Smoking Fish...the Old Way

It all starts with a good hardwood fire!  Once this burns down to coals, the smoking process can begin! (photo by Matt Matechik, used with permission.)

      With all the flounder I gigged this fall, I have had plenty of fish to experiment with.  Today, I smoked some flounder.  In this post, I'll explain how to smoke fish, not in a commercially constructed monstrosity, but in a built up earthen pit.  This is an old way of preparing fish that I find really enjoyable.  When done, the fish are flavored with the perfect balance of salty, sweet, spicy and smoky flavors and, the texture is amazing.  It is pretty simple, even if you don't have any experience smoking or grilling foods.  Typically I smoke mullet, which taste great but, this time I smoked some flounder.  Why?  Because I had flounder and I didn't have mullet.  It still turned out great however, I did find that the extra oily flesh of the mullet reacts better with the smoke and salt than the flounder does. 

Materials:

Cinder blocks (or rocks or bricks)

Metal grates from an old grill

Metal sheet

Glass or plastic mixing bowl

Bucket

Grilling utensils

Firewood (hardwood)

Green hickory or oak limbs

Optional: Sweet bay magnolia or wax myrtle leaves and twigs

Ingredients:

Salt

Water

Fish (butterflied or filleted)

Large bowl or pan

Brown sugar

Black pepper

      A good hardwood fire is key to smoking fish, but before you start the bonfire, you should prepare your pit (see photo below).  I just use a simple rectangular pit, a few inches deep, lined with cinder blocks stacked 2 rows high.  If you don't have cinder blocks, just use some rocks or bricks.  It doesn't need to be a bombproof structure, you are basically just building a little wall to prevent the collapse of the fire pit and, for your grates to rest on.  The blocks also contain the smoke.  Finally, make sure the metal sheet covers your entire pit.  If it is too large, you can cut it to size.  Don't worry about making an airtight seal.  The small cracks and holes will allow a little oxygen in to keep the coals slowly burning.  Just make sure you don't have so many cracks and holes that enough oxygen to sustain an open flame is allowed in.

The smoking pit is shown here.  It is hard to tell in this photo but, it is actually 2 rows high.  The grates sit on top of the the lower row, which is slightly offset, and the second row adds some space between the fish and the metal cover (left).

      You want the fire to create a bed of coals about 6 inches deep that will last for 3-5 hours.  I typically have a bonfire the night before and, then add the fish in the morning.  The time-conscious smoker will just use charcoal, but this process isn't just about cooking delicious fish.  It's about the quality time you get with family and friends while smoking the fish, and the delicious byproduct of that quality time.  Most Americans are always rushing around.  Sure, we are all busy but a little time around the campfire with family and friends is probably exactly what most of us need.  I just build my fire directly in the pit and by morning, I usually have a good bed of coals.  If it is your first time, you may want to have some charcoal on hand in case you don't end up with enough coals.  If you have too many coals, you can always just scoop some out with a shovel.  The fire may burn for a few hours in the night, so invite some friends over to share some homebrews or jam out around the fire.
      This is also a good time to put all those friends to work.  Once you get your fire going, have one of your friends prepare a brine solution that the fish will be soaked in.  Just mix 1/2 cup of salt with a gallon of water and soak your fish in the bowl overnight (note: many recipes call for up to 1 cup of salt, but they have shorter brining times.  Either method works, I just tend to leave mine overnight so I used a less concentrated brine).  You can also use this time to have one of your friends chip some wood.  I just use a sharp hatchet and keep chipping flakes off a limb of wood.  Many different woods can be used but, I usually use hickory or turkey oak.  If you live in the panhandle, you can always experiment with other native woods such as black cherry, maple, wild grape or, hawthorn (just make sure whatever you use is not toxic).  If you happen to have a pear or apple tree, the left over limbs from pruning are also great.  Basically, just find an aromatic, green, hardwood.  Once the brining and  the chipping is done, take some time to enjoy the company until the fire dies.
      In the morning, add your wood chips to a bucket of water to soak.  Remove the fish from the brine and shake them dry.  Rub brown sugar on the fillets until the meat sides are covered.  Then sprinkle some ground up  black pepper on the fillets.  You can experiment with other seasonings (e.g. red pepper, old bay,garlic powder etc.), just remember, it is always better to start simple and  add flavors in small increments.

John adds the "rub." 

      Stir your coals and add some soaked wood chips on top of the coals.  You can also add some wax myrtle or sweet bay leaves and twigs.  They will impart a bay like flavor and aroma to the fish.  If you aren't comfortable using wild plants, you can leave them out or, just use a lot of bay leaves.   You want heat but not a lot of heat.  Remember, you want to smoke your fish, not grill them.  I honestly don't use a thermometer but, I would guess the temperature is around 160 degrees (note: This is considered a "hot smoke" because it uses heat and the smoke to cook the food.  "Cold smoke"processes, such as those used to make bacon are done at refrigerated temperatures and cook the meat solely by smoking.  Generally it is said that bacteria can spoil food at temperatures below 160 degrees, but with all the smoke and the brine I don't think it is much of a problem.  Still, I don't want to be blamed for any food poisoning so I'll recommend that you keep your temperature above 160 degrees.)  Oil your grate and set them on your first row of cinder blocks.  Add a second row of cinder blocks.  Now add your fish, skin-side down, on the grates and cover the smoking pit with your metal sheet.  Now wait.  Hopefully in a few minutes smoke will start billowing out of your pit.  Soon all your neighbors will see and smell the smoke and, decide to drop by for a visit.

It is hard to see the smoke in this photo but, there was actually a lot coming out.  Note the cinder blocks we use to hold our metal sheet on.

      Check on  your fish every hour or so and, make sure there is always smoke coming out of your pit.  If it stops for a minute or two, just be patient.  It might start smoking again.  If it stops for longer than that, take off the cover and see if you need to add more chips or stoke the coals.

Here are some fish after about an hour or so.  They are not quite done yet.  You can also see that we were experimenting with different rubs and flavors.

      Smoke the fish for 2-4 hours depending on the type of cut (butterfly or fillet), the thickness of the cut, and your desired level of dryness.  For a really fun time, try smoking fish and Cornish hens.  The fish should finish around lunch and the hens around dinner.  You can tell when the fish is done when the meat is white and flaky.  The texture will be entirely different from grilled, fried, baked or boiled fish.  I recommend trying some when the fish are still pretty moist and, some when they are dry, to decide how you like them cooked.  I like them pretty dry because then the meat just peels right off the skin.  Once you decide the fish are done, share them with your friends.

Here are some of the finished fish just before being wrapped.  The spicy Jalapeno fish were pretty good.

      If you try this, you will probably find that it is a fun way to make some delicious fish.  Have fun experimenting with different fish, woods and seasonings and, leave a comment if you have any ideas that you would like to share.  I really hope one of my northern readers tries this with whitefish or sucker.  When I was in Wyoming, I wanted to try it but, I never got around to it.  If you do, let me know.