Tuna?

gotbbq · February 20, 2005, 02:53:56 PM

Hey fellow smokers - has anyone smoked a tuna fillet. I had some in a restaurant for a rediculuous amount of money. It was part of an appetizer. It was great but they made it seem like "nobody" could make it. It seems like something we could do on the bradley- Any thoughts

Gotbbq[^][^][^]

tsquared · February 21, 2005, 05:19:20 AM

Great topic, Gotbbq! I haven't smoked any but I plan to cold smoke some tuna loins that are sitting in my freezer. My neighbor is a tuna fisherman and I buy loins to grill every year. This fall I tried some coldsmoked tuna from a highend deli--it was not bad but I think I could do better--and cheaper too!. I haven't decided exactly but I plan to brine/marinade them in terrayki and fresh ginger with some extra brown sugar. I'll let you know the exact recipe I use. Keep me posted if you decide to try it.
Tom

smokinrookieswife · February 21, 2005, 12:08:20 PM

gotbbq.... I have never had any smoked tuna, but a few years ago I went fishin down in the keys. I caught several Tuna. I thought it was gonna be like "Chicken of the Sea" or something! Uh NO!! I had it in about the same marinade that tsquared talked about. Teriaki, ginger, a little cinnimon, brown sugar, and some other spices. It was totally AWSOME!! We had friends over and they never knew they were eating Tuna till we told them. They raved over it. So, I am sure that smoking it would be great and with that brine, I don't think that you could go wrong. Good luck!! [:D][:p][;)]

smokem' from behind!

gotbbq · February 21, 2005, 12:28:50 PM

TSquared-

I may try the tuna with the recipe from this forum with the dry and wet brine. I have used it on salmon with great results. Also - I made a great discovery - When cold smoking I usually add ice or snow to keep temp low. Much better idea- I got an ice cream maker with one of those inserts you have to freeze overnight to make ice cream. It stays cold for hours. I took that frozen insert and put in the bottom of the BS. It kept the tem low (65) for over 3 hours. It is a sealed container so any mess goes in the dischwasher or cleaned in the sink. I only made ice cream once, but I have a new great use for the insert.

Gotbbq[^][^][^]

bsolomon · February 21, 2005, 04:09:25 PM

I've done this - it works great. Marinade and then cold smoke for your preferred amount of smoke flavor (I think I did about 40-60 minutes). Then, pan sear in a very hot pan for a very short amount of time - I like mine red in the middle and seared on the edges. this allows you to precisely control the cooking time without worrying about the tuna becoming overcooked by hot smoking.

Kummok · February 21, 2005, 05:34:08 PM

I've got a fishing friend that fishes and smoke GREAT tuna, albacore, dorado, etc....Just sent him a "Please join the Bradley Forum" email...here's hoping, cause his smoked tuna is waaay better than the stuff that's fresh caught/smoked/sold and is quite a hit on the docks of Ensenada[:p][:p][8D]

35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA

tsquared · February 21, 2005, 08:30:30 PM

gotbbq--Good idea using the ice cream insert to cold smoke. I stick the smoke generator in a remote firebox I built out of an old Little Chief smoker and then connected it with a piece of dryer hose to the BS box--works great. Your idea about the ice cream insert though-- you could use it for ice cream now and achieve a Bradley Smker forum culinary first--smoked ice cream!![8D]
Tom

Chez Bubba · February 22, 2005, 12:20:03 AM

I had to wait to post until I could ask my buddy Jim how he did the tuna loin he smoked for me. It was the best cooked tuna I've ever had.[:p]

It was a 5# chunk, maybe 4" in diameter. He marinated it a couple of hours in EVOO, fresh ground black pepper & a little sea salt. Then seared it in a hot pan for just about a minute per side. Threw it in the 200F smoker with hickory for 1-1 1/2 hours until the center just started to warm.

Fresh makes all the difference.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

tsquared · February 22, 2005, 02:32:55 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Fresh makes all the difference.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
It is unbelievable how good it is. Grilling it is out of this world too. I used to can my own, buying whole frozen tuna in September when the local tuna boats came back from the season and sold their last loads off the dock. I always kept some for a big grilling session but could not find any individual frozen loins until about 5 years ago. Now you can get them everywhere. I buy them from my neighbor for about $7 Canadian a lb. He takes beautiful care of his fish and it shows. I am a fanatic about grilled salmon but much as I like it, I like grilled tuna even better.[:p] Kirk, I'm going to cold smoke some tuna and salmon and then go nuts on the sushi. Let you know how it goes.
Tom

Chez Bubba · February 22, 2005, 04:24:37 AM

Tom,

Sush on!![:p][8D]

