Smoke Fish in a Chiminea

A chiminea (also spelled chimenea) started off as a clay stove in Mexico but is now popular as a backyard accessory. An outdoor chiminea is not only nice to look at, but it can also be used to grill and smoke food. Here's how to use one to smoke fish.

Steps

 * 1) [[Image:1_605.jpg|thumb]]Select (or catch) a suitable fish (e.g. salmon, trout). Filet and leave the skin on.
 * 2) [[Image:2_935.jpg|thumb]]Place the fish skin side down in a glass bowl and coat the fish generously with brown sugar and kosher salt. This will pull the excess moisture from the fish. Leave in refrigerator overnight.
 * 3) [[Image:3_885.jpg|thumb]]Build a fire in the chiminea with a good hard wood (e.g. oak, pecan). Do not use a resinous wood like pine or wood that is rotted. Wait for the fire to die down so that there are no flames. You should be able to hold your hand over the chimney and count to ten.
 * 4) [[Image:6 1_222.jpg|thumb]]Rinse the salt and sugar off the fish and place it in a fish basket. Hang the basket inside the chimney by running a skewer across the opening.  The chimney should be cool enough for you to do this without getting burned.
 * 5) [[Image:7-1_496.jpg|thumb]]Smoke for 4-6 hours. The fish should have the firmness of the flesh between your thumb and forefinger.

Tips

 * This is hot smoked fish. The longer you smoke it, the more it becomes like jerky.

Things You'll Need

 * Fish grilling basket
 * Skewers
 * Chiminea
 * Hardwood

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Short Smoke a Salmon
 * How to Fillet a Rainbow Trout Fish
 * How to Make Coconut Shrimp
 * How to Grill Seafood on a Natural Alder Plank
 * How to Grill Tuna Steak on a Natural Black Cherry Plank