# Smoked Northern Pike???



## 9manfan

Anyone have a recipe for smoking northern ,would like to smoke a couple this weekend, was wondering about brine recipe and smoking temps,,thanks


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## meat hunter

Might not turn out too well. Usually smoked fish is of the oilier variety, Salmon, Trout. I did some Walleye last year that we caught off Red Lake. It had a good taste, but lacked the moisture of oilier fish. I think Dutch posted a great recipe for Salmon on here, might even be a sticky. Check it out, might work well for Pike.


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## lifterpuller

Northern pike is not an oily fish, but they are not as dry as walleyes.

I do a lot of fishing in northern MN...mostly walleyes, but I don't fall into the walleye snob category. I think northern is just as good table fare out of the right lake as walleye or crappie.

Anyways, even though I didn't know what I was doing at first, I made some really good smoked northern at the end of last summer.

Make sure you brine with a basic salt/sugar + whatever other spices you want overnight. I added honey.

170 was the temp I used for around 2 hours.

Do not overcook! 

Alder was my wood of choice. IT seems to be a popular fish wood.

I am sure there are some people on here with a lot of fish smoking experience that can chime in on the finer points.


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## werdwolf

I've not done Northern Pike, but use this brine on pan fish, bass, catfish with good results. I use alder or cherry.

This is from Rodbuilder;

   Smoked pan fish

  I smoke perch, crappie and bluegill all the time. It takes about 3 hours at 150 and I use cherry for smoke. Here is the brine recipe that I use...

2 Cups Water
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Pepper
1 *Tbs* Ground Ginger

I only brine for 1 hours and then rinse and let dry in the refrigerator for about an hour before smoking. You can add or subtract to suit your taste. Recipe is good for up to 2 lbs of fish...


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## 9manfan

Thanks for the replies, going to try and do a couple this weekend if the fish cooperate this saturday,,,,thanks again


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## meat hunter

I agree, Northern Pike is fantastic. I don't know why so many people shy away from them. My good buddy won't even tough em, I can't understand that. Says they are too bony. I didn't even catch my first walleye till last year, believe it or not. We went to the boundary waters last year for a week and had Northern almost every night, and it was fan flippin tastic


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## rbranstner

I have never smoked northerm but my dad use to all the time when we were little and I hated picking out the bones. I have a killer pickled fish recipe that I always use for northerns if you like that kind of stuff. I usually make my northern into pickled fish or we boil them in water with bay leafs and spices and put melted butter on the top when on your plate. We love Northern boiled or any fish we get around here for that matter.


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## rbranstner

They are even better once you learn how to debone them then!


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## 9manfan

I love pickled northern also, got a gallon jar pickling right now,I just remember my Grandpa smoking some northern and carp years ago, and have always wanted to try some northern smoked. I was never a big lover of the smoked carp.

Boiled northern is very good also, I have a recipe where you boil cut up onions so long and then add cut up potatoes into the boiling water for so long and then the northern at the end,very good stuff served with hot butter.


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## meat hunter

I love smoked carp and suckers. 
Pickled Northern? No kidding? If you can, send those recipes to me, the pickled one and the one for boiling. I would be very interested in trying both of them.  

Todd


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## davef63

ive had both, smoked, and pickled ,both are very good.for smoking, just your basic salt/ sugar brine. size of fish doesnt really matter. for pickled i think the smaller fish are better.
dave


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## tasunkawitko

northern pike are very good for smoking, if done carefully. just a regular salt sugar brine, plus any flavors you might like. 

another thing i like to do when the pike goes into the smoker is to sprinkle on a feew red pepper flakes and an herb such as dill, crushed bay leaf or thyme. you want a contrast of flavors and you definitely don't want to over-do it but it sure is good ~


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## 9manfan

I'll get them to you,,,,


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## chaser

Smoked northern is wonderfull.  I have some in the smoker right now. I am trying a new brine recipe and if it works out I will post it.  As far as the bones it is easy to remove the y bones and makes northern easier to eat especially for the kids


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## rskelhorn

@werdwolf

Thanks for the recipe.  Last week I tried this on several fillets.  My wife and I went out with our children and caught 9 pike from 20 to 27 inches.  I found the brine a bit salty for my taste (mind you I made it much larger without measuring).  I used alders in the oven and the texture was excellent.  Just put the fish on one of those cookie cooling racks in the oven above a cookie sheet of alders which were previously soaked.

Last night I caught a 9lb jack and I'll try this recipe (I measured the salt this time) so we will see.

Our family eats a lot of curry jackfish/northern pike this way:

Sauce pan:

1 or 2 tb butter

curry

couple cloves of fresh garlic

fresh ground ginger

enough water to make a cm sauce in the pan

pike

We take the nice chunks (pike is great for this as it does not fall apart like other varieties of white meat fish) and put it in a toasted bun.

Lovely


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## firemansgirl119

Would you be willing to share your pickling recipe for northern?? It would be greatly appreciated! Where we have a cottage there is to many northern so all of them are just tiny snakes and we are trying to find a good recipe to pickle them.


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## firemansgirl119

Would you be willing to share your pickling recipe for northern?? It would be greatly appreciated!


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## sb59

This is an old thread, you might try to p m him for the recipe.


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