Pats Smoked Catfish Recipes

PAT'S SMOKED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Mix salt, black pepper, brown sugar, thyme, onion powder and cayenne together in a small bowl. Rub pork chops with the spice mixture. Wrap and place in refrigerator for a few hours.
• Set up your grill/smoker for indirect heat at 275 degrees F., using charcoal and add a handful of the soaked apple wood chips onto the coals.
• Place pork chops on the grill. Close grill and maintain a temperature of 275 degrees F, adding more charcoal and chips, as necessary. Let smoke for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the pork chops are firm to the touch. Transfer to serving plates and serve with the BBQ sauce.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the apple cider and brown sugar and stir to combine. Allow to reduce for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, pour in the BBQ sauce and stir well. Once sauce has warmed, turn off the heat. Add buttermilk and stir to incorporate. Serve over pork chops.

SMOKED CATFISH PATE

Steps:

• Brine and smoke catfish according to recipe. While still warm, break fillets into pieces, removing any bones. Add cream cheese and mix well. Add ½ cup of the sour cream and mix well. Add the shallots, capers, caper juice, garlic and Tabasco. Taste for seasoning, add more sour cream and/or cream cheese at this point if the pate is a little dry or tastes a little salty. Adjust Tabasco and add freshly ground pepper to taste.
• Note: Do not add any salt to this dish because the brine and the smoke "salts" the fish before it is mixed into the pate.
• Let chill for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight. Taste once more before serving and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve on the cold side of room temperature on homemade melba toast (slice a loaf of French bread in small rounds, lay out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 250ºF oven until golden and the bread is dried out) or your favorite crackers. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a bit of caviar if desired.
• Serves 4-10 as an appetizer.

PAT'S PAN-FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• Dry your catfish filets with paper towels.
• Pour 1 cup of the flour on a plate and "dust" the filets and set them aside on another plate for about half an hour. (This process helps to keep the coating on the fish as they fry).
• Next, heat the shortening in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Set up a shallow medium-sized bowl and a dinner plate for "drenching" and "dredging" the fillets.
• In the bowl, break the eggs and beat them a bit, then add the buttermilk and the lemon juice and whisk these ingredients a few seconds until blended.
• On the plate, pour the remaining cup of flour, cornmeal, garlic salt, thyme, table salt, baking soda, and fennel (if you're using it). Mix it up with a fork or with your fingers.
• Dip a fillet into the liquid, coating it totally, and then allow it to drip off a bit. Then, roll it carefully in the flour/cornmeal mix until it is coated all over. Carefully lay the fillet in the hot oil. It should start frying immediately -- if not, your oil is not hot enough!
• Repeat this process until you have half of the fillets in the pan. You don't want to crowd them so plan on doing the fish in two separate batches.
• When the fillets have turned a golden brown on the bottom side, carefully turn them to fry the other side. Remove them to a plate with some paper towels on it once they are golden brown all over (about 3-4 minutes for each side). (The fillets should be snow-white in the thick portion of the fillet, and the meat should "flake apart" when pulled apart with a fork).
• Serve either as a sandwich, or, plate up the fish with side dishes (I like good coleslaw and baked beans with my catfish). A tangy tartar sauce is also good with fried catfish. Enjoy!
• NOTE: Pan-fried catfish makes an EXCELLENT breakfast, along with fried potatoes, when you're camping!