First, catch some King Mackerel and ICE them as soon as possible. The closer, the quicker, the better. I prefer to see them out of my Kayakwhich is fast, cheap and fun.
Clean into chunks and discard 'little pieces" and all red meat. Chill and do not freeze.
Here is the complete list of ingredients:
1 Gallon King chunks.
1 1/2 Cups (Packed) Lite Brown Sugar
4 tbsp Morton Salt
1 1/2 cups water (bottle or filtered - not tap with chlorine in it)
Three hours NON-Nut wood for smoke. Wild Cherry, Alder, Apple, Maple, etc... not a nut wood, much too acidic.
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Put salt and brown sugar into a bowl with water and mix until dissolved. Pour into Ziploc gallon of king chunks - work the bag to remove all air and get pieces coated with brine. Let brine for 1 hour. At the same time, brining get the smoker and wood chunks ready. Lightly coat the smoker racks with olive oil and get the brined King.
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Place the chunks around the smoker to cook evenly and cover the pieces. You each know your smoker - this is how mine works best.
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Notice - don't plug in/start the smoker yet. Once your meat is out, you must let it air dry for about an hour. Here's the chunk right out of the brine:
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During that hour, get your heat source ready; ensure it's ready an hour after you start the air-drying process. The air drying process sets the glaze, called pellicle and is the key to any quality smoked meat. The ice is set by the outer cells absorbing salt and sugars until they burst and create a 'slime' (hey, it's a tasty slime!) Here is the same piece after the pellicle has been set.
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Now you are ready to start the smoking process - for the first couple hours; you want to keep it around 160-180F and have lots of smoke. Finish the drying process of the pellicle and set the smoke into the outer layer.
This is how I start the heat and the amount of wood for smoke. The wood I use is Wild Cherry.
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There is no basting or flipping the meat. Constant low temp and smoke are your curing tools. Our piece after an hour of smoke and 170F.
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Some more smoke...
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Getting bearly there after 2 hours...
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...more smoke...
![Image]()
Now the fat is being rendered out of the meat - part of the cure.
![Image]()
Keep adding fresh wood for the smoke and heat. After 3 hours, kick it to 200 to dry the outer layer or keep it at 170F for another couple of hours.
![Image]()
Whether you finish quickly or let it linger, you'll want your meat to set a firm skim of smoke and flavour through the chunk. It should be reduced in fat/oil and show a frim "edge" between muscles that wasn't clear at the start. Our piece at four hours 30 min and done.
![Image]()
Let cool on the rack and bag for the fridge. This makes a great dip or sliced for crackers - good with a full-bodied red wine, dark wheat beer or single malt.
![Image]()
When sliced, it should show the edge where the glaze stopped and will have a great flavour through the fish. This also works REALLY well with Red Salmon and another fatty/oily fish.
: hungry
Stressless
Clean into chunks and discard 'little pieces" and all red meat. Chill and do not freeze.
Here is the complete list of ingredients:
1 Gallon King chunks.
1 1/2 Cups (Packed) Lite Brown Sugar
4 tbsp Morton Salt
1 1/2 cups water (bottle or filtered - not tap with chlorine in it)
Three hours NON-Nut wood for smoke. Wild Cherry, Alder, Apple, Maple, etc... not a nut wood, much too acidic.
Put salt and brown sugar into a bowl with water and mix until dissolved. Pour into Ziploc gallon of king chunks - work the bag to remove all air and get pieces coated with brine. Let brine for 1 hour. At the same time, brining get the smoker and wood chunks ready. Lightly coat the smoker racks with olive oil and get the brined King.
Place the chunks around the smoker to cook evenly and cover the pieces. You each know your smoker - this is how mine works best.
Notice - don't plug in/start the smoker yet. Once your meat is out, you must let it air dry for about an hour. Here's the chunk right out of the brine:
During that hour, get your heat source ready; ensure it's ready an hour after you start the air-drying process. The air drying process sets the glaze, called pellicle and is the key to any quality smoked meat. The ice is set by the outer cells absorbing salt and sugars until they burst and create a 'slime' (hey, it's a tasty slime!) Here is the same piece after the pellicle has been set.
Now you are ready to start the smoking process - for the first couple hours; you want to keep it around 160-180F and have lots of smoke. Finish the drying process of the pellicle and set the smoke into the outer layer.
This is how I start the heat and the amount of wood for smoke. The wood I use is Wild Cherry.
There is no basting or flipping the meat. Constant low temp and smoke are your curing tools. Our piece after an hour of smoke and 170F.
Some more smoke...
Getting bearly there after 2 hours...
...more smoke...
Now the fat is being rendered out of the meat - part of the cure.
Keep adding fresh wood for the smoke and heat. After 3 hours, kick it to 200 to dry the outer layer or keep it at 170F for another couple of hours.
Whether you finish quickly or let it linger, you'll want your meat to set a firm skim of smoke and flavour through the chunk. It should be reduced in fat/oil and show a frim "edge" between muscles that wasn't clear at the start. Our piece at four hours 30 min and done.
Let cool on the rack and bag for the fridge. This makes a great dip or sliced for crackers - good with a full-bodied red wine, dark wheat beer or single malt.
When sliced, it should show the edge where the glaze stopped and will have a great flavour through the fish. This also works REALLY well with Red Salmon and another fatty/oily fish.
: hungry
Stressless
