Smoking/Grilling Fish or Other Meats

[fli-fisher]

How many of you folks smoke fish? Be it Salmon or trout? Any special recipies out there?
Are there smokers that you like the best?
What about grilling fish - favorite recipies- beyond the lemmon pepper and butter.

[cheech]

How many of you folks smoke fish? Be it Salmon or trout? Any special recipies out there?
Are there smokers that you like the best?
What about grilling fish - favorite recipies- beyond the lemmon pepper and butter.

Curtis is the smoke master. Talk to him about smoking a pork butt and a salmon at the same time. Nothing is better than hooking up to watch some college football, set up the tying table, and eating the famous ribs. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

[Lonnie]

Are there smokers that you like the best?

Barkey is pretty cool....

[chris]

Barkey is pretty cool....

Whatever....
The sweaty, mossy, slimey taste is acquired for sure. I wouldn't recommend me.

You're a sweety!

[Foamy8]

Try this: 2-4 cloves minced garlic(more if you want) Olive Oil, Dill, Basil, salt and pepper.

Use any fish you want, but salmon or white fleshed meat(wiper) would be my recomendation.
Skin the fillet
Coat with Olive oil
Spread garlic over each side of fillet
sprinkle dill, basil, salt and pepper over both sides

Let sit for at least 1-2 hours

Grill, but don't over cook. 2-4 minutes per side depending on thickness of fillet.

Enjoy

[rodrick]

I have used this receipe for awhile and basically it's pretty damn good. You really do not need to brine fish very long at all. Unless they are very large fish you are going to get it done in an hour or so. The same with the smoking part. The fish is going to only absorb so much and the rest of the time is just cooking time. If you are throwing chips in all the time you are just wasting chips. I really do like a propane smoker just for the fact the the temp is up to where you want it very quickly and you can control that temp very well.

Smoked trout

Fillet the fish but leave on the skin.

In about two quarts of cold water, dissolve a cup of salt
Add 1 cup of brown sugar
Add 1 tablespoon of granulated garlic

Brine for 1 hour stirring occasionally (if the fish are small, only go for 3/4 hour)
Take from brine and wash well in cold water.

Spray the grill surface with Pam. It will be much easier to clean up afterwards.

To about 1 ½ cups brown sugar, add 1 cup of maple syrup. Dip fillets in mixture to coat as well as possible. Place on the grill and rub the remainder on with your hands. The excess will run off into the smoker. Pepper to taste.

Soak your wood chips in water for a while. They will generate more smoke. I like apple or alder wood as they are quite mild. Mesquite is too strong for me. Smoke at 200 degrees for about an hour and 15 minutes. The smaller fillets will be done first. They will start to look golden brown when they are done. Keep the thicker fillets in a bit longer. Each smoker will be a little different and you may have to adjust time for that.

Let the finished fillet cool completely before putting them in a container or moisture will form. Some moisture will almost always form in the container. Just wipe fillets with a paper towel and don’t worry about it.

.

[fli-fisher]

Does anybody use Camp Chef smokers? I'm thinking of getting one but I haven't used one.

I have used a 2 burner Camp Chef stove with the grill box both for grilling fish and also smoking or at least getting that smoke flavor. Just wetting some chips and putting them in the heat distributor and presto.

Thanks for the recipie, I'll be giving it a go tonight.

[nightfish]

I have a CampChef Smoke Vault...big thumbs up. It hot smokes fish nice, but runs too hot for a coldsmoke cure. I use it for all kinds of things, including baking. The 24" vault can do up to 12 full racks of ribs. Last weekend we did 2 pork shoulders (pulled) & 2 briskets at the same time, and added a pan of beans dressed with burnt ends in the final hour. The weekend before that I smoked chicken for 20+.

If you're doing larger fish on a rack in any type of smoker, be sure that you let the fish form a pellicle for optimum texture/moistness. Remove from the brine and let dry on a rack, uncovered, at room temp for 30 minutes or so. The surface will take on a thin translucent layer. Now it's ready for the smoke & heat.

