Mackerel brining time before smoking

Having only just bought a charcoal fired barbecue/smoker, I am confused about brining times. Having searched the web I found some sites recommend 20 minutes, for mackerel, others much longer, who is right?

fish brining

Best Answer

I smoke mackerel and eel just with fine salt and ground black pepper in the open belly (kept open with a couple of toothpicks). Vertical smoking about 6h at 35-40ºC smoke.

If you marinate them, I don't know if the meat wouldn't fall apart. I marinate (just the fillets and just marinated) covered with wine vinegar and lemon juice (80% to 20%), garlic, a little salt or no salt and black pepper. After 4-6h it's ready to eat over toast, as a snack with cold dry white wine. Best next day. Holds for a week in fridge (covered with marinade). Sardines are the best like this.

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Should you brine mackerel before smoking?

Once you separate the mackerel filets, you should brine them before smoking. Brining mackerel creates more flavor and keeps the fish nice and juicy as it cooks. First, gather your ingredients. You'll want plenty of cold water, heaping amounts of salt, and seasonings.

Do you have to brine mackerel?

It is essential to brine the mackerel fillets before they are smoked. Brine recipes will vary as much as cake or biscuit (cookie) recipes but the most important point is that you must not underestimate the amount of salt required.

How long do you smoke mackerel fillets?

Rinse the salt off of the filets under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels. Preheat the smoker to 275\xb0F. Place the mackerel fillets skin side down on the smoker rack and smoke for 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160\xb0F and the flesh flakes apart when checked with a fork.

Do you have to brine fish before smoking?

The first and most important step before you smoke fish is to brine it for at least 2 hours and preferably 6 to 10 hours. Brining fish before smoking it prevents it from drying out. Soaking it in a brine made with a combination of water and seasoning will also infuse it with flavor.

Cooking The Catch: King Mackerel - Filleting, Brining, and Smoking

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Ron Lach, Vladyslav Dukhin, Pixabay