I do a lot of BBQ cooking and smoking fish and making jerky. I have developed my own recipes over time and I was wondering if anyone here on a "guy car site" would like to have guy made recipes. I put hundreds of beers into the work needed to create these masterpieces and some fine meat and fish too. Most remain in my head but I took time to actually measure and write how I do jerky and smoked fish. The BBQ ones are not yet put into words. Most of my stuff has what I call my Redrum’s Polynesian Cajun cooking - sweet, hot or both!

I will post my jerky recipe and smoked fish recipes and see what you all think. graemlins/beers.gif

Smoking Fish

Redrum’s Polynesian Cajun cooking -

The fisherman's catch, if properly preserved, can be a welcome addition to family meals over a period of several weeks or months. Smoking is an excellent way to preserve fish that you don't plan to eat right away. Fish is smoked as it dries over a smoldering fire. Wood smoke adds flavor and color; the brining process helps to preserve the fish.

Hot Smoking

Hot-smoking requires a short brining time and smoking temperatures of 90°F for the first 2 to 3 hours and 140 - 160°F for an additional 4-10 hours. Hot-smoked fish are moist, lightly salted, and fully cooked, but they will keep in the refrigerator for only a few days.
Smoking Tips
Any fish can be smoked, but species high in fat (oil) such as salmon and trout are recommended because they absorb smoke faster and have better texture than lean fish, which tend to be dry and tough after smoking.

Use seasoned non-resinous woods: hickory, oak, apple, maple, birch, beech, or alder. Avoid: pine, fir, spruce, etc. or green woods. If heavier smoke flavor is desired, add moist sawdust to the heat source throughout the smoking process. I use mostly alder with a bit of cherry for salmon.

Control heat by adjusting air flow.

· Hot-smoking--90°F for the first 2 – 3 hours; 140 - 160°F for remaining smoking time.
Preparing Fish For Smoking
Use only freshly-caught fish that have been kept clean and cold. Fish that have been handled carelessly or stored under improper conditions will not produce a satisfactory finished product. Do not use bruised, broken, or otherwise damaged flesh.
If you catch your fish, clean and pack them in ice before starting home. When you get home, store the fish in the refrigerator until you are ready to prepare them for smoking.
Different fish species generally require specific preparation methods. Salmon are split (backbone removed); bottom fish filleted; herring headed and gutted, and smelt dressed. The following preparation steps can be applied to any fish:
1. Remove scales by scraping against the grain with the dull edge of a knife.
2. Remove head, fins, tail, viscera.
3. Wash body cavity with running cold water to remove all traces of blood and kidney tissue (dark red mass along the backbone).
4. Split the fish by cutting through the rib bones along the length of one side of the backbone.
5. For large fish, remove the backbone by cutting along the other side of the backbone to produce two fillets or boneless sides. For small fish, the backbone can be left attached to one of the sides.
6. Cut the sides of large fish into uniform pieces about 1½ inches thick and 2 inches wide.
Preparing Brine
I prepare a brine of 1/ 2 to 1 part salt to 4 parts maple syrup. Stir the salt and syrup until a saturated solution is formed. This brine will pull a lot of moisture out of the fish so it will be a lot thinner when you are done!

Spices such as black pepper, bay leaves, seafood seasoning, or garlic, may be added to the brine depending on your preference.

Use enough brine to completely cover the salmon in freezer bags. Brine fish in the refrigerator, if possible. Keep the fish covered with brine throughout the brining period. Do not pack the fish so tightly that the brine cannot circulate around each piece. Brine for 8 to 12 hours and turn the bag several times to evenly brine the fish.

After smoking at 90 to 100 degrees for about 2 - 3 hours, slowly bring the heat up to about 140 to 150 degrees. You have to check the smoke and heat quite often to prevent overheating during the drying process. You can take the heat up to 160 degrees after the thin pieces are done as you want the salmon to get to 140 degrees when finished hot smoking. If you let it get over 170 degrees you will have BBQ fish!

As the fish starts to heat up and gets firm I start to marinate with a honey/dark brown sugar caramelized glaze. You take 1 part honey and 1 part brown sugar and put it in the microwave on high until the mixture get hot enough to boil. Be sure all of the brown sugar has dissolved which may mean you need to bring it to a boil two to three times. While it is hot and liquid you brush the glaze onto the salmon. I usually do this three times in the last few hours.

