I started out smoking on BBQ..
was ok. but.
Smoking frozen .. tried that.. think has something to do with the meat changing..
After picking up a cheap cabinet smoker.. couple minor mods to seal door properly, and enable cooler temps .. down around 38/40 deg.. things got to a stage could experiment.
An acquaintance who professionally smokes craft foods was of great help..
1/ throw way manukua.. or at least, if marketing just enough to claim manuka.. it has a background harshness to it that a lot of ladies get put off smoked foods.. Apple, maple, hickory, feijoa, peach blends are my main go tos now.
2/ you dont need brown sugar to get colour/ flavour.. (Acquaintance is diabetic) It is having the surface of the meat, in particular fish, dry.
He brines over night..
I have ended up doing this..
1/ Fillets stored at least overnight in the fridge in a container with a drain grill in the bottom.. They are smoked skinned boned on racks.. and no they do not dry out.. A larger KY fillet takes around 5 to 6 hrs.. put similar size fillets on the same rake, smaller come out earlier when just cooked right thru.
2/ In 1 L water, 100 gms of non iodised sea salt,
100gm malt brown sugar.. this can be adjusted to taste.. 3/4 cup of sweet chilli sauce.. dissolve everything well or whatever flavour you wish to have a go at.
3/ drain the fish in the container, pour over till just covered , then roll the fillets around to get marinate in...
A large KY fillet soak about 2 1/2 hrs.. smaller 1 1/2.
Mix and roll couple times over the time.
4/ Remove fillets lay out on a towel, ex skin side up, and pat dry as best as can with another towel.. very important.
5/ Sprinkle as little as possible (important) more malt brown sugar over the fillets then rub in even.
Lay out fillets in racks that have been pre sprayed with aerosol non stick oil.. the olive works better than canola.. skin side down this time.
Repeat the malt sugar above, then from a great height, grind as little as possible black pepper evenly.
6/Put in smoker, larger fillets at the top.
Temp around the 38 to 42 deg
After about 40 mins check and if excess water on fish, quickly .. maybe repeat.. different times of the yr it seems the fish 'produce' more water.
If this water is not sponged off you will lack colour
Smoke till just cooked right thru, do not over cook.
Any spare racks I fill up with marinated chicken drum sticks, sausages, chops, strips of pork belly
Important chicken must go at the bottom.
The extras I leave till everything else is out, then turn the heat up to 70/ 75 deg for around 30 mins
The mods to the cabinet covered in detail in an old thread
!/Good door seal..
2/ strong magnets on inside lip of door opening to hold door closed.. handy when have racks in your hands
3/ opened up the top vent to enable better flow to help get temps down
4/ changed the piddly little chip holder to a round cake tin 1/4" holes top and bottom that holds enough chips for a full 6/7hr smoke.
5/ changed the lpg regulator to one that the top screws off and can be adjusted...I can now drop the burner flame right down to next to nothing
6/ This resulted in the slightest breeze to blow the flame out.
put an extension on the chimney to the eaves of the shed.. and exit out side... so can now smoke inside the shed.
Ideally.. I think, would have been to replace the burner with a much smaller.. maybe, not going down that route as the adjustable regulator works a dream.
Dont smoke ex frozen...thu If the fillets had been vac packed, that works but still no where as well as fresh fish 1 or 2 days old
The as above the smoked fish/ everything keeps in the fridge very well for 5 or 6 days (thu really lasts that long) or get sick of it.. so the fish gets vac packed after 3 to 5 days.
the reason going to fillets was when goes into the kitchen, fillets are ready to go.. no bones / scales
And that really comes into its own when vac pc the left over pile. When comes out is ready for pie/ savory on crackers whatever