try smoking your fish - webapps8 - Minnesota Department of Natural ...

Stoke It — and Smoke
It!
You Will Find the Flavor
to Your
Liking
TRY
SMOKING
YOUR FISH
Smoke and salt, either singly or in
combination, have long been used in
the preservation and preparation of
fish for human consumption.
As early as 2,000 B.C., people along
the River Bann in Northern Ireland
smoked fresh-caught salmon over crude
hearths on the marshy flats beside the
river. The use of salt came somewhat
later in history. Among the first to use
it extensively were the Egyptians who
depicted their fish-salting process on
the walls of the ancient tombs.
With the advent of refrigeration,
brining and smoking of meat and fish
were no longer necessary. Nonetheless,
the techniques remain today as the
best methods of preparing less tasty
Too many cooks? Not so when it
comes to smoking fish! This article
is a "composite" of the fish
smoking techniques and experiences
of the DNR's Howard
Krosch, Jack Skrypek, Walter
Wettschreck, Ken Bonnema and
Bruce Hawkinson, as related to
associate editor Charles Wechsler.
MARCH • APRI L 1974 45

fish species or those with oily flesh.
These smoking "favorites" include
carp, catfish, suckers, salmon, trout,
herring, tullibee and numerous saltwater
species.
No doubt most anglers have, at one
time or another, wanted to try smokehouse
cookery but were reluctant to
attempt
what they believe to be a
complex cooking technique. However,
brining and smoking fish can be as
easy or as difficult as you make it. Certainly
there are as many "home patented"
smokehouse techniques and
gadgets as there are people who smoke
fish. This article is not an attempt to
enlighten these self-taught
"connoisseurs",
but rather to present a simplified,
step-by-step procedure for the beginner.
The Smoker
Many types of manufactured or
home-made smokers will produce
excellent results. Your smoker may be
a wooden barrel, a large fibreboard
box, steel drum or a discarded refrigerator.*
Amateurs can purchase portable
outdoor
smokers, small electric hotplate
units or even convert the patio
fireplace into a suitable smoking unit.
•Note: Modern, plastic-lined refrigerators
should not be used as the plastic could melt
with the fumes spoiling your food. Use only
steel-lined iceboxes and refrigerators. Also,
do not use the racks in old iceboxes. They
may be cadmium-plated and food could
absorb highly toxic cadmium during the
smoking process.
Cross-sectional view of homemade
fish smoker: 55 gallon oil
drum with ends removed, connected
by drain tile to fire pit
six feet away. Pit is one to two
feet lower than smoker. Simple
trench covered by sheet metal
and dirt may be used to convey
smoke. Move smoker cover to
regulate draft.
(Lack of space prohibits us from
publishing detailed plans for constructing
a smokehouse. However, anyone
interested may write: Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources,
Bureau of Information and Education,
350 Centennial Bldg., St. Paul, Minn.
55155.)
The smoker should have racks,
hooks (S-hooks can be made from
large paper clips or coat hangers) or
even spring-type clothespins to hold
the fish in such a way that smoke and
heat will contact all food surfaces
evenly. Ventilation must be carefully
controlled so the fire smoulders and
smokes, rather than burning with a
smokeless flame.
A thermometer should be suspended
from the top of the smoker. In
46 THE MINNESOTA VOLUNTEER

