NEWBEE

[San Diego Man]

As you can see I am new here and have never smoked anything other then in my BBQ. I ordered a inexpensive smoker to see if smoking is for me, and if so I will order a more expensive one. I got this one because my son has one and his smoked salmon turn out yummy.  :)

Started a new thread but have read a lot on the internet but this place seems like the right place to ask questions.

Just got back from a fishing trip in Washington and we did real well. I was able to bring back about 20 lbs of fillet steel head but not going to smoke it all. For the first time maybe two racks. Here are some questions to clarify from posting from Kummok.

Soak in your own brine recipe for 12 hours at refrigerator temps (I use an Igloo type ice chest with about a gallon of ice thrown in

How cold do I have to keep this?

DON'T let the fish spoil from warm temps!

Should I put in the refreg?  Do I rinse off prior to putting on the rack?

100°-120°F for 1-2 hours, then increase to
140° for 2-4 hours, then increase to
175° for 1-2 hours to finish

As far as I know, this smokerI bought, you can not adjust the temp. My son smoked his for about 4 hours and it turned out great!

If I smoke a lot, can I freeze some of it or just put in the refreg for later use?

I know this questions most likely have been asked before but haven't found the answer to them yet. SO much to read but good reading.  ;)

THANKS for you time! I'm sure I will have more questions.  ;)

[beefmann]

welcome aboard and im sure someone will chime in with the information you  need

[mikecorn.1]

Welcome aboard. No fish smoking on my part. Someone will be by with some info.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pmmpete]

1. Keep the fish cold while processing it, keep the brine cold while you're mixing it up, and keep the brine cold while the fish are soaking in it.  By cold, I mean refrigerator temperature, slightly above freezing.  If you let the fish get warm for extended periods of time, bacteria which cause food poisoning may grow in it.

2.  The length of time you should leave fish in brine depends (a) on the concentration of the brine, and (b) on how oily or lean the fish is, on the thickness of the fillets, and on whether you leave the skin on the fillets.  Kummok's brine isn't very concentrated, so you need to leave fish in it for a long time.  If you leave fish in a more concentrated brine for 12 hours, the smoked fish may be much too salty.  For more information on this issue, see my posting in a thread entitled "The salinity of Kummok's brine," which is at  http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=28319.0 .

3. Food preservation experts recommend that you bring smoked fish to an internal temperature of 160 degrees for half an hour during the smoking process.  It takes some practice to develop a schedule of temperatures which will get the fish to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, while producing the degree of dryness and flakiness you like, without drying the fish out too much.  For more information on this issue, see the links and information in my posting in Reply #383 at http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=107.msg318790#msg318790 .  If your smoker doesn't have temperature controls, and/or you don't have a thermometer with a probe, when the fish has been smoked and mostly dried, move it to an oven at perhaps 180 degrees for 45-60 minutes to finish it off.  You will make much better smoked fish, and will be a much happier guy, if you toss that Little Chief smoker in the trash and get a smoker with temperature controls.

4.  If you've figured out how long to leave a particular kind of fish in a brine of a particular salinity to produce the degree of saltiness you like, you don't need to rinse off the brine.  With some particularly flavorful brine recipies, you may actually want to baste the fish with a little extra brine before you dry it enough to produce a pellicle, and then start smoking it.  I suspect the reason that some people need to rinse the brine off their fish is because they have been leaving the fish in the brine too long, and it would be too salty if they don't rinse it off.

5.  Smoked fish can't be kept in a refridgerator for more than a couple of weeks, as it will begin to spoil.  But if you freeze it, it will last many months.  Before you freeze the fish, leave it in the refrigerator overnight on a rack or a plate to cool off and dry out, to avoid condensation.  If you freeze it in plastic bags or containers, freezer burn can develop.  You can extend the life of frozen smoked fish considerably by vacuum packing it.

[San Diego Man]

pmmpete, Great read!

have a thermometer with a probe, when the fish has been smoked and mostly dried, move it to an oven at perhaps 180 degrees for 45-60 minutes to finish it off.

I do have a thermometer with a probe, so what temp am I looking for?

Last night I prepared the steel head and made the brine and it is in the refreg. This morning will take it out and let it glaze and smoke this afternoon. Didn't do a lot since this is my first try at it and sure hope it turns out ok. Can't wait to try some other receipts.

[San Diego Man]

Another question.

I used to do several hours of smoking and many hours of drying with just warm air moving past it. I liked to hard smoke the chum until it was quite dry and chewy.

As far as smoking and drying goes, if I smoke from 2-3 hours, do I let it dry in the smoker or just bring it in and let it air dry?

Thanks!

[pmmpete]

According to the food preservation dudes, you want an internal temperature of 160 degrees for half an hour. 

Start smoking at a fairly low temperature like 120 degrees, because if you start at too high of a temperature, you may cook white fat "boogers" out of the fish.  After smoking for 2-3 hours at increasing temperatures, stop smoking and increase the temperature until you get the internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Keep the heat going until the fish reaches the degree of dryness and flakiness which you like.  Then stick it into the refridgerator on a rack or a plate for 12 hours or so to cool off and dry out.  Then vacuum pack and freeze it.

