# Smoked Northern - Q-view finished pic



## ragnar (Feb 16, 2016)

My father-in-law is headed out fishing soon, and asked me to smoke up a few fillets of Northern he had in his freezer to see if we want to smoke up what he catches, which, for the destination he's headed, is usually Northern, Perch, and Walleye. He's all but inhaled every ounce of Salmon I've sent his way, so he's excited to try something else.

I forgot to take pre-smoke photos, but here's a decent pic of the after:













Smoked northern pike.jpg



__ ragnar
__ Feb 16, 2016






Prior to curing, these were fully defrosted in the fridge, rinsed thoroughly with water, patted dry.

I did the usual 4c brown sugar to 1c non-iodized table salt to 1 Tbsp black pepper cure for about 10 hours. REALLY drew a lot of liquid out.

Rinsed off in warm water and left for an hour to develop a nice, sticky pellicle. Meanwhile, preheated the smoker to 200F.

Smoked at 200F for 3 hours, applying 80 minutes of smoke, starting 20 minutes in. Alder wood was the "poison of choice" - we like the mild flavor it gives the fish. The fillets were only about 1/2" thick, maybe a little thicker, at the meatiest parts, and had the skin removed. The very edges, where the flesh was really thin, are a bit jerky-like, but also really tasty and not overly tough. I'd prefer to leave the skins on, but these were already done.

Usually, I'm not a huge fish fan, but I'll confess... there's a chunk missing from one of these now. The brown sugar left a little bit of a lingering sweetness that blends wonderfully with the Alder smoke.

He's going to be a happy guy (assuming his daughter doesn't eat it all first!).


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 16, 2016)

Looks good, nice smoke. Alder is a great smoke for fish.


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## ak1 (Feb 16, 2016)

That's some good looking fish.


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## beuregard (Feb 16, 2016)

Very tasty looking, I will be trying that this summer, love going to the hayward area, for the crappies and walleyes, and plan on pickling some northern this summer too. Nothing better than that firm white meat. Great job. from another cheesehead.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 17, 2016)

Looks awesome!

I'm thinking smoked fish dip!

Al


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## ragnar (Feb 17, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> Looks awesome!
> 
> I'm thinking smoked fish dip!
> 
> Al


Appreciate it, Al!

Got a suggestion for a dip recipe? Sounds like it'd be worth trying!


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## SmokinAl (Feb 18, 2016)

Ragnar said:


> Appreciate it, Al!
> 
> Got a suggestion for a dip recipe? Sounds like it'd be worth trying!


  Don't really have a recipe per se.

We just mix up some mayo, cream cheese, a little hot sauce, & green onions in a food processor until creamy.

Then put the fish in & pulse it until you get the consistency you want.

We don't pulse it too much because we like to taste little bites of fish in the dip.

Sorry I don't have a written recipe.

Al


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## high on smoke (Feb 18, 2016)

Ragnar, I smoked a pike myself, and had very similar results.  The thinner parts of the fillet (tail area) was more like a jerky, but the flavor was awesome.  I think the next one I do, I will just chunk the pike like a salmon, with the skin on.  I think the skin will help keep the meat more moist.  I have been doing whole trout with the head on, and they turn out fabulous. 

That fish dip sounds darn good too, thanks Al. 













trout done skin on.JPG



__ high on smoke
__ Feb 18, 2016


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## ragnar (Feb 18, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> Don't really have a recipe per se.
> 
> We just mix up some mayo, cream cheese, a little hot sauce, & green onions in a food processor until creamy.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Al! 

Often, those "non-recipes" are the best recipes. We'll be giving this a shot in the near future.


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