Smokin’
My Tower multi-cooker is not only an ELECTRIC pressure cooker (no exploding pans, food on the ceiling etc), but also has both hold and cold smoking functions.
The only problem with this lovely little machine is that the manual is awful. No details of how to set times, pressures etc.
The smoking functions, however, are simple to use and very effective once you get to grips with it. Another great thing about it that it uses tiny amounts of woodchips to do the smoking. Useful when you live in a country with few trees and no real access to online deliveries. The kilo of oak chips I bought whilst back in the UK should last a good while.
My experiment here is with 12 mackerel fillets. I bought 6 mackerel (2kg) yesterday, from the fish souk in Sakalla, after having a fantastic (as usual) dinner with my wife at El Halaka, the restaurant opposite the fish market. So cheap, so good.
This morning I cleaned and filleted them, with Cleo, our feline, waiting for the offcuts.
The fillets were all brined in a solution containing 3 bay leaves, 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds, 1 shot gin, 1/2 tsp all spice and enough salt to make a medium potato float slightly.
All fillets were hot smoked (pressure cooked with 1 cup of water) on the hot smoke setting at high pressure (release valve turned so it was flat on the lid)..
Tests on the fillets are as follows
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Hickory chips, 15 minutes
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Hickory chips, 20 minutes
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Oak chips, 15 minutes
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Oak chips, 25 minutes
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Earl Grey Tea, 25 minutes
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Hickory and Herbs du Provence
The votes from the tasters were that the 15 minute cook gave the juiciest mackerel whilst the Earl Grey was the tastiest. So 15 minutes for Early Grey and forget the wood seems to be the consensus for mackerel smoking.
Notes
Prepping the cooker.
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Using the smoking bowl (the one with the metal spigot inside), align the red arrow on the top with the red arrow on the cooker and press down firmly. This connects the electrics in the pot to the main cooker.
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Place 4-6 small wood chips in the metal smoker box, put the lid on and slide it onto the metal spigot in the bowl, ensuring that the side with the square hole goes on first and push it down the spigot until you cannot rotate it around.
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Add 1 cup (160ml) of water to bottom of the bowl.
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Put the rack with the solid square on the bottom of the base frame and place it in the bowl so that the square is on top of the woodchip pot.
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Put the mackerel fillets on a rack and place on the base frame.
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Put the lid on the cooker and twist to lock.
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Press the menu button until the Hot Smoke (bottom left) option is lit, then press the minutes button until it reaches the time you want (20 for example). -
Press the Start button.
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The cooking will begin once the cooker is up to pressure and will beep once complete.
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Turn the pressure release valve to release all the pressure from the cooker before opening.
Prepping the mackerel
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Unless you’ve bought the mackerel fillets already prepared, don’t bother pin-boning them until after they are smoked. The bones help keep the mackerel in shape and are much easier to remove after smoking and cooling.