Smoking Tullibe Question

[CrappieAttitude]

Ok ladies and gents, I purchased a Brinkman charcoal smoker this summer and have yet to fire the thing up. this past weekend we caught some "tullies" and wanted to know if anyone has some helpful hints of what to do with them. I know they pretty much stunk up the fishouse as we were handling them. Is there any way to lesson the funk smell before putting them on the smoker, or will that disapate after a few hours. I am totally new to smoking, and am unsure if this would be the best idea for my trial run. Any thoughts would be appreciated. If you have any recipes, that would be a great addition as well. I am totally going into this blind.

Thanks,

CA

[westb]

The best way to get rid of the smell is to fillet the tullibes out like you would a walleye So you get rid of the stinky skin. I then soak my fillets in a brine solution of

3 cups water

1 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup kosher salt (non-iodized)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

Soak fillets for 8 to 12 hours. Remove fish from brine and rinse each piece under cold water. Gently pat dry fish and lay pieces on paper towel to air dry for one hour. When the fish is sticky to the touch it is ready.

I then smoke the fish for two hours at 200 degrees use your favorite wood chips adding more chips every 30 min. depending how much smoke flavor you want.

Enjoy.

[CrappieAttitude]

Thanks westb!! For future reference do you use a similar solution for other fish that you smoke?

Thanks again,

CA

[westb]

I have used this brine on tullibee, walleye, northern, and panfish. I have tried other brines but this one seems to give a really good flavor. Hope you like it.

[bassNspear]

Go to a meat market, and ask for the "Sweeter N Sweet" I garrentee you it will make them fish awesome. You will love it.

[sparcebag]

A brine is not only for flavor,It conditions the meat to accept smoke,Try 1 gal water, 2 c. salt-1 c. sugar soak overnight @36-42 degrees,Remove meat pat dry let air dry on a rack 1-2 hrs.

On fish leave skin on or you'll be picking small pieces off the bottom of smoker. Cold smoke 90 degrees or less 6-8 hours Hot smoke 175-225 degrees till done Add wood? well try smoking you'll find out it can have too much smoke or not enough--- Experiment also with brine Experiment try your favorite spices I liks Molasses,Maple sryup,Hot sauce It's all your own taste Good Luck

[3pronghook]

kept 6 nice 15" tullibee from mille lacs and want to smoke them. i cut the heads off and gutted them. Right now i have not cut the ribs from the backbone and only cut to the anal fin on the belly side. Should i open them when i brine and smoke them? or just leave them as they are?