[Chrome_Miner]

I am headed to North Carolina in a week by air, I have been talking up our NW springer fishing to some of my customers.

I thought I would smoke some up and take it with me. I have a Food Saver and I thought I would vacuum pak some up for the trip.

But I am not sure how I should bring it with me. Should I keep it cold with dry ice or will it be fine vac packed?

Any help would be appreciated.

[ 05-04-2003, 11:35 AM: Message edited by: Chrome_Miner ]

 

[BrionLutz]

Chrome_Miner,

I've air shipped it to LA and Salt Lake using dry ice. I'll be sending some back by car to Salt Lake in May.

But if you are travelling by car and it's smoked and vacum packed, I think you'd be find with just a cooler with ice in it. You can always drain it and add ice.

I think the key is not so much keeping it cool, that's the easy part, but making sure you didn't freeze the smoked fish.

Brion

 

[lost_sailor]

Freeze it and stuff it in your suitcase.

If you don't want to freeze it you could put it in a cooler. Check with the airline about dry ice rules.

Actually, vacuum packed should be just fine, I'd want to keep it cool though. But then how hot is that luggage compartment at 30,000 feet?

 

[BrionLutz]

Chrome_Miner,

Whoops...saw "car" when you wrote "air".

If it's smoked salmon, you have a few choices.

1. Ship ahead of time via FedEx with dry ice to your friend's house. I shipped 20 lbs of vacum packed smoked salmon to Salt Lake with about 5 lbs of dry ice. It was $75. Not cheap but it works really well.

2. If you want to ship in your luggage, get a soft cooler and fill it with the frozen Blue Ice bags and smoked salmon. If you have a stop over, go into a bar, the bartender will put the Blue Ice bags into the freezer and give them a chill for you.

3. Freeze it and put it in a soft side cooler for carry on or in one of those insulated card board food shippers. Some folks I was talking to at Fred's said they were using that method. Their's was short, direct flight to Vegas. You might have stop overs.

Shame to freeze good smoked salmon if you can avoid it. I'd go with Option 1 or 2.

Brion

 

[crabbait]

Well smoked fish that is vacuum packed will travel just fine with you by air without the cooler or refrigeration.

Do this: Take it out of the fridge and stuff it into wool boot socks or just wrap it in any good insulating clothing and pack it in your luggage. You will be surprised at how cool it stays this way.

I have taken smoked salmon on several day hiking trips before without refrigeration and no problem with it vacuum packed. Just don't let it sit around in the warm after it is opened...eat it.

[ 05-04-2003, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

 

[lost_sailor]

Another thought, wrap it up with some ice cold Oregon microbrews. If you're braggin' on your salmon, treat them to a decent beer!

:cheers:

 

[Chrome_Miner]

Thanks for all your great ideas.

Lost Sailor, I think your on to something there. :cheers:

 

[DEEPWATER]

Chrome_Miner

Going across country by air should not be a problem with fish. As previously mentioned, the airlines do not like dry ice. I've been bringing frozen yellowfin tuna from India to Seattle With no problem. Just have the fish thoroughly frozen and hand carry it in a small insulated cooler. With smoked fish you wouldn't even have to freeze it, just keep it cool.

 

[fish4life]

ya but with all the honest air line workers i bet that bagage shows up missing? :wink:

 

[Redside]

I constantly go to Florida with vacuum packed salmon fresh. I use gel packs and have a coleman extreme cooler. Airlines will not let you use Ice or Dry Ice so this is the way to go. They fear the leaking of fluids. I come back from the Gulf with a full cooler of Wahoo and Tuna so it works out fine!! Duct tape is the way to seal the cooler!!! Multi Purpose and well respected in all airports.