For the northern midwest, it's that time of year when the rivers start getting cold and the catfish lose some of their fishy qualities. Although I do fish a pretty muddy river so I feel this recipe will work on catfish or bullheads any time of the year. This recipe turns out somewhat salty but I find that essential to drawing out that muddy taste. I have made this recipe numerous times and it always gets destroyed around holidays. I hope you enjoy. This recipe is for fish served cold.....in the style of smoked salmon or chubs.
Start with some skin off whole catfish tails and lightly score diagonally on both sides about every inch to ensure brine and smoke penetration.
Brine in:
1 gallon water
3/4 cup coarse kosher salt (do not use table salt)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon cajun essence (I use emerils)
1 tablespoon black pepper
Squirt of siracha
Brine overnight in fridge. 12 hours for small tails under 1/2lb and 24 hours for anything in the 1/2 -2lb range. Anything bigger than 2lbs you may want to consider cutting them in large pieces and brining about 24 hours.
Rinse and pat dry thoroughly. Very important to make sure tails are dry and not dripping moisture before you put them in.
let dry on smoker grate at least an hour until pellicle forms. It helps to have your ceiling fan on for this.
OIL THE GRATE BEFORE PUTTING THE FISH IN. LIKES TO STICK.
Smoke @190 with1- 1 1/2 oz wood chips of pellets. I use a mix of hickory and alder small chips wrapped in aluminum foil with a few holes poked in.
Figure about 1 1/2 hours for very small bullheads and about 3 hours for a 1lb channel cat tail. You need to go by visual appearance. You want the tail to stop dripping oil and the surface to appear dry. Flesh will be flaky and then start to firm up. Once firm, it's done. Consistency of a fried cat is not what you're looking for. You need it to be more firm and not have a whole lot of give when sqeezed.
It is better to cook longer than shorter.
Remove from smoker, sponge any oil off with paper towel and wrap numerous times in newspaper. Serve cold with some crackers.
Store in fridge for up to 5 days and the freezer 6 months in a plastic bag. Vacuum packed it will last over a year in the freezer.
I do not have the jerky drier or auber and I still get great results.
