I'm planning on smoking some catfish filets that I'll spice with a cajun-themed rub tomorrow night. The recipe calls for pecan as the wood of choice but since I don't have any, I was wondering what you all would recommend. (I have alder, apple, cherry, hickory and mesquite.)

I've searched the archives and haven't found any mention of using alder with catfish. Would it be the best choice or would you recommend one of the others?

Thanks!

I would use something real mild to complement the mild tasting catfish. Either apple or alder will be your mildest. Pecan is a mild smoke.

I know where you can get some pecan 25 miles south of Seattle.
E-mail me if you want to get some.
Jim

Do you have any dead sugar maple in your area? We have backwoods smokers going all over our area here in northern Minnesota and they seem to use the maple for fish. I have been lucky enough to try some, and it was teriffic. Short of that, alder is also used quite frequently.

Apple will be fine.

I also learned from Stuart,a few years back,that if you let the yellow smoke burn off mesquite before you put the catfish in,it works nicely.

Good on shrimp,also.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Minion:
[qb] I know where you can get some pecan 25 miles south of Seattle.
E-mail me if you want to get some.
Jim [/qb]

Sutter Home and Hearth in Woodinville sells every kind of wood you can think of. About $6 a bag that'll last about 20 smoking sessions.

with the choice of wood you have myself i think i would try 25% hickory and 25% cherry and 50% apple. and that is the whole reason i bought a fec100 and sm150 i get to make my own blend
jack
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!
ps. i just gotta ask since i grew up in indiana is it a bullhead, channel or blue you got????