Smoked Tuna Loin (long)

alternity

I went wild and purchased a 2.5 pound chunk of fresh ahi tuna loin.
I got it brineing in Lemmon Sparkling water, half bottle of Shitake Sesame vinegerette dressing, half lemmon , whole lime,whole sugar, sea salt, a bunch of fresh dill,one cayenne pepper, 6 cloves garlic, some cracked pepper (about an hour in the fridge).[p]Then i'll drain brine mixture and apply a light coat of liquid ginger
and honey. Im trying to get a very low temp 150* maybe and go for a few hours at least. This is one of the biggest chunks I have had the pleasure to cook, I am wondering If I should have sliced into 4 half inch slices instead to make smokeing easier. But I just want one nice whole chunk to cut off during the upcoming week. I havent really been impressed with smoked tuna and I just know it can be done right , so here I go with another attempt for the perfect batch. Oak,Pecan and a pinch of sugar maple chips,, will let you know how it comes out.[p] alt[p]

Sundown

alternity,
I've never really seen smoked tuna except for some that was shaved very thin and smoked. Not sure why either. Tuna is usually high in fat content. In the past my father used to hot smoke mackrel, butterfish and cod every year. We used to have Atlantic blue fin tuna around all the time in the summmer and fall but back then we didn't eat a lot of it.
I will be interested in the results you achieve with your smoke.
Carey

Unknown

I shaved it thin and got it in the refridge after 10 hours 120* ,...better than I imagined..still very moist as I misted it with orange juice, lemon , sparkling water..[p]it has a wonderful smoke flavor and is somewhat red in the center. I had some over some a salad with rice and lots of goodies. I swear this is the best salad type mix I have ever
put together (and I've made lots!). It is very much about the cure and time in a smokey well tended pit. [p]

Unknown

a note after 4 days..was on the road and served it as snacks with cheese, crackers , salad, brown rice mix, and some grapes. it gets better with age and is my best batch yet[p]