Uncle Leonard Kelly's Smoked Salmon Brine & Turkey Brine

Ok friends and neighbors - here you go - two great brine recipes from our buddy John A., in his own words.

Uncle Leonard Kelly's Smoked Salmon Brine
2 QT Water
3/4 Cup Un-Iodized Salt
1 C. White Sugar
2 C. Brown Sugar
1 TBLS (tablespoon) - Cyan or Chili Pepper
3/4 TBLS Garlic Powder
1/2 TBLS Onion Powder

Soak fish in brine overnight - place fish on racks, skin down, let dry 2 - 3 hrs. then sprinkle a layer of brown sugar on top of fish fillets, and fresh ground black pepper. (Sugar s about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick)

Smoke 10-12 hours - Maple or Alder wood are preferred.

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Thanksgiving Smoked Turkey Brine: 12-15 pound Turkey
2 C. un-iodized salt
4 C. brown sugar
3 TBLS onion powder
3 TBLS celery salt
1 TBLS garlic powder
1 crushed bay leaf
1 TBLS cinnamon
1 gallon cranberry or cranberry/raspberry juice

Place turnkey in plastic garbage bag in a large bucket, cover the turkey with brine and squeeze all of the air out of the bag before closing it up. Soak in brine overnight. Smoke turkey 5-6 hrs (maple or alder wood). Finish off turkey on the BBQ - 1.5 to 2 hrs.

Good stuff - both of these! Not sure how the fish brine would work on cat fish or your Gulf fish, but may be worth a try. I have used it on Sturgeon with good result. Enjoy.

Crazy Larry's Crab Cakes

We've been in pursuit of the perfect crab cake for several years now. This recipe is from Weber's Bib Book of Grilling and is the best we've found so far.

For the crab cakes:
12 ounces fresh, frozen, or canned cooked lump crab meat
Drain in a colander, pat dry with paper towels. Flake meat with a fork, discarding any bits of shell. Add remaining ingredients.
3/4 c. plain breadcrumbs
1/2 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
4 green onions (white part only) finely chopped
3 T. mayonnaise
2 t. Dijon mustard
1/4 t. hot pepper sauce
1/4 t. Kosher salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
Shape into eight cakes about 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Place on a plate covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. This firms up the cakes so they hold together on the grill.

For the dressing:
Mix together
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 t. white wine vinegar
1/2 t. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Lightly brush or spray both sides of the crab cakes with vegetable oil. Grill over direct high heat until the bread crumbs are toasted (6 - 8 minutes) Carefully turn with a wide spatula halfway through the grilling time. Places two crab cakes on each plate with about 4 handfuls (about 4 ounces) of greens that have been tossed with the dressing. Serve with a lemon wedge if desired.