Thin strips of salmon (1/2 inch raw) normally take about 7 hours to finish and tend to be more like jerky. The thickest pieces I do are from King Salmon and about 2 inches thick raw. These take about 11 ½ hours.
Hot-Smoking
1. To hot-smoke fish, follow steps 1-6 under "Preparing Fish for Smoking."
2. Brine for 8 to 12 hours, overnight works best. Brining times can be adjusted to give the fish a lighter or heavier cure.
3. After brining, rinse the fish briefly in cold running water to get the salt off.
4. Place the fish skin-side down on greased racks in a cool, shady, breezy place to dry. The fish should dry for 2 to 3 hours or until a shiny skin or pellicle forms on the surface. The pellicle seals the surface and prevents loss of natural juices during smoking. A fan will speed pellicle formation.
5. Place the fish in your smoker. For the first 2 to 3 hours, the temperature should not exceed 90°F. This completes the pellicle formation and develops brown coloring.
6. After the initial 2-3 hour period, slowly raise the temperature to 140 - 160°F and smoke the fish for an additional 4 to 8 hours (cold wet weather will be longer). The length of time will depend on the thickness of the fish, weather, and on your preference for dry or moist smoked fish. Generally thin ½-inch-thick pieces are smoked for 4-6 hours, 1-inch-thick pieces for 6-8 hours, and 1½-inch-thick pieces for 8-12 hours. The fish should get to about 140 degrees.
7. Store hot-smoked fish in the refrigerator. Freeze hot-smoked fish if it will be stored longer than a few days.
How the Smoker Works -
Whether you will be cold or hot smoking, you will need:
· a heat source
· a smoke source
· a chamber to smoke fish
· an air ventilation system
The Physics Lesson. Fresh air enters at the bottom of the heated smoker and combines with the smoke. The heated smoke rises and covers the fish, evaporates some water from the fish, and leaves the smoker through a vent, similar to a chimney on a fireplace. When the process is finished, the fish is cooked and has a smoky flavor.

Smoking times are highly weather-dependent – on temperature, wind, humidity, and the full moon. Okay, maybe not the moon, but you get the picture – Smoking fish is more art than science.

Your smoked fish will take less time if you're smoking them on a hot July afternoon than if you’re smoking them on Christmas Eve. For example, it might take five hours to smoke your fish on a summer afternoon and 12 hours on a cold winter night.

The amount and type of wood chips you use is a matter of personal taste, although hardwoods are highly recommended. Soft woods have lots of resin and will give your fish a bitter flavor. The most common woods for smoking fish are alder, apple, maple, cherry and hickory.

Re-cap on the smoking

For the first 2 hours, the temperature should not exceed 90°F. Use a thermometer to check the temperature in the middle of the smoker. After this initial period is complete, the fish will have a brown coloring.
· Gradually raise the temperature to around 140 - 160°F and smoke the fish for an additional 4-8 hours. The length of time will depend on the thickness of the fish, weather conditions, and whether you like dry or moist smoked fish.
It’s worth repeating: the temperature needs to be increased gradually for the best appearance and flavor.
· Generally, ½-inch-thick pieces are smoked for 4-6 hours, 1-inch-thick pieces for 6-8 hours, and 1½-inch-thick pieces for 8-12 hours.
· Smoked fish is done when it flakes easily while pressing it lightly with a knife of fork. On larger pieces of fish you may want to test for doneness with a thermometer. Fish is done when the internal temperature reaches 140°F.
· When you are done smoking the fish, remove the racks to an elevated surface to cool. Do not refrigerate your smoked fish until they have cooled or they may spoil.

I don't need the recipe's but would be happy to do some taste testing/sampling for you in the future! ;)

Smoked Spicy Jerky
Redrum’s Polynesian Cajun cooking -
The Smoking Process
Smoking is one of two ways to process jerky, the other being dehydration.
It provides a more natural-flavored jerky that also tends to be more tender.

The meat is slowly cooked (over approximately 10 – 13 hours) and dried at 150
degrees Fahrenheit in a lightly-vented enclosure. The enclosure (or
smokehouse) contains the smoke and a heat source.

The selection of the meat is very important for both flavor and texture for jerky. Lean cuts are the primary concern as too much fat will cause the jerky to come out greasy tasting. For this recipe the leanest meat is the best.

4 lb Flank steak or sirloin
1/4 cup of worcheshire, teriyaki or gourmet sauce
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 c Salt
2 c Red wine (water or pineapple juice can be substituted)
1 ts to 1 tbs Pepper
1/2 ts to 1 tsp Garlic powder
1 habanero pepper can be substituted or added

Trim fat from the meat and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick slices.

