Smoked Splake

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

Splake, is a newer species of Trout, which is half Speckled Trout and Half Lake Trout (hence Splake). They're very common on Lake Huron, and taste very good in most cooking methods. As a kind gesture towards my father, who has served as a police officer on the local Chippewa Ojibway reserve for 18 years, the local fichermen gave us 100 pounds of splake back in June.

Dad and I gutted and filleted the fish in two nights (could've been done in one, but out lamp went out and dad doesn't like me making fires in his shed )
We then double wrapped them in freezer bags and he began distributing them to the locals (guy can't keep a gift now can he?). We kept a few pounds of splake at the bottom of our freezer and I just found a couple.

Being as I love cooking, and I've smoked salmon, trout, and almost ever hooved animal native to Ontario, I've decided to make some smoked splake for the winter trips I'll be having this month. Smoked fish when cold keeps the flavour and is incredible on any trip, especially long canoe trips. People really appreciate a nice pinch of smoked fish after a long hard day on the portage trail.

I have smoked with traditional methods, but as to seeing where I live, and the lack of time I have to gather materials now adays, I now use an electric smoker (Small Indian Chief model with the hotplate at the bottom).

Now... I don't want to toot my own horn, but it's known around here that my smoked food is something to be cherished, and I've had alot of people ask for my recipes... so I decided.. nah, I'll give it to those British blokes on Bushcraft UK first!

Step 1)
First you need your fish, any fish will do. Skin on, or off doesn't matter. Skin on helps to hold the fish together and adds flavour, but isn't crucial. If it's fatty like a tuna or salmon, cut off the belly, it's all fat, and can spoil the food. Debone the fillets and make sure there aren't any left. Once people start chowing on this stuff, they won't remember to look for bones.

Step 2)
In a large pot or tupperware container, coat the bottom with salt. Some use rock salt or sea salt, I see no reason for this (unless you're near the sea) and use simple, household table salt. Fill your pot/container with water. Stir until you have a murky brine. I prefer cold water, because warm water makes the fish a bit mucky to deal with later.

Step 3)
Add your fillets to the brine. The more fillets, the more smoked fish you'll have, that simple. There's no real measurement rule to brining fish prior to smoking. As long as the water is really salty, and the fish are covered with water, it'll do fine. Let the fish fillets soak in the brine overnight (approx. 8-9 hours).

Step 4)
Remove your fillets from the brine and pat dry.

Step 5) The Secret Step #1
Make some long but shallow incisions on the surface of the fillet (not on the skin side) And squirt lemon juice on the surface. Rub it in gently and then zest the lemon peel over the fillet.

Step 6) Secret Step #2
Lightly (and I mean lightly) dust cayenne pepper powder on both sides of the fillet. These two steps give a kick to the taste, and are what make people remember your smoked fish. Just don't overdo the cayenne, don't need them remembering it THAT way...

Step 7) Secret Step #3
Preheat the smoker, You want it hot, hot, hot in there!... okay just warm really, we're curing the fish, not cooking it.

Step 8)
Lay your fillets across the grills, lets the sides droop down a bit so the moisture doesn't collect on the surface and just drips down (best to have a drip pan over your hotplate.. or fire).

Step 9) Secret Step #4
Most people just choose any old wood chips.. nuh uh, you're looking for a primo blend here. I suggest either alder or apple chips as your main smoke, about 75% of your woodchips should be either alder or apple. I prefer alder, don't know why, but I always link apple to big game and alder to small game and fish. Then, a small amount of Hickory and Mesquitte is added to finish your amount of woodchips. The mesquitte gives a gentle bite, and the hickory accents the salty taste with a true, honest smokey taste. Too much of either can ruin a fillet, but a small amount always benefits a smoking.

The amounts should look like this:

-75% Alder/Apple
-12.5% Mesquitte
-12.5% Hickory

Cherry I have experimented with and have decided it's like apple, I prefer it for large game, but it's not bad.

Maple isn't bad, but doesn't really have any direct flavouring to the fillet, it just helps smoking.

Birch I have not tried yet, but am interested in seeing the end result.

Alder alone isn't bad, not too much flavour, but still nice and gentle.

Do not use conifers of ANY kind, not even juniper. The strong flavour of Juniper is too much for a fish fillet. Other conifers have a tarry, piney taste, and that really can ruin a smoked fish. Leave it to the hardwoods.

Step 10)
Let the fish smoke for three hours at least. If your woodchips turn to ash or stop smoking within that time frame, dump them and add more woodchips. Just remember the amounts of what type of woodchips.

