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HELP ASAP smoke brine q!?!?

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jjdbike

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Hi friends. Buds gave me some small blues that caught offshore seabass fishing Sat. Bled & filetted Sat. Been ice since. Last night (Tuesday 12/08) I brined them in fridge. Put them on a drying rack in fridge this morning. Still not completely dry. Is tomorrow morning (weds 12/10) too late to smoke them, that is are they getting old or unsafe? I want to serve them this Friday to guests at a holiday cocktail party.

Advice or opinions are greatly appreciated! Don't want to risk getting guests I'll or serving them old tasting fish.

Thanks much!!!!

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Thanks bro. I love bluefish & especially smoked, even though it will only be my secnd time smoking them.

I know that freshness is key with blues. I usually eat them with in a day of catching. Even though they've been on ice or refrigerated since, what a nightmare it would be to serve guests and best friends old fish or have them get ill.

JD

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Jim - If they are still not dry and have not formed a pellicle, leave them on a rack and put them in front of a box fan for a few hours. It is okay to have them un-refrigerated for 4-5 hours to do this.

"You know the Bill of Rights is serving its purpose when it protects things you wish it didn't."

 

"You can no longer be oppressed if you are not afraid anymore - Unknown"

 

SOL Member #174

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve in Mass View Post

Jim - If they are still not dry and have not formed a pellicle, leave them on a rack and put them in front of a box fan for a few hours. It is okay to have them un-refrigerated for 4-5 hours to do this.

 



This is good advice. And if it's not too cold, do it on your porch.

"all of jase's posts are valid." -Otter

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Jim - If they are still not dry and have not formed a pellicle, leave them on a rack and put them in front of a box fan for a few hours. It is okay to have them un-refrigerated for 4-5 hours to do this.

 

 

it's perfectly fine to do this in the fridge and not risk the 4-5 hours in the danger zone or bring fan into the equation.

"... let it go - lets move forward."

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and not risk the 4-5 hours in the danger zone or bring fan into the equation.

 

I dunno, Mike, if the fish was brined as most fish to be smoked is, the salt will protect from the so-called "danger zone"....I have done this a number of times even in the dead heat of summer, and never had an issue.

"You know the Bill of Rights is serving its purpose when it protects things you wish it didn't."

 

"You can no longer be oppressed if you are not afraid anymore - Unknown"

 

SOL Member #174

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and not risk the 4-5 hours in the danger zone or bring fan into the equation.

 

I dunno, Mike, if the fish was brined as most fish to be smoked is, the salt will protect from the so-called "danger zone"....I have done this a number of times even in the dead heat of summer, and never had an issue.

 

I totally understand the brine hinders the bacterial growth. I posted it as an a option not to rule out if someone doesn't care to leave raw meat on their counter for a couple of hours.

"... let it go - lets move forward."

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Hinders may be the correct term. To completely inhibit microbial growth salt needs to be at 10 pct and to kill bacteria it needs to be at 20 pct. You aren't going to get there with brining for smoking and fish at 10 pct salt would be inedible. The main way that salt works to preserve smoked fish is to dry it out. It denies moisture that bacteria need for growth. Obviously if you haven't smoked the fish yet after brining it isn't dried or salty enough yet to really do the job.

 

IMO there is normally no real danger if the fish was fresh and clean but it would be ok to leave it out for a few hours whether you brined it or not. I leave fish in refrigerator to form a pellicle. It works fine and never saw any advantage to leaving it out at room temp.

"I have ... put a lump of ice into an equal quantity of water ...  if a little sea salt be added to the water we shall produce a fluid sensibly colder than the ice was in the beginning, which has appeared a curious and puzzling thing to those unacquainted with the general fact."- Joseph Black

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  • 8 months later...

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