I wanted smoked fish.
The growling turned into some kind of horrible screeching when I remembered I’d soon be leaving for my annual week-long pilgrimage to the deer woods, where I’d hunt with my family.
We have a good deer camp. And anyone who’s ever been blessed enough to be part of a respectable deer camp knows that sodium-drenched snacks are as much a part of the experience as shells and good boots—the fuel of card games, campfire lies and the thirst for a frosty post-hunt High Life or three.
So, not long after penning that blog, I rummaged through my chest freezer, desperate for a fix. I found it…and then some. Ten butterflied redhorse suckers I caught this spring glared back at me though ice and Zip Loc, begging for the smoker.
And a bonus—when I dug them out, it revealed two forgotten 5-poundish pike I’d kept this summer for a singular, delicious purpose.
Pickling.
So, in the coming days, I simultaneously embarked on two of the tastiest fish preparation processes known to man—with two of the most maligned species around.
Here is the result:
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Pickled Pike And Smoked Suckers!
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Here’s how I did it:
For the smoking, I can’t claim any points for innovation. I just follow the simple recipe that came with my
Luhr Jensen Big Chief Smoker . You combine a quart of water with a half-cup of canning salt and a half-cup of sugar, letting the latter two dissolve, creating the brine.
Put the butterflied fish (if you don’t know how to butterfly, here’s a
good video demonstration) in a stoneware bowl and pour the brine over them. Let them soak in the fridge overnight.
When you take them out the next morning, rinse the fish off in cold water and set them out flesh-side-up. Pat them dry then let them sit out for an hour while you let the smoker heat up.
Then, set them in the smoker (again, skin-side-down), one fish per rack, and load the pan full of
alder wood chips. Leave them in there for as long as it takes the flesh to stiffen up and turn the color of dark caramel, adding wood chips as needed along the way (you’ll usually burn through about four pans worth). The necessary time varies quite a bit based on the size of the fish outside air temperature, as thicker fish and colder days take longer, but it’s usually in the neighborhood of eight hours.
Take them out, let them cool down and then vacuum pack each fish individually. Put them in the freezer and guard them with your life.
Give the process a try the next time you catch a mess of disrespected, under-utilized fish like suckers, and tell me what you think. Or better yet, let me know your best smoked fish recipe!
Next week, I’ll share my recipe for those pickled northern pike. I promise they’ll leave you addicted.
Ryan