I have a bunch of pickerel in the freezer that has been filleted, de-boned and no skin - anyone tried to smoke these?
Is there a brine recipe for it?
Will the lack of skin be a problem? ???
Sorry I'm no help here. Someone should come along soon that can be more helpful! Good Luck! ;D
As a test, I would defrost a few and brine them in a standard brine ratio of 1 gallon of water with 1 cup of kosher salt and 1 cup of brown sugar. So for a couple of them you adjust based on 1 quart of water.
If they are boneless, I'd put some parchment paper under them, cut to size like a dress pattern. I've used that even for skin-on trout or salmon before I bought the frog-mats.
On the other hand, maybe a cold-smoke would be best since pickerel isn't all that fatty. Then you don't need the parchment. Try 4-5 hours of Oak. That works wonders for skinless haddock.
Have fun!
Rich
Pickerel? What the Hell is pickerel? Sounds like a fish shaped like a cucumber.
QuotePickerel? What the Hell is pickerel? Sounds like a fish shaped like a cucumber.
They are, like those long skinny seedless cukes.
Use one of those fish "baskets" and smoke away. Might have to shorten the handle for the Bradley. Or use on of the perforated "trays" sold to grill veggies in. Used both thingies in the past successfully to smoke catfish, tuna, halibut, crappie and bass. I don't brine, just rub some EVOO or melted butter on the fillets, then sprinkle what flavors I want, then smoke till done.
Thanks guys! I think I am going to try those pickerel fillets (aka walleye) with the standard brine and cold smoke it. I have a package of alder to use rather than running out to get another package. The temp is a little cold right now at about -20C , I might have to wait for things to warm up a bit first. Bit of a bummer.
If you don't have Frogmats, you can use cheesecloth -- works great for nuts and cheese.
Let us know how they turn out... I've always wanted to try pickerel but have put it off because it's always $13.99/lb here.
Quote from: Smokeville on December 30, 2010, 11:23:39 AM
Let us know how they turn out... I've always wanted to try pickerel but have put it off because it's always $13.99/lb here.
There's an easy solution to the price of walleye. Go out and buy a cabin at a good walleye fishing lake. Then get a $40,000.00 fishing boat. Fill it with $1.00+ per liter gas and you're set to catch all the walleye you want for nothin ;). That's what I did cause I don't like the price they charge here either. Wait a minute ??? let me rethink this :-\
Or, if you are as lucky as I am, just marry the regional fish biologist. It definitely ensures a relatively steady supply of pickerel...lol ;)