Keto - Pork Stirfry

 Make-Over Monday: Keto Friendly Pork Stirfry

Coming home from our cruise, We thought it best to lower some calories in order to get ready for our hike next week. SO… I took a favorite Pork Stirfry Recipe and make some adjustments and served it over orange cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. 

Here is my made-over recipe… 

For the sauce…

1 cup low-sodium beef broth - (we used our new bone marrow broth) 

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce - (we used regular soy sauce)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar - (can substitute with apple cider vinegar)

1 teaspoon sesame oil - (olive oil can be used)

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup (honey or maple syrup works)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon grated or powdered ginger 

1-2 tablespoons hoisin or mirin- (optional, omit if you don't have it on hand)

1 pinch crushed red pepper - (2 or 3 pinches if you like a little more heat)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Stir Fry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil & 1 tablespoon butter

2 medium pork chops, sliced into thin strips - (you could mix or match with beef, chicken or tofu)

1/2 cup diced shallots - (can use 1/2 yellow onion diced)

2 cups shredded cabbage - (broccoli florets, green beans or snap peas could be used instead)

1 cup thin sliced celery - (substitute red bell pepper, peas or diced zucchini)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thin rounds slices

1 small can of sliced water chestnuts - (heart of palm work well too)

Directions:

1. Whisk the sauce: In a bowl, mix together the beef broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Brown rice syrup, minced garlic, grated ginger, hoisin, crushed red pepper, and cornstarch until well combined. Set aside for at least a hour to let flavors meld.

2. Heat the oil: Warm vegetable oil and butter in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add the sliced pork tenderloin and cook about 3-4 minutes per side. Once cooked, put pork in a bowl and cover to keep warm.

3. Next Stir-fry the veggies: In the same wok or skillet, add a little more oil if necessary, and increase heat to medium-high. Stir-fry all the vegetables for about 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the carrots, they should be tender but still firm. 

4. Combining everything together: Add the sauce mixture to the vegetables, stirring continuously until sauce thickens. Add the pork, tossing everything together and heating through until warmed. (2-3 minutes)

5. Garnish and serve: Just before serving - sprinkle sliced green onions and/or sesame seeds over the top and serve.

TWD: Clam Chowder Pie

 A little “TWD” Baking with Dorie… 

We made these very yummy and hearty “Clam Chowder Pies” featured on page 365 in Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook titled “Baking with Dorie - Sweet, Salty & Simple. WE made them as individual pies because there were some in our group that doesn’t care for sea food, so we made both clam and chicken. WE followed the same recipes with on;y the two following change, Clams/Chicken & Old Bay

Seasoning/Brown Butter Garlic Seasoning. The buttered oyster crackers on top was my favorite part. These pies were delicious and easy to make for both a planned party or a quick fancy dinner with unplanned guests. 

And of course as many know we are encouraged not to share the recipe, but I happen to know that you can sneak a peek on Dorie’s Instagram.

Creamy Curried Chicken with Crunchy Vegetables (Ethiopian Style)

• Creamy Curried Chicken with Crunchy Vegetables 

  (we served it with our Ethiopian Injera Bread)

  
  

  Ingredients:

  
  

  2 tablespoons sun dried tomato oil, from the jar

  3 tablespoons butter

  2-3 skinless chicken breasts, cut in half into flat thin pieces. 

  Salt and pepper, to taste

  1 tablespoon garlic cloves, minced & sautéed in brown butter 

  1 cup chicken stock, or 1/2 cup of stock & 1/2 cup white wine

  1-2 teaspoons curry seasoning, season to taste

  ¼ -1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste depending spicyness

  1 cup red pepper and green peppers, cut into small chunks 

  1/2 cup red onion, cut into small chunks

  1 1/2 cup heavy cream, can use coconut cream 

  1/2 cup softened cream cheese

  3/4 cup parmesan

  1 cup chopped baby spinach leaves or fresh parsley

  
  

  (We added a cup of hot, cooked whole baby carrots to our recipe at the same time as the peppers)

  
  

  Instructions 

  Heat sun dried tomato oil with butter in a cast iron skillet.

  
  

  Season thin cut chicken breasts with salt and pepper, placing each piece of breast in hot skillet cooking for 2-3 minutes on one side until golden. Then, flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from pan. Do not over cook, they may seem still under cooked but they will finish in the sauce.