Blend marinade ingredients in a blender. Place meat into the marinade made by combining the above ingredients in a zip lock bag. Marinate at least 8 hours in a cool place turning several times to mix. * May be rolled in cracked ground pepper for additional flavor before smoking.

Remove meat strips to a rack and allow to air dry until they become glazed. Do not rinse. Smoke for 2 to 6 hours and continue the drying process depending on degree of desired dryness.

Use approximately 3 panfuls of alder or cherry wood chips to add to flavor.

Sweet option - As the jerky starts to finish drying and gets firm I start to marinate with a honey/dark brown sugar caramelized glaze. You take 1 part honey and 1 part brown sugar and put it in the microwave on high until the mixture get hot enough to boil. Be sure all of the brown sugar has dissolved which may mean you need to bring it to a boil two to three times. While it is hot and liquid you brush the glaze onto the jerky. I usually do this three times in the last few hours.

When finished put the racks out and let the jerky cool for several hours. After cooling I place the jerky on paper towels and roll the towels with the jerky inside. I put this into a zip lock bag. This helps pull out any fat or glaze that remains. You can freeze the jerky for long term or store the jerky in a dry place for several weeks if you eat a lot of jerky.

ahsom69 - I am out of salmon already but I have a fresh batch of angus flank steak jerky just done with the red wine marinade if you happen to be in the area call!

I have a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker and have turned out some excellent brisket, ribs and pork shoulder. Man that is some good stuff. Man, now i'm hungry. :D

Redrum,

BBQing, grilling and smoking is my other hobby besides muscle cars. I have a fairly new BBQ website, and could really use your ideas, tips, recipes, etc.

http://www.bbqliving.com

I'm in the process of adding recipes to the database, as well as articles, like your great post on smoking fish. Do you mind if I use it? I will give you credit, of course.

Take Care,
Jim Endrud
Peoria, AZ

Go ahead and use them. I posted them for use. I will take a look at your site after I write this note.

I go for out of the ordinary tastes using wines, honey and pineapple juice, and my favorite heat is habanero. I love the flavor of habanero when used in the right quantity.

Jim, I looked over your site and especially the recipes. Pretty tame compared to what I do. It took several hours to put the two posted together but if I get bored I may do more. All will have the polynesian/cajun theme as that is my speciality. I have different ones for kabobs, pork ribs, pork chops and chicken. Rubs, marinates and sauces.

Here is another one and this one really unique but easy to do. It sounds complicated but isn't as tough as it seems.

Cashew BBQ chicken

Redrum’s Polynesian Cajun cooking –

This is a really unique taste treat that is unusual for a BBQ chicken recipe. It will be salty, sweet and nutty all at the same time!

Ingredients:

· Boneless and skinless chicken breasts, as many as you want
· Your favorite rub for poultry
· Honey
· Brown sugar
· Cashews (one pound for every 4 pounds of chicken)
· Gourmet sauce (Costco) or Teriyaki sauce or Sweet and Sour Sauce


You start with boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Cut each breast half into three strips and use a rub to spice them initially. Rubs can be bought at most stores and are mostly salt, pepper, garlic and onion. Pick one you like as a start as the rub is just the start.

You will need to make the honey and brown sugar glaze and keep it hot as it will caramelize into a near solid. You take 1 part honey and 1 part brown sugar and put it in the microwave on high until the mixture get hot enough to boil. Be sure all of the brown sugar has dissolved which may mean you need to bring it to a boil two to three times. While it is hot and liquid you brush the glaze onto the chicken but that is later! Just be sure to have it made as it is what holds the cashews to the chicken later.

Chop up the cashews into a chunky powder. I use a little hand chopper but if you are patient you can do this with a knife. I can’t as I always seem to cut myself! Put the chopped cashews into a flat container such as a pyrex dish. You will be rolling the strips in these as you take them off the grill.

Heat the BBQ to at least 400 degrees (very hot coals if cooking over charcoal) You want to sear the chicken so that it stays moist.

Put the strips on the grill. I use disposable gloves so I can just grab them and get them on the grill fast. Save me from too many scorched finger too! As soon as you turn them let the heat die back and start basting with the sauce you prefer. (Gourmet, teriyaki or sweet and sour). This is usually about 10 to 15 minutes. This puts down a base flavor that will complement the sweetness of the cashews and honey glaze.

