New Member Needs Help With Fish

Oldman · July 08, 2005, 01:31:32 AM

See this thread....he posted it by mistake on the SS board.

http://www.bradleysmoker.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2021

Olds

manxman · July 08, 2005, 02:34:52 PM

Hi,

I use the non-stick racks and oil them before use which helps but it is by no means a guarantee not to get the skins sticking.

If you are smoking them whole, how about hanging then from a rack? If they are only 12 - 14 inches in size this may be the answer?

It may be a bit more messy but there are other threads on the forum relating to hanging food in the BS, it certainly has been done before.

Worth trying?

Manxman.

tsquared · July 08, 2005, 03:33:03 PM

nwringneck--One question-Are you scaling your fish? If you are, try leaving the scales on.I tell my more fastidious friends that scales are "nature's non-stick". Any salmon destined for my bbq always have the scales on. It does help them not stick, so it might work in the smoker too. BTW-You're making me drool with the thought of smoked kokanee--it has to be one of the best tasting fish ever to come out of a smoker. A plate of smoked kokanee in one hand, and a cold Kokanee in the other---heaven. (The cold Kokanee is a beer sold here in British Columbia, although we do sell it to the occasional retired Alaskan firemen too[:D])
T2

nwringneck · July 08, 2005, 07:08:13 PM

Thanks to all for the info. This is the end result. Just wish they were prettier but the cold Kokanee and the smoked Kokanee do go together nicely!

Brad/nwr

Habanero Smoker · July 08, 2005, 07:54:09 PM

Wow! They look great[:p]

Phone Guy · July 08, 2005, 08:25:52 PM

I swear I can smell them when I look at that picture. [:p][:p]

Kummok · July 10, 2005, 10:22:41 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by tsquared
..... (The cold Kokanee is a beer sold here in British Columbia, although we do sell it to the occasional retired Alaskan firemen too[:D])
T2
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

More often than I'm supposed to T2, being on the South Beach diet and all[;)][:D][:D]....#1 favorite bottled beer!! [:p]

BTW, I'd have to have had more than a few Kokanees in order to leave the scales on salmon[xx(] [;)]

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

JJC · July 11, 2005, 06:24:23 AM

Drool-inducing stuff there, Brad . . . need to go change my shirt now . . .

John
Newton MA

nwringneck · July 11, 2005, 06:31:13 PM

Well, thanks for all the good things said. BTW, those are all gone. Visited some folks in Mont. over the weekend and they finished off those 20 Koks in about 3 visits to the fridge. Have to go chase fresh fish this week so I can try the suggestions received here. Thanks to all.

Brad/nwr

tsquared · July 12, 2005, 03:03:05 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Have to go chase fresh fish this week so I can try the suggestions received here. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> It's tough work, I know, but someone's got to do it![8D]
T2

nwringneck · July 22, 2005, 02:52:20 AM

[?]Well, the fishing was OK so I tried some of the suggestions. I made a drying rack/box covered with screen to keep the bugs off. I brined the fish as before except that I rinsed them more than ususal and got all of the sugar off of the skin. Dried them 1 1/2 hours in the new box and the skin was like leather, not sticky at all. Smoked them as before but discovered two things. First they did not stick to the rack.That is good! Second, they popped open like pop corn? They were that way after the first hour at 130 degrees when I went into the smoker to rotate the racks. Never had a fish (every one in this batch did it) do this before?? I don't believe that I have ever smoked fresh fish before. Always have been frozen then thawed and smoked. Could this be the cause of this??? Also, these fish taste OK but are not as firm as before and the flavor is not as intense. The only changes are the drying time and the fact that they were never frozen but were several days old out of the refridgerator. I smoked/cooked them until they were 140 degrees with the same amount of smoke, etc. Picture attached.

Brad/nwr