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| 1 lb albacore, yellow fine, or Ahi) 1/2 Cup Water 1/2 Cup Apple juice 1/4 Cup Brown sugar 2 TBSP Honey 2 TBSP Soy sauce 2 TBSP Kosher salt 1/2 TBSP Either Thai or Chinese chili sauce 1 lg or 2 small Bay leaves For dredging either brown sugar, granulated garlic/black pepper, etc. See the recipe or experiment here | |
| Brine is crucial to add moisture to the tuna. Heat the water (dont boil, just warm) Mix all of the ingredients listed above into the water. Stir vigorously to blend all those flavors together. Bring the tuna brine back down to room temperature, and pour the mixture into a plastic bag. Add the tuna, get the air out of the bag making sure the tuna is thoroughly coated Place bag of marinating tuna and put them in your refrigerator. Allow at least three hours for the tuna to marinate well. Some people leave it in the refrigerator for six hours, or even overnight (its a matter of taste, the longer the less it tastes like tuna, 3 seems to be a sweet spot). Pat the fish dry using paper towel, leaving on as much of the good flavorings as you can. Once you’ve pat-dried the tuna, air dry it for one to two hours on a cold grill rack or similar stand. You can speed up the drying process by putting the tuna in front of a fan, but make sure the meat doesn’t get too dried out. Depending on your own environmental conditions even an hour of air-drying may be too much. The goal is to let a good pellicle develop and stop there, so keep a close eye on that tuna. The pellicle is the coating or skin on the surface of the tuna (or other meat) that allows smoke to adhere. It’s useful in smoking any kind of meat, but is especially important for smoking fish. The pellicle protects the meat from being over-smoked, but enhances the flavor and color from smoking. Wait till the pellicle is well formed but the tuna still somewhat moist When pellicle is almost formed preheat your smoker to 175 using a mild wood (alder, pecan, apple) Dredge the tuna in some more brown sugar (or lemon juice, garlic powder, others spices). This is really up to you and your taste. Place the dredged pieces on racks, or directly on your grill. Smoke the meat at 175 degrees for 60 to 120 minutes. (middle of the piece should register 140). Small pieces will take about 1 hour, larger closer to two. You will notice a color change that will tell you its done. Tuna should be flaky but moist. You can serve the pieces on a salad, or slice thin an serve as an appetizer, or even mix with some creme fraiche/sour cream and serve as a dip | |
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