You need to dry the fish in the smoker.  It would take way too long to air dry the fish at room temperature.  The fish would spoil before it even started drying out.

There are a lot of different tasty brine recipes out there, but the basics of smoking fish remain the same.  Ice the fish as soon as you catch it, process it promptly and and cleanly, brine it long enough to produce the degree of saltiness you like, smoke it, get it to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, get it as dry as you like, cool it off, vacuum pack it, and freeze it. Let us know how your first smoking effort turns out!

[San Diego Man]

 pmmpete, thanks for the replies!

After taking it out of the brine and letting it sit for about 4 hours prior to placing it in the smoker, it did not have the glaze that I expected. Was a little concerned.

Only had 2 racks to smoke this time, so started them on the highest racks and after 2 hours moved them to the lower racks and smoked for another 2 hours. Total time in smoker was 4 hours. Let the fish stay in the smoker for another 2 hours without heat and then brought in the house and broke off a piece and I was very pleased with the taste and the way it flaked off. Still have it in the refridgerator and before going to bed I will vacuum pack and freeze what I won't eat the next few days. PS: My neighbor said he loved it and wanted more.  ;D

Can't wait to try other recipes but this is what I used this time.

2/3 dark brown sugar
1/2 Sea Salt
3 cups Soy Sauce
2 cups water
1 tsp onion power
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups dry white wine
It also called for 1 tsp of Tabasco sauce but I am not a fan of Tabasco sauce but would like it a little more spicy next time.
My wife would like it a little more sweet so will have to think about that.

Like I said  above, I am please with the outcome since this was my first try.

[pmmpete]

I'm glad the fish turned out well.  With respect to forming a pellicle before smoking, I have a question and two suggestions.  The question is, how humid was it while you were waiting for the pellicle to form? The more humid the weather, the longer it takes for the surface of the fish to dry out.  Suggestion number one:  If you blow air over the fish with a fan, the pellicle will form more quickly.  Suggestion number two: If your smoker has a circulation fan in it, put the fish in the smoker at perhaps 100 degrees with the fan going but no smoke.  The extra heat will help the pellicle form more quickly. As soon as the pellicle forms, turn on the smoke. 

With respect to food safety, in order to reduce the chances of spoiling the fish by letting bacteria grow, leave the fish at medium temperatures (70-130 degrees) for as short a time as you can.  Next time, don't leave it sitting in the smoker with the heat off for a couple of hours.  Get the fish up to 160 to kill any bacteria, dry it out, then cool it down and freeze it.

[San Diego Man]

The question is, how humid was it while you were waiting for the pellicle to form?

Not sure but had it on the counter in the house and the AC was on and set at 75.

Sorry but I am a little confused with what you stated in the below post.

Then stick it into the refridgerator on a rack or a plate for 12 hours or so to cool off and dry out.  Then vacuum pack and freeze it.

You need to dry the fish in the smoker

Refridgerator to dry out or dry in the smoker or both? Just need clarification.

If you blow air over the fish with a fan, the pellicle will form more quickly.

That make sense but I also read some where on this forum, put in refrigerator to glaze/pellicle. 

Just want to make sure I'm doing this correctly and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.  I could get hooked on this!

[San Diego Man]

Let me try . Just taken out of the brine.


Smoked. Was pleased the way it came out and tasted great but a little over done. Learning.  :)

[pmmpete]

With respect to your question about drying fish in the smoker versus drying it in the refridgerator: I leave the fish in the smoker until it has dried out as much as I prefer.  However, when you take fish out of the smoker, it is hot and still has moisture in it.  If you put the hot fish in a plastic bag or a container, and put the bag or container in the refrigerator, when the fish cools down you'll get a lot of condensation in the bag or container.  To avoid that, after I take the fish out of the smoker, I put it in the refridgerator for perhaps 12 hours on a rack or a plate to cool down and dry off a bit more.  Then I put the fish I expect to eat within a couple of days in a bag in the fridge.  The fish I'm not going to eat immediately, I vacuum pack and freeze.

With respect to your question about whether to form a pellicle on the fish in a refridgerator, at room temperature in front of a fan, or at hotter temperatures in a smoker:  In general, I try to keep my fish cool during processing to minimize bacterial growth, which can spoil fish or produce food poisoning.  However, refrigerators are humid, and it can take a long time to form a pellicle in a refrigerator.  As a result, I usually form a pellicle by putting the fish on smoker racks at room temperature with a fan set on high blowing over it.  I support the racks off my counter top on glasses so air can circulate on both sides of the fish.  In Montana, where the humidity is usually pretty low, this will usually produce a good pellicle within an hour.  As soon as the pellicle has formed, I stick the racks in my smoker and start smoking.  I have installed a fan in my smoker, and sometimes I put the fish in the smoker at perhaps 100 degrees with the fan running, the vent open, and no smoke, which can form a pellicle faster than at room temperature.  During cool weather, you can try putting the fish outside on racks with a fan blowing over it.  It doesn't seem to form a pellicle as fast as it does at room temperature, but the lower temperatures inhibit bacterial growth.

[San Diego Man]

Thanks so much for the replies and suggestion!!

All the fish that I smoked is all gone so will start a new batch this week.  :-)