Helpful ReplyLockedRope 'em & Smoke 'em!

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2015/09/30 19:02:37 (permalink)

Rope 'em & Smoke 'em!

So now that I have a smoker, and did a couple fresh fillets in the spring that were absolutely fantastic, wondering how I should handle all those slimers I'll stick on my yellow/red/blue rope this year.  
 
If I bring a couple or more fish home, and I'm not going to eat them right away, should I:
Brine, smoke and then freeze?
Freeze, thaw, brine and smoke?
Brine, freeze, thaw and smoke?
Something I'm not thinking of?  
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/09/30 19:15:54 (permalink)
r2, just a little off-topic but in the past when i smoked trout, my wife would baste them with hot pepper jelly the last twenty minutes or so.  definitely did not make them hot but gave them a really nice sub-flavor.
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Porktown
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/09/30 20:16:49 (permalink)
For slimers, I'd brine, smoke, cool, eat, vacuum pack and freeze leftovers. Im not a fan of the freshly smoked fish, it seems to distribute the smoke into the fish after sitting in the fridge over night. If you don't vacuum pack, they won't stay in the freezer very long. But still usually good for making a smoked fish patte, unless frost bitten. Check out recipes for smoked bluefish patte, good stuff, steelhead works just as well. Marinating in a teriyaki marinade instead of brine comes out pretty good too. I usually just do a dry rub, which will pull some liquid from the fish.

I've had decent success with the Thrify Vac, vacuum packing system.
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/09/30 21:01:58 (permalink)
Thanks for the tips guys.  
 
Pork, the ones I did in the spring I brined and then dry rubbed and they turned out great.  Other than a few bones, I thought it tasted as good as the salmon fillets I've smoked that we get at Sam's Club.  It was a meal that even the 3 kids enjoyed, which is rare when all 5 of us like something.  Definitely gonna try a few different flavors this year.  
 
Not gonna go crazy keeping 6 fish between my son and I every time we go, but it'd be nice to get a few meals of fish in between trips (and I'm aware of consumption advisories).  I've always been big on not keeping fish or shooting game that I don't enjoy eating, so don't want to keep a bunch of fish or prepare it in such a way that I'll want to throw it out.  
 
 
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/09/30 22:12:29 (permalink)
rsquared
So now that I have a smoker, and did a couple fresh fillets in the spring that were absolutely fantastic, wondering how I should handle all those slimers I'll stick on my yellow/red/blue rope this year.  
 
If I bring a couple or more fish home, and I'm not going to eat them right away, should I:
Brine, smoke and then freeze?
Freeze, thaw, brine and smoke?
Brine, freeze, thaw and smoke?
Something I'm not thinking of?  


You can't smoke then freeze.  You get mush when they thaw.  Not sure about freeze the smoke.  
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/09/30 22:59:43 (permalink)
I've smoked them in the past then froze them with no trouble.  I was told not to freeze then smoke them.
 
I brought them home cleaned them and smoked them as soon as their time in the brine was up. Wrapped them in a layer of saran wrap and foil and they still were good 6 or 7 months later.
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fisherofmen376
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/09/30 23:41:47 (permalink)
those poor fish.  come on man, they are native to our waters, don't hurt them.  

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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/01 15:53:12 (permalink)
Couple things.  ALWAYS smoke first.  Or, whatever, brine/rub/voodoo/smoke.  While salmonoids are fantastic smokers, don't be afraid to branch out.  You want oily fish.  Easy to catch, fun to catch and widespread on the Atlantic coast: bluefish.  If you get the chance, smoked blues are the bees knees.  Since you're already fishing Erie, here's one you probably wouldn't think of: sheepshead.  Cut out all the redline before you smoke them.  
 
FiveMillPete - not sure where you got that mushy thing.  Is that first hand experience?  Because I've had plenty of frozen smoked fish and mushy isn't something I've experienced.  The difference could be a full on long smoke vs just a short smoke where you eat it right away warm.  Not sure.  
 
