smoking ciscos

[loadmaster]

Getting ready to do xmas fish smoking. All tullies. After doing this for many years, last year somebody asked my why mine did not have that sheen/golden color you get on the store bought ones. Everybody thinks they taste great. Mine do not look bad. Does anybody got this figured out.

[Mike89]

brown surgar baste during smoking could be the answer

[DooWap]

How are you smoking yours? When I smoke tullies (or any fish for that matter) I brine them over night. I just use a simple brine, enough salt to float an egg. Then I take them out of the brine in the morning and let them sit in the fridge uncovered until I get home from work. This helps develop a tacky film that the smoke will stick to on the fish. I think that is what's going to give you that golden color.

[eyeguy 54]

i put a little maple syrup on tullies the last 30 minutes. mmmmm. different woods might make a dif also.

[loadmaster]

have tied all of those. I do not believe in the commercial smoker operations that somebody is applying a coating to all the fish in a giant smoker

[eyeguy 54]

maybe they hire elves

[Alagnak]

Do you use a liquid brine or dry rub? Is there brown sugar in it?

[loadmaster]

Liquid and yes brown sugar with liq maple syrup

[Alagnak]

Hmmm, me too. I get a browning to the skin though. Ramp up the smoke or get out the food coloring to trick them 😃

[eyeguy 54]

hickory wood and a little maple syrup.

just white sugar and non iodine salt in brine

[delcecchi]

Isn't that gloss called a "pellicle"? found this

Quote:

This is one step many beginning smokers fail to do, but drying your cured, brined fish in a cool, breezy place is vital to properly smoking it. Why? You need to form what is called a pellicle, which is a thin, lacquer-like layer on top of the fish that seals it and offers a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to.

You achieve this by resting the brined fish on a rack and putting it in a cool -- less than 65 degrees -- place that has good air circulation. If you'd like, run a fan over the fish at low speed.

Let the fish dry this way for at least 2 hours, and up to three. Don't worry! The salt in the brine will protect your fish.

[loadmaster]

Eyeguy never have filleted out my tullies what is the pro/cons. How careful are you when cutting in half and how is the cooking time effected

[blue_healer_guy]

I think that is why, i cant see you getting eyeguys color leaving fish whole. i always fillet.

[hockeybc69]

I always fillet as well.

[eyeguy 54]

I have never done whole fish. I would think no maple syrup on whole fish

[fivebucks]

I smoke my tullies whole and always get that nice smoked look. As said above make sure you get a good pellicle on the fish and then smoke away. You may need more smoke.

[otterman91105]

I smoked both ways as a whole fish and the fillet. I would prefer the fillets cause they get so much more smoke onto the meat.

[eyeguy 54]

yepper.