Northwest Fishing Reports

Well I'm here to attest to the fact smoking the Mackinaw from Lake Chelan is well worth the trip, and going through the process is delicious and rewarding.

My first batch that I smoked turned out alright, but looked a little rough and was a little "fishy" tasting due to the large amount of belly meat with fat, and the rib bones that were still attached after Andy (Antons crew) filleted them.

It's worth the extra effort to prepare the meat before brining in my opinion. This last batch is going to turn out great compared to the first. I took the fillet knife and trimmed all the rib bone that was still attached, and cut off the belly meat that had allot of fat or was too thin to have much meat and tossed it. That alone made the meat better looking and more uniform.

2 gallons of cold water, 1-1/2 cups kosher salt, 1 pound brown sugar, and 1 16 oz. KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki marinade. I let it soak for almost 48 hrs. I took it out of the brine, gave it a good rinsing, and laid it on the towel to dry with the fan for 3 hours. On the smoker tomorrow 4-6 hrs then refrigerate till cold.

It turned out great! I'm having a hard time staying out of it and it isn't even chilled yet. As in many projects, it's all in the preparation; and due to the large amount of meat you can bring home, it's worth the extra care.

I really like my Brinkman charcoal barrel smoker as it has a lot of surface area for a large quantity of fillets, and I don't have to worry about drippings on the meat due to the single surface. It does a great job on the Lahontans from Omak Lake also. I can lay 7 or 8 large whole fish in it and they turn out perfect.

Cutting the belly flaps off lakers is the way to go. Bigger fish are the worst and are much "fishier" tasting than the smaller ones. Cutting off and discarding the bellies also is a good idea where PCB pollutants are a problem. I do have a weakness for smoked bellies and collars off ocean caught (not estuary or river caught as the fish are turning their fat reserves into egg and milt) kings and silvers. I use a dry brine and then do a heavy hard smoke. The finished product is a bit greasy but oh so good with a sharp cheddar cheese, crackers, and a good hearty beer.

Collars and bellies.......... Yummmmmmmmmmmmm. Squaw candy.

MMMM squaw candy is the sheot. Its a killer on the bloodsugars.But everything in moderation is ok.

I started removing the skin prior to brining and smoking and feel that the flavor is better and leaves no skin to throw away after eating. I've been going to try removing skin prior to baking/bbqing(as I have heard this also improves flavor)but it seems that by the time I remember it is already on the grill.

If you skin the fillets you should also scrape or cut out the dark meat along the lateral line. It'll make the fish less "fishy" tasting and smell better as it cooks.