Smoking Albacore?

[Zodiac-Fisherman]

I have a refridgerator full of Albacore, i would like to smoke up some. Does anyone have a recipee for smoked albacore. I will be using my Luhr Jensen Little Cheif Smoker.

Thank you,

Dylan

[Mark Mc]

The thing about tuna flesh is that it soaks up a brine much faster than salmon. So however long you like to soak salmon, cut the time in half for tuna. For me, it's no longer than 2 hours.

Hope this helps........ MM

[Billfisher]

I went with the Beer Drinker's friend brine in the little chief manual, and used both Alder and Hickory woods. With thinner pieces, put a small dish of water on the bottom rack, and smoke 3 panfulls for about 2-3 hours. It was delectable last year. The inside gets a wierd iridescant sheen, but I'd guess that's just a TUNA! thing. -D

[trask2]

Generally what I do is mix up this brine making sure to add enough salt so that a potato floats in it. I will mix this brine on the stove hot enough so that it is just steaming then let it cool to room temp. Add the Tuna then place in the fridge. Like they said before you want to leave tuna in only half as long as salmon. Two pounds about 45 min to hour then smoke. This recipe is set for about 2 pounds of tuna.
2 lbs tuna
4 inch piece of peeled ginger, stripped thin ( just like you would get at a sushi place)
2 finely sliced onions
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup soy sauce
enjoy :cool:

Note. This recipe works well for other ocean fish ( Swordfish, Halibut, Cabizon, and probably others)

[avid]

The inside gets a wierd iridescant sheen, but I'd guess that's just a TUNA! thing. -D



I noticed the same sheen on Tuna that was stored in the chilled Raw Sea Water holding tanks on San Diego Long Range boats. The fish still tastes and handled like fresh tuna but sometimes you notice that sheen.

David

[OceanBlue]

My fav is the way Pilar taught me:

Slice each loin into 3 "planks" of equal thickness. Bury in rocksalt for 20-25 minutes (I work slow, so by the time I've got all the salt off, it's been about 30 minutes)

Rinse, pat dry, place in smoker (big/little chief) w/alder chips.

Smoking time varies. Depending on how dry/moist you like your fish. I usually let mine go overnight, but the last load was done in just over hours in hot weather.

No muss, no fuss and a $.99 box of rock salt - you've got the best smoked fish going.

Enjoy!

[Bank Maggot]

WET TUNA PAT DRY

PLACE IN ROCK SALT FOR 25 MINUTES

TAKE OUT OF SALT AND QUICKLY RUN UNDER THE FAUCET ONCE

PATT DRY AND SLOW SMOKE

IT IS AWESOME

:cheers:

:dance: :dance: :dance:

[Miss B Haven]

I'll third the dry rock salt method. The other thing is Albi only takes 4-5 hrs in my little chief compared to 8-12 for salmon. Other than thawing it out you can start a batch after work and be eating it before bedtime with this method. None of this overnight, weekend 3 am planning stuff like! :cheers:

Oh- and DON'T leve the salt on for more than the 30 minutes unless you really like salty fish! :wave:

[Pilar]

Lets all thank 'Puffin' for giving up one of his most closely guarded secrets. He's the guy who taught me how to smoke fish and many other things.

Thanks brother. :bowdown:

I'm still working on him to get the pickled Coho recipe.

[Puffin]

Rock salt 4 bucks a 50# bag at home depot. Sold as water softener. Pickled salmon recipe not needed as you would rather jump the gun on tuna. :laugh: :laugh:

[Mr. Fisherman]

I got dibbs on pickeling Coho with Puffin!
I gotta make me shelves full of that Coho candy!
How bout it good buddy?
I need to get a few more Coho but I am certainly ready to bring what I have by for a tutorial.
I must learn this as it was the absolute best pickled fish I have ever had the pleasure of puting in my face.
Even Junior likes it so I know I need to make at least 2 shelves full so it lasts more than a month....

[Big TULE]

I am a fish smoking fool and i can't wait to try the rock salt smokes albie....
Never had the Pickled fish so not sure how good it is, but if Ray and John say it is good i will have to try it one of these days... Maybe PUFFIN can part with a small taste...

[Deepslayer]

See what happens when you guys gang up on Puffin!!!!! You get his - :laugh: :laugh:
,Ed

[Keta]

The loins can be dry but if you smoke the bellies you will be happy with the end product.

[jordyl2k]

I am pleased to share my recipe for my world famous smoked tuna. I say world famous because this product was taken to Europe by a friend who traveled in conjunction with his work and was all over the globe giving it to his friends. This started 15 years ago and we still ship my smoked tuna across the water. I can and smoke and average of 1000 pounds a year.
It is the best!!!!