Or drop it on a cedar plank after brushing with a glaze of whole-grain mustard, OJ & brown sugar, set the planked fish on the grill & surround it with veggies.

I like alder, apple or a mix for smoking fish.

[rodrick]

Just bought one a few months ago and couldn't agree with Nick more.
Great deal- Cal Ranch had the best price that I could find by a long shot but Cache Valley didn't have many choices.

[jim m.]

If you're doing larger fish on a rack in any type of smoker, be sure that you let the fish form a pellicle for optimum texture/moistness.

This step is key. I smoke several salmon and all of our ice caught strawberry rainbows over the course of a few days each spring. I usually end up w/ 15 -20 lb of smoked trout and salmon for the year.

Once my pieces come out of the brine solution I put them on a rack w/ a moving fan blowing air over them. They are dry to the touch before I put them in the smoker.

[fli-fisher]

The one I saw was at on http://www.outdoorcooking.com
Seemed like a good deal.

Thanks again for the input. Nightfish must eat a lot of meat!

[nightfish]

Meat is good. Meat cooked for 12 hours in hickory smoke is better. Long smoked meat in mass quantities is best served with a bunch of friends. For dessert, add NASCAR, NFL or fishing camp.

[styan]

Global Warming

[nightfish]

Smokers use less heat than BBQers. The meat does cook at near glacial speed though. Plus, we can take out a whole cow & all the methane it produces in one weekend.

[rodrick]

There is a very good smoker out there from Walmart - propane and looks similar a little to the Camp Chef for 1/2 the price- I have not personally seen it except on the net. You have to order it, Walmart does not stock it. Here is a link.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3342513

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3342508

[nightfish]

That is a pretty good smoker, especially for the price, but there's one problem with it. The water pan is round, rather than the same dimensions as the racks. It'll still keep the food moist, but meat drippings won't be caught completely, which will add to the cleanup time. More importantly, those meat drippings burning on the bottom of the unit will add an acrid smoke flavor to the food. Not quite as appetizing.

I've got a pile of leftover pulled pork in front of me right now. No bun, no slaw, just a stack of meat dressed with Carolina Red....mmmmmMMM! Gets right in yo mouth!

[Utah DaveII]

that I got for christmas and I love it. I smoke on it at least once a month or even a couple times a month. I have smoked fish, pork butt, tri-tip, turkey breast, baby back ribs, spare ribs and more chickens then I care to count in the last e months.

I prefer the following woods for smoking.

20% hickory and 80% cherry for most of my smoking.
I also like Apple and i have a whole other hosts of woods to try.

The key to smoking is to cook at around 225 degrees.

The other overlooked, but essential key is to have very good rubs.

[rodrick]

I am thinking a pan can be purchased that would probably work and you still would have enough $$ left over to buy a salmon, smoke it and tell everyone you caught it.

[styan]

I am thinking a pan can be purchased that would probably work and you still would have enough $$ left over to buy a salmon, smoke it and tell everyone you caught it.

FYI, Costco has some pretty descent salmon fillets.

[nightfish]

Dave what kind of rub do you like for breasts?

...um..turkey breasts;)

Rodrick, that's true. You could probably find a restaurant pan that would fit.

But...buying CampChef is supporting a Utah company (based in Logan).

[rodrick]

Then why wouldn't they sell me a second from the factory, I work a block down. I am probably wrong and I heard this 3rd person from someone who works there that China bought that side of the company. Probably incorrect information but I did hear that recently.

[nightfish]

I have no idea about the ownership or how they manage their seconds. I would imagine that they have some sort of arrangement for seconds & discontinued items with some company like overstock.com or sierra trading post, and, like many other companies, have a policy against non-retail sales from the distribution facility? Sounds like you got a good deal at CalRanch though.

Where do you work? Tyco (or the company formerly known as Tyco)?

