smoked kingfish (revised recipe)

[Benzeenees]

7 litres water, 2.5 cup salt, 2 cup brown sugar, mixed herbs, fennel seeds. 4 fillets - each about 1.5kg - skin on. Brine overnight. Added lemon juice and crushed lemons (2) and kaffir lime fruit (chopped).

Smoked at 175 – 210F using a mixture of sawdust and dry chips/prunings from an apple tree. Added kaffir lime leaves to the smoke generator. Seemed to smoke at a lower temp than just chips! Added crushed lemons and chopped kaffir lime fruit to the water bath. Dried fillets for 4 hours – probably OK after 2-3 hrs, but I was out.

Started smoke with blowtorch which got things moving quickly. Rubbed fillets with a mixture of 4 tsp brown sugar and half a tsp curry. Vent open throughout. Turned off the heat after 1hr 10min. Then left the fillets in the smoker. Removed after total of 90 minutes. Nicely cooked and smoked!

[Benzeenees]

I've just done a batch of tailor the same way. Kept them whole and smoked them til the internal temperature of the fish was 65C. After being cooled in the fridge they were nice and firm even though the tailor had been frozen. Put them into the brine frozen in the hope that they wouldn't go mushy. Took 2 hours to get to 65C. I'm going to use the thermometer on the next lot of kingfish and make sure they're up to 65C. I've been poaching the thick end of the kingfish as its been a little underdone.

[Benzeenees]

Doing the tailor whole wasn't the best option. The small ones were OK, but the bigger ones hadn't absorbed enough salt or smoke. I'll butterfly them next time.

[Devil Ray]

Will this work in a hooded BBQ with a smoke pouch??