  
  

  Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add stock/wine and deglaze the skillet, removing bits that stuck to the bottom for flavor. 

  
  

  Season skillet with curry seasoning, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Stir for almost 1 minute to bring the roasted flavors together. Add cream cheese and stir until mixed into the liquid. 

  
  

  Stir in heavy cream and parmesan. Add peppers, red onions and spinach, return chicken breasts to the skillet, Turn off stove and cover skillet to allow the spinach to wilt and the pepper will steam to semi-crunchy, about 5 minutes. 

  
  

  Serve Warm with Injera Bread.

  
  

  

  
  

SMASHBURGER Taco

 The princess and Uncle Parker thinks we need to have a new “Taco Tuesday" post and they wanted to share their creation of the SMASHBURGER TACO, (the newest, hottest videos trending all over Facebook). They were actually really good. Check out all the videos and choose one to try, you can’t go wrong… here is our favorite:  https://fb.watch/EQOnCSAxXw/?fs=e

Pork Chops & Applesauce

 January 10... "Fruit-Full Friday"

A few weeks ago the video came acrossed my news feed and I was intrigued.  Here is the link... https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BCnfsCXXm/?mibextid=WooXLz

For my one-hit wonder, I basically followed the recipe, lol... only using pork ribs instead of pork chops, Fresh Tri-colored potatoes and garlic instead of carrots and cinnamon, mixing mushrooms and onions in with my green beans instead of soup. 

The whole thing was actually very tasty, we would make it again... 😁

Stuffed Pork Loin

 Our Workshop Wednesday this month was “Stuffed Pork Loin”. The challenge was to follow the video included in this post but change up the ingredients in our stuffing mixture. We had some leftover mashed potatoes and I roasted some veggies that we added to the bacon and apples. We also served ours with a creamy garlic sauce. 

Video… https://youtu.be/5bSMhGkeBMc?si=wUm3Es6dVu1wP1Hp  

Thrifty Thursday… “Tijuana Toss”

 Thrifty Thursday.... I have lots of leftovers and I have been craving a Mexican style casserole that my mom use to make called "Tijuana Toss", this is what I came up with... 

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves

1/4 cup taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

1 bottle of Avocado salsa

1 can corn (I used leftover roasted)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3-5 cups crushed tortilla chips 

3 cups shredded cheese jack and cheddar

2 medium tomato diced, save 1 for garnish

1 bunch green onions sliced for garnish

1 cup shredded lettuce for garnish

sour cream for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the meat is browned and the onions softens.

Add minced garlic to the skillet and saute for 1-2 minutes longer.

Add taco seasoning and water and stir over medium heat until well combined.

Stir the tomatoes (juices included), corn and black beans into the meat mixture and heat through.

Line the prepared baking dish with 1/3 bottle of salsa and 1 cup of tortilla chips overlapping slightly to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.

Spread 1⁄3 of the meat mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over the meat mixture.

Continue layering salsa, tortilla chips, meat mixture, and cheese to form three layers total.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes until casserole is bubbly and the cheese is fully melted.

Garnish with diced tomatoes and green onion. Let the casserole sit for 10 minutes for easy slicing and serving.

Serve with sour cream, tomatoes lettuce and extra cheese. We added diced cucumbers too.

White Chicken Chili

Make-Over Monday...

A couple of years ago I featured a Slow-cooker style White Chicken Chili. It was cream based and loaded with carbs and calories. I have been craving this chili, so today I decided to turn it KETO and we actually like it better than the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast (cooked and save broth)
2 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 4.5oz can chopped green chiles
1 diced red pepper (green works, red adds color)
1/4 cup diced sweet white onion
4 tbsp butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp of cumin or cayenne (optional)
                                                                1 tablespoon diced jalapeno (optional for heat)
                                                                Salt and Pepper to taste
                                                                1 can white butter beans (drained and rinsed)
Instructions
If you would like to use your own homemade chicken stock and shredded chicken, you can find my recipe here... https://thepantrylife.blogspot.com/…/homemade-chicken-stock…, just remember to skim the fat off to keep it more Keto Friendly.
For this recipe::::: In a medium skillet melt butter , add minced garlic, onion, green chilies, red pepper and diced jalapeno, saute about 3 minutes or until soft and place into crockpot/slow cooker.
Shred fully cooked chicken with a fork and add to the sauteed veggies.
Add skimmed broth, milk and spices to crockpot/slowcooker and cook on low for 30 - 45 minutes. Add beans and simmer for about 10-15 minutes,
Serve with favorite toppings such as: pepper jack cheese, avocado slices, cilantro, sour cream.