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/01 16:45:06 (permalink)
I've never had mushy either.  I have had mushy if try to freeze fresh, and grill, but never from freezing smoked.  They usually don't taste as good after frozen, but still pretty good, and still make a great patte.  If I make and take to a party, it is usually scraped clean within 2 hours.
 
The next batch of smoked fish I make, I'm going to use Mikastorm's glazed smoked walleye recipe.  I can't catch enough walleye to justify smoking them, but I'm sure it is just as good on other fish.
 
Zelie - I hear there are some slammer blues in NJ right now.  One of my most fun days fishing ever, was reeling 30"+ blues, one after the other for about 2 hours.  Kept 3-4 for the smoker and were fantastic.  Some of the guys thought I was nuts, but they were incredible.  Bled them as soon as they hit the sand and on ice.  The school bus bomber that I used was half clear by the end of the day and chewed up like my dog's favorite nylabone.  One of the few times that I had to stop fishing while the fish were on, so I could rest my arms.
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/01 23:21:53 (permalink)
python73
Couple things.  ALWAYS smoke first.  Or, whatever, brine/rub/voodoo/smoke.  While salmonoids are fantastic smokers, don't be afraid to branch out.  You want oily fish.  Easy to catch, fun to catch and widespread on the Atlantic coast: bluefish.  If you get the chance, smoked blues are the bees knees.  Since you're already fishing Erie, here's one you probably wouldn't think of: sheepshead.  Cut out all the redline before you smoke them.  
 
FiveMillPete - not sure where you got that mushy thing.  Is that first hand experience?  Because I've had plenty of frozen smoked fish and mushy isn't something I've experienced.  The difference could be a full on long smoke vs just a short smoke where you eat it right away warm.  Not sure.  
 


Brian, who used to run PR East, told me that, I'm pretty sure,  so I thought it was gospel.  ****, I'll have to freeze half of one and try it after a month, see what happens.  :-)
 
 
Darn?
post edited by FiveMilePete - 2015/10/01 23:23:11
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ZelieSam
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/02 00:10:38 (permalink)
Don't even talk to me about NJ blues... I'm super bitter right now.  I should be in a hotel in Delaware right now sleeping off a day of reeling in flounder.  Stupid weather.
 
I had a similar trip many years ago where the headboat we took only had like 7 people on it.  So the captain took us to some different spots than normal, and one of them was boiling with bait that trout and blues had pushed to the surface.  I'm talking a football field sized boil.  I had a squid jig that I threw into that mess over and over until the blues had it gnawed down to a bit of plastic and a hook.  That's about as much fun as you can have fishing.  
 
Which makes me even more bitter.  Stupid weather.
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/02 08:24:26 (permalink)
Who's fishin in the hurricane this weekend?

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Porktown
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/02 08:28:52 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby FiveMilePete 2015/10/03 01:01:48
There's always November to reschedule.  Monster stripers at the mouth of the DE Bay that time of year.  For some reason, they don't seem to get in close enough to the beach though.  The 20"-25" schoolies will usually push in though, and make for a fun time.  Every so often schools of blues mix in too.
 
Pete - Like most things, fresh is better.  The PR guys have a pretty steady supply of fish coming in, so they wouldn't need to freeze.  Especially when that is part of your business, and giving a customer previously frozen in exchange for a freshly caught fish, could lead to some issues.  I've only noticed the smoke flavor dissipating, often chewier and if thawed in a bag, will be wet.  Freezing will draw out some moisture, especially if air in the bag.  That is why I'd highly recommend vacuum sealing.  Fresh fish too - although I do think steelhead will get mushy if freezing fresh fillets, I haven't done it in a long time though and not sure if I vacuum packed when it was mushy.  But know that oily fish seems to get mushy for some reason, guessing the freezing temp of the oil is lower/higher than the flesh around it, or something like that.  Fish like perch or crappie don't seem to be affected by freezing at all, IMO.  In fact, I prefer to freeze for a few days and then thaw to kill off some of the parasites in them.  I haven't had perch in a few months, so if I catch a mess of them, no way I am waiting to freeze and thaw!!!   It would also benefit PR as a business, that people don't freeze fish, in hopes that they come back more often to keep 1 fish per trip, C&R 4-5, and really get the fever pumping.  Not saying that was why he would say that, but could play a factor.
 
