The Art of Smoking Fish

In the Beginning ..........

First there was Man. Then came Fish (not Woman !) Then came Fire and Brimstone. The combination of all three gave us Smoked Fish ! No ?, but seriously, smoking foods have been around for thousands of years. It is an historically important method of preparing food because of its preservative qualities. Before the age of refrigeration, that was extremely important. Unfortunately, most smoking methods were aimed at just that, preserving food. The usual result was that smoked foods were dry, frequently quite salty, and generally unappealing by today's standards.

Now a days, the fisherman's catch, if properly preserved, can be a welcome addition to family meals over a period of several weeks or months. Smoking is an excellent way to preserve fish that you don't plan to eat right away. Fish is smoked as it dries over a smoldering fire. Wood smoke adds flavor and color; the brining process helps to preserve the fish.

By today's standards, with our culture's emphasis on healthy eating, one is drawn to wondering about how healthy it is to eat smoked foods. Also of particular concern is today's level of pollution, ie are the fish I am eating fresh? These are legitimate concerns. With reasonable caution and moderation there should be nothing to worry about.

How Safe Is It ?

The question has come up from time to time, "Is it safe to eat smoked foods? Can they cause cancer?" The answer seems to be yes. But in moderation, the risk is probably minimal. You are at much greater risk driving to work. But you knew that.

According to some experts, smoked foods contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (say that around people you want to impress) as well as formaldehyde, both known carcinogens.

Furthermore, smoked foods are known to be carcinogenic when eaten as a regular part of a person's diet. In one study, workers in smoke houses were observed to exhibit elevated occurrences of some cancers. So it would appear that eating smoked foods does elevate the risk of developing certain cancers.

How Great is the Risk ?

How great is the risk? At the very least, it is probably related to the quantity and regularity of consumption. There may also be some sort of threshold effect below which the risk would be negligible. I have read some extracts from experts stating that a single carcinogenic molecule in your body can cause cancer. "One is all it takes."

So what are you going to do? Enjoy smoked fish, bacon, sausage, and barbecue as you have always done? As for me the answer is, "Sure I will!" I just wont do it every day. All things in moderation, that includes health food, exercise, and listening to experts !

Smoking Methods

There are two general methods of smoking fish, namely hot-smoking and cold-smoking. Commercial Hot-smoking requires a short brining time and smoking temperatures of 90�F for the first 2 hours and 150�F for an additional 4-8 hours. Hot-smoked fish are moist, lightly salted, and fully cooked, but they will keep in the refrigerator for only a few days.

Commercial Cold-smoking requires a longer brining time, lower temperature (80-90�F) and extended smoking time (1-5 days or more of steady smoking). Cold-smoked fish contain more salt and less moisture than hot-smoked fish. If the fish has been sufficiently cured, it will keep in the refrigerator for several months.

Parasites in Fish

Freshwater and marine fish naturally contain many parasites. These parasites are killed during the hot-smoking process, if the temperature reaches 140�F. Use commercially frozen fish for cold-smoked fish, or freeze the fish to -10�F for at least 7 days to kill any parasites that may be present. Freezing to -10�F is not possible in most home freezers.

Preparing Fish for Smoking

Any fish can be smoked, but species high in fat (oil) such as salmon and trout are recommended because they absorb smoke faster and have better texture than lean fish, which tend to be dry and tough after smoking.

Use only freshly-caught fish that have been kept clean and cold. Fish that have been handled carelessly or stored under improper conditions will not produce a satisfactory finished product. Do not use bruised, broken, or otherwise damaged flesh.

If you catch your fish, clean and pack them in ice before starting home. When you get home, store the fish in the refrigerator until you are ready to prepare them for smoking.

Different fish species generally require specific preparation methods. Salmon are split (backbone removed) where as bottom fish are usually filleted. The following preparation steps can be applied to any fish:

• Remove scales by scraping against the grain with the dull edge of a knife.

• Remove head, fins, tail, viscera.

• Wash body cavity with running cold water to remove all traces of blood and kidney tissue (dark red mass along the backbone).

• Split the fish by cutting through the rib bones along the length of one side of the backbone.

• For large fish, remove the backbone by cutting along the other side of the backbone to produce two fillets or boneless sides. For small fish, the backbone can be left attached to one of the sides.

• Cut the sides of large fish into uniform pieces about 1� inches thick and 2 inches wide. Small fish halves can be brined and smoked in one piece.

One of the greatest pieces of equipment I have in my cooking arsenal is the humble Barbecue Kettle, or the Weber. Many a times have I used the Weber to cook a roast, or a pork, some simple kebabs and snags or for that matter a nice sized Snapper or Mulloway, and always to perfection ! Using the Weber for smoking is just another great way where the process of cooking is so effortless.

