Smoked Sockeye, The Process

First: catch fish

This is a nice big Kenai Red and the rig we use. We put various lengths of 1/4" lead wire in the surgical tubing, depending on the conditions (water speed and depth, bottom type).

Second: fillet; I did 18 the other day, it took 1&1/2 hours. 

And cut into single serving size

Place in bucket and cover with dry brine consisting of brown sugar and salt with ground cloves, white pepper, mace, all spice and ground bay leaves for seasoning.

Cover and ice down for the night

Then rinse and rub all traces of the spices off. Place on table and sprinkle with course pepper while still wet.

Place on smoker racks. Big Chief smoker has five racks, each holding 6 pieces or one fish.

Smoke for 24 hours using up two pans of alder chips.

Here is the result.

For best results place thinnest pieces on the top racks. The secret is to replace the 500W heating element with a 300W element made for the Little Chief smoker. The bigger element over heats and cooks too hot and too fast. Determine the dryness by pushing on he thickest part of the piece, the softer the piece the moister it is. 

I pull the pin bones at this point because they have loosened after smoking and they tend to poke holes in the vacuum bags. 

Then vacuum bag them and freeze, they last quite a while. The oldest we have eaten was five years old and you couldn't tell the difference from last years. 

So, that's all there is to it. 

Stay cool and fish on!