smoked pike

[mr d]

looking for options. i want to keep it simple. I have seen card board box methods to the referb old refridgerators. I have a charcol webber and a tiny steel smoke box.. also gas grill. I seem to find alot of pike in this neck of the woods. so thanks for the input in advance.

[Kidd]

Here's a post I put up a while back about smoking Northern.

I've smoked Trout (Lake), Salmon (King and Coho), Walleye, Panfish, Suckers, Cisco's and Northern. I can honestly say that the best smoked fish I have ever tasted has been the Northern. If you ever catch a 5 - 10 lb northern, give this a try.

Brine:

Enough water to completely cover the fish

1-cup Sugar

1-cup salt

Stir, with hand, until all sugar and salt is dissolved into the water.

Cover and store over night. (Or at least 5 -6 hours)

Soak your wood (try to get apple, it does make a difference) for at least a 1/2-hour

Prepare enough charcoal to burn for about an hour, place in your smoker once it's ready

Place wood on top of charcoal

Smoke fish until the meat starts to separate from the tail. Northern have two layers of meat and it will not be thoroughly smoked until it starts to separate.

Good Luck.

[mr d]

excellent...sounds simple and i don't need to buy a 200.00+ system. i read you can leave skin and scales on too so apple wood it is

thanks from MN to MARS ha....MARS?

[walleyebw]

Do you wash the northern with mild soapy water to get rid of the slime and then rinse and place in brine solution? Do you cut the northern into smaller pieces or leave it whole?

Thank you for the information.

[Kidd]

I rinse the Northern under the faucet to remove the slime, no soap. I have cut the fish into pieces only to make it fit the smoker, not for anything to do with the actual smoking. I like to leave the fish filets whole as it's easier to tell when it's done.

Remember, leave the fish in the smoker until the skin seperates from the tail, if you don't, the thick part of the fillet will be under cooked.

[rookie44]

do you remove the ribs first?

[Kidd]

Yes. However I do leave the Y-bones.

[wall_eye_assasin]

Mr d, Can you give me a couple of good lakes your having luck on for northerns. I am in south MN but dont fish the states much. Like to do some pike fishing. Oh by the way leave some northern to boil it is tremendous.

[Deitz Dittrich]

WEA- its important to know that Northern Pike season is now closed in the state of Minnesota.

[mr d]

just off weed lines on games ...there are 3 left for the opener ha ha most all the lakes were productive it was great having good ice this year.

[bassNspear]

When i smoked pike, i smoke them whole. I cut the gutz out of the fish, but leave them whole.

Reason that i do this, is becuase i eat it like a smoke white fish. Where you cut the head off, peel the skin off, and pull the meat off the rib bones.

If you smoke it correctly, the meat will fall right off the bones. By keeping the fish whole, the smoke will stick inside the fish alot more, and the juice from the fish will stick inside the fish where its not going to dry out.

[mr d]

are the scales to be removed too? about to set fire

[mr d]

just put 10 lbs on the smoker..... let the week end begin

[Kidd]

Just saw the post. I never remove the scales just because I don't think it would make any difference, never tried it so I don't know if it's better or not.

I'll be interested to see how it turns out for ya.

Good luck.

[mr d]

well, i did not remove scales

the fish turned out great. wow

not much left after the week end thanks!!!

[bmc]

I just got into smoking fish this spring and made an awesome investment and bought a Luhr Jensen Little Chief electric smoker. I think it cost me $90. I smoked some northern last week and it turned out awesome!!! I used 2 qts water, 1 cup white or brown sugar, and 1 cup of non-iodized salt or tender quick. I brine the fillets for about 12 hrs. Take them out of the brien, rinse them off, pat them dry, and let them sit on a cookie cooling rack for an hour. Then I put them in the smoker, turn the smoker on, use 1 pan of hickory chips the first hour, another pan the second hour, and let them go for another 5 hours and voila, awesome smoked pike. When I put the fillets in the smoker and the slime was dripping onto the fillets I thought it was going to be a disaster, but they turned out awesome. I like the Little Chief because it's pretty much fool proof, very good for me! Also you don't have to babysit it all day like a charcoal smoker. Also the Little Chief comes with an awesome recipe book for all kinds of different stuff.

Brian

[swamptiger]

I've never tried smoking smaller northerns because I always figured they didn't have enough oil in them, but this post has me thinking....

How do the northerns compare to smoked whitefish when they are done whole with the scales on?

[mr d]

well the smoker was free. (had to spend 29.00 for the grates online ) so adding coal and hick chips keeps me close buy. gives me a chance to do some domestic project AND DRINK BEER!!!

having trouble remembering quantities and timing

BUT IT WORKs!

life is great

[mr d]

have made lots of smoked pike again...i want to bring some to the deer hunting gang...

qustion?

1.how long does this keep in the fridge(i need to hide it so pple don't eat it all).

2.zip lock or vac seal.?

3. can ya freez it? thanks

[HC Eye Hunter]

Does anyone know an ideal temp for smoking fish?

[Kidd]

mr D:

1.how long does this keep in the fridge(i need to hide it so pple don't eat it all).

I have kept them in the fridge for two weeks and they were fine. I think you could leave them longer, like 3 - 4 weeks without any trouble

2.zip lock or vac seal.?

I used zip lock freezer but if I had a vac seal I would use that

3. can ya freez it? thanks

In the Vac Seal I would think you're OK to freeze, don't know though because I've never done it.

HC. My smoker doesn't have a temp gauge but I would think around 200 would be fine.

[mr d]

perfect....thanks.

just pulled two racks off

hunting is in 2 weeks so im good. no need to get anyone sick.

now i just need to hide it.

[CB34]

I have some frozen northern fillets in the freezer. They are fully deboned and have no skin on them. Does anyone have some suggestions on how I could smoke these? Would you suggest placing them on tin foil so I dont loose all of the meat through the grates? I am also going to be smoking some salmon fillets this weekend as well. Can I do the salmon and northern at the same time or will the northern take on the salmon taste?

[walleyeking#8]

what i have found to work really well is placing the fillets on cheese cloth this will keep the fish from falling into your smoker. You can also purchase a rack for smoking from cabela's, or gander mountain which is like a screen window built into a rack. They might even have them at walmart in the grilling supplies area. Not sure, but i have seen them one place or another. I just use cheese cloth, and it seems to work just fine.

[IndyEFI500]

I am wondering on the temp thing as well. I see Kidd says 200 but I have heard and read anything from 80 to 180. I sure wish I had paid closer attention to my grandfather as a kid. He always had the best smoked fish around. Everyone brought theirs to him. I wonder if his old converted fridge is still laying in the weeds?