I haven't done it, but when thawing, maybe put it on some paper towels, to soak up some of the water that is forced out.  I could see if it sits in that water for a while, it could get soggy and possibly mushy. But, usually the meat is pretty firm after smoking.
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/02 08:55:46 (permalink)
Very good info guys, thanks for the input.  
 
Pork, 2 more very good ways to use extra/leftover smoked steelhead that we did in the spring:
 
1.  My wife makes a killer crab and corn chowder, and instead of crab we used the smoked steelhead.  I thought it was even better than the crab, as the smoke flavor really added to it.
2.  She also makes a killer homemade alfredo sauce.  I flash grilled the smoked steelhead in butter, just to warm it and sear it a bit, and topped some pasta with it and alfredo.  Delish!  
 
Will have to try the pate.  
 
P.S. - I married WAAAAAYYYYY up
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/02 15:41:02 (permalink)
Nice.  Although not homemade, I used some in store bought alfredo myself.  Took it from ShutUpNFish's post a while back, although his was grilled.  Smoked steelhead and corn chowder sounds great.  I guarantee that frozen would work great in something like this, or something else that the fish is only a small part of the dish.
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/03 05:15:49 (permalink)
I've frozen smoked salmon already. It keeps for a few months mabey longer if you have a vaccum sealer.
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/03 08:13:27 (permalink)
Best smoker recipe for slimers.
Soak the fish in your best brine.
Prepare the fish on a cedar board, pour your brine all over the fish and the board so it really soaks it up.
Lay lemon, lime, and orange pieces and peels on and around the fish.
Place the whole thing in the smoker (this is why the board really has to be soaked.)
Turn the fish every 30 minutes until it is reduced to leather.
Then scrape off the fish into the trash and eat the board.

 

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fisherofmen376
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/03 10:12:52 (permalink)
lol!!

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/04 23:21:01 (permalink)
I would only eat wet brined smoked fish as a tasty fresh hot meal.  It's likely to turn to mush if you freeze it very long though. 
 
If you want to smoke fish to preserve it for longer term storage; you should be using a dry dark brown sugar/canning salt brine packed for 12 - 24hrs to remove as much moisture as possible.  Then sit it in front of a fan for an hour before smoking, to further dry the filets and let a pellicle or shiny glaze form.  Then slow smoke at low temp for a long time, before bringing the internal fish temp up to 160 for 30 mins at the very end of the smoking process but within 8 hours.  I never let the smoker get above 175 on the grate level, anything around 200 or above will cook it.  You can keep it in a paper bag in the fridge like this for a few weeks or vacuum seal and freeze for a long time.  The end product will be dryer and firmer, more like a dried smoked fish that you would eat with cheese and crackers or use in a smoked fish cheese ball.  It also makes a great smoked fish chowder this way, or just eaten plain as a snack.   You can easily pull the pin bones out of the fillets with foreceps while they are still half frozen to get a completely boneless filet for any kind of preperation.
post edited by SteelSlayer77 - 2015/10/04 23:26:01
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fisherofmen376
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/04 23:27:04 (permalink)
That's a lotta work for a meal. I eat them fresh within two days of catching. Filet, bread crumbs or flour, season and fry in a pan. Season to taste and deelish. If you don't like the taste u must be doing it wrong-not bleeding the fish after catching, maybe letting it sit in fridge too long, etc.
I had fresh caught redfish, blues and speckled trout that we got in OBX this year. While the steelies aren't as good as those, they aren't far behind.

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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/04 23:37:37 (permalink)
fisherofmen376
That's a lotta work for a meal. I eat them fresh within two days of catching. Filet, bread crumbs or flour, season and fry in a pan. Season to taste and deelish. If you don't like the taste u must be doing it wrong-not bleeding the fish after catching, maybe letting it sit in fridge too long, etc.
I had fresh caught redfish, blues and speckled trout that we got in OBX this year. While the steelies aren't as good as those, they aren't far behind.