After three hours, either let it stay in for another hour... or don't... doesn't really effect it. We're not trying to dry it out like jerky. We're just giving it a good flavour, and making it edible. If it's moist, it's still good. Refridgerate and keep cool, it'll last a few days out of the fridge, but don't expect it to keep as long as jerky. Cold weather it can keep for a while, but in summer, it's just a trail food.

That's it, 10 steps, four of em secret. Try it out, experiment and see what you can come up with. Variety is the spice of life right?

 

[xylaria]

You don't half come up with some seriously mouth watering receipes. This enough to make me want to buy a smoker. You should write a book you know. I wish there was emoticon for delicious.

 

[hanzo]

Aloha OzaawaaMigiziNini,

That sounds most delicious. I love smoked fish! In fact, I will be grilling (not smoked, but still really good) up some hamachi kama for Valentine's Day. One of my wife's favorites.

Pardon my ignorant question, but soaking the filets overnight in the brine...doesn't it get too salty?

 

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

You get a salty taste, but the smoke makes the taste just right. The salt cures the fish, remember, this is wild fish, with giardia and other stuff in the same waters. It's why I avoid sea salt and rock salt though, table salt just mixes with the water, sea salt and rock salt kind've sticks to the fish and you can taste it for a while after.

 

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

You don't half come up with some seriously mouth watering receipes. This enough to make me want to buy a smoker. You should write a book you know. I wish there was emoticon for delicious.

Don't need a smoker neccesarily, if you have some property, make a fire, and build a tripod over it like you would to make jerky, just weave a rack-like shelf over the smokey fire.

Or use your barbecue, Get the charcoals going, or start the propane up, and pour wet woodchips on top. The moisture helps to steam the fish, but also cools down the heat so you're not cooking the fish fully.

Heard of a friend smoking the fish in his stove.. though I don't think his wife was impressed.. or the fire department I would assume would arrive

 

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

Oh an one last piece of advice.. try never to smoke your fish in -0.. takes longer, and more woodchips

 

[xylaria]

Don't need a smoker neccesarily, if you have some property, make a fire, and build a tripod over it like you would to make jerky, just weave a rack-like shelf over the smokey fire.

Or use your barbecue, Get the charcoals going, or start the propane up, and pour wet woodchips on top. The moisture helps to steam the fish, but also cools down the heat so you're not cooking the fish fully.

Heard of a friend smoking the fish in his stove.. though I don't think his wife was impressed.. or the fire department I would assume would arrive

I live in georgean (1830s) terrenced house that's painted white. I have paved backyard that backs on to a cobbled courtyard. I also live in area thats cover by the clean air act so I cant be making a large amount of fishy smelling smoke with out problems . Stoke on trent doesn't smell like it used to so people would notice

But there nessesity being the mother of invention we do have an aray of differant homemade wood burning stoves, from small hobo tins to a washing machine drum on legs. Which qualify as BBQs so as long we dont make large amounts of smoke we can use. Having looked at various types of smoker I am sure I could rig up something using a metal bucket a trays arranged on the washing drum stove. This paticular stove can keep a ember fire in for at least 8 hours if the original fire was large enough. Do you think this would provide a constant enough heat not to give anyone botulism, or cook the meat?

Alot of the stove top smokers seem to burn the wood chips without air, do you know if this reduces the amount of smoke that escapes into the surrounding area, and do the plug in eletric smokers make less smoke than the normal fire method?

 

[dommyracer]

Awesome guide to smoking there.

With regard to the wood you use, whats the best kind to use? Seasoned wood or Dead wood.

 

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

Seasonned, it still has the flavour.

 

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

I live in georgean (1830s) terrenced house that's painted white. I have paved backyard that backs on to a cobbled courtyard. I also live in area thats cover by the clean air act so I cant be making a large amount of fishy smelling smoke with out problems . Stoke on trent doesn't smell like it used to so people would notice

But there nessesity being the mother of invention we do have an aray of differant homemade wood burning stoves, from small hobo tins to a washing machine drum on legs. Which qualify as BBQs so as long we dont make large amounts of smoke we can use. Having looked at various types of smoker I am sure I could rig up something using a metal bucket a trays arranged on the washing drum stove. This paticular stove can keep a ember fire in for at least 8 hours if the original fire was large enough. Do you think this would provide a constant enough heat not to give anyone botulism, or cook the meat?

Alot of the stove top smokers seem to burn the wood chips without air, do you know if this reduces the amount of smoke that escapes into the surrounding area, and do the plug in eletric smokers make less smoke than the normal fire method?

