SMOKING

Salting and smoking fish was practiced for centuries. Man discovered that smoking was a very effective tool in preserving fish. Heavy salting and long periods of cold smoking preserved fish well enough so they could be kept for months without spoiling. Since Middle Ages until 1900’s fish were heavily cured with salt and cold smoked for 3 weeks or more. With the development of railways (1840), it became possible to distribute fresh fish to wider areas and the fishing industry started to grow rapidly. Due to the availability of fresh fish, the taste for heavily salted, smoked and dried fish has declined, and people came to prefer less salty foods. Fish are hot smoked today for a pleasant taste what is achieved with less salt and shorter smoking times. Refrigeration takes care of preserving foods.

Beside enhancing the taste and look, smoking increases the product’s shelf life. It helps preserve the meat by slowing down the spoilage of fat and growth of bacteria. The advantages of smoking fish are numerous:

Slows down the growth of bacteria.

Prevents fats from developing a rancid taste.

Extends the shelf life of the product.

Develops a new taste and flavor.

Changes the color, smoked products shine and look better.

The main reason to smoke fish at home today is to produce a product that cannot be obtained in a typical store. One can order traditionally made products on the Internet but they will be very expensive.

What is Smoking ?

Smoking meat is exactly what the name implies: flavoring meat with smoke. Using any kind of improvised device will do the job as long as smoke contacts the meat surface. The strength of the flavor depends mainly on the time and density of the smoke. Smoke is a mixture of air and gases created during wood combustion. What we see is a stream of gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and sulphur dioxide that carry unburned particles such as tar, resins, soot and air borne ash. The actual composition of the smoke depends on the type of wood, its moisture content, combustion temperature, and the amount of available air. It is estimated that smoke consists of about 10,000 individual components and a few hundred of these are responsible for the development of a smoky flavor.

The air draft, which might be considered the smokehouse sucking power, sucks in the outside air and combustion gases that in turn attract solid unburned particles such as soot, ash and others. This stream rushes inside of the smoking chamber where it collides with hanging meats and with the walls of the chamber. A stronger air draft and higher temperature increase the energy of the smoke which results in more intense smoking. The amount of moisture on the surface of a product plays a role in color formation and the color develops faster when the surface is wetter. This also results in a much darker color as particles such as tar and soot easily stick to the surface.

Smoking meat consists of the following steps:

Curing with salt.

Applying smoke.

Cooking.

Meat can be smoked yet still be raw inside. It must be cooked to proper temperature before it is ready to consume. This cooking process may be accomplished in a smokehouse or in an oven. Some products are smoked at low temperatures and never cooked. The safety of these products is obtained by heavy salting and removal of moisture. Such products are cold smoked.

There are two methods of smoking:

Cold smoking, at temperatures below 85° F (30° C).

Hot smoking, at temperatures from 140-284° F (60-140° C).

Many people assume that each method uses rigidly implemented range of temperatures and processing times, but this is not true, especially for the hot smoking method.

After smoking the fish will weigh less due to the loss of moisture. The yield of the hot smoked fish is about 70-75% in relation to the weight of the fish before drying. The yield of the cold smoked fish is about 55-60% in relation to the weight of the fish before drying. The majority of fish is hot smoked today as preserving them is accomplished in a refrigerator. Canning takes care of fish products that need to be stored for a long time without refrigeration.

Cold Smoking Fish

Cold smoking is an old technique that was practiced not because it produced great flavor, but because it helped to preserve meats. There was no refrigeration, but meats had to be preserved. Cold smoking is drying meat with smoke. Its purpose is elimination of moisture so that bacteria would not grow. This technique developed in North European countries where the climate was harsh and winters severe. When meats were cold smoked for 2-3 weeks, yes, the meat became preserved due to the loss of moisture, but it was drying that made the meat safe. If the same meat was dried at 54° F (12° C) without smoke, it would be preserved all the same. Fish is smoked below 80° F (26° C) from 1-5 days. Temperatures above 80° F (26° C) will cook the fish. Cold smoked fish is considered raw meat as it is never exposed to high temperatures. That is why it has to be heavily salted or brined at 16% salt (65 degrees brine or higher) to provide safety to the consumer. The best range of humidity for cold smoking at 80-85° F is 60-70%.

There is no cooking. The longer the smoking period the more moisture is removed, the drier the product becomes, and of course it develops a longer shelf life. This method of smoking can last up to a few weeks and the fish will have excellent keeping qualities. After prolonged cold smoking the fish has lost enough moisture to be considered safe without cooking. Fish that were cold smoked hold well together and can be very finely sliced which cannot be done if the fish were hot smoked. Traditionally made cold smoked products contained up to 15% salt and were smoked and dried for a long time.

Cold smoking is not a continuous process, it is stopped (no smoke) a few times to allow fresh air into the smoker. Because of the time and costs involved the cold smoking is rarely used today. In addition, cold smoked products are heavily salted which makes them less appealing to a health conscious consumer of today. The majority of hobbyists think of cold smoking as some mysterious preservation technique that will produce a unique and superb quality product. Cold smoking is not a preservation method, it will not preserve meat unless proper conditions are established for the meat to dry.

Hot Smoking Fish

During hot smoking the product is smoked and cooked at the same time making it ready to eat. For hot smoking the smokehouse temperature may vary from 120-284° F (50-140° C) or even higher. Those upper temperatures are nothing else than barbecuing fish. Hot smoking contributes to the safety of the product, however, this beneficial effect is confined to the surface of the fish. The safety is achieve by killing bacteria with heat. The 2-3% salt in present day smoked products is too low to prevent spoilage and they have to be kept in refrigerator.

Hot smoking involves the following steps:

Curing with salt

Drying

Smoking/Cooking

Hot smoking is basically performed in three stages:

A preliminary drying period at 86° F (30° C) during which the skin is hardened to prevent breakage. The air dampers are fully open for maximum air flow and moisture removal. This period lasts from 30-60 minutes.

A heavy smoke is applied for about 30-45 minutes with the exit smoke damper left at ¼ open position. The temperature is gradually raised to 122° F (50° C).

The temperature is raised to 176-180° F (80-82° C) and the fish is cooked to 145° F (63° C) internal temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes. Depending on the size of the fish this stage may last from 30–60 minutes. A light smoke may be maintained. When the temperature is raised to 176-180° F (80-82°C) the fish is cooked. Fish is considered done when cooked to 145° F internal temperature.

Typical fish fillets are smoked from 1 to 5 hours depending on the size. When smoking is finished, the fish should be first air cooled to the ambient temperature and then kept under refrigeration to prevent the growth of microorganisms. This cooling process should be accomplished within 12 hours. The moisture content of most smoked fish averages 60-75% which is still much too high to inhibit growth of bacteria so the fish have to be kept under refrigeration. Fish is cooked when its meat flakes out easily when pressed with a knife or a fork. Different sources quote different temperatures and processing times so use your own judgement.

A typical hot smoking of the fish.

The parameter that overrides all others is the safety of the product; the internal meat temperature as recommended by our government - the fish should be cooked to 145° F (63° C) and held at this temperature for 30 minutes. Once, this temperature is reached the product is safe to consume. It makes little difference whether the fish was processed at 70, 80° C or 100° C, as long as the 145° F requirement was met. It will turn out to be fine at all three settings, of course, the length of processing time will be different at each temperature setting.

