Smoked Tialpia on Little Chief

[ryan y]

Picked up some tilapia fillets from the store today. They're on the smaller side, 1/2" thick at most but we'll see how it goes. I'm giving bearcarver's recipe a try, with a few tweaks:
-Double the cayenne, I enjoy some spice on anything I smoke.
-I only had dark brown sugar, so that's what I used.
-Will leave at room temp for 2hrs to form pellicle, as I normally do (never have enough room in fridge).
-Experimenting with an apple/alder mix.

Here's the link to the original recipe: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/111096/smoked-brook-trout-tilapia-hickory-smoke

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• ryan y
• Mar 24, 2017

10 small fillets, about 2#

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• ryan y
• Mar 24, 2017

Brine, the apple juice and soy sauce combo smells interesting, can't wait to see how it tastes.

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• ryan y
• Mar 24, 2017

In the bag for 4 hrs, will mix a bit at 2hrs since the ones at the top aren't completely submerged.

Temp is at 50* right now, high will be around 60 so the chief should have no problems. More to come later.

 

[idahopz]

Way back when I was a kid, my first cooker that was capable of making smoke was a $49 Big Chief. I used it for everything, but my favorites were fish (salmon and steelhead) and beef jerky.  These days I still use that Chief when I want a quick smoked dinner salmon, so your tilapia experiment should be interesting - looking forward to the end cook.

 

[ryan y]

My chief has smoked loads of jerky and whole trout. First time trying fillets, really looking forward to some fish dip.

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• ryan y
• Mar 24, 2017

Sprayed racks with pam, arranged fillets with rib section farthest from the outside to hopefully balance cooking out a bit. Took two hours to get a pellicle, slightly tacky when touched, almost no moisture.

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• ryan y
• Mar 24, 2017

Smoker shot, the reflectix I purchased almost two years ago is still holding up, has helped to insulate the chief. I have a snug fitting box I place over the top few inches of the reflectix with a 2" vent cut in it for colder weather, but at 60* should be fine without it.

 

[weev]

I tried it once but came out like jerky the pieces were so thin and I overcooked it.
I was reading a article last week that said you should never eat tilapia
It's neither healthy for you and is mostly all contaminated not sure if it's true or not.

 

[Bearcarver]

Sprayed racks with pam, arranged fillets with rib section farthest from the outsode to hopefully balance cooking out a bit. Took two hours to get a pellicle, slightly tacky when touched, almost no moisture.

 

Great start Ryan!! 

Good Tweaks too!!

Note: Air drying can be encouraged with a fan on the pieces.

Be Back

Bear

I tried it once but came out like jerky the pieces were so thin and I overcooked it.
I was reading a article last week that said you should never eat tilapia
It's neither healthy for you and is mostly all contaminated not sure if it's true or not.

I've read that too, because of how they are raised in foreign countries.

That's why I take mine to at least 140° IT, and they have already been frozen.

I would not undercook them or Cold Smoke them only, like Lox, but I don't do that with any fish.

Bear

 

[browneyesvictim]

I'm with Bear and Weev on this one...

Be careful with Tilapia, it does depend on where it comes from- specifically country of origin if most important. The Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Organization is a good resource if you ever need to know about fish or seafood.

 

[ryan y]

I tried it once but came out like jerky the pieces were so thin and I overcooked it.
I was reading a article last week that said you should never eat tilapia
It's neither healthy for you and is mostly all contaminated not sure if it's true or not.

Going on 3hrs now and getting close to done, The tilapia I purchased were frozen, will definitely cook thoroughly. I'm not a fan of using any type of fish I don't catch myself, but my fishing buddies have either moved off or been way to busy to go. Trout season's almost over here now, and I've been hankering for some salty smoky fish and cold beer!

 
Great start Ryan!! 

Good Tweaks too!!

Note: Air drying can be encouraged with a fan on the pieces.

Be Back

I was going to use a fan but since it was such a nice day today I just opened the front and back door, had a nice breeze blowing through all day. Thanks for sharing the recipe on the forum, some of the best color I've seen from a brine, it's going to be some tasty stuff. Told the guys at work I'd bring some in on Monday, hope there's some left!

 
I'm with Bear and Weev on this one...

Be careful with Tilapia, it does depend on where it comes from- specifically country of origin if most important. The Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Organization is a good resource if you ever need to know about fish or seafood.

Thanks for the tip, will definitely check it out. Local waters around here are not very friendly either (catfish and large game fish in some areas have portions limited to twice yearly), so pretty used to monitoring fish safety unfortunately. Stocked trout aren't my favorite, but at least you can get a couple large smokes or fish fries in with them. These fillets were all frozen, the store had some fresh ones but they were small(er) and they didn't look very nice anyway. 

 

[ryan y]

Pulled the fillets after five hours. It got dark on me and the flashlight ran out of batteries, they ended up cooking for about an hour too long. Still pretty tasty, not quite like jerky. Rib sections got way overdone, almost crunchy, so I'll trim them off for dog treats.

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• ryan y
• Mar 25, 2017

Had a few hot off the smoker, the outside layer was a little rubbery, but inside had great flavor. Couldn't taste any cayenne comimg through, so may dust with seasoning before smoking next time, fresh herbs may be good too.
Now into the fridge for a day or so, and will try getting some dip made.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Bearcarver]

Ryan,

Those look Mighty Tasty!!---

Those thinner parts that are a bit rubbery or tough could soften up after a day or two in the Fridge in a Ziplock or a closed container.

That's why I say my method is for snacking, and not for Dinner.

I like to pick up the pieces in my fingers & pull it apart while snacking.

Now I'm Jonesing for some Smoked Fish!!!

Bear

 

[ryan y]

I rested them for a few days in the fridge, they did soften up quite a bit. Took some to work and they didn't last long. Used the rest for dip, flavor was great, consistency was a bit off, still great with crackers and cheese.