Smoked Meats and Fish

[Mekong Bob]

Interested is smoked salmon, using mesquite or hickory. Are there places that smoke and sell such in Chiang Mai? Could I bring a big slab of salmon fillet to such a "smoke house" and go back and pick it up a few days later?

[kaptainrob]

Easy enough to do yourself in a wok with lid (or doubled up tinfoil) using tea/sugar for smoking in lieu of suitable wood shavings.

Here's a link > http://www.food.com/recipe/smoked-salmon-in-a-wok-216996

[butterisbetter]

Easy enough to do yourself in a wok with lid (or doubled up tinfoil) using tea/sugar for smoking in lieu of suitable wood shavings.

Here's a link > http://www.food.com/recipe/smoked-salmon-in-a-wok-216996

This is a hot smoke recipe. So the salmon is going to get cooked. Not sure if that's what the OP wanted.

[Mekong Bob]

Easy enough to do yourself in a wok with lid (or doubled up tinfoil) using tea/sugar for smoking in lieu of suitable wood shavings.

Here's a link > http://www.food.com/recipe/smoked-salmon-in-a-wok-216996

This is a hot smoke recipe. So the salmon is going to get cooked. Not sure if that's what the OP wanted.

I think this is what I'm looking for - hot smoked salmon.

[MilesCh]

Does anyone know where to obtain Mesquite or something similar for smoking fish or chicken?

[butterisbetter]

Does anyone know where to obtain Mesquite or something similar for smoking fish or chicken?

Homepro used to carry mesquite chips. Don't know if they still do.

[grandpa-m]

I smoke my own fish and meat , I also cure my own meat and make my own bacon and hams .

I looked all over for good wood to use for smoking meat and fish , my son a chef for years said for me to use corn husk , he said thats all he ever used , I tried it and it's a wonderful smoke , doesn't make the product bitter tasting and has a wonderful flavor, that it adds to the meat , you can check out my blog and see the post on Making bacon , to see a little of how I do it . You'll be sooo proud of yourself if you do it yourself too , and you will be amazed at how easy it is to do and the taste will be better than anything you can buy . give it a try .. http://malcolmandciejay.blogspot.com

ps. I made my smoker out of a cardboard box and a little bucket bar-b- que the Thai's use , worked great

[Mekong Bob]

I smoke my own fish and meat , I also cure my own meat and make my own bacon and hams .

I looked all over for good wood to use for smoking meat and fish , my son a chef for years said for me to use corn husk , he said thats all he ever used , I tried it and it's a wonderful smoke , doesn't make the product bitter tasting and has a wonderful flavor, that it adds to the meat , you can check out my blog and see the post on Making bacon , to see a little of how I do it . You'll be sooo proud of yourself if you do it yourself too , and you will be amazed at how easy it is to do and the taste will be better than anything you can buy . give it a try .. http://malcolmandciejay.blogspot.com

ps. I made my smoker out of a cardboard box and a little bucket bar-b- que the Thai's use , worked greatDSC08278.JPG

Now that's INNOVATION at its best!

[zeichen]

Mesquite is a very bitter wood and should never be used by itself. Most of the avid smokers I know if they use hickory or mesquite they mix with cherry or apple. Most people don't like the flavor of those woods pure.

I recommend Longan wood (lamyai) rich wonderful smoke. Jack fruit wood is also very good, but very light and similar to oak in flavor.

Don't ever use Mango, ever. Citrus woods are ok, but a little strong and should be mixed if used. Tamarind isn't too bad either, but my go to local wood has to be longan.

Most bitterness comes from over smoking not choice of wood. If you have big white clouds of smoke that is not good. If you open the lid and your eyes burn a little by the smoke, you have too much smoke and your food will taste like ash. using small chunks of wood smoldering on the side is best method. Chips burn quickly and create too much soot unless let to smolder, don't soak like so many people say, but put in a cast iron pan or small box with holes and put on the side of the heat source just touching some of briquettes if using charcoal.

You will definitely want to cold smoke salmon or trout. But the brine and technique are important for the type that you want.

Lox requires a dry brine, and then wrap in plastic and cool for 5-7 days to cure. You will need to rotate and drain the water that is forced out by the salt ever few days. Rinse, air dry for a few hours before smoking. Then cold smoke for 8-10 hours.

My recommendation is to check out

http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm#BRINED

and

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/

Which also has a forum with recipes and how to's for all things smoked and cured

[rsokolowski]

Apple and cherry are good woods for smoking fish. Mesquite and hickory are too strong in my opinion especially for salmon. The absolute best wood for smoking salmon is alder, and the brine is a very important part of the process. Great information on some of the local tropical woods.

[Naam]

smoking anything within 15 minutes? gimme a break please!

[jagi00]

Mesquite is a very bitter wood and should never be used by itself. Most of the avid smokers I know if they use hickory or mesquite they mix with cherry or apple. Most people don't like the flavor of those woods pure.