The control of brining, drying and smoking factors is left to the discretion of the person conducting those operations. In time you will be able to use your own judgement and the cause of action taken will be based on factors such as the type and the fattiness of the fish, its size and how it was prepared (whole fish, split fish or fillets). Those factors will influence processing parameters, however, the safe cooking temperature is constant, the fish is either cooked on not.

Cold smoked products are exception as their safety does not depend on heat, but on the amount of lost moisture. In most home made smokers the internal meat temperature lags the smokehouse temperature by about 25-30 degrees. For example, to reach 180° F (82° C) internal fish temperature the smokehouse must be capable to maintain from 200° F (104° C) to 225° F (108° C). In winter, it may be difficult task for a metal barrel smoker to accomplish, unless it is heavily insulated. If the smoker can not reach required temperature, the fish can be smoked long enough to acquire the color and the flavor, but the cooking step can be completed in an oven.

Hot Smoking Fish at Home

Uniformity of smoking and drying is difficult to achieve in traditional wood fired smokers when products are placed on different levels. Fish on the bottom sticks will be dried while the fish higher up the smoker, surrounded by wet, steamy smoke that has already passed the fish below, will become wetter. Wet fish will attract more soot and unburned particles and its color is poorer. More heat is present in the back of the smoker than in the front. To compensate for these irregularities, the smoked products were rotated. The back of the fish or the skin of the fillet should face the back of the smoker. That allows for the better judgment of the fish color and protects the flesh from higher temperatures that are normally found in the back of the smoker.

When using a few levels of smokesticks insert the upper row first, then after 5-10 minutes the lower one, then the lowest one. If all three levels were placed in a smokehouse at the same time, the upper most row will get the least of the available heat during drying. On the other hand it will get the most moisture which it will gather from the smokesticks below. Large heavy fish must be heat dried in a smokehouse before the smoke is applied. This hardens the fish and prevents them from falling down into the fire. A security screen should be positioned above the fire to catch any fish that might break free. Keep in mind that fat fish when hot smoked will drip some oil. If this oil drips into hot embers, the flames will shoot up and might even reach the fish above. Place an oil collecting aluminum foil pan between the fish and smoking wood. It may be placed on security screen.

A big advantage that a hobbyist has over a commercial producer is that he can experiment at will. He can introduce into the sawdust fresh herbs such as sage, rosemary, dill, crushed juniper berries, bay leaf or celery leaves. A typical process for hot smoking bigger fish (carp, eel, red fish):

1st hour- gradually increase the temperature to 158° F (70° C) to dry the fish.

2nd hour - smoke fish at 158-176° F (70-80° C).

3rd hour - cook/smoke fish at 212-230° F (100-110° C) for about 30 minutes. Switch off the heat add a few herbs to wood chips and smoke for another 15 minutes.

Smoking fish at higher temperatures drastically shortens the process. The fish can be smoked/baked in 30 minutes at 300-350° F (150-180° C), which can be considered barbecuing. Such a short time, however, will produce a little smoky flavor. The best course of action is to apply smoke for 60 minutes at 100-140° F (38-60° C) and then cook the fish at high temperatures. This can be easily accomplished even in a regular barbecue grill by filling with wood chips/sawdust a holed metal box, then placing it on hot charcoal briquettes. Once the chips ignite, they will keep on producing smoke. The simplest arrangement is to wrap up wooden chips with aluminium foil and make some holes in it with a nail. Ready to use cast iron or stainless steel cigar box sized containers are sold in the barbecue section of a large store. Do not wet your chips as this will create delay in producing smoke as moisture will have to evaporate first.

Why Smoke Fish

You save money. Smoked fish is an expensive item as it requires time and extra processing steps. Compare the price of fresh and smoked salmon. It is still the same fish, but the price has doubled. You can smoke any fish you like. Manufacturers smoke and can fish that have proven to be profitable and accepted by majority of consumers. They will not take the risk of smoking red snapper, perch or scallops.

How Long to Smoke?

How long to smoke is an open question. Well, there isn’t one universal time, use your own judgement and keep records. The size of the fish will be a deciding factor, but you can estimate smoking time by checking the color of the smoked fish as well. For example for a small fish like mullet 2-3 hours of hot smoking is plenty. It is safer to smoke for two hours and check the results. Over smoked fish will acquire a bitter smoked flavor that will not go away, so it is better to be on the safe side. A fish can be smoked and cooked within 20 minutes at 662° F (350° C), but its smoky flavor will be weak. Smoking needs time, about 2 hours will be sufficient for a typical size hot smoked fish. This implies that if you want to smoke 1” fillet for 2 hours, you have to choose cooking temperatures that will not overcook the fish.

When is the Fish Done?

The hot smoking process should finish at the high enough temperature to fully cook the meat and destroy the maximum number of bacteria. At 122° F (50° C) about 70-80% of fish proteins are cooked, but at 140° F (60° C) 95 % of proteins are fully cooked. Cooking to 160° F (72° C) inside temperature produces the best tasting fish. Coincidentally, this is the recommended safe temperature for cooking red meats. The Food Safety and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture recommends cooking fish to 145° F (63° C) or higher for 30 minutes or longer.

Note Different size fish can be smoked at the same time, however, thicker fish will require longer processing time.

A reliable test is to insert a fork or knife into the thickest part of the fish and twist. The flesh should flake. In addition:the belly fin can be easily removed with fingers.the flesh of the belly must be white and not glassy.It is difficult to hot smoke a large fish like carp or red fish in one piece. The solution is to split the fish lengthwise or cut across into steaks. Then, the fish can be smoked/cooked at 266° F (150° C) for about one hour. Basically, such method can be described as barbecuing fish with smoke.

Cooling

Smoked meats and sausages are usually showered with cold water to let them pass through the danger zone 140-60° F, (60-16° C) as fast as possible. Afterwards they can be refrigerated. The fish smoking process ends right inside the danger zone, so in order to preserve its useful life, the fish must be cooled quickly too.

Showering fish with water is not practical as much water will be trapped by the body of the fish. A better idea is to place fish in a drafty area or to use a ventilating fan to speed up cooling. Then the fish should be bagged and refrigerated or frozen. Hot smoked fish must be allowed to cool to at least room temperature, and preferably to about 0°C in a cooler, before packing them. By room temperature we mean the temperature of around 68-77° F (20-25° C). Fish that is vacuum packed or packed into ziplock bags warm will turn flabby and sour, and may turn moldy.

Type of Smoke

We can control to a certain degree the quality of the smoke. The smoke can be wet or dry. Wet smoke is produced when the rate of combustion is low. This happens when a small amount of air is allowed to enter smoke generation unit. Using small chips, especially sawdust will result in a low combustion and heavy smoke. Adding wet sawdust will produce even more wet smoke. Wet smoke attracts more resinous and unburnt particles. As a result when smoking time is long, the product may acquire a bitter taste. Dry smoke is produced by a more complete combustion. The smoke is lighter and the smoked product develops a good flavor and color. Burning larger chips, chunks or even log wood will provide more access for the air to enter the burning pile and will result in hotter and cleaner smoke.

