Just got my new DBS last week and seasoned it already. Going to try to make smoked Lake Trout next weekend and in my old Brinkman charcoal smoker i would soak my fillets ( full fillets) in a salt,liquid smoke and brown sugar brine for 12 hours then put them on smoker for about 6 hours on medium temp (at least that is what the gauge said). Now that I am using a digital I have a couple of questions. I have read where I should start at about 110 and move to 140 after a couple of hours but I was wondering how long I should cook them for? Is it going to be shorter than my usual 6 hours I did with charcoal? Also I would leave the skin on the fillets,should I take the skin off or leave it on? Should I cut the fillets into smaller pieces?
Hi WatchDog and welcome to the forum.
Here is a link to a brine and recipe for trout from over on the recipe site. A number of members have tried and commented favourably on it. I haven't had an opportunity to try it.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=695#post695
Mike
Thanks Mike that sounds good. Will try.
Also I have a vacuum food saver that I plan to cut up the fillets and package them then freeze them. How long do you think they will keep and will the smoke flavor get stronger?
WD, welcome to our world.
8)
Now the fun begins
:)
How did your fish come out?
Welcome WatchDog!
The forum is filled with great people with lots of ideas and experience. You will find it a fount of information. You will also find that the Bradley is one heck of a good fish smoker!
Shakespeare
The Bard of Hot Aire
Pontificator Extraordinaire'
Sherlock- I am going to try to smoke them this weekend.
Quote from: watchdog56 on April 27, 2009, 04:31:50 AM
Also I have a vacuum food saver that I plan to cut up the fillets and package them then freeze them. How long do you think they will keep and will the smoke flavor get stronger?
Welcome Watchdog! I think your vac-packed smoked fish will keep a long time. I smoke a lot of salmon, vac-pack it and freeze it for later use and a year is not too long! I don't think the smoke flavor gets "stronger" the longer it is in the freezer, but i DO think it gets better. The smoke tends to penetrate better and mellows over time. I like fish that has "seasoned" for a few weeks or longer better than right out of the smoker - altho right out of the smoker is pretty dang good!
Do you think I should keep the skin on the fish once it is vacuum packed and then frozen?
Watchdog Welcome Aboard!!
I have done Lake Trout but it has never lasted long enough to freeze it. Here is a pic of one that I did. It looks odd because I DIDN'T LOOK at the bottle of syrup and grabbed Momma's Butter flavored syrup. YUCK!!! It didn't taste bad but it wasn't great either.
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd237/tenpoint5/40600187.jpg)
10.5-looks like you left the skin on is that correct? They look good.
Yep Skin on. I am going to try some with the skin off next time. See if there is a difference.
Quote from: watchdog56 on April 28, 2009, 12:42:19 PM
Do you think I should keep the skin on the fish once it is vacuum packed and then frozen?
I remove the skin from the salmon i smoke before it goes in the brine. Just my personal preference - guys smoke it with or without skin and it's all good.
OK thank you. Hopefully will try saturday depending on weather.
Well did the fish sat. Soaked it in canning salt with liquid smoke and brown sugar for 12 hours. pur in smoker for 1 hour @ 120 which read between 110 and 135 after a while so I had to open door to help cool down. Then went to 130 for 2 hours using apple pucks. The no smoke and 160 for 4 hours. tasted fish and it was a little oily so I put it in fridge overnight and WOW what a difference. Turned ouot excellent. Thanks to everyone who responded to me.
Well done Watchdog!! What the next project?
I have some venison jerky that I use a liquid marinade that I have done in the oven before. I am going to try that just using the oven temp with no smoke.
Well now after 2 days the fish has a slight bitter after taste,not bad but there is something there.
Could it be because this is my first smoke with it? I did season my unit like the book says. My brine was 2 gallons of water and about 1 cup of canning salt,mix until a raw egg (still in the shell) is paced in plastic bucket and sinks then slowly comes to top,then I put in 1 1/4 bottles of liquid smoke and 1 cup of brown sugar then stir until dissolved. I have used the recipe for about 25 years with a charcoal smoker and don't remember it being this bitter. Like I said just a slight taste.
WD56,
Not saying this is the answer but it might be something to consider. The Bradley's smoke is a much "purer" smoke and it doesn't require as much as a conventional stick burner or charoal smoker. Is it a possibility that the combination of the 1 & 1/4 bottle of liquid smoke in the brine and then 2 hours of apple smoke made the fish bitter? It's about all I can think of because everything else in the recipe and your explanation looks good to me.
KyNola
Yes I guess that could be. Do you think wrapping the fish in Aluminum foil and putting in the fridge has anything to do with it?
Might be a reaction with something and the foil. Look on the foil and see if there is any discoloration on the foil. There shouldn't be but if there is then something probably the salt is reacting to the foil and giving it a bad taste. Just a guess on my part.
Nothing on the foil. It will be interesting to see if the fish I put in the sealed bags taste like this. No foil in those. I will be taking them to Canada with me in about 3 weeks.