I used to brine fish for smoking, then I moved to a simple rock salt recipe...but the latest method I've run across is the best I've tried yet. And it's the simplest. It's great on salmon/steelhead, so could be worth a shot on whitefish.
Here's what you do for salmon: Apply Johnny's Seasoning Salt liberally. Let it set for 2 - 3 hours. Then rinse it off under the faucet. Just a quick rinse to get some of the external residue off. Then blot dry with paper towels. If you have about 1" thick pieces, it should take approx 6 hours in the smoker. About 2-3 pans of chips. Of course ambient temperature makes a difference in how long the smoking process will take. You will have to be the judge on that one. - Doug on 11/30/04 2:09 PM, Mark Steudel at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Wow that sounds good ... So Sean, when can I place my order? ;) > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Preston Singletary > Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 10:00 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Whitefish recipes requested > > Mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) are our native whitefish, Great > akes whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) occur in some of the upper Columbia > River impoundments, apparently the result of plants in Lake Pend Oreille in > Idaho and Flathead Lake in Montana around the turn of the century. Both are > members of the Coregonidae division of the salmonid family. > The bone structure of the mountain whitefish is very nearly identical to > that of the trout but the bones are sturdier making them easier to remove at > the table. > I continue to be surprised at some of the recipes I see for smoking fish. > Most of them seem to call for brining for anywhere from eight to twenty-four > hours and some of them call for all kinds of additions ranging from Tabasco > sauce to maple syrup. Maybe that's what Joe Snagger means when he drags in > an old black boot of a salmon and says "Well, it's good enough for the > smoker". I've always felt that the flavor of the fish, a bit of salt (okay > maybe a little sugar too) and smoke was all that was necessary. > This is my favorite recipe, adapted from A. J. McClane's The > Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery (1977), it's best for small whole fish, fillets > or steaks: > > Place the fish in a 70% brine solution (2 cups of non-iodized salt per > gallon of water. Use a plastic, ceramic or stainless steel container). If > the fish, fillets etc. weigh less than 12 ounces brine them for 20 minutes, > if 14 ounces or more; 30 minutes. This is a leaching brine to remove blood > and body fluids. Remove the fish from the brine and rinse > thoroughly in fresh water. > > Prepare a second brine solution of 2 cups of salt and one cup of brown > sugar per gallon of water. Brine the fish per the following schedule: > > wt. of fish time > > 10 to 12 oz. 40 min. > > 14 to 16 oz. 60 min. > > 1 1/2 to 2lb. 1 1/2 hr. > > 2 1/2 to 3 lb. 2 1/2 hr. > > Remove the fish from the brine, rinse thoroughly in fresh water and allow to > air dry until the pellicule forms, this will be when the fish is dry and > non-sticky to the touch and may take several hours depending on the weather > (sometimes a fan helps). > In a smoker where the heat can be controlled the temperature should be > kept low (110-120F) for the first four hours. A dense smoke should then be > built up and the temperature increased to 160-180F for another four hours. > For wood, alder is the traditionalist's choice, any fruitwood such as apple > or cherry works fine and some prefer hickory or even mesquite. > In the typical electric smoker (Luhr-Jensen Little chief, etc.), just > keep the chip pan full and smoking for twelve hours. A WSU Extension > Service Bulletin of a few years ago warns that most electric smokers do not > raise the interior of the fish to a high enough temperature to insure the > safety of the finished product. They recommend putting the fish into a 200 > degree oven for an hour after the smoking process is finished. > > > > > > > > > > > >