Humidity

Commercial smokehouses are equipped with temperature and humidity controls. In many smokehouses, the efficiency of the operation is still dependent on atmospheric conditions. The air can be moist or dry. When the air is moist the moisture can be removed from the air before it enters the smoking chamber. This could be accomplished by installing a cooling system ahead the incoming air. If the air is passed over crushed ice it will be cooled as well. The cold air cannot hold moisture anymore and we are left with cold dry air. If this air is preheated now, the very dry but hot smoke will enter the smoking chamber. When the air is too dry, for example smoking during the day in desert area, a pan filled with water may be inserted into smoking chamber. Presoaking wood chips will bring some moisture, but only for a while. Air speed should not be too great otherwise excessive drying of the product results. In home smokehouses the natural draft (air velocity) can be controlled with exit dampers. When smoking at home we can control humidity by choosing the time of the day. There is more humidity at night than during the day.

Color of Smoked Fish

The color of smoked fish depends on the color of the skin, the length of smoking process and the type of the wood used for smoke generation. Mullet, herring, mullet, blue fish, or mackerel, they all have different color of the skin and flesh, so they will have a distinctive color after smoking. Dark colored fish will be dark after smoking and silver colored fish will develop golden or light brown color. The type of wood will contribute to the final color, although up to a certain point.

Due to its high fat content, blue fish is delicious when smoked.

Bluefish are widely distributed around the world in tropical and subtropical waters. Along the U.S. east coast, bluefish make seasonal migrations north in the spring and south in the winter. Some bluefish remain in the Gulf of Mexico throughout the year. Bluefish are one of the most popular recreational species along the Atlantic coast. Adult bluefish are typically between 8” - 24” (20 - 60 cm) long. Bluefish has enough flesh to be filleted.

Smoked Bluefish

Fillet the fish. Leave the skin on as the flesh is delicate.Brine 1/2” fillets for 5 minutes in 80º brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Wash and drain.Dry fillets for 30 minutes in a preheated to 100º F (38º C) smokehouse.Smoke for 60 minutes at 185° F (85° C).Switch off the heat and smoke for 15 minutes more.

Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Protein-17.83%, Fat-5.60%, Water-76.31%

The common carp is native to Asia, and has been introduced to every part of the world. Carp is eaten in many parts of the world both when caught from the wild and raised in aquaculture. In countries such as Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, carp is a traditional part of a Christmas Eve dinner. Carp is omnivorous; it can eat variety of foods, grass included. It can survive in water with little oxygen and that is why it has been farmed in ponds for over 2,000 years. Due to the facts that carp is great survivor and that a single carp can lay over a million eggs in a year, the fish is known to take over a particular body of water. For these reasons carp is often considered an invasive species. The annual production of common carp in China alone exceeds the weight of all other fish, such as trout and salmon, produced by aquaculture worldwide. Carp can become quite large fish, the world record is 101 pounds (46 kg).

Hot Smoked Carp

Remove scales, cut off the head and gut the fish. Wash thoroughly. Cut into chunks between 1/2 and 1 pound.Brine for 8 hours in 80º brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Rinse and drain.Apply a thin smoke at 100° F (38° C) for 60 minutes.Increase the temperature to 185° F (85° C) and smoke with medium smoke for 120 minutes.

Catfish, wild,

Protein-16.38%, Fat-2.82%, Water-80.36%

Catfish, farmed,

Protein-15.23%, Fat-5.94%, Water-79.06%

Catfish live inland or in coastal waters all over the world. They have no scales but their skin is tough and hard to penetrate. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat’s whiskers, catfish range in size and weight. The average size of the species is about 3.9–5.2 ft (1.2–1.6 m). In North America large catfish can weigh well over 100 pounds, however, the record belong to Thailand giant Mekong catfish that weighed 650 lb (293 kg).

Hot Smoked Wild Catfish

Skin the fish and gut it. Cut the fish into 1 pound chunks.Brine for 8 hours in 80º brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Rinse and drain.Air dry for 1 hour.Apply a thin smoke at 100º F (38º C) for 2 hours.Increase the temperature to 176º F (80º C) and smoke for 2 more hours.

Hot Smoked Farm Raised Catfish Fillets

Brine fillets for 5 minutes in 80º brine. Wash and drain.Dry fillets for 30 minutes in a preheated to 100° F (38° C) smokehouse.Smoke for 60 minutes at 185° F (85° C).Switch off the heat and smoke for 15 minutes more.

Cod (Gadus morhua)

Cod-Atlantic, Protein-17.81%, Fat-0.67%, Water-81.22%

Cod-Pacific, Protein-15.27%, Fat-0.41%, Water-83.95%

The cod we are referring to is the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), the fish popular in Europe and North America. There are other cod species the Pacific cod, (Gadus macrocephalus) or the poor cod (Gadus minutus) which is a much smaller relative of the Atlantic cod. The cod is typically a bottom-living fish that live in cold water 30-50° F (-1 - 10° C). The cod will eat almost any marine animal including other cod, but it feeds mainly on the smaller fatty fishes such as herring, sand eels, and on shrimp and squid.

The two most important species of cod are the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), which lives in the colder waters and deeper sea regions throughout the North Atlantic, and the Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), found in both eastern and western regions of the northern Pacific. Cod is popular as a food with a mild flavour and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids. Haddock and whiting belong in the same family, the Gadidae, as cod. The Atlantic cod weighs 5–12 kilograms (11–26 lb), but specimens weighing up to 100 kilograms (220 lb) have been recorded. Pacific cod are smaller than their Atlantic cod and are darker in color.

Cod Fillets (Cold Smoked)

Cod fillets are normally skinned as the flesh is firm. The fillets are brined in 80º brine for from 4-10 minutes depending upon size. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). The brined fillets are placed on screens and allowed to drip for at least two hours before smoking. The fillets are smoked at 80º F (27º C) from two to five hours depending on on the size.

Smoked Cod Fillets (Hot Smoked)

Brine the 1/2” fillets for 5 minutes in 80º brine. Wash and drain. Place on oiled screens.Dry fillets for 30 minutes in a preheated to 100° F (38° C) smokehouse.Smoke for 60 minutes at 185° F (85° C). Switch off the heat and smoke for 15 minutes more.

Eel (Anguilla anguilla)

Protein-18.44%, Fat-11.66%, Water-68.26%

The eel has an elongated snake-like body, tapering almost to a point at the tail. Although the eel is very slimy and appears to be scaleless, scales are deeply embedded in some parts of the skin. There is a pair of pectoral fins just behind the small head, and there is a small gill opening just in front of each fin. The back fin and the anal fin are very long and merge with the tail fin to form a continuous soft-rayed fin fringe. Eels generally range from 15” (40 cm) to 30” (80 cm) and 8 oz (250 g) to 2.2 lb (1 kg) in weight.

Killing and Cleaning

The simplest method of killing eels is to put them in a deep container and rouse them with salt; leave them for up to 2 hours to kill them and to remove much of the slime. They should not be completely buried in salt; a good sprinkling is sufficient. They may lose up to 5 percent in weight during this stage. Another method of rapidly removing slime is to immerse the eels in 1 percent ammonia solution, made by adding one part of ammonia liquor to 100 parts of water. Newly killed eels should be washed thoroughly in clean water; up to half an hour in cold water, followed by very careful scraping. It is recommended to scrub the skin to give a good appearance to the finished product.

