question for anyone about brines

[diesel]

i found out that i am type 2 diabetic back in feb and i am insulin dependant... so with that i am trying to figure out a new brine that doesnt require sugar as an ingredinat.

i have been going 2 bottles of tyreoki sause 1 small box brown sugar 1/4 bottle liquid smoke 2 cups tender quick and 1 gallon water...

but i think i would be wise to maybe listen to the docs and cut out all sugar but i love smoked fish

any ideas/suggestions

thanks

[Nailer]

Get a hold of Dirty Dog. He smokes fish, and is also Diabetic. PM him if necessary, I am sure he will help.

[CITM]

Try dry curing rather than brine. Straight kosher salt, no spices or sugar. I cure it skin on, salt the flesh side with as much salt as will stick to a fillet placed in a plate or bowl of salt. Stack the fillets or pieces of fillets in a bowl, cover and cure 4-7 days in the fridge. Rinse, pat dry, and smoke.

[silver one]

I have smoked fish for years and used brines and also not used brines. some of the best fish I ever made came right out of the lake and on the smoker. for fish with no brine use a cherry,apple, and pear wood all together. The cherry gives it the smokey wood falvor and the apple and pear give it a little sweetness with out the sugar. I did put some sea salt on the fish before I put it on the rack in the smoker. Not alot just a bit. It was interesting becuse I did salmon,laketrout and steelhead and the steelhead was the best of the three for non brined fish. the salmon was also good the laketrout was greasy. but had a decent flavor. whitefish is the best when using no brine.

[Sly Selea]

Unless you eat an awful lot of the fish, you may find it doesn't elevate your blood sugar as much as you think. While I agree with your doctor that cutting out all sugar is best, it's virtually impossible to do in todays society of processed foods. If you're testing your blood sugar once daily as recommended, I would suggest doing a test to see how much the smoked fish actually elevates your levels. Test your blood sugar prior to eating the fish, then test again 2 to 3 hours later to see how much the amount you ate elevated your levels.

The hidden problem with dietary sugars are carbohydrates. Breads, noodles, etc, are converted into sugars in your body and play havoc with blood sugar levels. If the smoked fish does raise your blood sugar level to an unacceptable level and you really want to keep it in your diet, you can cut back on other things in your diet as a trade off. More fish, less bread, or something to that effect.

The secret is monitoring your blood sugar levels frequently and determining what really triggers the rise in levels, then using that information to balance your diet.

[medic]

Diesel,

Sly is correct. I have been a Paramedic for the past 19 years and deal with pt's in diabetic coma/hypoglycemia/insulin shock very often. It has educated me immensely. The simple sugars in a brine are a minimal concern compared to a balanced diet. Think about it. If you use 1/4 cup of sugar in a brine, MAYBE 10% of that actually gets absorbed by the fish. Then by the time you break that down to a per piece level, it's very minimal. Now here's a suggestion... One of the ingredients in my brine.

Use honey instead of sugar. A quarter cup of honey in a half gallon of brine goes a long way, and the actual sugar content is minimal. Replace your terryaki sauce with sesame oil and soy sauce. It just takes a teaspoon of oil, cuts that added sugar, and tastes virtually the same... Try it. I think you'll like the results.

[anthonyyost]

I don't think it would be a good idea to smoke fish without brining first, the salt is what keeps you from food poisoning as a result of cooking at a low temp. for long periods of time.

[diesel]

Unless you eat an awful lot of the fish, you may find it doesn't elevate your blood sugar as much as you think. While I agree with your doctor that cutting out all sugar is best, it's virtually impossible to do in todays society of processed foods. If you're testing your blood sugar once daily as recommended, I would suggest doing a test to see how much the smoked fish actually elevates your levels. Test your blood sugar prior to eating the fish, then test again 2 to 3 hours later to see how much the amount you ate elevated your levels.

The hidden problem with dietary sugars are carbohydrates. Breads, noodles, etc, are converted into sugars in your body and play havoc with blood sugar levels. If the smoked fish does raise your blood sugar level to an unacceptable level and you really want to keep it in your diet, you can cut back on other things in your diet as a trade off. More fish, less bread, or something to that effect.

i am at the check before and after every meal stage at this time so i am checking up to 8 times a day. and thanks to a quack of a doctor i am just out of the hospital from a insulin induced heart attack. i have been been doing the diabetes classes that spectrum health offers and have changed my diet drasticlly. the biggest concern that i had was the amount of sugar and didnt think about the fact that not all of it would soak into the fish. i also have had some smoked salmon that wasnt crispy and it was good and i assume that the darkening comes from the sugars

[anthonyyost]

The darkening can come from ingredients like Soy sauce, liquid smoke etc. You do not have to add sugar to the brine unless you like a sweet taste. For a low carb brine try using fresh herbs and spices, fresh garlic, lemon and onion. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil to blend the flavors, then cool with ice before adding your fish.

Smoke at around 160 degrees for 5-6 hours with a mild wood soaked in water.

[DarkBlue]

I like the honey idea. Think I will try that. Thank you sir.

Chris

[medic]

Not a problem, Chris... I love it in my brine.. Hope you do too!!

[silver one]

I don't think it would be a good idea to smoke fish without brining first, the salt is what keeps you from food poisoning as a result of cooking at a low temp. for long periods of time.

I did put some sea salt on the fish before I put it on the rack in the smoker as mentioned in the post. yes you need salt to cure the fish. I thought we were talking about blood sugar. sorry.

[DIRTY DOG]

Unless you eat an awful lot of the fish, you may find it doesn't elevate your blood sugar as much as you think. While I agree with your doctor that cutting out all sugar is best, it's virtually impossible to do in todays society of processed foods. If you're testing your blood sugar once daily as recommended, I would suggest doing a test to see how much the smoked fish actually elevates your levels. Test your blood sugar prior to eating the fish, then test again 2 to 3 hours later to see how much the amount you ate elevated your levels.

The hidden problem with dietary sugars are carbohydrates. Breads, noodles, etc, are converted into sugars in your body and play havoc with blood sugar levels. If the smoked fish does raise your blood sugar level to an unacceptable level and you really want to keep it in your diet, you can cut back on other things in your diet as a trade off. More fish, less bread, or something to that effect.

The secret is monitoring your blood sugar levels frequently and determining what really triggers the rise in levels, then using that information to balance your diet.

Diesel,

Sly is correct. I have been a Paramedic for the past 19 years and deal with pt's in diabetic coma/hypoglycemia/insulin shock very often. It has educated me immensely. The simple sugars in a brine are a minimal concern compared to a balanced diet. Think about it. If you use 1/4 cup of sugar in a brine, MAYBE 10% of that actually gets absorbed by the fish. Then by the time you break that down to a per piece level, it's very minimal. Now here's a suggestion... One of the ingredients in my brine.

Use honey instead of sugar. A quarter cup of honey in a half gallon of brine goes a long way, and the actual sugar content is minimal. Replace your terryaki sauce with sesame oil and soy sauce. It just takes a teaspoon of oil, cuts that added sugar, and tastes virtually the same... Try it. I think you'll like the results.

These guys are right on the money, my brine is as simple as it gets, start with one gal. water, and about 1 cup kosher salt, or just enough salt to make a egg float, soak for 12 to 24 hrs., rinse and remove slime and place in smoker at around 180 to 200 untill done.

I use apple wood and in the water pan I use 1 bottle of cheep beer, 2 apples and water