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02-14-2020, 01:44 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Cold Smoking Tuna
Bit of a lengthy and picky process, but the end result is well worth the effort IMHO!
Partially thaw said Tuna: - it is easier to loin when it is still fairly stiff deep inside:
Rip the hide, and yes, Rum Required for this entire process!
Loin & remove brown meat:
Mix well 4 parts demerara sugar with 3 parts coarse salt (I like Sea Salt for this) and layer around 1/2 inch deep in bottom of tote. Toss in loins:
Smother loins with mix:
Cold enough outside this next step likely wasn't necessary, but I tossed bags of ice on each tote after they were stuffed into the big stainless smoker (no room for such in our fridge):
Shut the doors and let sit overnight.
This thread will be continued as the process develops...
Cheers
PS: I have not forgotten about those who asked for more of the specific build specs on this smoker. Still hunting for the original pictures, and will post in a stand-alone when I find them...
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02-14-2020, 03:04 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Took overnight and then some to get to this desirable stage.
The dry brine is "dry" no more, and it is easy to see just how much moisture it has sucked out of the loins.
The loins themselves have changed both in color and consistency.
Next up: the Wet Brine process...
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02-14-2020, 06:14 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Calgary Perchdance
Posts: 18,775
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Worst thread ever
To read when hungry.
I wish you were my neighbor. It already looks delicious.
__________________
It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself. Charles Darwin
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02-14-2020, 06:27 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Yes
Posts: 719
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Yum
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02-14-2020, 06:58 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Wet Brine:
3 gallons (Canadian thank you very much) of water
4 cups Sea Salt
5 cups demerara sugar
2.5 cups real maple syrup
1 bag peppercorns
A decent handful of chopped dill.
Should mix this a fair bit before you need. it so it can settle.
Test run by dropping a fresh raw egg into the mix:
She floats, all good- Carry on...
If not, a smidgen more salt, whip into a frenzy, and re-try until it does.
Toss the loins in - no need to rinse.
Now about as fascinating as watching paint dry.
Stir occasionally through the eve.
Let percolate.
Tomorrow desalination, onto prepped grills, and begin the glaze process (if all goes well...)
Cheers,
Nog
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02-14-2020, 07:02 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Vulcan Ab
Posts: 3,871
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I CALL bs unless I get 2lb samples.. Willing to pay postage!!
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"It's like bragging that it's 10 CENTIMETERS LONG! (when really, it's 4" dude, settle down)"
Huntinstuff
"Me neither but it's all in the eye of the beer holder"
norwestalta
.....out of bounds.....but funny none the less!
LC
"Funny how when a bear eats another bear, no one bats an eye, but......
when a human eats another human, people act like it's the end if the friggin world. News coverage, tweets, blogs, outrage, Piers Morgan etcetc.
Go figure." -Huntinstuff
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02-14-2020, 07:39 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 677
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Wow, this is VERY interesting.
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02-14-2020, 07:41 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,072
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I wish I had thought of this, I used a bunch of tuna for halibut and crab bait. We didnt like it.
__________________
Only dead fish go with the flow. The rest use their brains in life.
Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck
I wasn't thinking far enough ahead for an outcome, I was ranting. By definition, a rant doesn't imply much forethought.....
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02-14-2020, 09:20 PM
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Edmonton, AB
Posts: 1,358
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Oh boy that looks good!! Haven't had smoked tuna in a few years, my uncle on the Oregon coast brought some out when we visited, along with some smoked sturgeon. Both were phenomenal!
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02-15-2020, 04:16 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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They came out of the wet brine earlier today.
Big changes in both color and consistency! They swelled back up quite a bit!
So, onto one of the most fussy and critical steps - Desalination.
I prefer to have a LOT of water surrounding the loins at this point, and to keep a slow but steady flow of fresh water into their domain:
If you take your drain cap off your cooler, you can replace it with a large soft drink cap.
Drill a small hole in the center of that so you have flow both top and bottom:
Having too much Tuna is never an issue if you know how to deal with it.
And I don't see a lot of point in repeating the process when one good run will do...