Since I am not a fan of the salty taste of most smoked fish I tested several recipes until I hit on PERFECTION for a mouth watering. must have smokey product.

Brown Sugar, Kosher salt, Apple Juice or pineapple juice & teriyaki sauce

I slice the tenderloins in 1 inch wide portions against the grain at an angle mainly for looks after the product is smoked.

Brining correctly is crucial to killing the bacteria in the fish so I employ an equal mixture of kosher salt and brown sugar. No other spices!!! A layer of this mixture in a clean, sanitized plastic dishpan then a layer of fish until pan is full. Each piece of fish must be coated and not touching each other. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Yes! 24 hours. Then rinse by now liquified brine off fish in cool water and put all pieces in another clean dishpan.

HERE IS WHERE THE WORLD FAMOUS PART COMES IN. Cover fish in Apple Juice and let soak for another 24 hours in refrigerator. Yep that is it. Drain fish and place on racks to air dry for an hour or so and then place in your smoker for the time needed. Each smoker is different. I use a Big Chief and run through 2 pans of DRY chips (sometimes 3) and leave fish in smoker til done. Fish pieces when done but still moist should give a bit (like a cake) when pushed with a finger.

Several years ago I did the 'soak' after brining with a mixture of Pineapple Juice and Teriyaki sauce. The results were absolutely amazing. I have also tossed a few sliced Jalapenos in with the juice soak for a bit of spice but believe me no other spices are necessary. Cool fish to room temp then vacuum seal. This product has garnered First Prize at our County fair every time I have entered it and is a favorite to anyone who tries it. No kidding.

I hope you try this easy, uncomplicate recipe. When you do, you will be totally amazed at the flavor of this product. No salty after taste at all. Just the true Albacore flavor enhanced to perfection. Please let me know if you enjoy this or have any questions.

[buhbuhfish]

I used 5 Cents recipe for smoked salmon (you can find it at the top of the recipe board) on my Albacore tuna and it was awsome. Kinda like tuna candy:D. Cut the tuna about an inch thick and then followed the 5 Cents process. It was out of this world. Smoked with alder and apple chunks. I think that this recipe would be great with any fish. As a side note i also used the same process with some sliced beef and it was killer also. Good Luck.

[Salty Water Dawg]

I am pleased to share my recipe for my world famous smoked tuna. I say world famous because this product was taken to Europe by a friend who traveled in conjunction with his work and was all over the globe giving it to his friends. This started 15 years ago and we still ship my smoked tuna across the water. I can and smoke and average of 1000 pounds a year.
It is the best!!!!

Since I am not a fan of the salty taste of most smoked fish I tested several recipes until I hit on PERFECTION for a mouth watering. must have smokey product.

Brown Sugar, Kosher salt, Apple Juice or pineapple juice & teriyaki sauce

I slice the tenderloins in 1 inch wide portions against the grain at an angle mainly for looks after the product is smoked.

Brining correctly is crucial to killing the bacteria in the fish so I employ an equal mixture of kosher salt and brown sugar. No other spices!!! A layer of this mixture in a clean, sanitized plastic dishpan then a layer of fish until pan is full. Each piece of fish must be coated and not touching each other. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Yes! 24 hours. Then rinse by now liquified brine off fish in cool water and put all pieces in another clean dishpan.

HERE IS WHERE THE WORLD FAMOUS PART COMES IN. Cover fish in Apple Juice and let soak for another 24 hours in refrigerator. Yep that is it. Drain fish and place on racks to air dry for an hour or so and then place in your smoker for the time needed. Each smoker is different. I use a Big Chief and run through 2 pans of DRY chips (sometimes 3) and leave fish in smoker til done. Fish pieces when done but still moist should give a bit (like a cake) when pushed with a finger.

Several years ago I did the 'soak' after brining with a mixture of Pineapple Juice and Teriyaki sauce. The results were absolutely amazing. I have also tossed a few sliced Jalapenos in with the juice soak for a bit of spice but believe me no other spices are necessary. Cool fish to room temp then vacuum seal. This product has garnered First Prize at our County fair every time I have entered it and is a favorite to anyone who tries it. No kidding.

I hope you try this easy, uncomplicate recipe. When you do, you will be totally amazed at the flavor of this product. No salty after taste at all. Just the true Albacore flavor enhanced to perfection. Please let me know if you enjoy this or have any questions.

Thanks for sharing this recipe. I just gave it shot on tuna I bought fresh from Garibaldi on Monday, and I gotta say its the best smoked anything I've ever had! I usually make up batches of smoked sausage sticks to give away during the holidays, but I have a feeling I'll be handing out albacore this upcoming season. Thanks again. This recipe is awesome...