Takes 45 minutes - 1 hour, makes 6 - 1 cup servings

Stuffed Rigatoni Pie

ingredients: rigatoni pasta – 1 pound (500 g) parmesan – 1 cup, finely grated for the filling: ricotta – 1 8 oz (250 g) container mozzarella – 1 cup, finely grated parmesan – 1/2 cup, finely grated eggs – 2, beaten parsley – 1 tsp for the sauce: olive oil – 1 tbsp turkey – 1 pound, ground or ground beef salt and pepper – use very generously garlic cloves – 3, minced italian herbs – 2 tbsp crushed red pepper – 1 tsp crushed tomatoes – 2 14 oz (400 g) cans, with juices mozzarella – 1 1/2 cups, shredded how to: Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Cook the rigatoni in boiling water, about 1 minute less than package directions. Drain then toss with the parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Lightly oil a 9″ springform pan and pack the rigatoni in tightly, standing on their ends. to make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, eggs and parsley until well combined, then set aside. to make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the ground turkey or beef and cook until browned. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the garlic, italian herbs, and crushed red pepper. Cook for another minute or two. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid has cooked away – about 20 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, fill the rigatoni with the cheese filling. Use a pastry tube to pipe the filling into the noodles, filling each one about 1/2 full. (if you have a problem getting the mixture through a pastry tube, you can blend it with a hand held blender to make it smooth enough to pass through.) When the meat sauce is done, ladle it on top of the rigatoni, pushing it down a bit to fill up the remaining space in the noodles. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, then remove and sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and cook for about 15 more minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let rest about 15 minutes before removing the form and serving.

Sesame Crusted Roast Chicken with Purple Potatoes

still snowing... Day 4... And I had nothing better to do than to curl up with my new issue of "Better Home & Gardens" and my new dutchoven. It all started with dinner last night. First recipe was the "Sesame-Crusted Roast Chicken" with purple mashed potatoes and corn. Followed by second recipe, dessert was "Red Velvet Whoopie pies" 

Country Bacon & Cheese Quiche

We couldn't decide what dinner was going to be so we made it up as we went. We love the country, applewood, thick sliced bacon that we ordered for Christmas. That crunchy goodness along with four different savory cheese made for the perfect toss-tegether dinner Quiche.

We made our in our deep dish pizza pan...

Ingredients:

• 12 slices cooked country bacon
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda
• 1 cup shredded baby Swiss
• 1 cup shredded Coby/Jack blend
• 4 green onion diced 
• 10 eggs
• 3 cups half-and-half 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Roll pastry dough into circle large enough to fit your pan or 4 (9-inch) pie dishes. Places in dishes and flute edges
• Mix together bacon, all the cheeses and onions, place into the bottom of large pan or decide equally between pie dishes between shells. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper until blended. Pour into pan or pie dishes, remember to fill only about 3/4 full to allow 
• for expansion during cooking. 
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Pie dishes will only need to bake for about 15-20 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
• Yield: 1 deep dish quiche or 4 regular quiches (8 - 16 servings each). 

Turkey Taco Ring

• We are all familiar with the "Pampered Chef " infamous Taco Ring.... I was craving one the other day, but because I am trying to lose weight and eat more healthy I decided I would make try and make over the recipe. 
• 
  
• 2 lbs. lean (90%) ground turkey
  
• 1 can black beans (drained)
• 1 small onion (diced)
• Salt & pepper to taste (can use 1/2 package taco season mix)
• 1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 batch of your favorite homemade pizza dough
• 1   egg white, lightly beaten 
• Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped green pepper and tomato, sliced olives and sour cream
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook ground turkey, diced onions and salt & pepper or taco seasoning mix in frying pan over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink, drain. Add beans, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and water. Stir until blended.
  2. Roll pizza dough out in large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick, cut into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles, slightly overlapping, in a circle on large pizza stone or round pan with the wide ends 4-in. from edge of baking stone. (Points will extend off the edge of the baking stone.) Roll wide ends of dough toward center to create a 5-in. opening.
  3. Spoon filling evenly over dough in a continuous circle. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring. (Filling will show.) Brush with egg white. Bake 20-25 minutes, Sprinkle with
     remaining cheese and finish baking for another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Place toppings in the center
     and Serve. 

