Catfish skin should only be smoked inside an old rubber tire; first though you must clean out the rubber tire with diesel oil and allow it to soak inside a refridgerator around 40 degrees or so. Then place the catfish in a circle inside the rubber tire with the tails pointing outwards.
Plan on about 2 hours for catfish filets of 2 to 3 pounds. When cooked throw away the catfish with the skin on and eat the rubber tires.
Man catfish skin is NASTY; it's amazing that something that is covered in such a nasty, slimy, skin can have such a wonderful tasting meat inside that skin.
I am new to smoking; but an old time catfishing man. About 40 years ago one of my customers, an older man to me back in those days, in his 60s, used to use a Little Chief Smoker to smoke all his salmon, trout, and catfish; and every week that kindly old man would bring me in about a pound of catfish that he had smoked on his little chief smoker. I have never forgotten that wonderful taste after all these years.
Well i just got my Little Chief Smoker and now waiting for it to cool down a tad so I can go after some catfish. These temperatures here in Arizona, the last week getting up to 114 degrees, is too much for this old man! I can take temps around 105, and I might think about fishing inbetween 105 and 109; more thinking than fishing actually. But when that temp gets so high that when I walk out the door and I can actually smell the hot air, I know its 109 or 110 and above, and thats way too hot for this old man; now is the time to sit inside and tie flies and swap lies about fishing.
I will BBQ catfish and other fish on my Brinkman El Cheapo Special that I modified many many years ago; back in 1968, That one finally wore out about 5 or 6 years ago; so I promptly bought another and modified my new one. Man those good old boys that dreamed up that mod for the Brinkman should be written about in history books; sheer genius was at work when they got together way back when. I dont know when they first came up with their idea for mods on the Brinkman; but I followed their directions way back in 1968 when I first bought mine; it was the same year I started to work for the company that I retired from is how I am so sure of when I bought mine and did the mods....SHEER GENIUS. And thats as close to smoking as I've ever come.
So I hope to learn a lot here in this Forum; I should cuz it seems like everybody in here knows more than I do; some of that has just got to rub off on me.
I believe I made my first of many to come mistakes two days ago; i failed to take into account that it got up to 114 degrees that day here in Peoria, Arizona when I tried making my first Venison Jerkey. I failed to take that exceptionally high temperature into account when I was smoking the 5 pounds of jerky for 14 hours in my Little Chief Smoker. It didn't ruin it thankfully; but the results are a lot harder than I like my jerkey; I'm pretty sure that the 114 degrees should have told me to keep it in the smoker a few hours less time; but I wasn't listening.
Am I right? Should I have cut back on the time I had the jerky in my Little Chief by, I'm guessing now, 3 to 4 hours, to end up with a softer jerkey; one not so hard.
Please correct me if Im wrong and if you have some advice I would sure love to hear it.
Stay safe everyone;
Ken