waters for what we call "hooligan", a small very oily "smelt-ish" fish. I suspect that it could be a good candidate for kippers....don't know - never tried doing it (Iceman???). I would be interested in giving it a try IF I thought it tasted as good as the canned 'Prince of Norway' "kipper snacks" that I used to throw into the campfire to warm up til the can bulged and blew oil out the seams, then eat with Saltine crackers. I LOVED those things, but can't find them anymore, at least that brand.....
Quote"hooligan", a small very oily "smelt-ish" fish. I suspect that it could be a good candidate for kippers....
Believe me Kummock, if they end up anything like our local kippered herrings it would be well worth the effort!! ;D
http://www.isleofmankippers.com/
HI Paul,
Thanks for the link. I just ordered up three of these puppies to give them a shot. I'm really looking forward to having some of them for a leisurely Sunday breakfast. Along with toast, rough cut orange marmalade and proper English tea.
Tom
QuoteThanks for the link. I just ordered up three of these puppies to give them a shot. I'm really looking forward to having some of them for a leisurely Sunday breakfast. Along with toast, rough cut orange marmalade and proper English tea.
Hey, that's great Tom. Let me know what you think of them. :D
I tend to buy them by the half stone, you can get half a stone (7lb) of "seconds" (small or broken ones) for about £7:50 which represents great value for money. Vacuum seal them myself and freeze them. My favourite is with brown bread and butter and a mug of tea.
Note it is permissable to eat them with your fingers! All good Manxmen dispense with knife and fork to eat em, makes picking out the bones a whole lot easier unless you bought the fillets?
The other major kipper producer is:
http://www.manxkippers.com/order.htm
http://www.manxkippers.com/home.htm
This kipper house is a working museum and the guided tours are fascinating.
Kippers are shipped to all corners of the world, particularly the US and Australia where there are more Manx people living than back here on the Isle of Man nowadays!
I bought the whole ones. I like to scrape the bones to get all the goodies out. Their site said that the half stone boxes were only available in the UK so if I like these guys that's not an option >:(. I'll take a gander at the other sites as well. Thanks again for the links.
Tom
A real hard core manxman/woman eats the bones an' all !!!
QuoteA real hard core manxman/woman eats the bones an' all !!!
Hahaha........ afraid I fail on that one DS, I must be a bit of a wimp! :-[ ;D
Wot about the heads? :D
I've never been THAT hungry!
Seriously though, I agree with you it's not easy to get decent sized herring. I got mine from Tesco and got the guy to pick me out the biggest. My dad and I regularly fish out of Douglas but only rarely catch herring. Is it a night operation?
Can you get the bisquettes or "pucks" locally. The company I bought the BS from tried to shaft me for £10 postage on top of the £40 for 120. I think not!
Pop and I (we went half each on the BS) are looking to make our own in a fly press. I've a hundred weight of oak sawdust ready to go. I know the binder is gelatine. Any thoughts?
The kippers look great on both sites.....I'll bet that they taste even better with the smell of Manx sea air adding to the experience!....Gonna have to give that a try when I can travel again!
After looking at the herring on the site, I don't think that smoking the local "hooligan" would produce the same result. These little guys up here are quite a bit smaller and would be a challenge to gut....gonna have to check around with locals to see if anyone has successfully accomplished it, but I can see that they certainly wouldn't be a ManX Kipper!
QuoteI've never been THAT hungry!
Seriously though, I agree with you it's not easy to get decent sized herring. I got mine from Tesco and got the guy to pick me out the biggest. My dad and I regularly fish out of Douglas but only rarely catch herring. Is it a night operation?
Can you get the bisquettes or "pucks" locally. The company I bought the BS from tried to shaft me for £10 postage on top of the £40 for 120. I think not!
Pop and I (we went half each on the BS) are looking to make our own in a fly press. I've a hundred weight of oak sawdust ready to go. I know the binder is gelatine. Any thoughts?
I fish out of Port St Mary and get a lot of herring around the Sugarloaf but only small stuff. Even the mackerel are small around there. Bigger mackerel are to be caught off Langness and wrecks like the Tuskar off the Chicken Rock..... jumbo mackerel there but not had any decent sized herring for quite a while. I also buy mine, just keep an eye on the fish shops getting some big ones in.
Tend to buy my pucks direct from Grakka (UK importer) or from Devon Angling, I have bought elsewhere but got some "stale" pucks on occasions, they seemed very crumbly. Neither Grakka nor Devon Angling stung me for post and packing as far as I can remember, there is a BS dealer in Peel apparently but I have not contacted him regarding supplies at all.