I agree with eating them fresh rather than smoking.  I only eat them fresh within 1 day of catching them.  Either that same night for dinner, or sometime following day.  If you keep a fresh fish, process it quickly, and get it on ice in a reasonable amount of time, they will taste good like that in almost any kind of preparation.  The same thing that makes them one of the best quality fish for the smoker (very high fish oil content), also makes them get fishy smelling and tasting real quick in the fridge.  Same with trout and salmon.  That high fish oil content turns the meat quick and gives them the fishy taste that a white flaky fish doesn't get nearly as quick.
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FiveMilePete
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/05 23:27:54 (permalink)
fisherofmen376
That's a lotta work for a meal. I eat them fresh within two days of catching. Filet, bread crumbs or flour, season and fry in a pan. Season to taste and deelish. If you don't like the taste u must be doing it wrong-not bleeding the fish after catching, maybe letting it sit in fridge too long, etc.
I had fresh caught redfish, blues and speckled trout that we got in OBX this year. While the steelies aren't as good as those, they aren't far behind.

I have eaten them this way too, with one extra step.  I marinate the fresh filet in milk for an hour or two before breading.  
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/06 10:36:43 (permalink)
Freeze, thaw, brine and smoke.
 
You're supposed to freeze raw fish before pickling to kill any parasites, I always thought that would apply to smoking fish as well.
 
+1 on freezing smoked fish turning to mush, first-hand experience.

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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/06 11:22:51 (permalink)
Jim - I definitely would, if cold smoking any sort of freshwater fish or close shore saltwater fish.  From what I have read, standard freezers don't reach the temp that will kill many parasites though, but will kill some.  Commercial flash freezers go much colder and will kill most parasites.  You are basically pickling it with the brine and smoke helps preserve it.  Many parasites can survive the process, and noted the standard home freezer.  Most can't survive 165 degrees though.  So as long as you reach that internal temp or close to for a little, you should be good.
 
Hot smoking, which most do, ~ 200-225, is basically BBQing the fish.  No need to freeze, but I am with you on freezing to kill a few at least.  I do with white flesh fish, not steelhead though, I smoke those fresh, since I had a bad experience freezing and grilling before.  Hot smoking will get the fish over the temp you need to worry about almost all parasites.  The smoke is there pretty much for flavor.  I'm sure the brine and 2 hours or so of smoke help preserve a little, but not the same as cold smoking.
 
 
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/06 11:54:10 (permalink)
Jim R , in your method, how do you freeze the fillets?  
 
I don't have a vacuum sealer to freeze previously smoked as others have suggested.  I have successfully frozen whole shrimp, redfish. speckled trout fillets, and black tip shark fillets in water in ziplock bags and brought them back from the Gulf Coast in Mississippi.  Shrimp lasts over a year that way.  Reds, specks and sharks are good till about 6 months.  I know with steelhead, as Pork mentioned, we're talking about an oily fish that might freeze differently.  
 
Guess I'll do a little experimenting, although I know that I've got orders for smoked steelhead from my in-laws and a couple of friends.  Might not have to freeze too much.
 
Alex, smoking sounds like a lot of work, but for me it's kind of a hobby, as it is for many who smoke food.  And really, the preparation isn't all that hard, other than spreading it out over a day or two.  I can make a brine of water, salt and brown sugar in about two minutes; soak the fish overnight; and air dry for an hour or two.  My smoker is an electric one, so I push a few buttons, throw in a handful or two of chips and let it cook.  
 
Pork, good advice on the parasites.  I generally smoke stuff rare to medium rare, but will take the fish a little higher next time.  
 
Good suggestions and input guys, thanks!
 
