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Location: Berlin | Hey guys/gals, I just bought a new electric smoker. I have NO experience with one and have done some online research but could still use some help. I have some whitebass soaking in brine right now. What temp and for how long do you recommend cooking them? I only have hickory wood. For brine, I used salt water with some brown sugar. How long do you usually let them soak? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,
Rich |
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | Rich,
We like to let fish soak at least overnight. We use one cup of salt per gallon of water.
We like to rub brown sugar on the fillets before smoking (this almost carmalizes and creates a sweeter taste). Do them on medium to medium high and keep an eye on them. You can usually tell they're done when they start to split.
I don't use an electric smoker, so it may get hotter than the all wood one that we use. You may have to go with medium heat instead of medium high. It usually takes about an hour to an hour & a half.
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Location: Berlin | Thanks! I will give that a try when I get home and let you know how it went. I love smoked fish and now I have access to as many catfish as I want so I figured a smoker was a must. Thanks again,
Rich |
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| Rich, I've had an electric smoker (round and tall version) for about 5 years. I found thast less smoke makes for better taste. I can smoke 2 full size Turkeys at one time. Sweet wood such as apple has worked best for me. The darker woods like Hickory make a stronger smoke so use less of them. Dominic |
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | If you want a real treat, try smoking some 18-20" walleyes this time of year. I've had people say how much of a waste it was until they tried them. They have very little grease and are nice thick fillets. They've always dissappeared very fast when I've brought them into work. |
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Location: Berlin | Thanks for the tips. I am going to throw everything I catch in it for now until I can get good at it. There has been a woodchuck digging holes in my backyard so he might get to see the inside of it. |
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | Well,
How did it turn out? |
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Location: Berlin | Keep in mind, these were whitebass. The consistancy and appearance where perfect. The taste however was gut wrenching. I can eat about anything and I could not handle more then a couple bites. Here is what I did.
Chopped off their heads and gutted them. Without cleaning them properly I soaked them in brine for 24hours and cooked them with hickory at 200 degrees for 2 hours.
Nest time I will fillet them but leave the skin on. I will wash them real well and let them dry out before smoking them. Even thought they tasted horrible, I think a catfish or carp done the exact same way would have been edible. I will get better but the first attempt was a bust. Good thing they were just whitebass. I want to perfect this before I eat that woodchuck. |
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | I always fillet and leave the skin on. I'm a madman when it comes to washing my fillets too. Your next attempt should go much better. |
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Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin | I'll start picking possum up off the road and chucking them into your drive way. Practice on them. When you can make a road kill possum taste like lobster, your ready for the woodchuck. |
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Location: Berlin | Why ruin a perfectly good road kill possum by smoking it?? I must be missing something. |
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Posts: 1314
Location: Menasha, WI | mmmmm. possum.
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| I have a carp and a catfish cooking right now. I will let you know tomorrow how they turn out. |
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| Whtie bass come out OK if you bleed them when you catch them. Cut the gills and put them head down in a pail so they bleed out, then put them on ice until you get home. When you clean them all you need to do is head them and gut them and do a good job of washing out the belly. I use salt, brown sugar and molasses for my brine and let them soak for at least 12 hours. With a Little Chief smoker I cold smoke them for about two hours using apple wood. Don't cover the smoker and you can ever crack open the door a little. The idea is to allow the fish to pick up flavor from the apple smoke and to dry forming a glaze on the meat. Then you close up and cover up the smoker for another hour and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temp. They should be finished when the internal temp reaches 160 degrees and the skin and meat pull away from the dorsal fin. |
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