It may be worth doing a search regarding making your own pucks on the forum, I am sure one or two people have posted that they are doing it successfully but I seem to remember it took quite a time to make each puck. I will have a scout round and see if I can find the post when I get a minute. :)
I am gonna have to give those kippers a try. They look great. You still have to cook them after you get them? Either way i would like to try them. I will have to order some.
QuoteYou still have to cook them after you get them?
Yes, you do have to cook them. Some people boil them, others do them under the grill or in the oven. They are actually ideal to do on the BBQ as well, keeps the (distinctive) aroma outside!! :D :D
The aroma is distinctive indeed. Whenever I would order them for breakfast in a hotel in the UK heads would turn as the waiter brought them through. I think it was just envy as they smelled delicious to me. ;D ;D
Tom
Big "problem" is the aroma does hang around the kitchen for a while, and they tend to repeat on you quite a lot after eating them but enough of my personnel problems!!!! :-[ ;D
For me it is a price well worth paying, although boiling is the best method of cooking if you are worried about the smell!! :)
You certainly seem a fan of kippers Tom. They may well have been Manx kippers, they are sold in many hotels and fish stalls around the UK including London. Manx law dictates no artificial ingredients, preservatives whatever whereas others produced elsewhere in the UK may or may not have additives as they are not prohibited by law.
Having said that there are other excellent kipper producers in the UK, Loch Fyne being one in Scotland.
There is another side effect of kippers that Manx failed to mention. A couple of hours after consumption you will be climbing the walls for a beer. (high salt content). And one beer won't be enough!!!
QuoteThere is another side effect of kippers that Manx failed to mention. A couple of hours after consumption you will be climbing the walls for a beer. (high salt content). And one beer won't be enough!!!
And that's a problem!!?? ;D ;D ;D
Probably also why people eat their kippers accompanied by a good big mug of tea! Fair comment and true of quite a few salted/cured/brined foods in general.
Manxman,
I just received my kipper order in the morning post. I couldn't wait for breakfast tomorrow so I heated up a package for lunch. Wow, some kind of good Paul ;D ;D ;D They'll be getting another order from me shortly as I only ordered three packages as a trial run - and the remaining two packages aren't going to last very long. Thanks again for the links.
Tom
QuoteWow, some kind of good Paul
Hi Tom,
Really pleased you enjoyed them, rather thought you would though but then again I am biased! :D
Hi Manxman
Just an update on the puck making. I got hold of a 1/2 ton arbour press , some 55mm stainless tube and a huge sack of oak shavings. Very much in the experimental stage but have knocked out 20 or so today that look promising. I'll run them through the BS this weekend . Will post with pics when I've refined the process.
John
Hi Dalby Spook,
Sounds very promising John, very interested to see how you get on using them in the BS compared to normal pucks.
Don't know if you have seen any other previous posts on this subject..... eg:
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=2857.msg26153#msg26153
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=2487.msg23152#msg23152
One of these posts seems to be saying they can knock out a puck every 15 seconds, how long does it take for you to do one? Do you use a binder?
There are other posts including another one that sounds very similar to the set up you have developed but can't find it at the moment. Not sure if anyone who posted ideas previously is still making their own on a regular basis?
Puck costs on this side of the pond seem to be about £1 an hour, slightly more by the time package and postage is included to the Isle of Man. Comparative costs in the US seem to be about $1 per hour, even less if the pucks can be found on special which is something I have yet to see over here.
Looking forwards to the pictures as well.
Manx
For sheer power, hydraulic is the way to go but I don't have that kind of gear just
knocking around. I can turn the pucks out about one every 30 seconds or so. As for binders I mix a couple of teaspoons of flour to 1/2 pint of water. Then dry them in a warm oven.
I,m a bit wary of this tainting the food so I'm going to test on some small batches.
Bradley use gelatine but how I,m not sure.
The hydraulic machine in the post uses no liquid at all, just lots and lots of pressure .
On a different subject, did you see the farmers market at the sea terminal? Moores have a stand. The whole bacon loins were superb to look at. Smoked for 168 hours they say. Thats a lot of pucks!
QuoteOn a different subject, did you see the farmers market at the sea terminal? Moores have a stand. The whole bacon loins were superb to look at. Smoked for 168 hours they say. Thats a lot of pucks!
Plan on popping into the Sea Terminal today to have a look. Have you ever done the tour of Moore's in Peel? It is well worth doing as you get to see all the processes of not only kipper making but the bacon smoking as well. Unfortunately they buy in the ready cured bacon and "only" smoke it themselves, it would be interesting to see it right from the start. Still well worth a visit though.
Mmmm.... 168 hours at 3 pucks an hour = a lot of £££££££'s.
Good luck with the home made pucks. :)