Combine all the wet cure ingredients in a pot and heat until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Heating is required as the water will be close to fully saturated and will take forever to dissolve at room temperature.
Allow to cool completely.
Butterfly your fish and place completely submerged in a nonreactive container for up to 1 hour depending on thickness of fillets
Remove from brine and soak in fresh cold water 15 to 20 minutes to remove some of the saltiness and sweeten them a little.
Pat dry and place them skin side down on your Smoker racks. If you do not intend to smoke them straight away, place them on racks uncovered skin side down in your refrigerator.
This has the added advantage of allowing the salt to further penetrate the flesh and dry the surface of the fish to form a pellicle for the smoke to stick to.
Smoke with Bisquettes of choice at 60°C for 1 hour of light smoke. Or if a heavy smoke is required, smoke at 70°C for 2-3hrs.
It can be served straight away or allow to age in refrigerator for up to
24hours to allow smoke flavour to develop
The dark meat of the tuna will be
pink even when it is fully cooked, and this meat will taste a little like cured
ham.
You may use any size of fish, or you
may mix different sizes of tuna. All the tuna, regardless of size, may be processed
in the same curing container. The sizes are not important because the amount of
cure is measured and applied to each fish according to its weight.
The Cure and
Seasoning for 5 lbs (2.25 kg) of Tuna
3 Tbsp. (45 ml) Bradley Cure of choice (do not use more than this)
1 tsp. (5 ml) onion powder
1 tsp. (5 ml) garlic powder
1 tsp. (5 ml) oregano
1 tsp. (5 ml) white pepper
1 tsp. (5 ml) paprika
4 tsp. (20 ml) Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml) parsley
1 Cup of Water
Note: If the meat weighs either
more or less than 5 pounds (2.25 kg), the amount of cure mix applied must be
proportional to that weight. For example, if the weight of the meat is 2 1/2
pounds (1.15 kg), then each ingredient, including the Bradley Cure, needs to be
cut in half.
Rinse and clean the fish, and then let it drain in
a colander.
Prepare the proper amount of cure according to the
weight of the fish. (If more than one fish is being cured, prepare the proper
amount for each fish.)
Apply the cure over the fish in a plastic
container, make sure all the fish is submerged.
Cure the tuna in the refrigerator for at least 2-3
days. Rub all surfaces to redistribute the cure (overhaul) once a day during
that period. The refrigerator temperature should be set between 34°F and 40°F
(2.2°C to 4.4°C).
At the end of the curing period, rinse the fish
very well in cool water, and blot it with paper towels.
Store it in the refrigerator overnight
Drying and smoking:
The next morning, you will need to set up the Smoker to finish drying the tuna. Preheat it to about 140°F (60°C).
Dry the fish in the smoker at 140°F (60°C).
After the skin is dry to the touch (about an hour), cold smoke it for 3 hours at 85°F (30°C), or as low a temperature as possible, using Bisquettes of choice. This will provide a mild smoke flavour. If you like a stronger smoke flavour, smoke the tuna for about 6 hours.
Hot smoke at 145°F (63°C) until the fish takes on a beautiful reddish-brown colour (probably two more hours).
Refrigerate overnight, or a few days, before putting in bags and freezing to allow the meat to settle.
Note: If the salt taste is too
mild, the next time you make this product, add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the
ingredients list. If the salt taste is too strong, reduce the amount of Bradley
Cure by about 1 teaspoon.
Cut each chicken wing into three portions: drumette, middle portion and tip. Discard the tip of the wings and place the other portions in a large bowl.
Make the Moroccan rub by mixing together the ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and sugar. Toss the wings in the seasoning so they are evenly coated.
Set up Smoker for 121°C (250°F) using wood bisquettes of choice.
Lay wings on smoker racks and smoke for 2 – 2 ½ hours or until cooked through.
0.5kg apples; peeled, cored and cut into small cubes
½ medium sized Onion, cut into small cubes
100g Raisins
250g Brown Sugar
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp freshly minced Ginger
½ tsp Salt
225ml Apple Cider Vinegar
Place one empty rack lined with cheesecloth in the top rack position.
Using Hickory flavour bisquettes, smoke/roast almonds at approximately 90°C (200°F) for about 3 hours.
Stir nuts around every ten minutes to ensure even exposure.
At 1.5 hours alternate rack positions to allow even smoking.
Cool and store in airtight containers.
To Serve
Smoked Almonds make an addictive snacking treat. A great hit at parties, they also make a welcome addition as hiking snacks. Other nuts, such as cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts or pecans can also be smoked, but make sure to stir nuts as you smoke to guarantee an evenly smoked product.
For Sugar-spiced Smoked Nuts beat an egg white with a tsp of water until frothy. Remove nuts from smoker after 2 hours and toss in the egg white, then toss in 250 ml (1 c) sugar and 15 ml (1 tbsp) pumpkin pie spice. Continue smoking process for last hour.
