How to Smoke Cat Fish
You woke up at 5 o'clock in the morning, geared up with your poles and lures and hit the lake to catch a trophy catfish. Now that you're home with your catch, it's time to cook up and enjoy your prize. You could pan fry or even broil your catfish, or you could try a tasty alternative: smoking your catfish. It's simple to serve your family a delicious smoked catfish that even the kids will enjoy eating. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Catfish
- Fillet Knife
- Water
- Salt
- Cayenne pepper
- Black pepper
- Garlic cloves
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Plastic freezer bags
- Smoker or grill
- Wood for smoking
- Meat thermometer
Instructions
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1
Prepare a brine solution for your catfish that contains 1 gallon of water, 3/4 cup salt, 1 teaspoon of both black pepper and cayenne pepper, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 3 cloves of peeled and finely chopped garlic, and 1 cup of brown sugar.
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2
Fill 2 large freezer bags with the 1/2 cup of brine solution each and set them aside.
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3
Fillet your catfish by removing the skin, head, and cutting thin slices lengthwise. Make sure to cut all of your fillets in approximately the same size. For faster smoking, cut the fillets thinner.
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4
Place 2 to 3 pounds of filleted catfish into the brine-solution-filled freezer bags.
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5
Allow the solution to remain in the bag, and refrigerated, for at least 4 to 5 hours.
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6
After the brining time has ended, remove the catfish from the freezer bags, rinse, and allow the catfish to dry on top of a rack for 1 hour.
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7
Place the catfish into a grill or a smoker that has been heated to 190 to 200 degrees with wood chips designed for smoking and close the lid.
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8
Periodically check on your fish and flip it only once, if necessary.
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9
Smoke the catfish until the meat is opaque, flakes easily, and has reached an internal temperature of 140 degrees on a meat thermometer.
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10
Allow the catfish to cool completely before eating.
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