In all honesty, I'm not sure about your drum. If the fish was healthy, like most market fish are, the first step of disease shouldn't be a worry. Second, handle the fish well, only use a cleaned knife and wear gloves. The brine SHOULD take care of most of the other problems.

Cooking the fish is not bad for it, it actually might be best if you are worried about disease or bacteria. My fish are all wild caught and I know the men who gathered them. If you're getting it from a market it might be best to cook the fish in the end.

Smoking sears the outside with a dry layer. Just like a blue steak. Most of the bacteria is on the outside of the meat, as long as the fish was healthy (hence knowing that the fish was wild, or you know where it was caught).

On especially cold nights (like this past night), I've smoked my trout for hours upon hours and still don't have that searing capability. Cold weather sucks the heat away from the smoke and just leaves it cold and smokey inside.

I remedy this by putting my fish in the stove after 4 -5 hours of smoking. I put it at the lowest temperature possible (pilot light on gas stoves should do it) and leave it on one side for 45 minutes-1 hour, and then the other side, 45-1 hr. I have one of these nifty modern stoves, with the "broil or bake" selection, I always go for bake, more of a dry heat.

As long as you make enough smoke for three hours inside the drum to coat the fish with the smoke taste, it should do the job. I prefer electric over open fire, because I don't have to worry about a few things;

a) Smoke is focused on the fish, rather than blowing every which way

b) Wind can't fan the fire and accidently cook or burn my fish... because it's a hotplate, not a fire.

c) Where I live, open fires are frowned upon, not illegal, but that doesn't mean I'd be the fire-squads newest best friend when they get a report of alot of smoke in my backyard! But electric smokers make very little smoke (yet focus it nicely).

Salmon, by far is my favourite to smoke, nice dark orange colour, with tough, juicy skin.. perfect. Trout can challenge it, but salmon I think is the king of fish.

 

[dommyracer]

I've never done smoking myself, haven't got a garden to do it in unfortunately.

I've read up a little about it though, and it seems there's two main methods of smoking - cold smoking and got smoking.

Hot smoked fish is basically cooked fish with a smoky flavour, will only keep for a few days

Cold smoked fish is brined for longer (like in your example) and then smoked for longer. I'm surprised at your 3 hours, if you smoke it for a day or more it will normally last for a few months in the fridge.

It sounds almost like you're doing a combination of both - hot smoking but without the heat

 

[xylaria]

Thank you very much this thread has been very informative.

I have tried smoking various meats and sausages using the washing machine drum. I have also tried to make jerky in my normal oven. I had varying success. My main worry has always been, have I smoked the meat or just done a good job of helping the bacteria grow. You have just answered that one thank you.

Never tried smoking fish as dont live anywhere, where I can tell how old it is or where is came from. But the main reason the thread sparked my interest is that my son nearly caught a trout the other day. He only been sitting there ten minutes but was using too big a hook for a trout. But fish got a really good dinner out of the maggoty fungus bait. He is only seven we know nearly nothing about fishing and I thought he would get nothing.

To use to the words of a famous englishman;
Smoke Me A Kipper I'll Be Back For Breakfast

 

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

I've never done smoking myself, haven't got a garden to do it in unfortunately.

I've read up a little about it though, and it seems there's two main methods of smoking - cold smoking and got smoking.

Hot smoked fish is basically cooked fish with a smoky flavour, will only keep for a few days

Cold smoked fish is brined for longer (like in your example) and then smoked for longer. I'm surprised at your 3 hours, if you smoke it for a day or more it will normally last for a few months in the fridge.

It sounds almost like you're doing a combination of both - hot smoking but without the heat

Yer correct good sir It's why I'll occasionally put it in an oven. Hot smoking is the method I attempt to achieve everytime, but obviously, things are different in different situations. Cold smoked fish, is almost like jerky. It'll keep for a very long time, but is not the most palatable meal on the trail.

Hot smoked doesn't last long, but doesn't need to be cooked fully, the fish just needs to be in a dry, warm area and smoked. The heat pushes alot of the juices out (which is why alot of comercial smokers have a drip pan) of the meat, but keeps some inside to leave you with a very flakey, and good meal.

Now if you worry about diseases, like Ecoli or Botchlysm(sp?), then by all means cook the fish. I just smoke it long enough to get rid of moisture on the outside, and give it a good flavour. The salt does help get rid of the bacteria as well. Safe, but wouldn't be up to code in a restauraunt, believe me.