Since moving here to Argentina nearly three years ago if there's one thing food wise that I've missed most it has to be a bit of smoked fish. Fish in general is very poor here selection wise and smoked fish is impossible to find.
So I was toying with the idea of buying some fish (hake is readily available) and smoking my own along with maybe some ham.
I have been doing some research on Google and found some useful sites which explains the ins and outs of the process of hot and cold smoking and was wondering if anyone on here can offer any useful tips and ideas based on your experiences. As I will probably have to build my own smoker is the end result really worth all the hassle?
Since moving here to Argentina nearly three years ago if there's one thing food wise that I've missed most it has to be a bit of smoked fish. Fish in general is very poor here selection wise and smoked fish is impossible to find.
So I was toying with the idea of buying some fish (hake is readily available) and smoking my own along with maybe some ham.
I have been doing some research on Google and found some useful sites which explains the ins and outs of the process of hot and cold smoking and was wondering if anyone on here can offer any useful tips and ideas based on your experiences. As I will probably have to build my own smoker is the end result really worth all the hassle?
It's worth it. A friend of mine bought plans from here.
The results are fantastic.
He's got a cold vault which is this year's winter project: parma ham.
It's worth it. A friend of mine bought plans from here.
The results are fantastic.
He's got a cold vault which is this year's winter project: parma ham.
Thanks....good to know. I had a look at that site you linked to. It certainly sounds and looks pretty good. The cold smoker seems to be a more elaborate structure compared to a hot smoker.
I am in the middle of curing my first pancetta at the moment so I shall see how that turns out....it could be worth a smoking I suppose.
You can actually buy little fish smokers, they don't do a vast amount, and its a hot smoke, but actually, they produce pretty nice fish. Try not eating it all at once as its removed from the smoker They use meths to burn woodchips or saw dust, which provides the smoke.
You can actually buy little fish smokers, they don't do a vast amount, and its a hot smoke, but actually, they produce pretty nice fish. Try not eating it all at once as its removed from the smoker They use meths to burn woodchips or saw dust, which provides the smoke.
Yes they look ideal actually for a bit of fish. Quite a simple design as well, I could probably make one of those you know. Thanks for the link Jenbel I hadn't seen one in action before.
I have a Traeger pellet grill which can do low-heat smoking, and I've used it for warm smoked salmon with excellent results. Pellet grills are a bit expensive for the occasional fish smoking, but there is an attachment many pellet grill owners have bought which allows cold smoking and can be connected to any grill or even just a cardboard box, if you desire. Works great.
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There's a recipe in the sugar club cookbook by Peter Gordon for tea smoked salmon which is very easy, quick and needs minimum equipment (you can do it with some aluminium foil, a pot and a metal colander).
It isn't the kind of smoking that will preserve fish over long periods but it's a great way to have a go at smoking - the taste is beautiful and makes a stunning breakfast.
Yes they look ideal actually for a bit of fish. Quite a simple design as well, I could probably make one of those you know. Thanks for the link Jenbel I hadn't seen one in action before.
With an angling father, he had to find something to do with too many trout that we wouldn't eat, and he discovered that we liked it smoked.... we've had smokers in the family off and on for years as a result. His hot smoked trout pate is a combination of trout, lemon juice, butter and bones - if we are lucky, he remembers the salt too
Me bride smokes fish in a wok. Soaks the chips and puts them on a foil tray (to ease cleaning up.) Fish on a rack over the chips. Everything in her big iron wok. (Not the non-stick type.)
The wok goes on a stove out on our deck. I don't know if this is the recipe she uses, but it seems close:
It would seem that smoking your own is worth doing then. We are leaving for the UK in a few weeks time so shall take the opportunity while we're over to have a look at the smoker Jenbel mentioned. They aren't available to buy here plus they seem to be reasonably priced and compact enough to bring back.
All your ideas and recipes sound interesting, many thanks for all your contributions, much appreciated....I didn't realise there were so many different ways of smoking to be honest.
Mine is a bit different, I have a hot smoke stove top unit that seals shut (so no smoke in the house). I mostly smoke scallops or shrimp in the unit but have done fish as well.
I did try this once with a bunch of friends back when I was younger, but my parents caught us and that was the end of fish smoking for us. They told us it would stunt our growth, make us infertile and that smoking fish was a gateway drug to all kinds of other nasty things.
Decades back, the classic "fish camp" method involved finding/salvaging an old refrigerator (from when most interiors were metal, not plastic), installing a flue with a damper, and using a pie pan with a bit of charcoal and well soaked wood (your choice, hickory, apple, etc.) chips in the bottom. A thermometer with a separate probe (inside) and control of the damper allowed temperatures to be controlled for "cold smoking".
Among the best of smoked fish are mullet, otherwise used for bait, except in FL's panhandle where fried mullat are a standard. The oily flesh makes them preferable to many of the white-fleshed delicate types. Kingfish (a big, sometimes really big mackerel), otherwise not a dining favorite, become a gourmet item (if "bled out" vertically prior to smoking) after smoking.
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They use meths to burn woodchips or saw dust, which provides the smoke. 
