Smoked the bastard!!

There's starting to be a few good fish caught of late so I thought I would put it out there if anyone wanted to share their recipes and techniques for smoking fish.
Ive always used the same method to smoke all my fish (mostly trout) but was not sure how I learnt or even if what I'm doing is typical. Also Id like to try a few other things as it can get a bit boring doing the same thing all the time.
Currently I sprinkle a very liberal amount of sea salt over the fillets (sometimes even just splitting the fish rather than fillet) and a varying amount of brown or raw sugar. This is left in the fridge overnight. Next day I will wash off the salt and pat dry. From there another dusting of brown or raw sugar and into the smoker.
I have a basic smoker like this Killwell one
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Ive never really known how much meths to use. I have two trays in the smoker and can smoke two full size trout at once. Im using about ½ to ¾ of a cup per dish and I have two dishes of meths under the smoker. The fish is never over cooked but a bit longer could be better as the last batch was almost too moist? I think some smokers suggest filling the trays right up.
I liked @bombers pohutukawa wood chips as a different way to do things. I also have read you can soak your wood chips in whisky or wine over night and this gives some different flavours. Maybe not soaked in Lion Brown though :)
I try to keep the wood chips to a minimum with a very thin coating over the bottom of the tray. Anyone tried varying the amount of chips? Too much I understand gets a bit overpowering?
I would also like to try smoking seafood. @veitnamcam had some smoked snapper heads. Should try this next time as I know theres a bunch of sweet meat on them.
If anyone had there own recipes or methods and wanted to share this could be a nice reference to try some smoking ideas.

Just use it over a gas cooker ring and place the sawdust where the gas ring will be mostly heating.
I run it until there is plenty of smoke coming out and the lid is too hot to touch with the palm of your hand on.
Then give it 15 more minutes and its done.

If you use the meth trays your never sure how long they will burn for with wind etc.

Mix brown sugar with a generous dollop of Thai chilli sauce before rubbing it into the flesh

Varying the type of wood used will vary the flavour considerably.

Apple and Grape wood are very good.

Pohutukawa along with Manuka and Kanuka are also very good

I also like to add soya sauce as well as brown sugar.

Cheers
Pete

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Originally Posted by P38

Varying the type of wood used will vary the flavour considerably.

Apple and Grape wood are very good.

Pohutukawa along with Manuka and Kanuka are also very good

I also like to add soya sauce as well as brown sugar.

Cheers
Pete

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Might be able to find some grape wood.

You can or you used to be able to get different "gourmet" species of wood chips at mega 10 but I use Manuka mostly.

I got the shits with the meths trays and timing it right or catching the chips on fire, whip out the grill side of my bbq and use the burners on that now.

Cheap smokers like Mine and yours I am guessing James the bottom can "pop" as it buckles with the heat throwing wood chips all over your fish which is a piss off.
solution is a layer of tinfoil on top of the chips before the trays go in.

The lid needs to seal reasonably well to get a good smoking but if it seals too well it can condensate and drip the most foul bitter juice onto your fillets:oh noes: which brings us to drying your fish

Fish wants to be fairly dry so the smoke will stick to it and to reduce the humidity in the smoker, not brineing Snapper seems ok but Kahawai needs salting or brineing to remove some moisture and firm them up IMO.....if in a hurry I cover fillets with sea salt layering up fillet salt fillet etc in a container and a couple of hours does the trick, rinse off and pat dry with the wifes favorite towel :ORLY: or if have time make up a liquid brine, don't need as much salt and can add things like chillies finely chopped squeeze of lemon splash of vinegar etc and in the fridge overnight.

Stuff on top I usually just go brown sugar or sweet chilly sauce and maybe some powdered chilly or paprika cracked pepper.

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

You can or you used to be able to get different "gourmet" species of wood chips at mega 10 but I use Manuka mostly.

I got the shits with the meths trays and timing it right or catching the chips on fire, whip out the grill side of my bbq and use the burners on that now.

Cheap smokers like Mine and yours I am guessing James the bottom can "pop" as it buckles with the heat throwing wood chips all over your fish which is a piss off.
solution is a layer of tinfoil on top of the chips before the trays go in.

