Fish

Whether you are smoking fish by the traditional method—in a chimney—or using a smoker, fish for hot-smoking should be scaled, cleaned and gutted when it is fresh, then dry-salted or brined. This draws out moisture from the flesh and also acts as a short-term preservative to keep the fish from spoiling during smoking. After salting, hang the fish on a hook for about three hours until it has dried out and formed a thin hard skin called a pellicule, which helps the smoke penetrate evenly.

Hot-smoke fish at a temperature no higher than 180°F/82°C for up to two hours; above this temperature it may disintegrate. To make sure any harmful organisms are killed off during the smoking, this temperature must be maintained for at least 30 minutes. Fattier fish such as salmon, trout, tuna, bluefish, mackerel, herring and whitefish smoke the best. Baste the fish with oil during smoking so they do not dry out.