brining question

[ruffinit]

just wondering about heating water,salt and sugar till desolved for brine mix,is that ok?seems all sugar is left in brine after fish comes out,seems like a waste,a fishin,smokin buddy says he heats his brine then cools and adds fish,any you guys do this?thanks in advance

mike

[Fuzzybear]

I mix mine cold - stir for a long time till it's disolved.  If it's not disolving, you don't have enough water............very little residue left in the bottom of my bowl when I'm done.

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

[trout]

Ruff,  I also mix mine cold.  If you heat it to dissolve, you must put the brine in the fridge for a long time until it cools down completely before adding meat or risk spoilage.[xx(]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.

[Kummok]

I mix mine cold, stir until my arm wears out, then add fish and ice cubes. The whole brine mixing/soaking process takes place in an ice chest....I usually run at least two big batches of fish through each brine mix in the same day before tossing it and remixing fresh brine. [8D]

Kummok @ Homer, AK USA

[McLay455]

I mix my brines cold and put a raw potato chip in whilst I am adding the salt/sugar.When the chip floats the brine is right for my recipes.
There is always a small quantity of salt/sugar in the bottom of the brining tub, but I don't worry about it. I have been smoking salmon,chicken,pheasant,venison etc in an old whisky barrle for years and have just adapted one for the Bradley smoke generator.Will add to this board about that later

Good Luck and Be Safe!!!!
Ivan

[ruffinit]

ok,its mix cold,more water,stir till arm falls off.got it.thanks for info.[^]

mike

[McLay455]

Kummock
I do the same -- never keep brine for more than two saltings of fish
Its just not worth the risk -- I get haddock and cod, mackerel and salmon from my pals on the boats and smoke them for them with a 25 pct kickback.I do the same for pheasants, and it gets me all the meat I can eat and trade over the year.

Good Luck and Be Safe!!!!
Ivan

[Kummok]

Ivan:
I'm still experimenting with the two batches per brine......when you consider that the salt pulls out the moisture in the fish and adds it to the brine, dilution becomes a concern. So far though, I've had no taste problems with the "max 2" usage. Earlier this week, I caught two nice 20lb King salmon and smoked them with a recently aquired Bradley (local purchase, used once $175, w/ 4 boxes of pucks! Otherwise, I buy Bradley stuff from Chez Bubba.com!)....problem was that I didn't use my instincts and burned the crap outta 15-20 pieces [:(!][xx(][V] Good thing is that, even cooked to look like licorice, it tastes good, albiet quite crunchy [:I][:I] I put the pieces in a baggy, added Chef Paul's Magic Seasoning, shook it up and "Presto"...."blackened" (literally) smoked salmon [:p][;)][:D]  PLUS, I've now learned the extreme limits of smoking salmon AND conquered my impulse to peek......this batch went 8 hours without opening the door. I'll never do that again, but at least I now know I CAN!! [;)][8D]

Believe it or not, we have pheasant here too....sometimes crossing the streets downtown. Don't know where they came from but they're definitely transplants!
RC

Kummok @ Homer, AK USA

[ChefJeff]

Did I hear salmon Jerky Cajun style? Kummok-go on line to foodtv.com and download the recipe for Emerils Essence you pay way too much at the market.[:p][8D]

SMOKIN & SPOKEN