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Slow smoked whole catfish

Prof Dan
Prof Dan Posts: 339
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Easy as pie -- sprinkle on the season salt, lay 'em on the grill, two and a half hours at 220. Smokey, moist, tender, flakey.[p][By the way, these were headless/skinless fresh farm raised fish -- I have heard that it is not so easy to skin a catfish.]

Comments

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Prof Dan,
    Actually skinning a catfish isn't that difficult. You just cut the skin above the head clear around the fish and then grab a corner with a pair of special pliers and pull it off in one piece like a sock! Many eggers use these same pliers for removing the membrane off the underside of ribs.

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • sprinter
    sprinter Posts: 1,188
    RRP,[p]Couldnt agree more. To make things easier all you need is a thick board about 3 feet long and 6 inches wide, a long nail and a hammer. Without going into detail, the aforementioned articles are used to fasten the catfish securely to said board to make the skinning process easier. We do the exact same thing with Cobia to skin them, they look very similar to a freshwater catfish, same body shape etc.[p]Troy
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    Prof Dan,[p]I thought the expression was "There is more than one way to skin a cat(fish)". Anyway, the methods by RPR & sprinter work just fine, and if you put those cats in the freezer for a little while, they skin real easy.[p]~thirdeye~

    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
  • Good afternoon,[p] I am sure you are cooking them indirect or on an extended grill. Is this right?[p]Louisiana Redneck
  • Prof Dan
    Prof Dan Posts: 339
    LOUISIANA REDNCECK,[p]Not indirect, but the grid is raised. With such a low temp, I am not even sure you have to raise the grid. The fire gives off about as much heat as a birthday candle.

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    Prof Dan,
    next time i catch a catfish ill give it a try, havent skinned one since i was a kid, but dont remember it being hard. been catching an occasional white cat through the ice and with spoons during the ice out, the fish and game says there not there, maybe its the guinness. are they muddy tasting in the spring or is that a wives tale ive been told thru the years

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • bigarms
    bigarms Posts: 136
    RRP,[p]The electric knife is the perferred choice of skinning tool.
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    bigarms,
    LOL - OK I'll bite...how do you skin a catfish with an electric knife?

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    RRP,
    i would like to see that too, however this winter i watched in disbelief as my brother inlaw carved a turkey while holding it in the air with one hand, slashing it with an electric knife with the other hand with the pieces dropping off into a platter. still had all his fingers when done, but i stood way way back

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • sprinter
    sprinter Posts: 1,188
    fishlessman,[p]My wifes cousins are pretty avid outdoorsy types and they do all of their fish cleaning with electric knives. I went on a fishing trip with them once and was amazed at how efficient they were. There was a LOT of waste but they sure got through a mess of fish quickly. Believe it or not, they were cleaning bluegills and crappies with them. I couldnt believe it until I saw it. My fillets were much cleaner and prettier, and I had a lot less waste, but by golly they sure were done a whole lot faster than I was with my fillet knife.[p]Troy
  • bigarms
    bigarms Posts: 136
    RRP,
    Hey,......I won't go there....the same as you would any other fish. Just takes practice.

  • Prof Dan
    Prof Dan Posts: 339
    bigarms,[p]A table saw is even faster than an electric knife, but the cleanup is a little tedious.
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    Prof Dan,[p]Just two questions:
    1. Is there much dry cleaning involved when using the table saw technique?
    2. Have you ever tried using a sawzall, I'm aching for new one?[p]~thirdeye~

    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    sprinter,
    my secret filleting method is to give all my crappie to my friends dad. he cleans them all up and at the end of the season we have a huge fish fry at his camp. a day of fishing and eating with good friends, it cant be beat. im a hack with a fillet knife and mostly just steak my fish, but for those that need filleting, this method has worked great

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Prof Dan
    Prof Dan Posts: 339
    thirdeye,[p]No dry cleaning. When using power tools on uncooked food, I just wear a bathing suit and goggles.