[lgilbert]

I am pleased to share my recipe for my world famous smoked tuna. I say world famous because this product was taken to Europe by a friend who traveled in conjunction with his work and was all over the globe giving it to his friends. This started 15 years ago and we still ship my smoked tuna across the water. I can and smoke and average of 1000 pounds a year.
It is the best!!!!

Since I am not a fan of the salty taste of most smoked fish I tested several recipes until I hit on PERFECTION for a mouth watering. must have smokey product.

Brown Sugar, Kosher salt, Apple Juice or pineapple juice & teriyaki sauce

I slice the tenderloins in 1 inch wide portions against the grain at an angle mainly for looks after the product is smoked.

Brining correctly is crucial to killing the bacteria in the fish so I employ an equal mixture of kosher salt and brown sugar. No other spices!!! A layer of this mixture in a clean, sanitized plastic dishpan then a layer of fish until pan is full. Each piece of fish must be coated and not touching each other. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Yes! 24 hours. Then rinse by now liquified brine off fish in cool water and put all pieces in another clean dishpan.

HERE IS WHERE THE WORLD FAMOUS PART COMES IN. Cover fish in Apple Juice and let soak for another 24 hours in refrigerator. Yep that is it. Drain fish and place on racks to air dry for an hour or so and then place in your smoker for the time needed. Each smoker is different. I use a Big Chief and run through 2 pans of DRY chips (sometimes 3) and leave fish in smoker til done. Fish pieces when done but still moist should give a bit (like a cake) when pushed with a finger.

Several years ago I did the 'soak' after brining with a mixture of Pineapple Juice and Teriyaki sauce. The results were absolutely amazing. I have also tossed a few sliced Jalapenos in with the juice soak for a bit of spice but believe me no other spices are necessary. Cool fish to room temp then vacuum seal. This product has garnered First Prize at our County fair every time I have entered it and is a favorite to anyone who tries it. No kidding.

I hope you try this easy, uncomplicate recipe. When you do, you will be totally amazed at the flavor of this product. No salty after taste at all. Just the true Albacore flavor enhanced to perfection. Please let me know if you enjoy this or have any questions.


This is absolutely amazing. I just finished my second batch and everyone loves it. I took some to work and it was gone in minutes. Great recipe, and the only one I will be using for tuna from here on out. Thanks so much!

[WoundedTuna]

What does everyone do to store the smoked tuna? I want to make a big batch and was debating whether to vacuum seal and freeze or can it.

With canning, should I smoke as long?
Do I need to can the full 100 minutes at 10 psi?

[fishsticks]

What does everyone do to store the smoked tuna? I want to make a big batch and was debating whether to vacuum seal and freeze or can it.

With canning, should I smoke as long?
Do I need to can the full 100 minutes at 10 psi?

There was a thread somewhere (Salty Dog page??) that talked about canning smoked tuna. In short, don't smoke very long and can for the same amount of time.

We have vac sealed and frozen it and it held just fine. Course it is so good, not much was frozen and what was wasn't for long.

[esoj]

jordy; Can tuna be smoked after it has been frozen? Salmon can but sturgeon gets rubbery after freezing. Or can anyone answer my question?

[Bloom]

WET TUNA PAT DRY

PLACE IN ROCK SALT FOR 25 MINUTES

TAKE OUT OF SALT AND QUICKLY RUN UNDER THE FAUCET ONCE

PATT DRY AND SLOW SMOKE

IT IS AWESOME

:cheers:

:dance: :dance: :dance:

I've been doing it all wrong for way too long. I tried this yesterday, adding one step, a layer of brown sugar and pepper between the filets and as the teeners would text: "OMG, ***, this is outrageously good." Simple, uncluttered with foo-foo spices and sauces, just plain Tuna and a little pepper and sugar. Wet brine is soooo last Tuesday.

[MBURKE]

put a little spin on the rock salt method last night added some dry crushed garlic an some dill weed to the salt.....it was the bomb...!!!!!!!!!

[troweller]

Regarding the 5 cent recipe for albacore-how long do you leave in the sugar?

[Bloom]

Regarding the 5 cent recipe for albacore-how long do you leave in the sugar?
I left mine in the reefer for 1 hr and it turned out great.I knocked off the clumps before smoking.

[buhbuhfish]

Regarding the 5 cent recipe for albacore-how long do you leave in the sugar?

I did several batches and it seemed great with from 24 hours to 5 days. The five day batch was killer and I think I am going to leave for at least several days from now on.

[flatfishhunter]

When using the Pilar method- have any of you substituted a different salt? I've read in other posts that rock salt isn't considered a "food grade" product. Have any of you tried Kosher , Sea Salt, or ? If so, how long do you leave the tuna in the salt?

[OK Deal Let\'s Fish]

I use Kosher salt and brown sugar between each layer of tuna when brining. Let them brine for at least 24 hours before a light smoke.

Then I can it straight or with habeneros at the bottom.