Canned Smoked Fish (Trout or Salmon)

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Understand before you begin that smoked fish is a low-acid food and must be processed in a pressure canner; a boiling-water bath is never safe for canning fish, and smoking the fish first does not make it any safer for water-bath processing.
2. 2Wash 7 half-pint jars (pint jars also work) in hot soapy water or a dishwasher and keep them hot; wash new lids and prepare them exactly as the manufacturer instructs.
3. 3Dissolve the salt and brown sugar in the water to make a brine, submerge the fish fillets in it, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours to season the fish and firm the flesh.
4. 4Remove the fish from the brine, rinse lightly, pat dry, and smoke it in a smoker at 150 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit for about 3 to 4 hours, until the flesh is fully cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit; this hot-pack step means the fish is fully cooked before jarring, which is required for smoked fish.
5. 5Let the smoked fish cool slightly, then cut or break it into pieces sized to fit your jars, removing any bones you prefer not to include (small bones soften during processing and are safe to eat).
6. 6Pack the smoked fish loosely into the hot jars, pressing only gently to remove large gaps, not compacting it tightly, so heat can penetrate to the center of the jar.
7. 7Leave 1 inch of headspace at the top of each jar; a small amount of water may be added for quality if the fish seems dry, but it is optional and not required for safety.
8. 8Run a bubble tool carefully around the inside of the jar to release trapped air between pieces, then recheck and adjust the headspace to 1 inch.
9. 9Wipe the jar rims completely clean of any oil or fish residue, since oily residue is especially likely to prevent a good seal, center a lid on each jar, and screw the band down fingertip tight.
10. 10Load the jars into the pressure canner, add water as directed by the manufacturer, lock the lid, and vent steam steadily for 10 minutes before pressurizing.
11. 11Process half-pint or pint jars of smoked fish for 100 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a weighted-gauge canner up to 1,000 feet (15 pounds above 1,000 feet), or 11 pounds in a dial-gauge canner up to 2,000 feet (12 pounds from 2,001 to 4,000 feet, 13 pounds from 4,001 to 6,000 feet, 14 pounds from 6,001 to 8,000 feet); quart jars are not recommended or tested safe for fish, so use only half-pint or pint jars.
12. 12Turn off the heat once processing finishes and let the canner depressurize naturally on its own; never quick-release a canner of fish.
13. 13Wait until the gauge reads zero, then wait 2 more minutes, slowly vent any remaining pressure, wait 10 more minutes, then unlock and open the canner.
14. 14Move the jars to a towel-lined surface and let them cool completely undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
15. 15Check that each lid has sealed, wipe the jars clean, label with contents and date, and store in a cool, dark place for up to about 1 year.
16. 16Before eating, boil the smoked fish hard for 10 minutes to destroy any possible botulinum toxin, and discard without tasting any jar with an off odor, spurting liquid, or a lid that never sealed or is bulging.