smoked northern pike

Anyone out there ever smoked northern pike. If so what type of brine and time and temp would be appreciated.

I hold my smoker between 170 and 200.

As for a brine, I use enough salt mixed in water to float an egg then add the same amount of water again. I then add brown sugar, lemon, pepper maybe som pinaple juice too. I make the brine so it tastes good to me. then smoke for 4-6 hrs depending on size of fish. Check fish color to determine when done, it should be white and flakey not firm and opaque.

do yourself a favor,, learn how to debone them! Ive converted many walleye guys at the old mans resort in Canada!

Ive heard thing like this!!!!

Oh this is the best fish Ive ever had!

reply!

Yeah! Its Northern!

Yeah Right??

best fresh water table fair out there boys! little more work than a walleye to clean but once you know how its a snap!

little worshire little browne sugar some honey and pickling salt smoke at about 140-150 for an hour then crank up the heat till done to you desired dryness!

I haven’t smoked any Northern, but regularly smoke trout & salmon. I use 1/4 cup pickling salt and 1/4 cup brown sugar per quart of water. I would cut the northern into strips and soak for 24 hours. For trout, I have a pan of water in the smoker to keep it moist. Salmon being oilier, does not require this.

I soak apple wood for an hours or so, then place it into a metal pan with tin foil over it with a few holes poked into the cover. This sits directly on my electric burner element. The tin foil restricts the oxygen to force the wood to smoke.

I learned over time to cut back on the amount of wood that I have used to just infuse the wood smoke flavor, but to avoid getting what I consider to be the taste of “ashes” infused when one over does it.

I would think that this would work well with the Northern…

I’ve learned from some big time BBQ’ers that we shouldn’t soak the wood before smoking. There’s a ton of research on this, but the bottom line is that creosote forms from wet wood. That might be the “ash” flavor you talk about.

Northern is actually my favorite to smoke.Find trout too oily,don’t have a taste for carp.Pool 8-9 use to be loaded with 6 to 8 pound northerns.Getting one atleast #4 helps.If cooked enough to flake apart,the meat will seperate at the Y bones.Then you can pull them out half a dozen at a time.I just gut them,then scald with boiling water,so the scales wipe right off {optional}.Cut in about 2 1/2” steaks,Icut out gills and do the head as well.Couple good little bites on top of the head,and great for presentation.I just rub mine with spices and run smoker a little hotter.Not a fan of salt or sugar.With a case of beer and a couple buddys I’ve never had the sunset on a batch.

i smoke a lot of nords. my “batch” consists of 4 nords, 8 fillets with skin on. my smoker is a brinkman charcoal smoker. the brine is 2qts water i cup sugar, not cyrstal farms and 1 cup piclking salt. i also add worchershire sauce, just a little soy sauce and a few other odds and ends. brine fish for about 24 hours. i then spay veggy oil on a cookie sheet, 2 actually, put fish on and bake for 45 minutes at 225 degrees throw on hot smoker and done in about 3 hours.

havent had anyone not like them yet!!!

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i smoke a lot of nords. my “batch” consists of 4 nords, 8 fillets with skin on. my smoker is a brinkman charcoal smoker. the brine is 2qts water i cup sugar, not cyrstal farms and 1 cup piclking salt. i also add worchershire sauce, just a little soy sauce and a few other odds and ends. brine fish for about 24 hours. i then spay veggy oil on a cookie sheet, 2 actually, put fish on and bake for 45 minutes at 225 degrees throw on hot smoker and done in about 3 hours.

havent had anyone not like them yet!!!

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I tried this over the Xmas break and went…OK. A couple questions though..1. How do you get rid of the slime and 2. Do you scale your fish while cleaning it? Even after brining for 24 hours, I had a boat load of slime!

when you catch and clean them, put them in a container, put water on it to cover the fish and pour about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup. roughly guessing in it. let set over nite. then dump out wash off and WALLA no slime. hasnt failed me in 10 plus years. and nope no scaling.

yea if you dont use the vinegar trick the brine seems add to the slimy mess. the vinegar, in my opinion does nuttin to the fish either!

ps. i use an ice cream pail, but dont matter!

it does take a wee bit off trial and error to get it down pat. i soak my wood chips, not the blocks for about an hour and half. i use what amounts to a 3lb coffee can full. one key is to make sure your charcoal is white hot! i get my chips at memards and only use hickory or misquite1

Thanks glenn.

hey no problem. just glad i could help!!!!!!!