The ones on the uphill side will freshen just a tad sooner than those on the downhill.
Move the latter into the bigger tank while you pat dry the first lot and get ready for the grills.
By the time you've accomplished that, the other should be ready.
Move the loins around in the fresh water every 10 minutes or so, and keep a damn careful eye on them!
Too little, the salt will be overbearing.
Too much, and they become non-recoverable mush!!
I do the double taste test - nip a little off a couple differing loins (should slice very thinly with a sharp knife).
Taste. You will know it when you realize what you are looking for...
This lot is now off to the grills, glaze and fans.
Back atcha when able...
Cheers,
Nog
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02-15-2020, 05:17 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 110
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OP, you have the process down to a science! I'm looking forward to seeing the end result before attempting this myself.
Pardon my ignorance, but are you using albacore tuna?
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02-16-2020, 10:51 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Surly
... Pardon my ignorance, but are you using albacore tuna?
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Yes. Same process can be applied to most Tuna though...
Cheers
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02-16-2020, 11:31 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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After about and hour and a half, the loins began to look a little washed out (don't worry - this is normal and will soon be rectified).
Thin Slice & Taste Test said: Good To Go!
]
Funny thing about that picture - left it up on the phone while I transferred the rest of the fish to totes, then turned, saw this, and actually tried to pick it up and eat it. LOL Yummy already!
Then, onto the racks to dry:
These dried very quickly - as in an hour after hitting the racks with NO fans, they were already crying for the Glaze!
Took advantage of that hour to prep the glaze itself. nearly 1/2 Maple Syrup, a shot of Rum Extract and top off with Black Bacardi:
And apply:
It sucked the first application up within 45 minutes, so got hit again.
Already you can see a color transformation as they darken from the glaze.
Normally I would have hit the fans at this point.
But with dark rapidly buzzarding in, temps into the minuses overnight, and the way these were already sucking up the brine I decided to leave them overnight without the fans. My Buddy hit them with the glaze again at midnight and said " Looking Good".
Today they get rolled around, glazed again, and finished drying with the fans on...
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02-17-2020, 01:52 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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As expected, the loins sucked up the glaze some, leaving just enough on the surface to give them that classic Glassy finish.
Dry to the touch, they are ready for the smoker...
Yet another fine color / consistency change - beginning to look downright appealing!
Load 'em up:
And pour the cold smoke to them:
Ambient air temperature is three degrees. No heat transfer into the smoker. Excellent conditions...
See ya in a few hours...
Nog
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02-17-2020, 06:27 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Initial Taste Test...
Horrible... NOT!!!
Cheers,
Nog
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02-17-2020, 06:30 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: My House
Posts: 13,442
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You have amazing threads. I tip my hat to you, Sir.
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02-17-2020, 07:23 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,497
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Just amazing it must be raining out to find this time to prep for such fine table fare
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Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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02-17-2020, 07:37 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,814
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Man those look good! Great tutorial as well.
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02-17-2020, 07:40 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: On a farm
Posts: 1,572
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that looks so good !!!
__________________
Living for the adventure, enjoying the ride ! BRAD
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02-17-2020, 08:42 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 1,509
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Looks delectable! What wood did you use for the smoke?
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02-17-2020, 10:02 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 614
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Awesome. I’ll be through in the summer - save some for me! Lol
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02-18-2020, 10:31 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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Thanks for the kind words Folks - they are indeed Appreciated!
Quote:
Originally Posted by grouse_hunter
Looks delectable! What wood did you use for the smoke?
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As you can see the smoker is set up to run the cold smoke operation with a Bradley Smoke Generator and Cold Smoke Adapter. About as close to Plug & Play as you can get. That means you are stuck with their pucks, but as I don't do a whole pile of cold smoking, that ain't much of an issue.
For Tuna I alternate one puck of apple, then one of alder and stack accordingly into the feed pipe.
Give the product a very mice smooth & Velvety finish...
Cheers,
Nog
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02-20-2020, 12:26 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 3,444
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That's a Wrap!
Cheers,
Nog
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