Fishing Victoria Forum

poodoo wrote:

4liters wrote:Cheers, I've been wondering how I can put the sambos to better use than gummy bait.

Try them sashimi next time 4liters they are not bad done that way.

I might stick with smoking them... the gummies can have the sambo sashimi

4liters wrote:

poodoo wrote:

4liters wrote:Cheers, I've been wondering how I can put the sambos to better use than gummy bait.

Try them sashimi next time 4liters they are not bad done that way.

I might stick with smoking them... the gummies can have the sambo sashimi

Lol got to give it a go.

i just gave this a go. did a lot of things wrong i reckon but it still turned out edible so dinner sorted. i whacked the fillets off the fish, skinned then sprinkled liberally with white (i know i'm supposed to use raw) sugar and salt. salt/sugar ratio measured "by eye". left it for about 20min then rinsed and dried. my smoker has two burners and has a defined area of the bottom for sawdust so that's all i used. i checked it after about 15minutes and decided they looked good enough.

the fillets are cooked through and the smoked flavour is strong - almost too much. they were a very dark brown on the outside but it's a fairly thin layer of colour. i think the heat was too high and i couldn't figure out how to reduce the burners. all in all it wasn't a bad result. i think a longer brining, lower heat and longer cook time would produce better results

I cold smoke them, doing 2 fillets with the skin on, marinate them in salt and any spices and herbs you like ( 3 to 6 hours marinate) dry the fillets then cold smoke them for 1 or 2 hours,......mium

Old thread,

With some downtime I was thinking of trying smoking a fish.

Can you make your own wood chips or do you have to buy them? Which wood works best?

Brine what is best for say salmon (whole fish) dry mix on the outside of the first vs soaking in a wet brine?

What do you use for a wet brine and how long do leave the fish soaking fish before smoking?

You can make your own woodchips but depending on what sort of smoker you have it might require really fine chips which would be easier to buy.

If you have something like the upright Aldi smoker you can just use chunks.

Fruit tree wood works well, and I see a lot of people using various eucalyptus species. Just make sure it's dry before you use it.

I've got a chunk of Coles brisket in mine at the moment.

4liters wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:05 pm

You can make your own woodchips but depending on what sort of smoker you have it might require really fine chips which would be easier to buy.

If you have something like the upright Aldi smoker you can just use chunks.

Fruit tree wood works well, and I see a lot of people using various eucalyptus species. Just make sure it's dry before you use it.

I've got a chunk of Coles brisket in mine at the moment.

What's your bbq smoker there?
I'm planning to get one. Eyeing on char-griller smokin champ charcoal bbq from Bunnings at $429, any good you reckon?

I’ve got a pit boss pellet grill, it’s a bit more expensive to buy pellets than other wood but being able to just set and forget is great.

Interesting to see this thread resurrected. I'll offer a few suggestion for what they are worth.
* Marinade for a few hours or overnight in the fridge in equal parts water, brown sugar, soy sauce, sea salt with some crushed garlic. Up the water if you need more volume
* Any dry hardwood sawdust/fine chips. Hickory is great but expensive.
* My smoker has two metho burners but I got sick of trying to adjust the flame so I just sit the smoker on the bars in the gas barbecue on low heat.
Works a treat but you might need to experiment a bit with heat adjustment and time. Slower is better I reckon. You can always keep going if its not done but you can't salvage a black carcass.


My best results have been with trout but mullet work well and so do tailor. Smaller Australian salmon come up OK if you can't get hold of anything better.

Cheers, Col.

Col, What I found, is throw some stones in the wee burners before you fill it with meths, it will double the flame time.
I always bleed my salmon, real important and makes a big difference on the table.
I don't worry about marinating, they get fanned open, liberall coating of sea salt, followed by a generous coating of brown sugar, 45-50 minutes in the mobile type smoker, beautiful..... any stones, not porous will do the trick, dont know why, but they extend the burn time..

Col