Smoked Eel

Eel is a fatty fish and is an absolute delicacy when smoked. The fish is very slimy and the best way to remove this sticky substance is by wiping it off with sand, sawdust, newspapers or paper towels. Rinse with water. Slit the belly 1 inch (25 mm) or so beyond the vent in order to remove the kidney; scrub the gut cavity and wash it out carefully to remove all traces of blood from the backbone and throat, and then rinse the eels again. Heads are not removed. Immerse eels in 80° brine for 15 minutes (275 g salt per liter of water, or 2.2 lbs of salt per 1 gallon of water). Excessive salting results in white spots appearing on the skin of the fish during smoking. Thread the brined eels on 1/4” (6 mm) diameter rods or speats by pushing the pointed end of the rod through the throat from front to back. Place small lengths of stick between the belly flaps to keep them apart; this allows smoke to penetrate the belly cavity.

Preheat the smokehouse and smoke the eels:

1 hour at 90° F (35°C)

1 hour at 122° F (50°C)

1 hour at 185° (85)°C

Cook the fish until the belly opens wide and there are no red areas. To check whether the fish is cooked, press on its sides and the meat should separate from the backbone. A few little perpendicular wrinkles should appear behind the head. The eels should lose about 15-20 per cent by weight during the smoking operation. Cool and cut into smaller sections.

Flounder (Paralichthys albiguttata)

Protein-12.41%, Fat-1.93%, Water-84.63%

Flounder is a bottom feeding flat fish found at the bottom of coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The European flounder is found in the colder waters around Northern Europe. Sole is a type of flounder common in European waters. The Gulf flounder (Paralichthys albiguttata) is common on the west coast of Florida.

Cold-Smoked Flounder

Small flounder, about 1/2 pound. Gut the fish, brine for 2 hours in 90º brine. (Add 2.5 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 90 degrees brine). Insert the fish on rods, drain and air dry for 2 hours. Smoke with cold smoke for 10 hours. Cook before serving.

Hot-Smoked Flounder

Fillet the fish. Remove the skin.Brine the 1/2”fillets for 5 minutes in 80º brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Wash and drain.Dry fillets for 60 minutes in a preheated to 100° F (38° C) smokehouse.Smoke for 60 minutes at 185° F (85° C). Switch off the heat and smoke for 15 minutes more.Cool in air.

Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus))

Protein-16.32%, Fat-0.45%, Water-83.38%

The name haddock is used in Britain to describe only one species, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, and there are no other English common names for it. The vast majority of haddocks landed in Britain are between 30 and 70 cm. The haddock feeds mainly on shellfish, sea urchins, worms, and small fish like sand eels and capelin. The haddock is found on both sides of the north Atlantic but is more abundant on the European side. The chemical composition of haddock flesh is similar to that of cod and other members of the cod family. Single fillets are taken from large haddocks, but most small haddocks are block filleted, for sale fresh or frozen, or for making golden cutlets. A block fillet is the flesh cut from both sides of the fish, the two pieces remaining joined along the back. The fillets may be marketed with or without skin, but the skin with its distinctive ‘thumbprint’ is often left on the fillet to enable the buyer to distinguish the haddock from less valuable species. Increasing amounts of small haddock fillets are used for the manufacture of laminated blocks, that is frozen blocks of skinless, boneless fillets which can be cut into pieces of uniform size and weight for sale as fish fingers or portions. The haddock is used to make a number of smoked white fish products, notably the finnan haddock and similar cured products, the golden cutlet and smoked single fillet, all of which are cold smoked, and the smokie, which is hot smoked.

English seaport of Grimsby has been famous for smoked haddock. The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), defines Traditional Grimsby smoked fish “as fillets of cod and haddock, weighing between 200 and 700 grams, which have been cold smoked in accordance with the traditional method and within a defined geographical area around Grimsby. In 2009, Traditional Grimsby smoked fish was awarded Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status by the European Commission.

Finnan Haddock

The finnan haddock, or finnan, is made by beheading a medium sized gutted haddock, cleaning the gut cavity by removing the black skin and any traces of blood and kidney lying beneath the backbone, and then splitting the fish open by cutting along the underside from neck to tail; in the so-called London cut the backbone lies on the left side of the split fish, whereas in the Aberdeen cut the backbone is on the right. The split fish are brined for 7-15 minutes in an 80° brine, depending on size; for example a haddock 16” (40 cm) long and weighing about 18 oz (½ kg) requires about 10 minutes. No dye is added to the brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). The brined fish are either tentered or speated, and left to drain for a time so that a good surface gloss develops. The fish are smoked at 80° F (27° C); a ½ kg fish takes about 3½ hours in a mechanical kiln, but smaller fish may take only 3 hours, whereas large haddock may take 4 hours or more to attain the desired pale straw color.

Golden Cutlets (block fillets)

The golden cutlet is made from a block fillet of haddock or whiting. The fillet is brined for about 3 minutes in 80° brine, laid over banjoes or tentered by the tail, left to drain and to develop a gloss on the cut surface for about 2 hours and then smoked at 80° F (27° C); cutlets take 2-2½ hours in a mechanical kiln. A small amount of dye is usually added to the brine bath.

Glasgow Pales

The pales are made mainly from small haddock, less than 0.75 lb, and they are smoked so lightly that they have only the barest detectable smoky flavour and almost no yellow color. The fish are beheaded, cleaned and split along the belly so that the backbone remains on the left side of the fish. Fish are brined in 80º brine for 4-5 minutes, drained and smoked at 80° F (27° C) for 2.5 hours.

Smoked Fillet

Single fillets with the skin on, taken from medium and large haddocks, are brined for 4-10 minutes depending on size in 80° brine to which dye may be added, laid over screens and drained for at least 2 hours, and then smoked at 80° F (27° C) for 5 hours. The skin is left on not only to distinguish smoked haddock from smoked cod, but also to prevent the softer flesh of the haddock from gaping and tearing too much.

Smokies

Smokies are hot smoked small haddocks. The fish are beheaded and the gut cavity cleaned out. Gutted haddocks weighing 0.5 - 0.75 lb are selected. The first smokies were made in Arbroath, south of Aberdeen in Scotland. The smoked haddocks were called smokies due to their dark tarry appearance which was the result of smoking in a barrel over a fire. The fish are tied together by the tail in pairs and brined for 30-45 minutes in 80º brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine).

The brined haddocks are hung over smoke sticks and:smoked at 176 - 194° F (80-90° C) for 1 hour. This dries out the skin and will help to obtain golden brown color.smoked at 110 - 120° F (43 - 49° C) for 1 hour.cooked with smoke at 160 - 170° F (72 - 77° C) for 1 hour.The finished product can be eaten without further cooking.

Halibut, Atlantic & Pacific,

Protein-18.56%, Fat-1.33%, Water-80.34%

Halibut, Greenland,

Protein-14.37%, Fat-13.84%, Water-70.27%

The halibut is the largest flat fish and range in size from 5 to 400 pounds and grow to over 8 feet long. All flat fish are opportunistic bottom dwellers that will swallow any suitable food. Flounder can be found in cold, temperate and even tropical waters, however, halibut prefer cold water temperatures ranging from 37 - 46º F (3 - 8º C).

Smoked Halibut

Fillet the fish. Rinse.Immerse in 80º brine for 10 minutes. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Rinse and drain.Air dry for 1 hour.Apply a light smoke at 100° F (38° C) for 30 minutes.Increase the temperature to 212° F (100° C) and smoke with medium dense smoke for 120 minutes.

