Excellent smoked fish from ordinary charcoal grill

Nice detail here, good stuff!

Would green alder stems work?

Peeled green alder seems to be the go-to in AK.
Gotta peel them, but otherwise the size of the chunks are identical to what Joe posted.

The only obstacle I see for me is finding citrus stems.  Nobody has citrus trees up here due to the climate.  Would you recommend an alternative to the citrus stems if they're unavailable?  Would green alder stems work?

You can use green alder stems, sometimes I use fresh rose stem cuttings. I usually collect citrus stems every time I prune.

Would green alder stems work?

Peeled green alder seems to be the go-to in AK.
Gotta peel them, but otherwise the size of the chunks are identical to what Joe posted.

The only obstacle I see for me is finding citrus stems.  Nobody has citrus trees up here due to the climate.  Would you recommend an alternative to the citrus stems if they're unavailable?  Would green alder stems work?

You can use green alder stems, sometimes I use fresh rose stem cuttings. I usually collect citrus stems every time I prune.

Thanks for the info guys.  We have oodles of mountain alder along the streams up here.  I'll give it a shot!

Any concern with the citrus bark? As PISCEAN noted, Alder can put off a bitter taste, but I don't know about citrus.

Chris, I'll bag up some citrus cuttings for you and special deliver it.

-Allen

Chris, I'll bag up some citrus cuttings for you and special deliver it.

Sweet, thanks Allen  .  I'll make it worth your while somehow.

Excellent report.  I will have to try this.  Thanks.

Rey

I haven't or cannot taste the difference with debarked and regular citrus stems in smoked fish.  You can also buy the specialty citrus chips but they are so expensive and you have to soak them in water overnight before using.

Allen, do you have plenty of citruses? Are you a hardcore citrus afficionado?

I have a 101-n-1 citrus tree that gives me fresh fruits the entire year. Am one of the site admin of citrus forum   www.citrus.forumup.org

I have been using citrus stems as substitute for chips when smoking, more than 25 years now and it is one of the best to use when using ordinary BBQ charcoal grill for smoking.

As long as its a hardwood you should be OK. No Pines or Eucalyptus. Garden herbs work well too. I use Sage and Rosemary when smoking meats (not so much on fish) to get the initial smoke levels up.
IMO smoked fish still warm out of the smoker is the best.

I also use fresh banana leaves to create lots of smoke when needed for some fish recipe. I grow cold hardy bananas that regularly fruit for me. Their leaves are also excellent to wrap and then cook the fish in another recipe. The leaves make great smoke but the flavor is mild instead of resinuous.

I have lime, lemon, orange, tangerine and kumquat.  Which one gives you the best smoke?

I have lime, lemon, orange, tangerine and kumquat.  Which one gives you the best smoke?

Lemon would be the best for me. Kumquat can give out turpentine smokey flavor.

Allen, do you have plenty of citruses? Are you a hardcore citrus afficionado?

No, I just have a Meyer Lemon tree that needs a haircut.

I was thinking about the stems ... I suppose there really isn't a bark on them yet.

-Allen

I vote for Post of the month. 
I have 3 citrus tree in the yard n gonna give this a try.  Tell us more about your wine making.

Who is the guy with the black vest?  If you dont mind me asking.  He looks so familiar.