Ok, so I got my Big Chief last year and have smoked up quite a bit of fish with it so far, using a variety of recipes. My favorite recipe is a dry brine with brown sugar and a variety of salts. I've been pleased with most of the fish I've smoked, but I've got some questions.

"Pellicles" - what is it and why is it important? I usually let my cured fish set out to dry for an hour or so until it starts to look shiny and a little sticky. But sometimes some of the meat gets that way while other pieces don't. And sometimes a single piece will get tacky in certain spots, but not all over. Anyone else have this happen? How long do you let your cured fish dry before going in the smoker? Do you wait for it to get really sticky or just a little sticky?

When I rinse off the fish after curing and before air drying, the flesh is typically darker in color and tougher, almost leathery. Yet, I'll sometimes find that certain spots of the exterior flesh are lighter and still soft, as if they didn't cure evenly. Has anyone else see that? I spread my fillets out in a single layer in plastic trays and cover evenly with dry brine, so I know's it's not because of pieces touching each other.

Lastly, I've read and heard that when smoking you are to put the thicker pieces of fish on your lower racks, and the thinner pieces toward the top. Why is that? Isn't there more heat at the top where you'd want to have the thicker meat so as it gets done quicker?

Any thoughts?

I can't help you with the brine questions, but I've noticed that the smoker is hotter on the bottom than top. I always put the thicker pieces on the bottom to get it all done right.

I use a dry brine similar to you... brown sugar, kosher salt and various other spices. I rinse my fish and pat it dry with paper towels. Then put it immediately in the smoker and plug the smoker in. I dont bother with the air dry thing. If you look in the smoker after 45 minutes or so you fish will start to look like its been air dried...

One of the best tips I can give for smoking fish is to slice the fish into 1" squares. I'm not talking about all the way thru the skin but close. Then, I hold the fillets so that the slices open up and I sprinkle the brine into them. The brine soaks deeper in to the fish and the smoke is more thorough.

Plus when it is finished it will be in bite size pieces...

I rotate the racks a couple of time while smoking so they even out. the bottom is definately hotter than the top...

I also have been using a dry salt brine similar to the one you described. When I read the Salmon U article recently posted on smoking fish, some of my questions were answered.

Check the site and read the steps, it may help answer your questions also.

I, like you, thought my fish was possibly not getting completely brined. SalmonU/StorminN had increased brine times, so I am going to do the same on my next batch.

SalmonU also stated that air drying was important and could take as long as 3 hours (I think that's what they said) I am going to try this as well, because I, like you, was not getting each piece forming the pectile (or whatever it's called)

Take a look at Smoked Salmon Receipe #1 on the salmon U. online lessons page.

I'd read the Salmon U brining steps a few days ago, and indeed some of my questions were answered, but it also made me more curious. I already brine for 18-20 hours, and I know a lot of folks brine less, so I wouldn't think lack of brining time is an issue.

The Luhr Jensen manual says to air dry for an hour. I'd noted that Salmon U said longer. Of couse the problem I have is that I'm usually smoking on a weeknight and don't get home until 5:30 to rinse and start the drying. I dried for nearly two hours last night and didn't see much of a difference in tackiness after the first hour.

What I don't know yet is exactly what the cured flesh is supposed to look like to tell me that the pellicles have formed sufficiently. Should it just be lightly tacky, or should it have a thick glaze on it. One of the pieces last night had much more of a thick glaze to it, but others just looked more "sticky".

Re the heat in the smoker, now that I think about it, I guess there would be more heat at the bottom. I was thinking that the heat would rise and make the top hotter, like our upstairs has been all summer...

Thanks for the responses so far.