 
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/06 13:54:38 (permalink)
Porktown- do you know the temperature required to kill them?  I always heard that you freeze fish below 0 degrees for 48 hours minimum.  I keep my freezer set about -6.  I use a Totem electric to smoke fish, supposed to run 150-165 from what I've read.  I check doneness on smoked fish by look/feel so I don't know what actual temp they reach, but on the electric, fish runs a long time.  Stock trout smoke 6-8 hours, hunks of steelhead run anywhere from about 12 to as much as 18-20 hours depending on air temp, wind conditions, size of the chunks of fish.  I usually brine fish overnight.
 
rsquared- I usually hunk steelhead, steak-style, for smoking.  Big chunks, 4-5 per fish.  When I do freeze fillets, I freeze them skin-on, flat on wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Once they're frozen solid, transfer them to Ziploc bags.  Are you saying that you freeze smoked fish in water?  Never tried that. 
 
If you have more smoked fish than you can eat/give away, try making a dip.  Got a good recipe for it, using chipotle powder.  Which, by the way, I also make in my Totem.
 
Seems to me, the most work in smoking food is the planning.  Multiple types of food to fill the smoker, in various types of brine (or none at all, in the case of the chipotles), for various amounts of time, all ready to hit the smoker at the same time.

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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/06 14:17:56 (permalink)
Jim R, I have NOT frozen already smoked fish.  Those were fresh fillets for transport from Mississippi to PA.  Thanks for the heads up on how you freeze 'em.  Sounds like a good plan for what I've got in mind.  
 
Haven't done a big smoker feast yet, just small family meals.  First couple of things I did I put too much smoke to it with the vent closed and adding chips too often.  The kids turn up their noses when I fire up the smoker because of that, but I'm getting better.  Whole chickens are a big hit now that I've got a good process down for that.  I just got my smoker last Christmas, so I only did one steelhead in the spring, but everybody really enjoyed it.  I thought it tasted as good as the salmon fillets I buy at Sam's Club and smoked so I'm looking forward to more this steelhead season.  
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/06 14:33:05 (permalink)
rsquared- How do you do the chicken?  If I get whole chicken, I'll cut them into pieces to smoke.  Brine the pieces in equal parts salt/brown sugar dissolved in water.  On the electric I have, we can't eat it right off of the smoker, doesn't get hot enough.  So, we grill, bake or crockpot it with BBQ sauce to finish.
 
One last smoker tip.  I almost always let my smoked food sit in the refrigerator for a day or so to a week or more, depending on what it is.  I think it improves the texture, and allows the smokiness to penetrate throughout.  Especially with smoked cheese.
 
 

Jim_R

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"The angling fever is a very real disease and can only be cured by the application of cold water and fresh, untainted air."
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/06 14:57:11 (permalink)
I use a 5 pound roaster chicken, and do it whole with the breast side up as it cooks.  Brine in a gallon of water, 1/2 cup pickling salt and 1/2 cup of brown sugar overnight.  Pat it dry and let it sit for an hour or so, and then rub liberally with a mix of salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder to taste.  I never measure.  Smoke it vent open with apple wood at about 225 until it has an IT of 165-170.  Let it rest about 30 minutes.  As with most foods I do on the smoker, I hot smoke it to cook it and eat it for a meal.  Haven't done the cold smoking, or long low temp smokes yet.  
 
I hear ya on the letting it sit for a few days.  I'm still working on some chili I made a week ago with smoked venison - some chops and ground mixed together.  Have had it in tupperware in the fridge, and eat a bowl almost every day at some point.  Tastes better and better every day!  
 
If you're on Facebook, send me a PM.  I belong to a closed group for Masterbuilt Electric smokers, and I'll be glad to add you.  Tons of good recipes and advice on there.  
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Re: Rope 'em & Smoke 'em! 2015/10/07 07:43:06 (permalink)
http://forums.fishusa.com/Message/532577-smoked-steelhead/ if you haven't read this yet, good recipes here. Also if you enjoy smoking any kind of meats. Amazingribs.com is a wealth of knowledge. Last couple years I've actually started brining for about 90 minutes and smoking a little over 200deg. Knocks em out in about 4-5 hrs and comes out great.
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