Extreme Shark Smoking Discussion

[scarbelly]

To Heck with the Popcorn...

...JJ

It was still early here and I was still on coffee - not yet laced, that is the second cup 

 

[moikel]

Its 8 am here just walked mutts ,check Olympic results going to get the bus,pretty curious now!

 

[whittling chip]

Results are on his original post on the first page of the thread.

Hopefully this link works...

http://www.facebook.com/TheSharkTournaRoast?ref=stream

Glad they had a great time.

WC

 

[scarbelly]

I wonder if this was a NOAA event too. I used to do their security on the West Coast. I see the NOAA logo on the FB page  

 

[miamirick]

i'm still a non beleiver that this was a good tasting fish    ,,   i need some pics of the smoke and a finished product    also I'd like to see someone actually eating it,   until then i say

 

[arsenix]

So here was the prep:

• Shark was a 250lb blue shark, around 9.5' long (the guy who caught it said 10-11... but fisherman use a different tape).
• gutted on the boat immediately and washed off.
• brined it overnight (12 hours) in a walk in fridge
• in the morning it was put in the smoker, slit on both sides and rubbed down with a spice rub of garlic powder, cayenne and some other stuff (I didn't make the rub...)
• we didn't skin it
• it smoked for about 6-7 hours with applewood, to an internal temp of 140F.  Smoker temp varied between about 200 and 270, although at the end we had trouble keeping it above 200.
• then we ate!

Overall it was pretty good.  Although it was fully cooked I think it could have been more done for texture.  The shark itself was quite mild, but very smokey! We didn't have any issues with doneness variation across the shark, although if it had been longer this may have been more of an issue (we really only ate what was in the center of the smoker). There were no off flavors from the skin being left on.

The smoker itself worked reasonably well but our "burn chambers" need some design improvements for next time.  We had trouble keeping the temp up after the wind shifted and the burners had filled up with ash during the second half of the smoke.  I think we will fit them with some type of forced air the next time we try it, and leave more room at the bottom for ash.

Here are some pics:

 

[chef jimmyj]

Pretty cool, it was great that it all came together for you...JJ

 

[moikel]

OK I  can dig it,not what I would cook myself but thats not the test. You have the skills to tinker with smoker build how about you head over the farmyard & introduce yourself to the swine!

 

[stevemax]

I would probably wrap that bad boy in bacon. Shark is pretty lean and I think it would dry out as a whole fish.

One guy said sharks urinate through their skin. Black tip is the only shark I know of that pees thru a hole and not the skin.

 

[arsenix]

It actually was extremely moist and fairly mild in flavor.  We didn't detect any urea issues despite leaving the skin on.  Overall I think it turned out pretty well.
 

 

[scarbelly]

Pretty cool, it was great that it all came together for you...JJ

X2 - awesome job - thanks for sharing 

 

[kangsmokesalot]

This is one of the wildest things I have ever seen or heard of being smoked. Wow, congratulations.

 

[bryce]

This is one of the wildest things I have ever seen or heard of being smoked. Wow, congratulations.

 Bo Jackson?

 

[red dog]

Now that's an amazing feat! Having grown up in the northwest on the Columbia river I can see doing this with a whole sturgeon. Only thing I would do is butterfly it and smoke it skin side down. Maybe brine it a bathtub for a day or 2!

 

[shoneyboy]

great job !!!

 

[dirtsailor2003]

That's great, and to think I've thrown back hundreds of Blue Sharks!!! Back in my fishing days I only had two Little chiefs, don't think I could fit a whole shark in there!

 

[linguica]

I would probably wrap that bad boy in bacon. Shark is pretty lean and I think it would dry out as a whole fish.
One guy said sharks urinate through their skin. Black tip is the only shark I know of that pees thru a hole and not the skin.

FYI.........Please read

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_sharks_urinate

http://itchuary.com/Preparing-Shark.html

 

[smoke happens]

FYI.........Please read

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_sharks_urinate

http://itchuary.com/Preparing-Shark.html

Interesting read on the dogfish. I remember when I was a kid growing up my dad would always club dogfish when we caught them salmon fishing and throw them back, "rats" is what they were commonly called. May be worth a try just to see what they taste like if I get some bycatch.....

 

[go4abliss]

Roll in sausage then wrap in bacon....Whole Shark Fatty!!!

EVERYTHING IS BETTER WITH BACON......

 

[grono]

As a new smoker, I'm flabbergasted at this post. I'm reading the comments to my wife (who might have actually been listening) and thinking this is something I would try just to learn, which is what my whole cooking experience has been for over the last year. It was kinda neat seeing everyone learning on this thread, and congratulations for adapting an overcoming with this feat! Wish I was there to participate.