The lid needs to seal reasonably well to get a good smoking but if it seals too well it can condensate and drip the most foul bitter juice onto your fillets:oh noes: which brings us to drying your fish

Fish wants to be fairly dry so the smoke will stick to it and to reduce the humidity in the smoker, not brineing Snapper seems ok but Kahawai needs salting or brineing to remove some moisture and firm them up IMO.....if in a hurry I cover fillets with sea salt layering up fillet salt fillet etc in a container and a couple of hours does the trick, rinse off and pat dry with the wifes favorite towel :ORLY: or if have time make up a liquid brine, don't need as much salt and can add things like chillies finely chopped squeeze of lemon splash of vinegar etc and in the fridge overnight.

Stuff on top I usually just go brown sugar or sweet chilly sauce and maybe some powdered chilly or paprika cracked pepper.

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Great idea. Im forever picking the shite out of mine for that exact same reason. i hear it "pop" as you noted but never put the two together.

That super seasoning you can get from the markets etc is the shizznit KJ. Its got salt herbs garlic and chilli, use the brown sugar as normal and swap the salt out for the seasoning.
Doesn't hurt to make the chips damp either for a good amount of smoke. Pohutakawa is the best

I have a wine barrel I have made into a smoker the smoke is generated via a smokai smoke generator and I have a small cast iron gas ring to provide a little heat I can cook a roast in it aswell as it will get very hot if need be but for fish I run at about 60deg for 3-4 hrs
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I have one of those stainless steel ones which is great for taking away but the end result is not as good more of a cooked fish with a slightly Smokey flavor

I have also just brought 40m of macrocarpa 200x25mm that is going to be the outside of a large fire and flue style smokehouse

technique...... I mix up a sitload of this mix and store it so its there when I need it but its one part salt to 3 parts brown sugar
coat your fish with this mix liberally and leave in fridge for 24hrs to cure....
wash cure off with water and dry you don't want your fish wet...
smoke for 3-4 hrs at 60dreg you should be able to touch the racks for a sec or 2 without getting burned if you don't have a temp gauge

A mate was in the process of doing a very similar thing using a beer keg. Not sure if he ever got round to finishing it though. @H&K MAN

Wow. M10 Mega are next to HnF in Napier and I think the two stores set their margins from the same rule book.
$39.00 for a 1.5kg bag of pohutukawa wood chips? Pass.

Smoked up the last fish I caught tonight. @veitnamcam the foil trick was brilliant. No shit in the flesh. Double bonus was anything that leaked off the fillet was caught on the foil so no major cleaning either. Will ask for opinions on taste. Finished product looks good, I think adding damp wood chips made for a more smokey finish.

Sounds like I do very similar to you @kiwijames but with the tin foil (great idea VC).
Many years ago I got a bag of wood shavings of Kerry (now at Action Outdoors in Napier). They were from a well used oak wine barrel and I credit them with the (I think) great results we get. You should see him and see if he still has some or can get some. You don't use much so they last for ages.

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Originally Posted by Shearer

Sounds like I do very similar to you @kiwijames but with the tin foil (great idea VC).
Many years ago I got a bag of wood shavings of Kerry (now at Action Outdoors in Napier). They were from a well used oak wine barrel and I credit them with the (I think) great results we get. You should see him and see if he still has some or can get some. You don't use much so they last for ages.

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Sounds the bizo and has got me thinking...

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Originally Posted by Gibo

That super seasoning you can get from the markets etc is the shizznit KJ. Its got salt herbs garlic and chilli, use the brown sugar as normal and swap the salt out for the seasoning.
Doesn't hurt to make the chips damp either for a good amount of smoke. Pohutakawa is the best

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Post up a pic of the container please.

I've bought a cold smoker, now I can add xtra heat! Prob solved, thanks Rambo!!

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Originally Posted by Maca49

I've bought a cold smoker, now I can add xtra heat! Prob solved, thanks Rambo!!

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I know I can make one but it seems to much like my everyday work so will probably buy one :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I know I can make one but it seems to much like my everyday work so will probably buy one :thumbsup:

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Bradley, and problems solved. Although you. Red to be creative to cold smoke though.
And they do cut down on the flavor options, but bloody good for repeatablity......

I made a cold smoker out of a 44g drum & a smoke generator it didn't work very well condensation used to build up on the sides so I added a little heat via an electric grill that I never used it had a thermostat so could control the heat an electric frying pan could work as well still wasn't that fussed on it though , best smoker I made was from an old woodburner I simply made a sheet metal box around 700/800mm high, riveted together with a lid & trays to sit directly ontop of the wood burner it was brilliant as you could damp it rite down for a colder smoke or if in a hurry cooked in 15 mins the other good thing about it is there was no need for sawdust .