Post by blackcrowheart on Jul 20, 2006 13:56:21 GMT -5
Smoked Fish
There are two methods of smoking fish and seafood,
cold smoking and hot smoking. Cold-smoking smokes
uncooked seafood for up to 16 hours between 70
degrees F and 90 degrees F. It does not cook the fish,
but is rather a combination of steps: brining, drying
and smoking. The most commonly known cold-smoked fish
is smoked salmon or Lox. Hot-smoking also involves
brining, drying and smoking, but this method actually
cooks the fish, as the smoking is done at
temperatures up to 190 degrees F.
While almost any fish can be smoked, the more popular
are salmon, bluefish, mahi-mahi, tuna, sea bass and cod.
To hot-smoke fish, first soak alder, apple or oak
wood chips in warm water or white wine for at least
an hour. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking.
For a gas-fired grill, light the burner on one side
of the grill and leave the other burner off. Put a
drip pan under the cooking grate on the unheated
side. Put the drained wood chips in a smoker tray or
an aluminum foil pouch with holes punched in it. Put
the tray or pouch over the lit burner.
For smoking in a charcoal grill, bank the coals on
both sides, leaving the center area clear. Put a drip
pan in the center area and sprinkle the drained wood
chips over the coals.
Or, prepare a bullet-style or offset smoker for smoking.
Smoke the fish at about 90 degrees F for two hours
and then gradually increase the smoker or grill
temperature to 175 degrees F and continuing cooking
until done.
Depending on the size of the fillets, most fish will
be properly smoked and cooked in four to six hours or
when the fish reaches an internal temperature of 140
degrees F. Larger pieces weighing
between three and four pounds will need to smoke for
up to eight hours. Oily fish need a longer smoking
time. Using a remote reading thermometer helps to
take the guesswork out of smoking fish.
There are two methods of smoking fish and seafood,
cold smoking and hot smoking. Cold-smoking smokes
uncooked seafood for up to 16 hours between 70
degrees F and 90 degrees F. It does not cook the fish,
but is rather a combination of steps: brining, drying
and smoking. The most commonly known cold-smoked fish
is smoked salmon or Lox. Hot-smoking also involves
brining, drying and smoking, but this method actually
cooks the fish, as the smoking is done at
temperatures up to 190 degrees F.
While almost any fish can be smoked, the more popular
are salmon, bluefish, mahi-mahi, tuna, sea bass and cod.
To hot-smoke fish, first soak alder, apple or oak
wood chips in warm water or white wine for at least
an hour. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking.
For a gas-fired grill, light the burner on one side
of the grill and leave the other burner off. Put a
drip pan under the cooking grate on the unheated
side. Put the drained wood chips in a smoker tray or
an aluminum foil pouch with holes punched in it. Put
the tray or pouch over the lit burner.
For smoking in a charcoal grill, bank the coals on
both sides, leaving the center area clear. Put a drip
pan in the center area and sprinkle the drained wood
chips over the coals.
Or, prepare a bullet-style or offset smoker for smoking.
Smoke the fish at about 90 degrees F for two hours
and then gradually increase the smoker or grill
temperature to 175 degrees F and continuing cooking
until done.
Depending on the size of the fillets, most fish will
be properly smoked and cooked in four to six hours or
when the fish reaches an internal temperature of 140
degrees F. Larger pieces weighing
between three and four pounds will need to smoke for
up to eight hours. Oily fish need a longer smoking
time. Using a remote reading thermometer helps to
take the guesswork out of smoking fish.