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curing and cold smoking mackerel

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  • curing and cold smoking mackerel

    Hi, i have a couple of questions about curing and cold smoking mackerel, anyone have a brine or cure recipe that incorporate instacure as i want these babys to last, and how long would you suggest i should brine/cure them for. the mackerel we get here are about 1lb in weight if that helps. cheers.

  • #2
    Im not the resident expert on brining fish... I know erain has and many others.. Hang tight and someone can get you the help you are asking for...
    Ken


    I Should Have Been Rich Instead Of Being So Good Looking

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    • #3
      Do a Search for "Fish Brine"

      You'll get a lot of stuff pop up
      Pick and choose and good luck.

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      • #4
        mackerel is never cold smoked - unless it's a kipper.

        Traditionally mackerel - certainly all the smoked mackerel you buy in england - is hot smoked.
        I eat a fair bit of this, haven't made any myself yet.

        Not sure what use cold smoked mackerel would be - it's an oily fish with a very strong flavour.

        You could prepare it the same way you do smoked salmon.
        3:1:1
        seasalt:brown sugar: dill

        maybe leave out the dill.

        If you intend to cure it (not strictly necessary with fish) then weigh your cure salt (15g per kilo of fish) and make up the rest with ordinary seasalt.
        ALWAY weigh cure salt ( I know i've told you this already - but it's worth repeating lol)

        So for a dry cure (and if cold smoking, wet brined fish isn't ideal) weigh fish, weigh cure salt and then use a teaspoon to make up a rub with a 3:1 salt to sugar ratio. You need enough cure to rub all the fillets thoroughly on both sides.
        Rub mackerel fillets (use fillets for this not whole fish) thoroughly in cure. and stack in a container and refridgerate over night.
        Then cold smoke for about 4-5 hours. These are thin fillets and won't need huge amounts of smoke - the only use i can think of for the resulting fillets would be gentle poaching in milk or using in a fish pie.

        I'd - personally - use seasalt not cure salt, which is how i make cold smoked salmon.

        never brined fish so can't help much there :-)
        Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
        Just call me 'One Grind'



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        • #5
          Hey ca, thanks for the reply, i know u already told me but i keep forgeting lol. im gonna right all this down in my new little smoking book(a bit sad but it helps).

          The reason i want to cold smoke is that i dont have the means to hot smoke YET!. the only reason i would want to cure is if i had alot of them and was looking to keep them for a bit, just for piece of mind really.

          I like the sound of the dill mixture, ill give it a try ane let u know how i get on.

          Also, ive just started curing my first bit of belly pork, so should have some nice streaky bacon in about a week! cant wait.

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          • #6
            If you don't have the means to hot smoke you could finish in the oven.

            Years ago when dad got his electric Big Chief smoker, the hotplate in it didn't get hot enough. He'd brine them and smoke them for a couple hours and then finish in the oven. He replaced the burner with a hotter one and I was just a kid when he was doing it, so I don't remember all the particulars. May be an option.
            S-M Misfit #16

            If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. ~ Red Green

            It's a shame stupidity isn't painful.

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            • #7
              yep that's a thought.
              Cold smoke then cook.
              To get same effect as hot smoking cook in the bottom of the oven at gas mark 2 - or equivalent, for an hour or so.
              Remember hot smoked foods are cooked at low temps for a long time :-)

              I know you're using a smoke daddy to generate smoke - but what are you actually smoking In.
              ie: what container is the food in while it's subjected to smoke ?
              If it's anything bar a cardboard box or plastic container - then you could probably add heat to it anyway :-)
              (just don't set fire to it like i did lol)
              Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
              Just call me 'One Grind'



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