  Yield:

  • 8  servings

  Nutrients per serving:

  Original taco ring with beef.... Calories 400, Total Fat 22 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrate 30 g, Protein 16 g, Sodium 1100 mg, Fiber 1 g
  Today's taco ring with turkey... Calories 232g, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 65 mg, Carbohydrate 6 g, Protein 20 g,  Sodium 490 mg,  Fiber 1 g, 
  

TWD: "Baking With Julia" - Torte Milanse

Feeling all "PUFFED" up today... our "Baking With Julia" challenge today was TORTE MILANSE. We made our's without the ham and served it as a side dish to compliment our pork roast. iT was beautiful and if you have ever wanted to trying making your own puff pastry dough, this is this recipe to use. iT is very easy and very yummy. There is a great video found here... http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/ showing you how to make the whole thing.

Butternut Squash Soup & Charity...

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
  
• 2 cloves garlic diced 
• 1 celery stalk , diced 
• 1 onion , diced 
• 6 cups cubed butternut squash , fresh or frozen 
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add garlic, celery and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in butternut squash, thyme, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to purée soup or you can let the soup cool slightly and carefully purée in batches in an upright blender. This recipe is also good made with sweet potatoes. 

Monte Cristos

feeling very spoiled... Spent Another great day watching General Conference and then was served Homemade Monte Cristos (dinner) in bed by my favorite boyfriend...

A Monte Cristo is a fried ham and cheese sandwich, a variation of the French croque-monsieur and is Rumored to have first been served in Los Angeles in the 1950s, the Monte Cristo sandwich is still a staple on the lunch menu at Disneyland Blue Bayou Restaurant. 

Ingredients to make 3 Sandwiches...
9 slices of sturdy white bread
3 slices deli thick sliced turkey
3 slices deli thick sliced ham
3 slices of American or Cheddar cheese

3 slices of Swiss Cheese

For Batter...
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Vegetable oil for frying

1. Place turkey and Swiss cheese on one slice of bread and ham and American cheese on another slice of bread.
2. Place third slice in-between and secure the triple-decker sandwich in the corners with tooth picks.
3. Place egg in mixing bowl, add water and beat together. Add salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder. Beat batter until smooth.
4. Dip sandwich in batter and carefully cover all the sides and surface. Carefully place in hot oil and fry until golden. When sandwich has turned a warm gold color remove from hot oil and place on paper towel.
5. Let cool for a few minutes before removing the tooth picks. Before serving slice into fourths and sprinkle with powder sugar. Serve with Grape or Red Current jam.

Award Winning Chili....

The Tradition Continues....

Our oldest son / chef Brady's chili took 1st place in the Grand Canyon "Annual Chili Cook Off". Cash and prizes were duly awarded. It was really good, but if we shared the secret recipe, then would be winners.

He even made the papers... 

GRAND CANYON NEWS

Wild Rice and Cheddar Dumplings

Thrifty Thursday....

Fall is in the air here in the Canyon and with that comes our need for thick, rich, saucy, comfort style foods. So, we would like to kick-off September with a hearty, yummy soup. We really like this soup because it is made with leftovers and can be put together a couple of days ahead and added too as you gain the leftovers. The dumplings can either be added to the soup or baked as biscuits.

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 cups diced potatoes
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cups Beef Stock
• 3 cups cubed cooked roast beef
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups half & half
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh chopped basil
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• DUMPLINGS:
• 2 cups biscuit/baking mix
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup half & half

Directions

• 1. Place the first seven ingredients in a stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add beef and rice.
• 2. In a small bowl, combine flour and milk until smooth. Stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the butter and seasonings.
• 3. Combine the baking mix, cheese and milk. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift the cover while simmering). Yield: 14 servings (about 5 quarts). 

Spinach & Artichoke Alfredo Pizza

Was feeling creative today.. So for dinner, we made homemade Spinach & Artichoke Dip pizza with chicken and caramelized onions. SOOOOO.... YUMMY!

This is one of those recipes that you need to start early in the day, because you need to let

your dough rise or proof three times through the afternoon. 