They cook quick so just turn them as needed but don’t burn them to a crisp! Let the heat die down to 225 to 250. I turn my BBQ off at this point as it holds the heat for quite a while. Put a couple of thick coats of the caramelized honey on the strips. I try to get two good coats on the strips. If over coals you finish the cooking and then brush on a thick coating of the caramelized honey. This also takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

When they are finished cooking and sticky put on disposable gloves and roll each piece in the chopped cashews and then place on the serving tray or plate. You can just use your fingers if you let the strips cool a bit before rolling in the cashews. I just like to do this while the strips are still fairly hot.

Originally posted by jimmy:
Redrum,

BBQing, grilling and smoking is my other hobby besides muscle cars. I have a fairly new BBQ website, and could really use your ideas, tips, recipes, etc.

http://www.bbqliving.com

I'm in the process of adding recipes to the database, as well as articles, like your great post on smoking fish. Do you mind if I use it? I will give you credit, of course.

Take Care,
Jim Endrud
Peoria, AZ Below is my rib recepie, never had a complaint.


Big Rob’s Pork Ribs Makes 7-12 lbs. About 2 racks

Ingredients:

Dry Rub

4 Tbsp. Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Paprika
2 Tbsp. Salt
2 Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Sauce

2 Cups Bark Brown Sugar
½ Cup Ketchup
½ Cup Soy Sauce
½ Cup Worst shire Sauce
1 Cup Chili Sauce
4 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 Tsp. Dry Mustard
2 Tsp. Black Pepper
½ Cup Rum


Directions:

1. Mix Dry Rub Ingredients Together.
2. Rub Ribs with Dry Rub, Coating all surfaces.
3. Refrigerate Overnight.
4. Mix Sauce ingredients together and Wisk until smooth. Set Aside.

Prepare Smoker/BBQ to 275 degrees.

5. Smoke/BBQ with indirect heat 4 hours at 275 degrees.
6. Completely baste all surfaces of ribs with sauce mix.
7. Smoke/BBQ an additional 1 ½ -2 hours until done.

I love jerky, but it is usually really salty and makes me really dehydrated and feeling like crap after eating much of it. This isn't practical for taking backpacking or on outdoors trips, because I usually have limited water and don't want to get dehydrated.
Can it be made without it being salty, or does the salt play a role in curing the meat?

Awesome!

But I am LMAO here "Polynesian Cajun"

Bet thats one HELL of an accent. :D

Brian,

Yes you can make the jerky without the salt but you would need to store it long term in the freezer as salt is one of the preservatives with the smoking and dehydration the other two.

I believe the jerky would be plenty safe for a couple of weeks storage without any salt.

I did a BBQ for family and friend last Saturday and cooked 65 pounds of ribs and chicken plus 2.5 gallons of chili. There was a rush for the extras for take home and so many requests for the recipe that I finally took time to actualy write it all out. So, here is Redrum's Ribs and Chicken..... I guarantee all my recipes are complete and awesome!

BBQ Ribs and Chicken

Redrum’s Polynesian Cajun cooking –

Well this will be a long recipe as I will start with the basics and a few of the twists! This recipe is good for Ribs, pork chops and chicken. I find that the pork ribs taste best when marinated and the chicken is best started with a rub.

THE RUB - Rubs are easy as they are simply salt and spices of your choice, pepper, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, chili peppers - or any commercial prepared one that you like!

Cut the meat and simply rub in the spices. I like to let it sit for an hour or two before cooking.

FAST CHICKEN BBQ - For a really easy chicken BBQ buy boneless and skinless breasts, do a rub and just throw the chicken on the hot BBQ. Just before done cut the heat back and put a little Yosida’s or a teriyaki type sauce on the breast meat.

FAST PORK CHOP BBQ – Do the rub. Toss on a hot BBQ. Just before done cut the heat back and put a little Yosida’s or a teriyaki type sauce on both sides of the meat. Add fried onions to the top for a really great and fast variation. I prefer the onions fried until dark with a bit of Worcheshire sauce added.

THE MARINATE - This is a more complex process and can start with a commercial prepared marinate of your choice. Most have sugar and a citrus or pineapple base as these ingredients tend to tenderize and add moisture to the meat. You start the marinating process the day before you intend to cook the meat and marinate in your refrigerator.

So, if you want to start from the basics for the Polynesian mix the following in a blender:

I quart pineapple juice, ¼ to ½ cup brown sugar. Add any of the following for a subtle taste change; a pinch of salt, sesame seed, garlic, ginger, onion, beer, red wine, (or white!) mango, lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, molasses red rum or you try something else for fun! You can substitute orange juice for the pineapple juice. Heck there are no real rules just tasty variations!

