Smoker recipes need help

Post Reply
FIT
Posts: 80
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 9:46 am
Location: San Francisco

Smoker recipes need help

Post by FIT »

I recently received a little chief smoker and I was thinking about giving it a try but I don’t have any smoker recipes and was looking for some help. I have some yellow tail stored in frozen water that I was going to try and smoke, so does anyone have any recipes that would like to share with me?

Thanks

FIT

PS not sure if this is the correct place to post this question but i figured it was a good place to start
User avatar
Ken C.
Posts: 1657
Joined: Thu May 12, 2005 9:51 pm
Location: Wherever the fish AREN'T!

Re: Smoker recipes need help

Post by Ken C. »

Here is the link to the on-line Little Chief ops manual and recipe book. I've never smoked anything like Yellow-Tail, but you should be able to come up with something with the basic procedures and recipes in the manual:

http://www.luhrjensen.com/LCRBweb.pdf#s ... %20recipes'

Alot has to do with what your plans are for the fish. To "preserve" it you want to do a basic brine with your favorite seasonings for a couple hours or overnight depending on how thick the meat is. You do need to air-dry the fish (use a fan with the fish on a wire rack) until a 'pelicle' forms on it prior to going into the smoker. If you just want to impart some smoke flavor to it before you grill it or use it in a recipe, then just put it in the smoker for one panfull of smoke chips then use it in the recipe.

Depending on the base flavor of the fish you may want to cut back on the amount of salt in the brine. I usually do salmon on mine and I use a mix of 2 parts brown sugar to 1 part salt, instead of a 50/50. I smoke it for about 2 pans of chips or about 2-1/2 to 3 hours. This results in a "spreadable" type of smoked salmon instead of a drier almost jerky-like texture.

For the type of smoke chips, again depending on the flavor of the raw fish you may want to go to a stronger flavor such as hickory or mesquite, or for more delicate flavor use Alder, Apple, Cherry or Maple. Alder and apple are used primarily for salmon & trout. Don't be affraid to mix and match woods, either!

Bottom line is alot has to do with the flavor and texture of the raw fish. Check out the online recipe book for some basics to get you started.
[i][b]To the world, you might be just one person. But to one person, you just might be the world...[/b][/i]
[img]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/shred1080/misc/Disclaimer.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.danasoft.com/sig/Kadota.jpg[/img]
User avatar
Kelly Ripa
Posts: 2233
Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 6:39 am
Location: Ojai

Re: Smoker recipes need help

Post by Kelly Ripa »

Tell Ya what Buddy....I'm freak'n famous for my Apple smoked Turkey right out of the pages of the recipe book and the hickory Turkey oh yeah baby....couple of weeks. I did two pheasants in rasberry juice and applewood :wink: ...Make it up as you go along and it's the bomb almost everytime. Go light on the smoke and you too can be a famous cheif or is that chef?
LET'S GO BRANDON
Remember ...What the Dormouse said...Feed your head!
User avatar
lippy
Posts: 169
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:59 pm
Location: Oakdale,Ca

Re: Smoker recipes need help

Post by lippy »

Do some test and find what you like.The compiter is a good source from google.I make deer,Bear,goose and duck jerky.I smoke some salmon and use the brine out of the little chief book.
hammer
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2005 8:38 pm
Location: Jago Bay

Re: Smoker recipes need help

Post by hammer »

I am a huge fan of dry brine. I have tried this with waterfowl and upland, and it turns out o.k., but with fish I think it is definately the best way to go.

Use four and a half cups of brown sugar and one and a quarter cups of non-iodized salt. Mix it together really good. Lay a thin layer on the bottom of a large glass or stainless bowl, then a layer of fish, then a layer of mixture, then fish, etc. until you have layered all of your fish. Put it in the fridge and within a couple of hours all of the moisture will be extracted out of the fish and it will look like a wet brine. Stir the brine every couple hours and leave it in the fridge for 24 hours. Then you're ready for smokin. Do NOT wash the brine off before smoking, which is what it tells you to do in the Little Chief book. I usually use the little chief alder chips. I do not soak my chips. I do 4-5 pans of chips, depending on thickness, replacing the chips every 45 minutes. Once done with the smoking, leave the fish in the smoker for another 3-4 hours.

Anyway, hopefully this helps. I tried most recipies in the Little Chief book with minimal success, and now I will not do it any other way than I described above.

Good Luck!
Post Reply