Tips on smoking bellies and collars please

So I saved a lot last season, and was hoping for some fine tuning tips so I don't screw them up.

I smoked the fillets with traditional brines, so I'm looking for more of a candied product this time. Maybe 5:1 brown sugar to salt.

Had anyone ever tried bellies for an hour in salt, then 5 hours in sugar, or is it alwsys a mix? Would this method gain anything? I thought it might cure inside with salt, rinse, then leave the sugar layer to saturate the outside for browning and getting that rich color in a shorter amount of time, given reduced heat time for bellies.
Thanks

5:1 in one stage will definitely give you the "candied" product you want... save yourself the hassle and just do it ONE stage.

NUMBER ONE most important step is forming a good pellicle BEFORE smoking. DO NOT CHINTZ THIS STEP!

This is an example of my 4:1 dry brine from last fall...

Oooo-wee, that looks like some good chit.

Tasty.

5:1 for a more candied product. after brining and pellicle formation, bring it inside and get to room temp before putting it in the smoker and don't ever let it go over 120.

You should be more careful when handling your fish so you don't keep dropping it in the planter box like that.



The reason you want to do both salt and sugar at once is so that both sugar and salt get taken across the cell membrane at once. If you go salt first, it will inhibit the sugar later, or vice versa - then you'll have no idea what the salt/sugar ratio in the finished product is any more.

I'm available if you need a taster to check the quality and safety of your product.

That's some tasty looking feesh you got there, Doc! You probably don't need a taster, but feel free to look me up anyway.

Anybody else have an opinion on this recommendation? Seems a bit low to me. Is this a safe temp.

Fish4brains
I'm not judging just asking for thoughts. I can see how this could be a desired temp. How long do you leave it in the box?

110 degrees optimal, 120 max. . .I'm no expert, it takes a little longer, but the finished product will speak for itself,

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I’m no expert either, but I usually aim for 120-140 degrees. Any hotter than that seems to cook the fat right out of the meat and lose flavor/dry it out.

It's a simple question that's hard to answer. I check it often and take it out when it looks right. Can't give a time because so many things affect it, outdoor humidity and temperature being the main things. I've had a batch done in 3 hours, and I've had batches take 12+ hours.

+1

If you don't have a smoker that can function well at the lower temps - 120-130 - I have a pellet one that holds better at about 140 - I found that drying the fish for the pellicle in the cold, e.g., garage in winter or even the fridge, sets a nice pellicle but it takes longer of course. Sometime I just dry it on racks in the fridge over night.

Then you can start smoking the fish with the lower internal temp and you can then smoke it a bit longer to get the center up to the 120. 120-125 is a good temp for fish as it is certainly cooked through for food safety reasons (remember also the salt has cured it) and doesn't cook the fat out of it, as mentioned.