Herring, Atlantic (Clupea harengus),

Protein-17.96%, Fat-9.04%, Water-72.05%

Herring, Pacific (Clupea pallasii),

Protein-16.39%, Fat-13.88%, Water-71.52%

The most abundant and commercially important species belong to the genus Clupea, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific (Clupea pallasii) and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea (Clupea harengus), as well as off the west coast of South America (Chile).

The average size of herring is between 9-12” (23-30 cm). The body is covered with large, thin, loosely attached scales. Unlike most white fish, the chemical composition of herring varies considerably with the season and the breeding cycle; the fat content of herring may be less than 1 per cent immediately after spawning, and more than 20 per cent as spawning time approaches again. Herring is one of the most popular fish in northern European countries. It is produced in oil, sour cream, sour cream and beets, it is smoked, and canned in many different ways.

Kipers - the kipper and the kipper fillet are the most important smoked products made from herring in Britain.

Bloaters - are whole ungutted herring, dry salted for about 6 hours and cold smoked for 8-12 hours in a traditional chimney kiln or 4 hours in a mechanical kiln; the fish are dried without smoke for most of the time in the kiln, and smoke is applied only during the last hour or so, so that the fish retain their bright silver appearance.

Buckling - are hot smoked herring; the flesh is cooked during the smoking process. In British practice the herring are nobbed, that is the head and long gut are removed, brined, and smoked for about 3 hours in a mechanical kiln, the temperature being raised gradually from about 86° F, 30°C at the start to 167° F, 75°C during the last hour.

Red herring - are whole ungutted herring that have been heavily salted and then cold smoked for 2-3 weeks; the hard cured product is exported, mainly to Mediterranean countries.

Kipers

A kipper is a fat herring with guts and gills removed, split down the back from head to tail, lightly brined, dyed if desired, and cold smoked. All herring, whether chilled or thawed after cold storage, should first be washed to remove loose scales and other debris. The herring is laid on the filleting bench with the back of the fish facing the operator. The blade of a small kippering knife is inserted at the centre of the back of the head and a cut made through the skull to the mouth. The knife is again inserted at the same entry point and a second deep cut is made down to the tail, keeping the blade of the knife close enough to the backbone to leave just a thin layer of flesh over it. The herring is then opened so that the backbone is on the left side of the kipper, gills and guts are removed, and the backbone trimmed where necessary with the knife. The split herring is then washed before brining. The brining time for kippers depends mainly upon the size of the fish and the fat content; the salt content of the finished product should be between 1-8 and 2-5 percent to suit the average palate.

Kipers, time in 80° brine:Small winter herring-10 minutesMedium-size fat herring-15 minutesLarge herring-20 minutesVery large herring-30 minutes

Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine.

Kipers were smoked in mechanical kiln for 4 hours. In home smokers smoke for 6 hours at 86° F (30°C) or lower. The estimated weight loss is about 14%.

Making Kipper Fillets

Kipper fillets are prepared either by cutting block fillets, smoking them and then cutting single fillets from them, or by cutting single fillets from the raw herring and smoking them. Block fillets are taken by making a transverse cut across the back of the head of the herring, and then cutting down towards the belly wall and in towards the backbone, continuing the cut to the tail so that the flesh on one side of the fish is separated from the bone. Care must be taken not to penetrate the belly wall. The cut is repeated on the other side of the fish, so that the double fillet, joined by the skin and back fins, can be removed from the head and skeleton in one piece. The tail fin is left on if the block fillets are to be tentered.Kipper fillets, time in 80° brine:Medium-size 3-4 minutesLarge fillets 6-8 minutes

Kipper fillets are smoked for 2½-3 hours in a mechanical kiln, depending on size, and should lose 10-12 per cent of their brined weight. The temperature in the kiln should not rise above 85° F, 30° C. Kipper fillets may take 4-8 hours in a traditional smokehouses.

Bloaters

Bloaters are made from whole, ungutted and slightly salted herring. They owe their characteristic flavor, to the enzymes or ferments from the gut. The fish are salted and left overnight. After salting the fish are washed and threaded on speats through the gills and mouth or through the eyes. The fish are processed as follows:

Drying (no smoke or very thin smoke) at 185 - 194° F (85 - 90° C) for 3 hours.

Smoking at 185 - 194° F (85 - 90° C) for 1 hour.

As a result, the fish develops little color and and a faint smoky flavor.

Buckling (Herring)

Buckling, originally a German product, very popular on the continent is a hot smoked herring. There is not a standard form of fish preparation. The fish can be beheaded or not, also, the gut may or may not be removed.

In Britain, nobbing the herring was the preferred method - the whole herring is beheaded and the gut pulled out, leaving any roe or milt in position.

The fish are cured in 80° brine for 60 minutes, briefly rinsed and hung on speats. The speat is pushed through the thick part of the flesh near the shoulder. The fish are drained and let to dry until they don’t drip water anymore.

Herring are placed in smokehouse (it is customary to smoke them when still wet to obtain a golden brown color) and they are:

smoked at 80-90° F (27-32° C) for 1 hour. This dries out the skin and will help to obtain golden brown color.

smoked at 110 - 120° F (43 - 49° C) for 1 hour.

cooked with smoke at 160 - 170° F (72 - 77° C) for 1 hour.

Red Herring

Red herring was a popular product in England and Netherlands as it had en excellent keeping properties. The fish was well mixed with salt, taking about 30% salt to 100% of the fish (by weight). The fish was not gutted. Then the fish were placed in barrels and cured for 3 days to even 6 weeks. Then the fish were desalted in water, drained and dried from 12 to 24 hours. After that the fish were smoked from 3 to 6 weeks at about 65° F (18° C). The finished product had a very long shelf life and was exported to counties with warmer climate.

Mackerel-Atlantic (Scomber scombrus),

Protein-18.60%, Fat-13.89%, Water-63.55%

Scomber scombrus is sometimes called Atlantic, northern or Boston mackerel to distinguish it from Scomber japonicus, which is variously called chub, Pacific, or Spanish mackerel. The back of the Atlantic mackerel is a brilliant greenish blue, and the head is a steely blue-black with a small yellow patch behind the eye. There are 23-33 dark wavy bands across the back of the fish down to the midline. The sides have a silvery or coppery sheen, the belly is silvery white and there is a broken black line just below the lateral line. The scales are small and the skin feels velvety. An adult mackerel 30-35 cm long weighs 300-500 g before gutting. The mackerel is a fatty fish, and the fat and water content vary with season. The fat content of mackerel caught off south west England is lowest in May after spawning, and reaches its peak between October and December after the fish have fed during the summer and autumn. A typical range of fat content throughout the year is 6-23 per cent. As fat content increases, water content decreases; the typical range of water content is 56-74 percent. The protein content is 18-20 percent.

Mackerel - Spanish (Scomber japonicus, Scomberomorus maculatus),

Protein-19.29%, Fat-6.30%, Water-71.67%

Hot Smoked Spanish Mackerel

1. Fillet the fish. Leave the skin on.

2. Brine fillets for 5 minutes in 80º brine. Wash and drain.

3. Air dry fillets for 60 minutes.

4. Insert into a preheated to 100° F (38° C) smokehouse and apply light smoke for 60 minutes.

5. Apply a dense smoke for 60-90 minutes at 185° F (85° C).

Mackerel-King (Scomberomorus cavalla)

Protein-20.28%, Fat-2%, Water-78.55%

Spanish mackerel left, King mackerel right.