For the Cajun marinate add to the pineapple (or orange juice) ¼ cup brown sugar, an onion, and ½ a habanero pepper plus whatever else of the suggested ingredients you would like to try. You can add different peppers for flavor variations. Be careful with the habanero ½ will make a mildly warm taste for 4 to 6 pounds of meat! If after using this recipe the first time you find it not hot enough you can go up from the ½ to as hot as you and those you are cooking for can take!

THE MARINATE – Part 2! I often take a shortcut and start with a store bought base marinate. I use a sweet one for the Polynesian marinate and one with some pepper for the Cajun. I use Safeway’s Caribbean Jerk for the hot and their Sesame Ginger base for the sweet base.

For the Polynesian I add about ½ cup Yoshida’s Gourmet sauce (a sweet teryaki type sauce) and a couple of cups of pineapple juice (or a can of crushed pineapple) and ½ cup of brown sugar. Run through the blender.

For the Cajun I start with a ‘hot” store bought base and mix in the blender the same ingredients but only ½ cup of pineapple juice. I use Yoshida’s Gourmet sauce, a large onion and ½ of a Habanero pepper. Note – Do not use too much habanero! Try the ½ first!

Run whatever marinate you choose through the blender. This will be enough for about 4 – 6 pounds of meat. Marinate the meat in the refrigerator. The neatest way to do the actual marinating is to use zip lock bags with the meat and marinate mix. If you choose to use a bowl it gets a bit messy as you need to turn the meat at least 3 times. You really can’t rush this and you need to start the marinating the day before you cook and you can let it go for two days if plans change.

If using habanero WEAR GLOVES! You will fry your eyes if you do not use gloves and them rub your eyes! In any recipe you need to run the habanero through a blender with some liquid. It is just too hot to have any chunks in the mix. It’s all fun until someone gets hurt!

THE BBQ SAUCE –

Redrum’s Polynesian Cajun cooking –

The sauce is actually quite simple. Start with a base sauce you get at the store. I usually use Cattlemen’s unless I find another good one on sale.

Use 1 ½ cups of the base sauce, ½ cup of Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce (A sweet teriyaki type sauce) and ½ cup of honey and a few cloves of garlic if you like garlic. Run the garlic with some or all of the sauce through the blender if using raw garlic. I find that the honey and sauce make the BBQ sauce sweeter and the flavors are a really good mix based on the requests I get for my not so secret sauce.

COOKING RIBS and CHICKEN

Redrum’s Polynesian Cajun cooking –

It is difficult to say how long any meat has to cook in writing a recipe as I cannot see how thick the meat is or how much heat your BBQ is putting out. In fact the temperature of the day has a big impact on how long it will take to do the BBQ. You can heat up and cook a lot faster on a 80 degree (F) day than one at 20 degrees (F)! So, I will try to give you enough puzzle pieces to get the picture right.

First, you need to start HOT! I like 400 degrees (F) and the minimum is 300 degrees (F). You want to sear (brown) each side of the meat for 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness and I tend towards the 10 minutes. I start the bone side down with ribs or chicken.

If a closed BBQ - LISTEN carefully as you can hear it when you start getting flames…. Flames are BAD! Move the meat to a place without flames or take it off until the flare-up goes out! If you have a flare up and get some burnt coating scrape it off before putting on the sauce. My brother-in-law used to try and serve stuff that looked like charcoal chunks with burnt sauce on them. I think he was required to give his BBQ away……

Once you have seared each side turn the heat down and put the first coat of sauce on. I like to have it about 200 to 250 degrees (F) and 300 degrees should be the very top you let the heat go. The plan is to cook the sauce onto the meat without getting any meat or sauce burnt. I really do not like the taste of burnt sauce on the meat.

I usually turn the meat after 5 minutes and coat the other side. Five minutes later I turn it again and coat the tops again. If the meat is thick it will take longer to cook so every ten minutes or so I put another coat of sauce on to keep it moist. Once done you can turn the heat way down and serve off the grill or put into containers to take in for serving. I find it best not to drop the meat as some people seem so picky about dirt, grass and stuff on their meat. I think if you drop it you as the cook have to eat it so I am really careful! Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing. This thread I guarantee will be in the archive once it ages :thumbsup:

Where's John? He has recipies for anything on four feet (and lots of two footers also!)...

Can you smoke road kill?