For Pizza Crust: (makes enough for 3 large pizzas)

2 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
8 cups flour + plus 1 cup

Mix all together, knead well, dusting counter with a little bit of flour at a time. Knead until dough is not sticky. Cover with 1 teaspoon olive oil, rub olive oil around until the whole dough ball is covered. Place dough back into mixing bowl and cover with baking cloth and let rise until double in size. Knock down and repeat three times. Next make into pizza bases and let rise for 15 minutes, cover with sauce, toppings and cheese. Bake on 450 for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. ( I pre-bake my crust bases for 5-10 minutes before adding any sauce or toppings, this creates a crispier crust. 

For the Alfredo sauce: (you can make this ahead)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped chives
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup parmasesan cheese
Melt butter and oil together add garlic and flour, stir until thick, will look like the start of rue. Slowly pour in heavy cream while consistently stirring. Let cook for 5 minutes. Next stir in milk, chives and cheese, cook for another 5 minutes stirring consistently. Set aside to let cool.

For Toppings and Assembly: (for each pizza use the following)
1 cup of Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup fresh or frozen spinach
1/2 cup canned artichoke heart
1/2 cup carmelized onions
1/2 cup grilled chicken
1 cup mozzarella grated cheese

Cover pizza base with sauce and then randomly place all the following around on top of the sauce, making sure the mozzerella cheese is placed on last. Bake on 450 for 15-20 minutes.

BBQed Brie & "Make Your Own Tapas" - FHE Style

How many of you dream about food and new recipes....?
I do!
I dream about food and food presentation.

I know last week I posted that my inspirational Monday's this month would be about "Monkey Breads", but I have to share with you my two nights of dreaming about my "Make Your Own" Tapas platter that I put together for our Family Home Evening this week....

Starting in top left corner and going to the right.... Mustard, honeydew, pineapple, coconut tai beef, pancetta, herbed cheese, salsa, ham, cheddar cheese. Center - BBQed Brie, Bottom row - left to right - pickled veggies, apple slices, baguette, glazed carrots, on the side you will see homemade smoked salmon with cucumber dill sauce and crackers, then in the other tray you will find assorted breads.

BBQed Brie - (taken from show on the cooking network)

1 brie round
2 tablespoon maple syrup
sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
leaves from 2 tyme sprigs
Make small slits in to top of the brie round and sprinkle the next 4 ingredients  on top of the cheese, wrap in tin foil and place on BBQ rack for about 5 minutes. Serve warm with crackers and bread.

 

Smoked Salmon with Cucumber Dill Sauce

• 5 pounds salmon, trout or char
• 1 quart cool water
• 1/2 cup kosher salt (the salt can not iodine in it)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh maple syrup
• 1-2 tablespoon molasses

Smoking is an art, not a Science!

Mix together ingredients and and wait about 10 minutes for salt to dissolve, place your fish in a non-reactive container ( must be plastic or glass), cover and put in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. This curing process eliminates some of the moisture from the inside of the fish while at the same time infusing it with salt, which will help preserve the salmon.
Next take your fish out of the brine and pat it dry. Sit the fillets on  your cooling rack, skin side down for at least 2 hours. I didn't realize the importance of this step until I smoked my first batch without drying and the pellicle was not set and I didn't get a lot of smoke flavor in my fish. The pellicle is the thin, lacquer-like layer on top of the fish that seals it and offers a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to. Don’t worry, the salt in the brine will protect your fish from spoilage. Once you have your pellicle, you can refrigerate your fish for a few hours and smoke it later if you’d like.
Now you are ready to smoke your fish. Even though this is hot smoking, you still do not want high temperatures. Start with a small fire and work your way up as you go. I start smoking at 140°F for the first 2 hours, then I raise the heat to 160°F for another 2 hours, then finish at 175°F for a final two hours. To keep temperatures mild, always put water in your drip pan to keep the temperature down. If your smoker is very hot, put ice in the tray. It is important to bring the temperature up gradually or you will get that white albumin “bleed” on our fish.

After an hour in the smoker, baste your fish with maple syrup; do this every hour. Once your fish is smoked, let it rest on the cooling rack for an hour before you put it in the fridge. Once refrigerated and wrapped in plastic, smoked fish will keep for 10 days. If you vacuum-seal it, the fish will keep for up to 3 weeks. Or freeze your fish for up to a year.