The king mackerel is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The king mackerel is a medium-sized fish, typically encountered from five to 30 pounds, but is known to exceed 90 pounds. Fish under 10 pounds (5 kg) show yellowish-brown spots on the flanks, somewhat smaller than the spots of the Atlantic Spanish mackerel. They may be sold as fillets, steaks,or in the round (whole). Their raw flesh is grayish, due to its high fat content. They are best prepared by broiling, frying, baking or, especially for large “smoker” king, by smoking.

Smoked King Mackerel

Fillet the fish. Rinse.Immerse in 80º brine for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain.Air dry for 1 hour.Apply a light smoke at 100° F (38° C) for 60 minutes.Apply a dense smoke for 90 minutes at 185° F (85° C).

Mullet (Mugil cephalus),

Protein-19.35%, Fat-3.79%, Water-77.01%

As mullet is most abundant in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea, we may assume that this is where the most fish will be smoked. The climate is hot there so the hot smoking method will be applied, although one can cold smoke fish at night hours in December, January and February.

Mullet are a coastal species that have an affinity for tropical and warm temperate waters. Many consider the Gulf of Mexico to be mullet country, and of course they are everywhere in West Florida. They can be seen jumping out of the water.

However, they can be found throughout the entire east coast of the United States reaching Nova Scotia, Canada, and on the west coast of the United States from Southern California down to Chile, the coast of Brazil, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the coast of France, around the entire coast of Africa, Taiwan, and in Australia. As the water temperature rises in the summer months, mullet wander into and are more abundant in brackish and freshwater. Mullet are able to tolerate wide salinity and temperature levels of water and those characteristics allow the fish to prosper in many areas of the world. There are two common types of mullet found throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The silver mullet and the striped mullet. The striped mullet is a larger fish ranging from around 1 to 2 feet and the silver mullet measures up to one foot. Mullet are vegetarians that eat detritus, which is disintegrated material found at the bottom. It is almost futile to catch mullet with a fishing rod. To catch mullet you need a cast net.

Cold Smoked Mullet

Split mullet . Wash well and drain.Dredge in salt, and pack in a container, cover with salt. Salt for 2 hours. Rinse and place on wire screens. Air dry for 2 hours.Cold smoke at <80° F (27° C) for 12 hours with light smoke. Apply medium dense smoke and smoke for 12 hours more (total smoking time 24 hours).

Hot Smoked Mullet

Split mullet.Immerse for 10 minutes in 80° brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine).Rinse well and drain. Air dry for 1 hour.Smoke with a light smoke at 100° F (38° C) for 60 minutes.Smoke with a dense smoke at 176° F (80° C) for 90 minutes.

White Perch (Morone americana)

Perch is a small fish, common in Florida waters. It has a tough lower jaw area and there is a limited amount of space between the vent and jaw for gutting. The easiest approach is to cut off the head and then to gut the fish.

Smoked Perch

Scale the fish. Cut off the head, split the belly from the vent until the hard bony structure of the jaw. Remove the entrails.Wash the cavity and the fish.Brine for 5 minutes in 80° brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Wash and drain.Dry the fish for 60 minutes in a preheated to 100° F (38° C) smokehouse.Smoke for 60 minutes at 185° F (85° C). Switch off the heat and smoke for 30 minutes more.

Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Other fish in the same family are called trout. All types of salmon contain a large percentage of fat, and that is why smoked salmon is so delicious.

There is Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon, Australian salmon, Hawaiian salmon, Indian salmon, Danube European salmon, the fish can be found everywhere. The size varies with species and can range from 50 cm, 6.8 kg for pink and Sockeye salmon to 120 cm, 46.8 kg for Atlantic salmon.

General Guidelines

All salmon species are suitable for smoking. The whole fish should be carefully gutted and the belly cavity cleaned out. The contents of the belly cavity can constitute up to 25 per cent of the weight of the fish as caught. Congealed blood in and around the main vein along the backbone should be removed; a large spoon is often suitable for this purpose. The belly cavity should then be well washed.

After gutting, the head is removed by cutting round inside the gills, then breaking or cutting through the backbone. Two single fillets, are cut, each complete with nape or shoulder bone, and belly flap. The nape bone gives strength to the fillet during handling, and provides support if the fillet is to be hung for smoking, although most fillets nowadays are smoked on trays. The belly bones and covering membrane can be carefully removed from each fillet to enhance appearance, although some smokers prefer to leave them on. As much blood as possible is removed from veins by pressing them gently inwards, and any blood on the surface of the fillet is wiped away with cold water; blood left on the fillet becomes black and unattractive in appearance when the fillet is smoked.

Cold Smoked Salmon

The whole salmon are gutted; the fish are beheaded and filleted. The lug bones are left on fillets to provide strong support for the hanging loop, although most fillets nowadays are smoked on trays. String is threaded through the shoulder of each fillet under the lug bones to form a loop. The lug bones are not needed when the fillets are lied down on a screen. Salt can be added to salmon fillets either by brining or by dry salting. Brining may give a better gloss, but almost all producers prefer dry salting because subsequent drying/smoking time in the smokehouse is shorter. Brined fillets, which lose no weight during brining, need about twice as long in the smokehouse to give the same total weight loss.

To allow the salt to penetrate the fillet more evenly, the skin can be scorched at the thickest part of the fillet with a razor blade without cutting the meat. Three cuts are made that just penetrate the skin on the fillet, each about 2” long across the width of the fillet at the thickest part to allow uniform salt penetration, the slits being packed with salt. The fillets are placed on a layer of salt 1 inch thick. The cut side of the fillet is covered with another layer of salt about 1/2 inch deep at the thick end tapering down to the tail. At the thinnest part of the tail the salt is only lightly sprinkled over. Additional alternate layers of fillets and salt can be laid on top of the first layer until the stack is complete. Typical times in practice are about 12 hours for fillets from a 4 kg salmon, and 24 hours for fillets from an 8 kg salmon, but the time will vary to some extent depending on initial quality and fat content. The accumulating pickle should be drained away.

Note: There are cures that include small amounts of brown sugar, molasses and rum to introduce a distinctive flavor, but the majority of producers use only salt.Salting times:1.5 - 2 lb fillet (0.75 inch) - 12 hours 3 - 4 lb fillet (1 inch) - 16 hours 5 lb fillet (1.5 inch) - 24 hours

By this stage the fillets should feel firm and springy, rather like bacon, when pressed with the fingers, having lost the stiffness they had when taken out of dry salt. The salmon fillets, are either hung on (enters by means of string loops through the shoulders or are laid on trays made of plastics coated or stainless steel wire mesh. Hanging has the disadvantage that it tends to stretch a heavy fillet and cause its flesh to gape (separate). Salted fillets are washed in cold water to remove surplus salt from the surface and then immersed in 30° brine for 1/2 hour depending on size to even out the salt distribution. (Add 0.71 lb of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 30 degrees brine).The fillets are hung up to drip.The fillets are dried at 80° F (27° C) in a smokehouse (no smoke needed) for 4 hours.The fillets are smoked with thin smoke at 80° F (27° C) for 12 hours.

In the last 20 minutes of smoking the temperature may be raised for 20 minutes to 92° F (33° C) to bring oil to the surface which gives fillets an attractive appearance. If fillets on removal from the smokehouse are found to be too soft and flabby, they should be returned to the smokehouse and dried more. The finished product should have a consistency rather like that of boiled ham, not too dry and fibrous, and be easily sliced. The shelf life of refrigerated smoked salmon is 5-6 days. Medium cured salmon should loose 7-9% of weight during dry salting and additional 7-9% during smoking; a combined weight loss of 16-18%.

