Anyone used the old fish smoker?

[Capn Pugwash]

You know the ones -I think Nauticalia sell 'em - any good?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Like this, you mean?

 

[ChrisE]

Ken, I'm intrigued as to how a little red cross can smoke a fish, am I missing something...

 

[peterb26]

Yep - smoked a couple of mackerel today in mine.

They are ok.

 

[Robin]

I made mine from a S/S rectangular oven thingy with lid and internal S/S rack that I bought from Makro for £10 + VAT, it looks remarkedly similar to the Nauticalia/Force 4 versions which cost 5 times the price. I was encouraged by Rick Stein et al saying you can smoke fish in almost any container that can be closed, like a wok or even an large envelope of aluminium foil.

I bought a stock of a variety of wood for the smoker in small containers from these people and the same site has recipes as well as sells a variety of smokers.

The punch line is however that our smoker is still a virgin! Despite my best efforts we have now had two seasons of barren fishing /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I even went so far as to BUY a mackerel from the supermarket to try out the smoker and the $%$£ thing was off!

 

[sarabande]

If you buy a Cobb barbecue (cheap at SIBS ?) you can smoke fish in them as well as have the more customary barbecue function.

It's a hot smoke action, which cooks the fish/meat at the same time. I prefer to cold smoke, using a long (2m) steel pipe leading from the smoke generator(an enclosed tin box) underground to the hanging chamber.

IMHO the fats inside the fish don't hot smoke well, and the fish don't seem to keep as well.

 

[peterb26]

I agree that theres no comparison between hot-smoking and cold smoking. However one is "instant" (well 15 minutes anyway) and the other far from it.

The hot smoked mackerel is excellent, once its cooled its very similar to what you buy in the shops. Equally hot smoked fillet of salmon is most enjoyable either hot or cold.

I havent tried many other fishes - did a trout once and that was ok.

 

[fishermantwo]

If you Google smoked fish you will find hundreds of recipes for the brine mixture. Generally any oily fish smokes well. I have also smoked shark and tuna with good results. I use Banksia seed pods to generate the smoke.

 

[gandy]

Can you believe the price they charge for wood chips?

Does it have to be specially prepared or can you just use any old sawdust from the timber types they suggest?

 

[Evadne]

It's finely shredded, clean oak, looks rather similar to the stuff they sell in homewbrew shops for oaking" wine. I don't doubt a sack full of sweepings from a woodyard would have a similar effect, tho' you'd have to pick out the big lumps by hand, but you don't use much. SWMBO bought me one for xmas, it's had a couple of smokings, and I use about 2 spoonfuls per smoke. With the 2 spare bags of chippings she bought with it, I expect the mackeral to have evolved to walk on land before I use them up!