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

JJC · February 22, 2005, 04:30:42 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gotbbq
 TSquared-
Also - I made a great discovery - When cold smoking I usually add ice or snow to keep temp low. Much better idea- I got an ice cream maker with one of those inserts you have to freeze overnight to make ice cream. It stays cold for hours.
Gotbbq[^][^][^]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That's a great idea, gotbbq! Now I know what to do with those things [:D]

John
Newton MA

JJC · February 22, 2005, 04:33:27 AM

Hi All,

This topic is EXACTLY why I love this Forum! I've never had good luck smoking tuna, and now there's a couple of great recipes here to try (and maybe more if Kummock's buddy chips in). [:p][:D][:p]

John
Newton MA

gotbbq · February 23, 2005, 11:08:00 PM

tsquared-

I have made deep fried ice cream. Scooped into balls, ddeep frozen. Then in panko crumbs and into a hot deep fryer. Really good and interesting hot and cold together. Smoked, now thats another thing!

Gotbbq[^][^][^]

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by tsquared
 gotbbq--Good idea using the ice cream insert to cold smoke. I stick the smoke generator in a remote firebox I built out of an old Little Chief smoker and then connected it with a piece of dryer hose to the BS box--works great. Your idea about the ice cream insert though-- you could use it for ice cream now and achieve a Bradley Smker forum culinary first--smoked ice cream!![8D]
Tom
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

gotbbq · February 23, 2005, 11:12:20 PM

JCC-

For my first try with the insert I filled the inside of the container with water to extinguish the used bisquits. The water froze solid in less than a minute. Use insert in addition to pan of water.

Gotbbq[^][^][^]

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JJC
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gotbbq
 TSquared-
Also - I made a great discovery - When cold smoking I usually add ice or snow to keep temp low. Much better idea- I got an ice cream maker with one of those inserts you have to freeze overnight to make ice cream. It stays cold for hours.
Gotbbq[^][^][^]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That's a great idea, gotbbq! Now I know what to do with those things [:D]

John
Newton MA
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

DockLobster · February 24, 2005, 12:57:18 AM

Well after the praise from Kummok [:D] I had better post my recipe -

First off - as others have mentioned fresh fish is the key -

My preference is Albacore - but I have used modified versions of this recipe for bluefin and yellowfin as well. I even tried it for yellowtail but did not like that as much as the albacore.

Like king salmon albacore is a very fatty fish and times will take longer with the higher oil content than other tunas.

The following recipe is based on my wood smoker so times and temps may vary slightly for the bradley. (I'll have to get a bradley one day) However, when I followed Kummok's salmon recipe on my smoker everything turned out perfect. The best method I have found though is to continually check and taste the fish until it meets the texture you are looking for as the fillet size has a large affect on the result.

STEP 1: Filet Albacore - remove all bones and skin from fillets.

STEP 2: Divide fillets into equal portions - I prefer 4lb portions which means I usually cut a 1/4 fillet in thirds. As others have mentioned you want equal portions so that each fillet smokes evenly.

(Note this is typically much larger portions that Kummok uses for his salmon - I have not tried the smaller portions for the tuna yet - if you go that route please let me know how it turns out.)

STEP 3: Brining - I soak my fillets for around 8 to 12 hours in the following brine.

1. 1 Gallon Fresh Water
2. 2 cups kosher salt
3. 2 Tablespoons Mace Seasoning
4. 1 Cup white Reisling Wine (or other sweet white wine)
5. 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
6. 1 cup brown sugar
7. 3 Quartered Lemons (soften and quarter each lemon you may squeeze some juice directly into the brine)
8. 6 or so bay leaves
9. 1 Tablespoon crushed pepper

I think that's all the ingredients (I don't have the recipe in front of me, I will double check tonight)

STEP 4: RINSE Fillets - briefly rinse fillets in cold water. If this step is not done the albacore will be too salty. (I know I forgot once). On the other hand you don't want the fillet to stand under the water and absorb water - this will detract from the brine.

STEP 5: Glazing - Place fillets on drying rack in cool place - preferbly with some airflow until the pellicle forms I live in the desert so for me this is around 4 to 8 hours - better airflow/cold temps etc.. will change the time. I also rotate the fish a few times on my drying racks to help form an even pellicle.

During this step I usually sprinkle a small amount of fresh ground peppercorns over the fillets.

STEP 6: Smoking - I typically use a mix of mesquite and Hickory wood - although last time I tried apple alone which produces a slightly less bitterness to the smoke flavor. Both ways were great.

Total time on the smoker was about 8 hours - like salmon the albacore will get boogers if smoked too hot too fast.

140 degrees - 2 hours

160 degrees - 2 hours

180 - 200 degrees - 4 hours or until done

I hope everyone enjoys - good luck [:D]

DockLobster - A lobster purchased at the dock after striking out on the water.