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Why don't you try it and let us know how it comes out? live just north of you in Delray Beach so I will really be enterested in your results. I love conch.
Yea give it a shot we love conch here too. the only way I have ever cook it is to fry it quickly and then serve. Now I have ate some conch steaks that were pretty darn good. That was before I started really getting into cooking.
I've smoked a lot of things before (food, that is) and conch was a fun one. The trick is using a very cold smoke. Most smokers have the fire box connected directly to it. I ran a flute line from the fire box to the smoke box about five feet. This allows for the smoke to be cooler before it reaches the meat. The cheapest way is to buy a small hand held smoker, place the Conch in the plastic ziplock, fill with smoke and let set for 15 min or longer depending on how much smoke flavor you like. After that you can sear it to temp.
Remember, the flavor characteristic of Conch is like a clam or calamari to some. If you like, try looking up smoked clams and play with that for a while before using Conch. Clams are way less expensive than Conch. Conch sell for up to $17 a pound.
Heres the way I did mine.
Hickory wood for smoker
1 lb of conch
3 tablespoons soy oil
1 shallot, minced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 shot tequila blanco or mezcal
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup clam juice
juice of one lime
salt
Get smoker coals ready. I kept my temp at 125.
Put the Conch in cover well with a lid. As the smoke starts getting intense, the Conch should start slowly cooking.
While the Conch is cooking, heat the soy oil in a sauté pan over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the shallots and cook for less than a minute, then add the tomatoes, onions and cilantro.
Sauté for one minute and add the shot of tequila.
Add the butter and clam juice. When the butter is melted, finish with the lime juice and salt to taste.
By then the Conch should be ready. Split in four serving dishes ( I sliced mine in bit size) and pour the sauce on top on each one. Serve immediately.
So it sounds basically like you cold smoke then prepare as you normally would. Smoked conch fritters would be really good!! I wouldn't guess that a traditional low and slow method would do much more than turn it into rubber bands. Sounds like a case for one of the Amaze-N smokers. I'd keep the cold smoking under an hour in the warm temps down there to be on the safe side. The plastic bag method sounds interesting.
Yes, That is the best way for beginner at this. It took me a couple of times to get it perfect on an actual smoker. If you don't have a smoker, and just have a grill, this product is pretty amazing.