Smoking fish
Submitted by chevin on Mon, 2009-04-20 08:48
Does anyone here have any experience in soaking fish in brine prior to cold smoking it? I would be grateful for any advice on the matter. In the past I have salted it but sometimes the finished product is a little too salty and I think that brine might be a better way to go. How to know when the process is complete is of particular interest to me.
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Colin Hay
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Chevin Have a look at these links
http://fishwrecked.com/node/15789
http://fishwrecked.com/node/20313
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chevin
Posts: 44
Date Joined: 11/04/09
Brine
Thanks mate, several mentions of brine but not quite the specific information I am chasing. I have a few kgs of Spaniard I want to do and I thought that the brine might be easier. I think that I might do it with salt this time - because I want to be eating some by the weekend. I will do a bit more research into brine for the next time.
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Eagles may soar, but I will never get sucked into a jet engine.
I saw a TV advert for an exercise machine today and it was said that just three minutes a day of the machine would give me the body I dream of. How will three minutes a day on an exercise machine give me Miss World?
GusG
Posts: 547
Date Joined: 07/04/08
Fish Smoking??
Is it easy to do? I have never done it but am keen to try. Lot's of questions - how much is a smoker, how long does it take, can you smoke any fish (obviosuly some will be better than others).
UncutTriggerInWA
Posts: 2692
Date Joined: 05/09/08
Smoking
Good stainless smokers avilable for about $80.00. See Doug or Ryan.
Normal fillet smoking takes 8 minutes and 5 mins to cool down. Preparation takes a couple of hours of lapse time in brine.
Oily fish are best smoked. Trout, Herring, Salmon, Tailor, Makerell just to name a few.
The links above in Colin's post cover this in detail.
Cheers, Vince
http://vinceholt.spaces.live.com/
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Work Smart - Fish Often
Vince.
Work smart and fish often.
Member and die-hard supporter of the mighty West Coast Eagles.
chevin
Posts: 44
Date Joined: 11/04/09
There are two type of
There are two type of smokin; hot and cold. n Generally the hot smoking is a matter of smoking fish for immediate consumption, but cold smoking is a form of curing which helps preserve the fish. Hot smokers can be bought for less than $100 but generally you have to make your own cold smoker. I made mine out of an old fridge/freezer cabinat by stripping out all of the works and all of the insulation from the fridge area so that you are left with just the sheep metal sides.
I use a 20mm hole saw to cut two holes through the bottom of the fridge and then a drill to drill though up into the freezer cabinet. Just keep drilling until you feel that you have had enough I generally use a 13mm drill for that. You then drill a couple of holes through the top to allow the smoke to escape. You can use whatever rack you like in the freezer area, but it is important to allow all sides of the fillets to be exposed to the smoke that will be passing over them.
To make the smoke I use a Coopers home brew can with a few holes punched around the sides at the bottom of the can and I set about six heat beads going. I then put in a couple of 25mm cubes of dead banksia on the coals. Shut the doors and just let the wood smoulder and smoke. Every now and again you have to replace the beads and the wood and a good supply of fillets might take eight to ten hours to smoke properly. It's no effort, just a bit time consuming, but it is well worth the effort. Spanish mackerel comes out really well and even the herring we catch locally are pretty good. But before you start, you have to get the oils out of the fish.
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Eagles may soar, but I will never get sucked into a jet engine.
I saw a TV advert for an exercise machine today and it was said that just three minutes a day of the machine would give me the body I dream of. How will three minutes a day on an exercise machine give me Miss World?
UncutTriggerInWA
Posts: 2692
Date Joined: 05/09/08
How do you extract the oils?
Also, you place the fire can inthe bottom of the fridge?
Cheers, Vince
http://vinceholt.spaces.live.com/
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Work Smart - Fish Often
Vince.
Work smart and fish often.
Member and die-hard supporter of the mighty West Coast Eagles.
chevin
Posts: 44
Date Joined: 11/04/09
smoking
Ah yes. It really is a good idea to do that!
Also be sure that both doors of the unit are tightly closed.
Now extracting the oils is what my original post is about. There are two ways, one is to lay out your fish on a tea towel or newspaper and sprinkle salt on to it quite thickly and leave it for a few hours. Keep checking it and if the salt looks to have absorbed all of the flluids that it can, scape it off and sprinkle some more onto the fish. When it is finished, the fish will feel dry to the touch and have a sort of sheen on it. It should then be rinsedc in fresh water to remove any salt adhering to the fish. The other way is to soak the fish in brine. As I understand it, you mix up a salt water solution so that an uncooked egg (in its shell) will float in the solution. You then soak the fish in that solution and the oil leaves the fish through a process of osmosis. However, I am not sure how long you need to leave the fish in the brine or how to tell that the fish is ready for smoking. Cooking salt is fine for both processes.
***************************************************
Eagles may soar, but I will never get sucked into a jet engine.
I saw a TV advert for an exercise machine today and it was said that just three minutes a day of the machine would give me the body I dream of. How will three minutes a day on an exercise machine give me Miss World?
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
If you have the time, equipment and patience
cold smoking is waaaaaay better IMO. but it is a labour intensive and very long process compared to hot smoking.......
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
UncutTriggerInWA
Posts: 2692
Date Joined: 05/09/08
I agree
Hot smoking can create some unfavourable results and plenty of rejections. It's what I do because it's quick and I know how to do it. Nobody else eats it except my workers and they will eat anything.. LOL
Chevin, I use a mixture of salt and brown sugar in pretty equal doses to make the brine. I also add wine and chilli for variation.
This conversation could well extend itself over a few beers bacause there is still a lot to discuss.
Cheers, Vince
http://vinceholt.spaces.live.com/
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Work Smart - Fish Often
Vince.
Work smart and fish often.
Member and die-hard supporter of the mighty West Coast Eagles.
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
my mate
has a couple of 44 gallon drums dug into a hill connected about 5m apart at his holiday house for cold smoking. Its a solid 2 - 3 days of prep and smoking, but boy it is so worth it.
I brine in 2 cups of white sugar, 2 cups of brown sugar and 2 cups of salt. Lay the fillets skin down in a wooden crate, cover them with the brine mixture and leave them for 12 - 24 hours.
Get up in the morning (early!) and start rinsing the fillets, then lay them out on a rack skin side down in the shade to dry off (1 - 2 hours generally). Sprinkle brown sugar over the fillets and leave them to get happy for another hour or so (about 2 or 3 beers).
Smoke them for 8 - 12 hours.
Australian salmon bliss.......only way to eat them.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
UncutTriggerInWA
Posts: 2692
Date Joined: 05/09/08
Hmmmmm I am getting hungry
Cheers, Vince
http://vinceholt.spaces.live.com/
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Work Smart - Fish Often
Vince.
Work smart and fish often.
Member and die-hard supporter of the mighty West Coast Eagles.
flightlessbird
Posts: 21
Date Joined: 01/03/09
Smoking fish
Salt and brown sugar is the best in my opinion and the best way to alleviate the oily problem is to hang your fillets on hooks in the smoker if you can.It kills two birds with one stone. The oil can escape easily and they smoke evenly.Dont forget to smoke your fish roe as well its to die for on crackers or toast.