If I was off this week???

I want a big striper but have to be back in pacifica by 5pm, where should I go?

Ranch 99 in Foster City   ....you may have to fend-off a dozen of my fellow hungry Asians -  but I'm confident you can pull it off with a visible side arm  

cute Joel, you hungry??

as a matter of fact....I'm currently feasting on some smoked ling cod. My co-worker smoked my catch from Sunday...YUMMY!

"Funny" I had smoked vermillion for lunch....poor hungry skyboy better take advantage of that day off.......  
Pat

I'd love to get a good brine recipe for ling or rockfish!

Rich,
It’s been a while since I’ve made a batch of rockfish.  But I use the same brine for rockfish as I do for salmon.

For me, the most important part is to measure the ratio of salt/sugar.  For me, I really like 1.75-2.0 parts sugar, to 1 part salt.   This may initially sound like it may come out too sweet, but it actually comes out tasting very good (salty).  Not sure of the ratio to ice cold water, but I just do it to taste and wait for the fish to soak up the salt/sugar and become translucent.  Maybe 24hrs, depending on the strength of the brine.  This brine is basic and simple.  I’ve added other things in the past (soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, etc) but I really haven’t noticed a difference.  One thing I do notice is spices such as garlic powder, crushed chilli peppers or black pepper.

Rockfish fillets are usually thin and will require less time to brine then say a salmon fillet.  After they are brined, I rinse, pat dry with a paper towel and let them glaze on the rack (20 minutes).  After they glaze, I’ll sometimes sprinkle with black pepper before putting them in the smoker.  Oh, one other tip is to spray the racks with pam, as it eases the process of removing the fillets.

Other things I’ve heard is that you should brine in a non metal container (glass or plastic) as the metal reacts in some way the fish doesn’t turn out as well.  Not sure if this is true or not.

The smoker I use is a little chief.  Depending on the weather outside, Salmon takes about 14 hrs, so I’d guess rockfish would take about 10-12 hrs.  I’d put the thicker pieces on the bottom (closest to the heating element) and the thinnest pieces on the top rack.

Stuart