Salmon - Nova Lox - Cold Smoked

Mix one part brown sugar with one part of salt.The fillets are placed skin down on a layer of salt/sugar about 1 inch thick.Thoroughly cover fillets with the mixture on top.Add more layers in the same manner, place the last fillets skin up and cover with more mix.Salting times: 0.75 inch - 9 hours 1 inch - 12 hours 1.5 inch - 18 hours 2 inch - 24 hours Rinse fillets to remove surplus salt from the surface and drain.Now, immerse fillets in 80° brine.Place fillets in cold water: thin fillets - 60 minutes, thick fillets - 120 minutes. Change water 1-2 times. Drain.Dry at < 80° F (26° C) for 60 minutes.Smoke with a thin smoke at < 80° F (26° C) for 12 - 16 hours.

Cold Smoked Salmon

This recipe uses 2:1 salt to brown sugar.

Make 80º brine first, then add brown sugar. For example, to 1 gallon of water you will add 2.2 pounds of salt and 1.1 pound of brown sugar. The solution is denser now, and will show as 95º brine on salinometer. If you like spices, for example dill or bay leaf, add them now. Place fillets in the brine.

Brining times: 0.75 inch - 9 hours 1 inch - 12 hours 1.5 inch - 18 hours 2 inch - 24 hours

Place fillets in cold water: thin fillets - 60 minutes, thick fillets - 120 minutes. Change water 1-2 times. Drain.

Place in refrigerator for 12 hours. Salt will equalize inside fillets and their surfaces will dry.

Smoke at 70° F (22° C) for 12 - 16 hours, depending on size.

Hot Smoked Salmon

Place salmon fillets for 1 - 2 hours in 80 degrees brine: (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine).0.75 inch - 30 min 1 inch - 60 minutes 1.5 inch - 90 minutes 2 inch - 120 minutes Remove the fish from the brine and rinse it quickly under cold running water. Drain.Rub screens with a cloth soaked with vegetable oil.Place the screens in smokehouse preheated to 100° F (38° C) for 1 hour.Start smoking at 100° F (38° C) for 60 minutes. Increase the temperature to 176° F (80° C).Smoke at 176° F (80° C) for 60 minutes. Thick fillets may need more time.Cool to room temperature.* You can use sugar brine (see Cold Smoked Salmon above).

Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)

Protein-20.21%, Fat-2.41%, Water-77.97%

The sheepshead, also known as convict fish, is a bottom feeding rock fish that reaches 10 to 20 inches with average weight 3 - 4 pounds. It has sharp dorsal spines and 5 to 6 dark bars on the side of the body over a gray background. Sheepshead has several rows of strong teeth, which help crush the shells of oysters, clams, and other bivalves, and barnacles, fiddler crabs, and other crustaceans. Sheepshead like warm waters, they can be found from the Mid-Atlantic to Texas. They are delicious to eat.

Smoked Sheepshead

Wash the fish and remove the scales. Clean and gut the fish, remove the gills.Brine for 15 minutes in 80º brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Wash and drain.Dry the fish for 60 minutes at 100° F (38° C). A light smoke allowed.Increase the temperature to 212° F (100° C) and smoke with medium dense smoke for 1 hour.Smoke for additional hour gradually dropping the temperature to 176° F (80° C).

Smoked Sheepshead Fillet

Fillet the fish.Brine the 1/2”fillets for 5 minutes in 80º brine. Wash and drain.Dry fillets for 60 minutes in a smokehouse preheated to 100° F (38° C). A light smoke allowed.Smoke for 60 minutes at 185° F (85 C).

Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)

Protein-20.51%, Fat-1.34%, Water-76.87 %

The red snapper, is a prized food fish found in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States. The red snapper’s body is very similar in shape to other snappers, such as the mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, lane snapper, and dog snapper. The common adult length is 60 cm (23 inch), 9 lb (4 kg).

Smoked Snapper Fillet

Fillet the fish.Brine fillets for 10 minutes in 80º brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Wash and drain.Air dry for 60 minutes.Dry fillets for 60 minutes in a preheated to 100° F (38° C) smokehouse. A light smoke allowed.Smoke for 90 minutes at 185° F (85° C).

Snook

Are one of the most prized fish to inshore fishermen. They put up a great fight and sometimes can be quite difficult to catch. Their most recognizable characteristic is a black line alongside its body from their gill plates to the tail.

Snook can be found in Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf waters, the Gulf coast of Texas, and as far south as Brazil. They are a warm tempered fish that prefer a water temperature over 80° F. When the water temperature is over 80° F, snook are much more active and they feed more. When the temperature is cooler, they become sluggish and lazy. In the winter when the water is cold, they are thought of as in hibernation mode and barely move. In the winter they work their way into canals and inlets where they bury themselves in mud in an attempt to try and stay warm. When the water warms up snook are found swimming and feeding in most coastal waters.

In the winter of 2009 - 2010 Florida had seen colder temperatures than usual. The water temperature was below normal and unfortunately killed many gamefish throughout the state. As snook like warm water temperatures, many of them were not able to survive the cold winter. As a result the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not open the snook season as normal. On June 9, 2011 the FWC decided to reopen the snook season in Florida’s Atlantic waters including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. The restrictions on keeping snook are one per day that has to be between 28 - 32 inches. Snook found on the Gulf coast, the Everglades National Park and Monroe County state and federal waters are catch and release only, until August 31, 2012.

Snook can tolerate a wide range of salinity levels and are found in saltwater, fresh and brackish water. They have a very mild fish taste and are delicious grilled, broiled or fried. Snook feed on smaller fish, shrimp, crabs, and an assortment of artificial lures. The problem is they won’t always try to eat the bait. Snook are often seen at dock lights. A fisherman can cast his bait past the light and let it swim towards the snook, or reel it by. Many have observed the snook pay no attention to their bait and this is how the snook obtained its reputation of being a smart fish. We don’t understand how the snook knows not to eat the bait, but somehow it is aware.

The Florida State record for largest snook was 44 lbs 3 oz. This is an exceptionally large snook, they are most commonly caught at between 2 - 3 feet weighing around 5 - 10 pounds. They have a nice firm texture with very white meat. The snook is a solid fish producing very thick fillets, there is plenty of meat there.

Smoked Snook Fillets

Immerse in 80º brine for 10 minutes. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Rinse and drain.Air dry for 1 hour.Apply a light smoke at 100° F (38° C) for 30 minutes.Increase the temperature to 185° F (85° C) and smoke with medium smoke for 120 minutes.

Tilapia,

Protein-20.08%, Fat-1.70%, Water-78.08%

Tilapia is a very common fish that can be found in lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and sometimes in brackish waters. Tilapia is a very widely eaten fish and is commercially farm raised. Their popularity is due to their ability to thrive in almost any water conditions (provided adequately warm temperatures). They grow quickly, reproduce often, and taste great. Tilapia keep lakes and ponds clean by eating vegetation, algae and mosquitos. This can be observed on golf courses where the lakes and ponds are always clean. However, some may find tilapia to be a nuisance. Tilapia reproduce often and grow very quickly taking over a lake or pond. They eat the eggs of other fish lowering their numbers. This is often the case of why and how a lake can run out of bass and other fish. Given time tilapia will overrun their habitats which is why they are an invasive species.