[fulano]

Curtis is the smoke master. Talk to him about smoking a pork butt and a salmon at the same time. Nothing is better than hooking up to watch some college football, set up the tying table, and eating the famous ribs. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Does Curtis have the "Mountain"? Not that I'm inviting myself over but that sounds kind of fun even without the food. Sounds really fun with the food.

Don't forget about your fellow Raider and Coug fan come football season Cheech!

[Doug S.]

http://www.barbecuewood.com/StoreFront.bok

Great place to get wood for smoking...:)

[fli-fisher]

I do believe that Camp Chef gives away chips with the smoker
There's a good selection of chips here also
http://www.outdoorcooking.com/catalog/item/4/133/0/WCHIPM/250/Smoke+Chips.html

Boy I'm getting hungry.

http://www.outdoorcooking.com/catalog/group/4/132/0/Smokers.html

[Curtis Fry]

Does Curtis have the "Mountain"? Not that I'm inviting myself over but that sounds kind of fun even without the food. Sounds really fun with the food.

Don't forget about your fellow Raider and Coug fan come football season Cheech!

Yeah, I have the "mountain" (WSM). A lot of pro and semi-pro people are using it nowadays. Temp control is tops.

We'll let you know when we do the next smokin' and tyin' session....

[styan]

Thai smokin' on UOTF...what's the world coming to?

[nightfish]

Thai smokin' on UOTF...what's the world coming to?

I guess you weren't around when UTOF published a monthly mag/newsletter.

[fulano]

Yeah, I have the "mountain" (WSM). A lot of pro and semi-pro people are using it nowadays. Temp control is tops.


I meant the television station called "The Mountain", which I cannot get from my satelite dish in Heber and comcast is not available in my neighborhood. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably have your priorities straight and only worry about fishing not watching the local college football teams. Unfortunately, I am addicted to both and not seeing the cougs play killed me last year.

[Curtis Fry]

hehe....I have a "Weber Smokey Mountain" Smoker. If you like "real" smoking and don't want to settle for selling out to propane, it's the way to go. The ribs are kinda tasty....

[nightfish]

Isn't charcoal selling out to real hardwood coals that you burned down yourself? What would Hank Hill say?!?

Sounds like a cookoff is brewin' here.

[Curtis Fry]

LOL! I actually use 1/2 hardwood & 1/2 briquettes sometimes only cuz it's more difficult to control temps with hardwood. I do, however, grill (not to be confused with BBQ) on the hardwoods. Mesquite rules!!!

So I think we need to do a BBQ-fest. All y'all bring your propane rigs or whatever rigs you can smoke with. We'll hang out, smoke 'em if you got 'em and eat some hogs.

[nightfish]

Where, when, what meat?

My schedule is getting pretty tight. Might have to wait until post Labor Day. This might be a good fall 'Berry cookout idea. Streamers, BBQ & crayfish boil?

I know Dave has a smoker, and so does Cardiac. If we got enough people, we could do whole hog...Dahmer style.

Hardwood grilling rocks. That's class!

[Curtis Fry]

Sounds like a plan. I'm pretty slammed until Sept at least, so I think a Strawberry outing would be good....

[JayMorr]

Thai smokin' on UOTF...what's the world coming to?

Did someone mention smoke out? Jason where are you??????


I couldn't find the original "Fly Times" photo I had from a few years back ;)


JayMorr

[chris]

Classic Jay......love it.
Can I volunteer as a judge???
Being from Texas.....I ain't know affeciendo or anything. I just have a good tongue.

[Curtis Fry]

Classic Jay......love it.
Can I volunteer as a judge???
Being from Texas.....I ain't know affeciendo or anything. I just have a good tongue.
Texas??...guess that means we'll need to throw in some Brisket too

[Garth]

Give us the names of the ladies who can attest that you "have a good tounge".

[chris]

Give us the names of the ladies who can attest that you "have a good tounge".

Federal privacy laws prohibit me from giving names, sizes or ratings. I know they would all make me stop earlier than I liked to get to the real deal if that clarifies it at all.