smokin fish??

[rdemler]

When you smoke fillets of fish do you use an IT to determine when it's done or how it pulls from the skin or bones??Thanks for your time.

[Meat Hunter]

I take it you a hot smoking them? Brining them? YES After you let them dry for a few hours to let the pellicle develope, start out at around 90 degrees for a couple hours, moving up to around 150 degrees after that for 4-8 hours or so depending on how thick your fillets are. Check em like you would a regular piece of fish. You want them cooked and flaky but will vary depending on just how moist or dry you like em.

More importantly, take some pics of your process and show us.

[rdemler]

Thank you.I wish i had the patience to figure out how to post pics.Wish I could just grab them out of the documents and post them,like i do on some places.

[Mark R]

If you mean by "IT" internal thermometer then no. They generally aren't thick enough for it to work well. I do it by touch, stick a thumb (with glove onit) on the thick part. You can feel the difference when it firms up. It's done.
If you can do the temps like MH said ,that works well.

If you don't brine them you'll need to start at 150F and maybe move that up to 200. If they are not brined 40 to 140 in 4 applies.

[BBQ Engineer]

I usually check Internal temp of everything...My super turbo fast RED thermapen has a small diameter tip that allows me to check thin as well as thick. For fish I shoot for 150° (although the FDA website says 145°). My fish smoking is usually a nice salmon fillet, and that works really well. Like Meat Hunter said...I brine as well.

[rbranstner]

I usually check Internal temp of everything...My super turbo fast RED thermapen has a small diameter tip that allows me to check thin as well as thick. For fish I shoot for 150° (although the FDA website says 145°). My fish smoking is usually a nice salmon fillet, and that works really well. Like Meat Hunter said...I brine as well.

I do the same thing with my super fast thermapen. The salmon I catch are so big that the fillets are really thick and I can put a digital probe in them. HaHa just kidding, I wish. I buy mine at Sam's and they are pretty good size so I can get a probe in them. I usually probe one and once it reads 145 I will check all of them quickly with my thermapen and pull the ones that are done.

[Richtee]

Thank you.I wish i had the patience to figure out how to post pics.Wish I could just grab them out of the documents and post them,like i do on some places.

Go to Photobucket, upload the pix from your 'puter, copy the "IMG" code, and paste into your post... I think there's a sticky on this too... maybe in the information forum?

On edit: http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/sho...69841#poststop

[Mark R]

I usually check Internal temp of everything...My super turbo fast RED thermapen has a small diameter tip that allows me to check thin as well as thick. For fish I shoot for 150° (although the FDA website says 145°). My fish smoking is usually a nice salmon fillet, and that works really well. Like Meat Hunter said...I brine as well.

Most of the fish we smoke here are mullet or mackerel, pretty thin. Not really thick enough to effectively put the sleek tapered tip of my super fast PT-100 into. Now a nice big salmon fillet is a different story. I use a combination of brine and Ceviche. Contains salt sugar and vinegar (and other things).

[rdemler]

Yup,I was talking internal temp.I'm smoking catfish so they are'nt real thick.I'll be brining in salt and molasses.I'll give the photobucket a shot this weekend,thanks for all the help.