Is Alder the Best Wood for Smoking Salmon?

[Borek]

All this smoking talk makes me crave smoked eel, and googling I found this on youtube:



That's more or less how I remember smoking fish with my Dad, although we just put a barrel on rocks, and it had no drawer, fire was started directly on the ground. Earlier for a few seasons we had access to the real smoker on the attic of an old house - it was just how houses in the area were built, smoker was a must. Happy times.

But the eels they smoke on the video are pretty small, back in seventies most eels we caught were 2-3 feet long, and they were abundant. To attract small ones it was often enough to put some stinking piece of meat - or carcass - in the shallow water close to the lake shore and wait till dark. Not that they were easy to catch with bare hands.

Sadly, since then European eel became critically endangered.

 

[Dembadon]

... I saw a recipe for garlic butter injected smoked turkey.

:!)

Do you plan on roasting the garlic?

 

[Evo]

:!)

Do you plan on roasting the garlic?

Oooh, I do now.

 

[Evo]

Good luck with the chicken, Evo.

I love my smoked turkey and roasted brined turkey. However, brined turkey never worked out when smoked. The subtle rich flavor that you get in roasted brined turkey doesn't survive the smoking process and the bird comes out drier than normal IMO. Now I leave poultry strictly alone and adjust my smoking/indirect heating cooking to get the bird right.

No brining? I got the recipe off a smoker site, but i trust your judgement.

BTW, please share smoker insights either here or on the food thread. I'm a wood/charcoal guy, but my brother-in-law wanted me to try out his (old!) electric smoker while my Brinkman was out on loan. I ruined that chicken. If your modern electric smoker does really well, I should consider getting one. I can smoke meats out in the attached garage in the middle of a mid-winter sleet-storm.

So fas I am ecstatic with this unit. This new model has all of the bugs worked out and is getting 5 star reviews, I agree. You might want the added features of the 40" model.

 

[dlgoff]

I'm planning on cutting and chipping some peach and apple wood this week for you...

Done. Two quart zip-lock baggies each. Will mail Monday.

 

[turbo]

So fas I am ecstatic with this unit. This new model has all of the bugs worked out and is getting 5 star reviews, I agree. You might want the added features of the 40" model.

I probably will get one. I love smoking meats, and would like to be able to fire up a smoker in mid-winter without armloads of wood or a big load of charcoal.

 

[sas3]

Smoked Suckers, They were very good

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69555355@N07/7183875956/

 

[turbo]

Smoked Suckers, They were very good

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69555355@N07/7183875956/

Suckers are called Mountain Trout in New York, or they were 50 years ago when I was a kid. I was walking home after fishing one day, with a pretty big (maybe 5#) sucker on my stringer, and and old fella in a Caddy with NY plates stopped by. I was just taking that trash-fish home to show my father because it was pretty big. The old guy was wearing a suit and he wanted that fish. He asked if I'd sell it for $5 and I practically jumped out of my skin. He handed over the money and hauled out some newspapers so that I could wrap the fish and stick it in his trunk. I was one happy camper!

 

[Astronuc]

Suckers are called Mountain Trout in New York, or they were 50 years ago when I was a kid. I was walking home after fishing one day, with a pretty big (maybe 5#) sucker on my stringer, and and old fella in a Caddy with NY plates stopped by. I was just taking that trash-fish home to show my father because it was pretty big. The old guy was wearing a suit and he wanted that fish. He asked if I'd sell it for $5 and I practically jumped out of my skin. He handed over the money and hauled out some newspapers so that I could wrap the fish and stick it in his trunk. I was one happy camper!

We have a creek (kill) near work, and last week we watched herring and suckers in the stream apparently catching eggs that had been laid. Folks in the area catch herring for bait for catching striped bass.

Most folks don't seem interested in the suckers.

 

[turbo]

We have a creek (kill) near work, and last week we watched herring and suckers in the stream apparently catching eggs that had been laid. Folks in the area catch herring for bait for catching striped bass.

Most folks don't seem interested in the suckers.

Most people up here don't want suckers, either. Our neighbor to the north (the local cat-lady) made me promise to bring her all the trash fish (perch, chubs, suckers) that I caught, so she could feed her cats. When that well-dressed old gent pulled over and offered me $5 for that sucker (a half-day's pay for an adult at the time) I was beside myself! I could have worked my butt off for days and not have earned that much money. The old lady lost a bit of cat-food that day... $5 is $5. Well, in the 50s-early 60s, $5 was quite a lot of money for a fish that I was going to give away for cat-food.

 

[sas3]

I also thought they were just garbage fish but I along with smoking some I fillayed breaded and fried some, they were quite good, tasted a lot like northern.

 

[OmCheeto]

Smoked Suckers, They were very good

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69555355@N07/7183875956/

Hmm... I have a smoker. And I have a boat. And I know where I can go to catch about a bazillion of those ugly fish. Which we used to throw rocks at when I was a kid.

http://www.lestdarknessfall.com/images/art/suckerfish.JPG
Face only a mother could love. (Catostomus macrocheilus?)

Hmmm.. Wait a minute. Tomorrows mothers day, and I'm an orphan. Everyone else will be preoccupied. I will have all those ugly fish, for myself.

Bwah ah ha ha ha ha...

 

[Evo]

Done. Two quart zip-lock baggies each. Will mail Monday.

:!) Thanks dl!

 

[turbo]

Well, was there smoking? Reports!

 

[Evo]

Oh yes, there's been plenty of smoking going on! I Looove this smoker! :!)

 

[turbo]

Oh yes, there's been plenty of smoking going on! I Looove this smoker! :!)

Good! There was planning involved...

 

[dlgoff]

I've got peach, apple, and hickory wood chips/pieces stored up and ready for my daughters visit starting June 1st. Let there be smoke.

 

[turbo]

Do you have any alder there? It can be pretty effective on some foods. I like the fruit woods, but alder is a bit more "in your face" without all the sweetness. Then again, alder where you live might be significantly different than the wood around here.

When I was first introduced to live-wood smoking 30+ years ago, my friend was pretty hung up on wild cherry and alder, and he did a commendable job with fish, poultry, and beef.

 

[dlgoff]

Do you have any alder there? It can be pretty effective on some foods.

Not to my knowledge, but I've read that it's traditionally used for smoking salmon.

I like the fruit woods, but alder is a bit more "in your face" without all the sweetness. Then again, alder where you live might be significantly different than the wood around here.

I've experimented a little and if you really want "in your face", a little Maclura pomifera, commonly called Osage-orange, goes a long way. It'll give you the "bond fire" taste to an extreme.