A small body of water can hold a huge number of tilapia. Fishermen like the fact that there are so many of them making them easy to catch. They are caught with cast nets all along the pond/lakes bank. Fishermen often catch them at night on golf course lakes and just blind throw a net. Blind throwing is when a fishermen randomly throws a cast net without seeing a fish. Fortunately the tilapia are plentiful around the bank and can be caught this way. Many lakes have drains connecting to saltwater bays or canals. In this case it is best to throw the cast net by the drain pipes as many fish gather near the flowing water and one can catch a netfull quite frequently. Additionaly with saltwater access a fisherman will often catch mullet in these lakes and an occasional snook.

In the United States, tilapia are found in much of Florida, Texas and Arizona. Tilapia is an important commercially farm raised fish and is processed into skinless, boneless fillets. Tilapia is excellent eating as its meat is firm and white. It tastes great baked, fried, broiled or grilled. Tilapia is found in most supermarkets but there is nothing fresher than catching them yourself.

Smoked Tilapia Fillet

Fillet the fish.Brine the 1/2”fillets for 5 minutes in 80º brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Wash and drain.Dry fillets for 60 minutes in a smokehouse preheated to 100° F (38° C).Smoke for 60 minutes at 185° F (85° C).

Trout, rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss), wild,

Protein-20.48%, Fat-3.46%, Water-71.87%

Trout, rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss), farmed,

Protein-19.94%, Fat-6.18%, Water-73.80%

There is rainbow, brook and brown trout. Rainbow trout can be found everywhere where there is cold and clean running water, however, it owns its popularity to the fact that it gains weight more quickly than other species of trout, so it is more suitable for fish farming. They reach the market size (25-30 cm) and weight (150-300 g) in less than two years. The average farm raised rainbow trout weighs less than a pound which makes it an ideal fish to be smoked whole. Trout which lives in the wild can reach large size with age.

Brining

The fish is washed, gutted, the head is left on. The brined fish are threaded on speats, through either the eyes or tail, and are hung to allow surplus brine to drain from the fish.Time in 80º brine:Small trout 140-200 g, 45 minutes Medium size trout 200-300 g, 60 minutesLarge trout, over 300 g, 120 minutes

(Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine).

Smoking

The following times apply to factory made smokers with reliable temperature controls. If smoking in a traditional wood fired smoker, double up the times.Drying, 86° F (30° C), 30 minutes.Smoking, 122° F (50° C), 30 min.Smoking/Cooking, 176° F (80° C), 45-60 min.

Drying - to allow the skin to dry and to toughen the fish to sufficiently support the weight of the fish during the later stages of smoking. All dampers fully open.

Smoking - inlet and outlet dampers open 1/4 to raise the temperature and humidity so that the fish is not dried too much.

Smoking/Cooking - cooking stage with smoke present. Dampers set as above.

The refrigerated fish will keep in good condition for 1 week.

Dry salt curing

Weigh the fish and take 5% salt in relation to the weight. For 1/2 pound (222 g) fish take 12 g (5%) (2 tsp) salt and rub it all around the fish, including the belly.Cure fish:1/2 lb (222 g) - 2 hours 3/4 lb (340 g) - 2.5 hours 1 lb (453 g) - 3 hours

Strong brine cures the fish fast, however weaker brines can also be used.Wet curing times: 4º brine - 10 hours. 20º brine - 2.5 hours. 80º brine - 1 hour.Use 1 quart of brine per pound of fish.Rinse the fish, drain and let dry in air for 30 minutes.Dry in smokehouse at 100° F (38° C) for 30 minutes.Hot smoke at 176° F (80° C) for 1 hour.Cook at 176° F (80° C) for 1 hour.The trout is cooked during hot smoking process which makes it ready for eating without further preparation. Cool in air.

Marinated and Fast Smoked Trout

Make weak (4º) bine, Add dried dill, crushed pepper and crushed juniper berries. Use one teaspoon of spices per one quart of marinade. Marinate for 24 hours.Rinse the fish briefly and hang to drain and dry for 30 minutes.Hot smoke at 302° F (150° C) for 30 minutes.

Small rainbow trout are gutted and the gut cavity cleaned out, care being taken to remove all black skin and blood along the backbone. The fish are brined in an 80º brine for one hour. The brined fish are then pierced through the eyes with metal speats. Small strips of wood like matchsticks are placed between the lug flap to keep the gut cavity open to allow drying and smoke penetration. Trolleys of brined fish are put into the kiln whilst they are still wet with brine. All the fires are lighted and the temperature of the kiln is allowed to rise to about 90° F (32° C). After 30 - 45 minutes when the skins have dried off, the temperature is raised to 180° F (82° C) and the trout are cooked. This takes about two hours. The trout have a lower fat content than herring, and in consequence they should be dried less than buckling or they will tend to be somewhat dry and hard and will lose their soft texture.

Smoked Trout

Gut and clean fish (1 lb. in weight) and place in 80 degrees brine for 2 hours. You may leave fish overnight in 30 degrees brine. Soak for 10 minutes in cold water. Rinse and dry for 2 hours. Start applying smoke and hold at 90° F (32° C) for 15 minutes. Continue smoking increasing temperature until internal temperature of 150° F (66° C) is obtained. Maintain this temperature for 30 minutes. Bigger fish will require longer smoking time.

Note you can smoke/bake trout at 300–350° F (150–180° C) which will take only 20 minutes, however, little smoky flavor will be obtained.

Tuna, yellowfin,

Protein-24%, Fat-0.49%, Water-74.03%

Tuna, bluefin,

Protein-23%, Fat-4.90%, Water-68.09%

Tuna, skipjack,

Protein-22%, Fat-1.01%, Water-70.58%

A tuna is a saltwater finfish that belongs to the mackerel family (Scombridae) – which also includes the bonitos, mackerels, and Spanish mackerels.

The major types of tuna are:

Albacore, Atlantic Bluefin, skipjack, yellow fin and big eye. They vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max. length: 50 cm (1.6 ft), weight: 1.8 kg (4 lb) up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna (max. length: 4.6 m (15 ft), weight: 684 kg (1,508 lb). Tuna is one the fastest fish, capable of speeds up 70 47 mph (75 km/hr).

Smoked Tuna Steak

Brine in 80° brine:1" thick - 10 min 1½" thick - 15 min(Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine).Rinse and drain. Place on brushed with oil screens.Dry fillets for 60 minutes in a smokehouse preheated to 100° F (38° C).Smoke for 90 minutes at 180° F (82° C).

Whiting (Merlangius merlangus)

Protein-18.3%, Fat-1.31%, Water-80.27%

Whiting is a cod family fish that is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Whiting is very similar to Alaska Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma). This fish can reach a maximum length of about 70 cm (28 inches). Whiting and Alaska Pollock are commonly used in the fast food industry, for example the Filet-O-Fish sandwich and Fish McBites at McDonald’s.

Smoked Whiting Fillet

Fillet the fish.Brine the 1/2”fillets for 5 minutes in 80° brine. (Add 2.2 lbs of salt to 1 gallon of water. This makes 80 degrees brine). Wash and drain.Dry fillets for 60 minutes in a smokehouse preheated to 100° F (38° C). A light smoke allowed.Smoke for 60 minutes at 180° F (82° C).