The trick with using any cooking appliance, is to use it often enough so that you can correctly judge its usage of timing and cooking. This naturally takes time and practice, and it's usually the family that ends up being the guinea pigs for the food that you cook.

There are two ways of cooking using the Weber, the indirect or direct method. These methods dictate the position of the barbecue briquettes within the Weber itself. In the case of smoking fish, the indirect method is used, where the position of the coals that provide the heat are positioned to each side of the Weber, rather than in the middle, directly under the food that is to be cooked.

Always use the indirect method when using a Weber to smoke food. As my Weber is the large 57cm variety, I use about 40-45 briquettes on each side of the Weber, and yes, I do count them, then usually add 1 each side for good luck ! Indirect fires are transformed into smoke-cooking fires by adding just one or two chunks of Hickory to the coals on each side of the Weber. Its a good idea to leave the lid off for a little while when adding the Hickory. This allows it to catch fire. Once it is burning, replace the Weber lid, and it will start to smoke intensely.

You will need to brush or spray some oil onto the grill, so as the fish does not initially stick to the grill during the course of smoking. You will also need a large cake pan to use as a drip pan. The drip pan is important to keep the direct heat away from the fish, to force the smoke to spread throughout the Weber, and to catch the drippings which could flame up if they fell onto the coals below. I also make a habit of filling up the drip pan with a small amount of water. The heat from the briquettes against the pan will heat up the water, causing it to steam. This will keep any foods being cooked from drying out to quickly. It also prevents the pan from getting too messy with all the fat and oil that can drip down, making cleaning of the pan that much easier.

Place the fish on the oiled grill and close the lid. Make sure that the top and bottom vents are partially open, so as to allow the briquettes to continuously smoulder the Hickory blocks, rather than completely extinguishing them. You can leave the fish splayed on the rack or fold them closed. If smoking fish whole, I think closing them gives a better appearance, but splaying them gives them more surface area through which to absorb the smoke, hence a smokier flavour. It is all a matter of personal taste. If you splay them it is better to leave them that way when you serve them. The skin will crack open when you fold them closed after you smoke them. On the other hand, if you serve them splayed you might as well have filleted them in the first place.

As the fish smokes keep an eye on the grill. If you see the smoke thinning out, replenish the wood. Once the fish is cooked, remove the fish and close all the vents on the Weber, both top and bottom, so as to suffocate the briquettes. Once cool, these briquettes can be re-used for your next Weber barbecue.

Remove the fish to the kitchen to cool. The nice swollen shape it had on the grill will go away and the skin will wrinkle somewhat as it cools. This is natural. You can now serve the smoked fish, or bag the it and place it in the refrigerator. It will keep for weeks if you keep it cold.

Have a look at Smoking Rainbow Trout for an in depth insight into smoking fish in a Weber.

Most Common Mistakes made when Smoking your Fish

• Trying to rush things along - Barbecues take time and patience. You can't afford to rush it. My Weber Cooking Guide states for Fish (Whole), smoke-cooking should be 25 minutes per kilo, where as Fish (Fillets) are 8 - 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

• Being a novice, and a lack of confidence - It helps to be a semi-good cook in the kitchen before you venture out onto the barbecue. If you can't boil water, let someone else do the barbecuing.

• Opening the lid to peek too often - This lets out the heat and the Weber will be below recommended cooking temperature. Open the lid only when necessary to mop or move or turn the meat. The meat's not going anywhere, so you don't need to keep checking up on it.

• Using the wrong fuel starters to start your barbecue briquettes - This can give you some really awful odors and tastes in your smoked meat. Use the prescribed fire starters for heat beads - such as Jiffies. Also keep in mind to allow the fuel to completely burn out, and for the heat beads to ash over.

• Using green wood - You must use seasoned wood to get good results when you begin barbecuing. Using green wood without knowing what you're doing is the surest way to ruin the meat. You'll get creosote (oily liquid from the wood) and that will make the meat bitter.

• Trying to adjust too many things at once - Don't adjust everything on the Weber at once. Change one thing, see what happens, then change another. For example, adjust one vent at a time to get the desired flow of air and burn of wood to generate the right amount of smoke and heat.

• Changing things too much at once - Make small changes to the Weber. Open or close the vent(s) a little at a time, not a lot all at once. If you are continually making big changes, you will continually overshoot the correct temperature point. Make the changes in small increments.

• Putting cold meat into the smoker - This can lead to the condensation of creosote (oily liquid from the wood) on the surface of the meat. Always allow the meat to come to room temperature, about an hour, before you put it in the smoker.

• Having a Trial Run - Don't invite the family, the in-laws, or the next door neighbours over the first day you get that new Weber. Practice first, get to know your Weber on a personal basis. Try cooking a roast pork, or a couple of chooks (very easy !). Then venture into the Art of Smoking Fish !