quote:
Originally posted by williesQ:
Kirk,
Are you using a extension cord on your smoker? I made that mistake and had a black suet on the meat.
I don't understand what an extension cord would have to do with making something black. Granted, a undersized extension cord will cut down on the voltage to the heaters.. but.. won't cause the fish or other to burn or get black... at least I can't think of any way.
I've done a lot of salmon and love it. I usually make a brine that has brown sugar in it but I'm careful to rinse the salmon well and pat it dry with paper towels and fan dry further for whatever time it takes to form a pellicle. I usually arrange the fillets on the Cookshack racks on the counter and turn a fan on it.. I've done it this way since I was s commercial fisherman and learned it from other commercial fishermen and fish smokers.. problem was, back then I didn't have a CS
.. but the good news is.. now I do
PS. In case you don't know, the Pellicle is a "skin" that forms on the surface of the fish. It is shiny, tacky film that allows smoke to adhere to the fish and it seems to seal the meat so it doesn't get too dry.
Smoking some meats/fish with too much wood can cause it to get bitter.. also, if the wood is not seasoned it can cause bitter/acrid flavors. Best to use wood that has dried for a season. For all intents and purposes, I have found it doesn't make any difference if you have one pound or 20 pounds of product in your smoker.. the amount of wood stays the same for that type of product. I'd not use more than 2 oz of wood for fish (by weight.. not by chunk) A cheap postal scale from the dime store works great.. sheesh, do they still have dime stores??? Showing my age
Hope this helps...
