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Smoking Albacore?

79K views 34 replies 31 participants last post by  Spotted Owl 
#1 ·
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
 
#3 ·
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
 
#4 ·
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)
 
#5 ·
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
 
#6 ·
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!
 
#7 ·
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:
 
#22 ·
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.
 
#8 ·
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:
 
#9 ·
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.
 
#10 ·
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:
 
#11 ·
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....
 
#12 ·
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...
 
#15 ·
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.
 
#17 ·
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...
 
#16 ·
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.
 
#20 ·
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.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Have to comment on jordyl2k recipe-

Followed the basic mix as stated, no deviations with the exception of the apple/pineapple juice soak-added more jalapenos than stated- this recipe needs a few tweaks, tuna is fragile and first batch was very, very dry with original recipe.

Two things I found to be helpful second time around -cut the brown sugar-salt immersion(1:1 ratio) period by 12-18 hours, Albacore gives up fat and moisture fast. In fact my pieces were ready in first two hours for 1"-2" thick diagonal loin slices.

After the brown sugar and salt crusting process, rinse the brined pieces of tuna in cold water quickly. Do not dry with cloth towel or paper towel.

Set slightly rinsed fish onto baking cooling rack(s) with cookie sheet below to catch juices- use a house fan to force the pelicle skin creation (caramel-sticky sugar-protein covering)- about one hour drying time max.

Place on two tier-water pan smoker using four handfulls of soaked cherry or apple chips over a 2.5 period max.

Fish should be semi-firm to touch and give with ease. Fish will continue to cook a bit once removed.
 
#32 ·
Albacore is really tasty anyway, so I think less is more. My secret Little Chief Smoker recipe for Albacore is cut the tuna into chunks, roll it in sea salt for about 30 minutes, lightly rinse and then smoke in Alder chips for several hours until it reaches your preferred done-ness. Then, crack open a Newcastle and eat the smoked tuna while its still warm. Can't beat it. :food:
 
#35 ·
Freeze and cook the top loins. Can the lower loins. Bellies for bait(I know major party foul), we don't much care to eat the bellies. If you can the tops, toss some belly in the jar for oil and moisture.

Just what we do here.

Get your smoker going for some fresh stuff while, while you're processing. For simple easy and good smoked product, follow OceanBlue's thoughts.



Owl
 
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