HOT SMOKED MULLET

Recipe by Smokai

Wet cure 80 per cent brine

Optional ingredients for fish brines

Combine all the wet cure ingredients in a pot and heat until the salt and sugar is completely dissolved.
Heating is required as the water will be close to fully saturated and will take forever to dissolve at room temperature.
Allow to cool completely.
Butterfly your mullet and place completely submerged in a nonreactive container for no longer than 1 hour.
Remove from brine and soak in fresh cold water for 20 - 30 minutes to remove some of the saltiness and sweeten them a little.
Pat dry and place them skin side down on racks or hang them from dowels in your Smoker.
If you do not intend to smoke them straight away place them on racks uncovered skin side down in your refrigerator.
This has the added advantage of allowing the salt to further penetrate the flesh and dry the surface of the fish to form a pellicle for the smoke to stick to.

50 Deg C for 1 hour no smoke
60 Deg C for 1 hour light smoke
70 Deg C for 2 hours heavy smoke.
You can eat it straight but will benefit for an ageing period of 24 hours in the fridge to allow the smoke compounds to permeate the flesh and balance the flavour.