How to smoke fish in a smoker

There are two different methods to smoke fish, but I will focus on hot smoking here.

• Hot smoking - below 150 F for first 2-3 hrs then 200 F for 20 30 mins

• Cold smoking - 80 - 90 F for 1-4 days - has to be accurate and more can go wrong for the DIY cold smoker

How to hot smoke fish

Filleting fish - I wont go into this at this stage but you could have a look here - filliting fish

Brining - Make a solution of salt water so you can float an un-cooked egg in it. You can add herbs like tarragon, spices, honey, onions etc to almost marinade your fish and add depth to the final flavour. You need to leave the fish for 6+ hours to absorb the brine and other flavours. This should be left in the fridge to keep cool.

When the fish is ready for smoking, rinse it under fresh water and pat dry.

Smoking - Place the fish into your smoker at about 150F and allow it to cook for around 2-3 hrs. increasing the temperature to around 200F for the last 20 mins. This rise in temperature kills off any bad bacteria in the fish, adjust the temperature by increasing or decreasing air flow. Use chunks of wood, smaller pieces will burn hotter and faster and Fruit woods provide a nice flavour.

Make sure oyur fish is cooked through before you eat it. Cooking for too long is better than not long enough.

Follow this link if you are interested in buying a fish smoker