Smoked Markerel
This smoked mackerel is a game-changer that will make you fall in love with your pellet smoker.
Equipment
- Z Grills Pellet Smoker
Ingredients
- vegetable oil
- 16 oz fresh whole mackerel
For the Brine
- 1 quart cold water
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ an onion, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp ground pepper
- 1 cup pineapple juice
For the Glaze
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Clean the fish by removing all bones and scales, but leave the skin on. Filet or butterfly into 8 oz portions.
- Rinse mackerel filets in cold water.
- Mix all the brine ingredients together in a large container. You can use a bowl, bucking, baking dish, or zip-top bag.
- Gently place the mackerel filets in the brine and soak them overnight in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
- Then, gently remove the mackerel from the brine, and rinse it under cold water again.
- Pat the mackerel filets dry with paper towels. Then, let them air dry on a wire rack in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- While the mackerel dries, prepare the glaze and the grill. Mix all of the glaze ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Preheat your Z Grills pellet smoker to 225°F.
- Using a paper towel soaked in oil, grease the grill grates.
- Once your pellet smoker is preheated to 225°F, place the mackerel skin side down directly on the grill grates.
- Smoke the mackerel for about 30 minutes with the lid closed.
- After 30 minutes, apply the glaze with a brush. If the glaze becomes too thick to brush on easily, microwave it for 10 seconds until it thins out.
- Every 20-30 minutes, brush another thin layer of glaze on the mackerel.
- When the internal temperature of the mackerel reaches 145°F, remove it from the smoker and serve immediately. Your smoked mackerel will take about 2-4 hours total, depending on the size of your mackerel fillets. Watch your thermometer closely!