Cleaning
Fish may be cleaned any number of
ways. Large fish (over 5 pounds) such
as Coho and Chinook Salmon, carp,
buffalo, catfish and larger trout are
usually filleted or split from the back
into what is called a "butterfly" cut.
Very large fish should be sliced crosswise
into large chunks. Smaller species
such as Brook Trout, suckers, bullheads,
herring and Tullibee may simply
be gilled, gutted and washed.
Remember: no matter how you
clean the fish, always leave the skin
intact, with scales on.
general, the food to be smoked should
be at least four feet away from a wood
fire and at least two feet away from a
sawdust or chip fire (see illustration).
Each smokehouse expert has a
favorite fuel or combination of fuels.
In the beginning, try chips or sawdust
from any nonresinous woods such as
oak, ash, hickory, maple, beech, alder,
apple or all fruit woods. Charcoal briquets
can be added to maintain an
even fire. Some experts use an electric
or gas plate as a heat source and place
a pan of dampened sawdust over the
heat to create smoke.
The entire smoking procedure consists
of five basic steps: (1) Cleaning;
(2) Brining; (3) Drying (removing excess
moisture); (4) Smoking; (5) Serving
or Storing.
Brining
The salt brine solution in which the
fish is immersed acts as a preservative
which inhibits bacterial growth. Most
bacteria are retarded by five percent
salt or higher concentrations.
Any plastic, ceramic or stainless
steel container may be used for brining.
Do not use aluminum or galvanized
pans which may corrode. For
the beginner, the brining process may
require some experimentation until
you find the right application for each
size and species of fish.
A popular and simple brining procedure
is to place the fish in a brine
solution made in the ratio of 2 cups
(about 1 pound) of noniodized, canning
salt to 1 gallon of water for 1
hour, stirring occasionally to remove
blood and slime.
MARCH • APRI L 1974 47

At left, tullibee fillets
before and after smoking.
Rinse the fish in cold water and
place in a second brine made in the
ratio of 1/2 cups of salt to 1 gallon of
water for 20-48 hours. Length of time
in the solution will depend on size and
thickness of the fish, amount of fat
and degree of cure you wish to obtain.
Other ingredients such as brown sugar,
black pepper or bay leaves may be
added during the second brining to
enhance color and taste.
Fish may also be brined by drysalting.
Place the fish in a shallow container
of fine salt and dredge, so that it
is salt-covered on all surfaces. Next,
place the salt-laden fish in another
container where salt should be scattered
between each layer of fish. Leave
the fish in the salt for 6-12 hours (6
hours if split or 1 2 if whole).
Drying
Remove the fish from the brine,
rinse in freshwater and hang in a cool,
breezy place for about 3 hours, or
until a thin glaze, or pellicle, has
formed on the surface. Do not hang
fish where they are exposed to direct
sunlight.
Formation of the pellicle is very
important in the smoking process. It
helps seal in natural juices and flavors
of the flesh and forms a smooth,
attractive surface on which the smoke
will be deposited evenly.
If fish are smoked before a pellicle
48 THE MINNESOTA VOLUNTEER

Using Army surplus field
range materials, Howard Krosch
improvised this backyard smoker.
Smokehouse is on slight slope
above fire pit.
is formed, natural juices will seep out
resulting in pools of unattractive white
curd. A well-formed pellicle gives a
glossy sheen to the fish, and it is dry
and smooth to the touch.
It is important to note that the
smoking process should not be started
during rainy or extremely damp
weather. Cool, clear, dry days are
important to the success of your
smokehouse cookery.
Smoking
Fish may be either cold smoked or
hot smoked. However, cold smoking is
usually not feasible for most persons
because of the extended time required
to complete the process. For this reason,
we will present only a simplified,
hot smoke procedure.
First step is to hang the fish, tail
up, or place them on the smokehouse
racks skin side down. The racks should
be sprayed with "Pam" or some other
teflon substance to prevent sticking.
Be sure to arrange the fish so they do
not touch, and will not drip onto each
other.
Smoke the fish from 2 to 4 hours at
low temperatures (about 110 to 120
degrees) and in heavy smoke. Next,
introduce higher temperatures
(160-180 degrees) and little or no
smoke for about 2 hours. Length of
cooking time in this second step depends
on size of the fish, color and
flavor you wish to achieve.
After smoking, allow the fish to cool
briefly in the smokehouse and then
chill. For the ultimate in flavor, fish
should be eaten soon after smoking.
However, smoked fish may be refrigerated
for up to two weeks. Do not keep
the food in air-tight containers under
poor refrigeration or spoilage may result.
These poor conditions favor the
development of botulism toxin.
If you wish to store smoked fish for
a prolonged period, they may be frozen.
Fish to be frozen should have the
heads left on to minimize the amount
of flesh exposed to the air. They
should also be well-wrapped with several
layers of paper to prevent the
smokey odor from permeating other
frozen foods.
•
MARCH • APRI L 1974 49