# Smoked some King Mackerel



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

We are down in the Florida Keys for the winter and I just smoked my 1st batch of King Mackerel this morning. We don't eat any of the Kings that I catch fresh, but we do both enjoy them smoked. They are excellent like that, and then also used to make fish dip as well. Actually, they are our favorite fish to smoke.

I mixed a salt and brown sugar rub and put it on the chunks fairly heavy. We go heavier on the brown sugar than the salt because my Sweetie like it to have sweet overtones when done. They were put in a gallon ziplock and into the frig for 2.5 days. Wet cures are excellent for this as well.

We don't have a smoker down here so I had to do it in a 22.5" Weber Kettle. That gets challenging! The key is to try to keep the heat low enough so the fish won't overcook and dry out before they get enough smoke. I made a small line of charcoal along one side, and then used a A-MAZE-N smoker 12" tube. I filled it 1/2 full with apple pellets and propped it against the coals to ignite the pellets. The fish was all placed on the opposite side from the coals. Total time was about 1.5 hour.

This plateful was about 2/3 of what I smoked. Turned out perfect. Still moist and a good smoked flavor. We will eat about 1/2 as is, and the other1/2 will be used to make fish dip.

This stuff is so good it is almost addicting.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Looks good Dick!!! You got outstanding color on them too!!!


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

That really looks delicious...definitely love catching Kings more than eating them, but smoked looks very good. 

We pop out balls of meat to fry fresh and if the King is bled out properly it tastes pretty dang good. 

Polar vortex has taken over your home grounds...bet you are glad to be in the Keys.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

Did you put any Prague No.1 cure in the rub?


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## bigfishtx (Jul 17, 2007)

I smoke some every summer. Man, give me that with a stack of crackers and a cold beer and i am happy, happy.
King is one of my favorite fishes.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

mas360 said:


> Did you put any Prague No.1 cure in the rub?


Because of the short curing time, no Prague or other nitrites or nitrates need to be used. I only use Kosher salt and brown sugar. If your curing time is short, exact measuring of salt and sugar are not as critical either. Be sure to rinse off and dry before smoking though.

Bigfishtx: I totally agree. This afternoon, we made a mix of sour cream and horseradish and put a little of it on a Club Cracker. Topped this with a piece of smoked King. Absolute killer.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

One of the guys over on the Blue Water board wanted a recipe for smoking Amber Jack. Rather than starting over from scratch, I thought that I'd modify this post to help him with smoking AJ.

When cleaning AJs for smoking, you start by just taking the filets off, but leave the skin on. The smallest legal AJs will be the easiest to smoke because the filets aren't so thick. The filets should be cut into chunks that all have skin on the bottom. At under 1 inch thick, the chunks can be fairly large. As the chunks get up to 1.5" thick, each chunk should only be about 1.5" wide as well. This allows better penetration of the brine, and then later, the smoke.

The brine can be wet or dry. I normally use dry. Our favorite is about 40% Kosher salt and 60% Brown Sugar. This gets packed onto the chunks as heavy as it will stick, then put into a gallon Ziplock. If all the chunks are thinner 1 day curing may be enough. If most are thick, 2 or 2.5 days will be better.

When done brining, rinse off the chunks very well, and then pat them dry with paper towels. If you have time, spread them out (skin side down) on a tray, and put them back in the frig uncovered for another hour or 2. This should help make the meat side tacky, and they will smoke better.

Try not to use a heavy smoke like mesquite. Lighter smokes like fruit wood, maple, etc., will match better with any fish. Keep the temp between 200* to 215* if you can. Thin pieces might be done in 1.5 hour and the thicker pieces up to 2.5 hour. Sample some as you go to get the smoke level and doneness that you like the best.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

Dick, would it be good to rub it with yellow mustard in order for the cure to stick to it?


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## bigfishtx (Jul 17, 2007)

No mustard on my fish!!! Never ever.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

mas360 said:


> Dick, would it be good to rub it with yellow mustard in order for the cure to stick to it?


I agree with BigFishTx..... No mustard!

I think that it would take the flavor of the smoked fish in a bad direction, and it might prevent the cure from penetrating the fish at the rate that it should be. This would throw off the curing time.


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

Beautiful work, your smoked fish is culinary art !


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## Flounder Face (Jun 20, 2012)

Those looked great. Good stuff.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

How would you smoke fish with the skin already removed?


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

It can be done in a fish basket, or setting the fish on small pieces of tinfoil. I have put some skinless fish directly on cleaned and oiled grates, but you do still get some sticking. Definitely don't put any oil on the fish.... this would affect smoke absorption.

Leaving the skin on is just to get past the "sticking" hurdle, and it does it well.


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