My next door neighbour‘s business is smoking fish, I obviously offered him my dust and shavings – predominantly oak, but no use, I think this probably explains things, the shavings from my PT would burn and that obviously would cook his fish not smoke it, he uses sawdust which smoulders and produces smoke.
Just in case anybody is interested, this is the old-fashioned way it was done and still is, in his listed building. The fish is filleted, (mainly haddock) and then each fillet is draped over stainless steel rods which are dropped into brackets inside the chimney, he climbs up inside the 4‘ x 4’? chimney to do this which is thick thick black from years of smoking. He buys the fish in the morning which is then filleted and hung up in the chimney by lunchtime, he then lights the fires and goes home, The whole of the inside of his building is wreathed in smoke, it escapes out from under the door etc, and some kind soul once called the Fire Brigade who broke into his building in case it was on fire – I know you couldn’t make it up. Most of the smoke obviously goes up the chimney past the fish and escapes through cowls on the roof which are able to pivot in the wind. Next morning (silly early) he buys more fish and then climbs up the chimney to remove all the smoked from yesterday, no yellow dye is used - that’s for people who don’t really know much about it – so his is just lightly coloured and totally delicious. Ian
