Smoked Sunfish?

[Rooster Chaser]

Anybody have any recommendations for smoking sunnies? I think some old timers doing it when I was growing up, just don't know how to go about it.

Any suggestions?

[KEN W]

It takes good sized fish to make it worth smoking them.I use a simple recipe of 1 gal of water to 1 cup salt.Brine overnight.Next day fire up the smoker.Smoke for about 1 1/2 hrs depending on size of fish.Leave in smoker until desired doneness.

I have some in the smoker right now.

[straydog]

I only soak fish as small as sunfish for 45 to 60 min in the brine or they will be very salty.

[Deitz Dittrich]

How do you prepare them?.. Cut the head off and scale?.. Fillet?

[IceHawk]

I usally just cut the head off and gut them.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Do you score the skin with a knife at all to help the brine get in..

[KEN W]

I leave the skin on with scales to keep them from falling apart.

[lovebigbluegills]

What's the smallest you'd recommend? 8" or so?

[Urbanflyguy]

I've heard from my local fish monger that smoked pike are really good up to 8 pounds. hes says just to use a brownsugar brine like you would with salmon. i've yet to try it but ive been starting to research the wonderful world of smoked fish. i've been smoking meat for a few years so i guess its a logical step

[2448]

I have smoked Northern before with the Brownsugar brine. Very Good. I have had sunfish smoked before, I would rather fry them then smoke them. Have you ever had smoked bass herd that was good.

[IceHawk]

Just got done getting a batch of crappies ready to get smoked UM-UM good!

[LABS4ME]

Do yourself a favor and glaze them the last half hour...

I take a 1/2 cup of apple juice, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and a couple of teaspoons of honey, warm in small sauce pan and brush on fillet the last 30 minutes...

mmm mmmm

Good Luck!

Ken

[Early Riser]

Agree with Labs about using the glaze for the last half hour. If you add the sugar with the brine it still comes out mostly salty. The glaze makes a nice taste finish with the salty/smoke flavor in the fish and the sweet from the glaze on the outside. You have to use a fillet rather than a round piece of fish with the skin on to get this effect.

We smoke winter speared pike, a few carp, a few winter caught bass, lake trout and whitefish. We have never tried sunfish, but I think the bigger ones would smoke up nice whole.