Smoking Fish                                                                         Basic Instructions for Smoking Fish

The following are very generic steps that you can use to smoke your own fish. This is not the method that we use, but the principals are much the same and you may want to experiment a little with some different ingredients to create your own brine. You should always start with the basic brine solution that is listed under Step 1, and then add what you like to it.
You can read how we smoke our fish at The 3 Men's Fish Smoking Process.

Step 1

Brine your fish with this basic brine solution:

1/2 cup non-iodized salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 quart water
Stir until completely dissolved
Place fish in the solution, being careful to insure that the fish is completely covered with the brine and place in the refrigerator.
Thick chunks of 1" or more should be in brine 8 to 12 hours.
Thin chunks of less than 1" 6 to 8 hours is sufficient.

Step 2

Remove fish from brine and rinse each piece under cold water.
Gently pat dry and lay pieces on paper towel to air dry for one hour.
(After one hour you will notice the fish has a glazed film on it. This is called the Pellicle which is a normal and desired result of the brining process). When the fish is sticky to the touch it is ready.

Step 3

Smoke fish for about 2 hours at 200 F.
Use your favorite wood chips or chunks when smoking and experiment to find the taste that best suits your taste. Hickory, Alder, Apple and Cherry or combinations of these work well.
Add wood chips about every 30 minutes if necessary (depending on how much smoke taste you want.

To cut down on smoking time, remove skin from fish before putting in brine, then place fish in cheese cloth after the brine process (this helps get rid of fish oils faster and cuts your smoking time by about 1/4).

If you are feeling adventurous, try these alternative brines, which also work well:

Brine 1

1 quart water
1/2 cup non-iodized salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 ounces rum
1 ounce lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbs. Pickling spice
1/4 Tsp. Lemon pepper
3 bay leaves
Brine 2

3 cups water
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper