smoked fish--- local business

[brookiereleaser]

hello all,

I was wondering if there is a good local shop that will take a cleaned salmon/trout and smoke it for you , I have a smoker but have no experience and know that its probably somewhat of an art and im not sure i want to undertake such a job right now,

any local milwaukee area business that will smoke a fish???

thanks

[HotHead617]

There are a few places in milwaukee and the surrounding area that smoke fish one is Burbachs i beleive the spelling is close but its on like 52nd or 53rd and hampton....or in menomonie falls on silver spring there is a place called Karls country market...they average about $1.75-$2.00 a pound there is another place in oconomowoc called the sauage house that does a great job and they charge about .85 cents a pound.
What kinda smoker you got?? would be even cheaper to do it yourself and its not that difficult.

[brookiereleaser]

thanks for the info, i have a basic charcoal based one that i havent really used, it seemed very hard to get a constant temp in there and had a few disasters trying to do some chicken and things in there .

i was thinking about getting one of those little chief electric smokers??? have any of you used this, its about 80 bucks from cabelas , i wonder if the little chief model is big enough to do fillet chunks of salmon, any other recommended electrics, im looking for user friendly even if the fish doesnt turn out quite as good as a real charcoal based one,

also do any of these local places offer some options as far as flavoring/brine choice , such as cajun etc , i would be interrested in trying a few options,

what is your favorite species to get smoked???

thanks

[HotHead617]

I also use a charcoal smoker and it is a pain to regulate the heat but the results are worth it just need a little patience and the time to watch it.I as well thought about buying a electric smoker but decided the little extra work was worth it with the charcoal one.The key is to keep it in the 140-150 range and no higher because then your cooking it not smoking it.You can pick up some starter kits of brine from shore lunch from fleet farm and even menards until you figure out what flavors you like and start to make your own brines.The only fish i smoke is trout,salmon,and white bass.

[luv2fish]

The "Butcher Block" on highway 32 right off of Ryan Road smokes fish...Thats where i have always gone and have been happy with the results...I can't remember the exact prices but i know they were reasonable....

[avid1010]

Do yourself a favor and head to the sausage house and while you're there get yourself a muffalato, monster burger and deep fried cheese curds. Then head out on Lake La Belle for some great walleye and smallmouth fishing. I used to live on Fowler Lake, and when it comes to good old American food there is nothing better than take out from the Sausage House. If I get within 15 miles it's and automatic stop. Now that I realize they smoke fish I may have to make a few special trips:D Thanks for the info!

[the pig]

Get yourself one of those cheaper smokers at Gander with the temp gauge on them. Steak out your salmon and throw them in a ten gallon bucket with a cup of canning salt per gallon of water. The brine should also consist of a cup of brown sugar, garlic powder, lemon juice, and chopped up onions and a tablespoon of clover. Cut the steaks about 3 to 4 inches thick. Let the steaks soak in the brine for 24 hrs. Take steaks out of brine and let them air dry for an hour. Put charcoal in the pan and I have a wire basket that I place over the charcoal and put my wood in. My wood is chunks of chopped up apple wood or cherry wood. Put steaks in smoker and give it two to three hours. Add more wood when needed( don't see it smoking as much) If i can smoke fish..anyone can! Good luck and have fun doing it!!

[the pig]

P.s- my steaks look like horshoes when they are laying on the grate..I used to cut the salmon into three big chunks and have the steaks laying on their sides but that did not work as well as cutting them thinner and having the one side of the meat laying on the grate and the other side of the meat facing up.

[the pig]

I forgot, the Brine also calls for a cup of maple syrup.

[blitzfish]

I smoke my own, and usually only smoke kings and sometimes a coho or a big brown or two every year. I use one of those cheaper gander ones with the temp gauges and use the flavored wood most of the time, I never really liked the taste of the charcoal smoked fish. It wasn't that hard to keep track of the temp with it either and really easy to control it. If I don't feel like smoking it myself, I take it into Ewigs in Port Washington. I love their smoked fish. They also do chubs when they are in season which are amazing!