I recommend Longan wood (lamyai) rich wonderful smoke. Jack fruit wood is also very good, but very light and similar to oak in flavor.

Don't ever use Mango, ever. Citrus woods are ok, but a little strong and should be mixed if used. Tamarind isn't too bad either, but my go to local wood has to be longan.

Most bitterness comes from over smoking not choice of wood. If you have big white clouds of smoke that is not good. If you open the lid and your eyes burn a little by the smoke, you have too much smoke and your food will taste like ash. using small chunks of wood smoldering on the side is best method. Chips burn quickly and create too much soot unless let to smolder, don't soak like so many people say, but put in a cast iron pan or small box with holes and put on the side of the heat source just touching some of briquettes if using charcoal.

You will definitely want to cold smoke salmon or trout. But the brine and technique are important for the type that you want.

Lox requires a dry brine, and then wrap in plastic and cool for 5-7 days to cure. You will need to rotate and drain the water that is forced out by the salt ever few days. Rinse, air dry for a few hours before smoking. Then cold smoke for 8-10 hours.

My recommendation is to check out

http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm#BRINED

and

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/

Which also has a forum with recipes and how to's for all things smoked and cured

I have been using Longan wood for smoking for some time now and fid that it is the best of local wood available. Also, you may like to try coconut husks - great for seafood.

Happy smoking!

[Mekong Bob]

Are there restaurants in Chiang Mai that feature smoked meats and fish?

How about private smokers who "cold smoke" salmon using lamyai wood? For sale?

If not, I guess I'll have to roll out the grill, fire it up, and get some lamyai wood!

[zeichen]

Make sure that you season your wood for at least a month in a dry place. No mold on the wood, no bark.

If you use a normal grill set up make sure that it is deep, use a water bath between the coals and the grill the fish will be on. Keep the lid cracked to let smoke out if you don't have top vents. Use small amounts of coals and keep temperatures low.

Most people just build their own smoke boxes. Take time and read up thoroughly there are a lot of how to's and many are not good. Many people who smoke products don't actually know how to do it correctly. Reading the wikipedia or watching a youtube video from an amateur proclaiming to be an expert will just not give you what you need.

Smoking meats and curing meats is complex in it's simplicity.

[Mekong Bob]

While waiting for a member to report on a source of smoked meats and fish in Chiang Mai, my preference remains in finding a place to buy the finished product, rather than learning how to make it myself.

Any entrepreneurs out there?

[zeichen]

Sausage king does have a set up for curing and smoking, His focus is on meats, but who knows so contact him directly.

Doi Kahm store often has smoked trout, and it is pretty good. So if you can find out where they get theirs from you might be able to subcontract out.

[wholetthedogout]

Sausage king can do it but you maybe in a Que as he is a busy man. I eat their 2-3 times a week.I will go their for breakfast tomorrow so what is the deal ?Who will buy the wood chips etc ?

[Mekong Bob]

Sausage king can do it but you maybe in a Que as he is a busy man. I eat their 2-3 times a week.I will go their for breakfast tomorrow so what is the deal ?Who will buy the wood chips etc ?

If Rob at Sausage King (in San Sai) is agreeable, then his customers who would like to try his smoked salmon, trout, or other seafood will be in for a real treat, I am certain!

Where to find a steady supply of the proper wood chips (langan/lamyai wood, cherry wood, apple wood, coconut husks, etc.)? Veteran smokers like zeichen, jagi00, and rsokolowski may already have good local sources for these woods, and can share this information with Rob and with us.

I will have a big chunk of salmon ready to bring to Sausage King whenever I learn that SK is ready.

[Mekong Bob]

Sausage king can do it but you maybe in a Que as he is a busy man. I eat their 2-3 times a week.I will go their for breakfast tomorrow so what is the deal ?Who will buy the wood chips etc ?

If Rob at Sausage King (in San Sai) is agreeable, then his customers who would like to try his smoked salmon, trout, or other seafood will be in for a real treat, I am certain!

Where to find a steady supply of the proper wood chips (langan/lamyai wood, cherry wood, apple wood, coconut husks, etc.)? Veteran smokers like zeichen, jagi00, and rsokolowski may already have good local sources for these woods, and can share this information with Rob and with us.

I will have a big chunk of salmon ready to bring to Sausage King whenever I learn that SK is ready.

Excuse misspelling of "longan" in previous post. This term is a Chinese term for the fruit we better know in Thailand as "lamyai." The Chinese term translates as "dragon eyes" in English. Gulp!

[zeichen]

I don't use Wood chips as they burn up to quickly for long smokes. Use large chunks is better, but it all depends on SK's smoke house. If he has just a small cabinet smoker then smaller chunks could be used. I get my wood directly from a few farmers I know that have longan trees. It really isn't hard to source wood.

If you want western style woods, then both rimping and large hardware stores like global have chips in 1 kilo bags, which is enough for a few good long smokes.

You could even combine some of the local wood with a few handfuls of the imported stuff.