Smoking Tullibee With the DNR Cultural Resources Team

Preparing the brine mixture with fresh spring water.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND NAY AH SHING STUDENTS LEARN NEW SKILLS

By VIVIAN LaMOORE, EDITOR

The Cultural Resources division of the Department of Natural Resources provides an education piece and opportunities for Band members to exercise inherent treaty rights of harvesting. Todd Moilanen and his crew are appropriately knowledgeable about harvesting knowing and understanding when to harvest, watching the weather, how to prepare to harvest, tools needed, how to harvest, and then how to take care of the harvest. This is a great education piece for both experienced harvesters and those who may not have previous guidance opportunities from others. Sharing their knowledge with Band members is an essential piece for the Cultural Resources group to ensure future generations will carry on the traditions of harvesting.

As the autumn air began to turn over to winter fog settled in the Mille Lacs Area and Todd Moilanen, DNR Cultural Resources, was preparing for a demonstration to community members and Nay Ah Shing students to learn how to clean, brine, and smoke tullibee.

The tullibee is a member of the trout/salmon family and when prepared properly they make for very tasty tablefare with a mild and slightly sweet flavor. A 1 gram serving of smoked tullibee packs in 100 calories, 1 gram of carbs, 20 grams of protein, and 2.5 grams of fat with (zero saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, or trans fats) according to myfitnesspal. com. Tullibee is an oily fish and as such is an excellent source of healthy fats called omega-3 fats.

The DNR invited the community to learn how to set nets two nights in November and received enough tullibee to share with community members and to provide a tullibee smoking demonstration. Moilanen and the team gave a handson demonstration on how to clean the fish to prepare them for smoking. The students were thoroughly engaged as they learned step-by-step how to use knives safely, where to cut, what to remove from each tullibee.

After the fish were cleaned and rinsed, they prepared the brine. Tullibee should soak in a brine overnight in cool temperature water, sugar, and salt mixture. This helps to preserve the meat and prepare for smoking. Moilanen said they use canning pickling salt mixed with brown sugar in clean spring water to make the brine.

After soaking, remove the tullibee from the brine and let them sit out for three to four hours until a nice pellicle forms. A pellicle seals moisture inside of the fish and creates a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to. "Setting the pellicle is the most important part," Moillanen said. "Do not wash the stickiness off because that is what the smoke sticks to."

Once there is a good sticky pellicle, lay the fish on the rack of the smoker so that the pieces are not touching. Use whatever flavors of wood chips you choose to create the flavor and end result of a rich smokey scent. Moilanen said he was using a mixure of cherry, apple, and hickory chips on this day.

"Low and slow is how to smoke tullibee," Moilanen said. He smokes the tullibee at about 175 degrees Fahrenheit for three to four hours for the fish to come to an internal temperature of 145 to 160 degrees.

The smoked tullibee can then be eaten, or wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The Nay Ah Shing students enjoyed learning how to prepare the bounty of a harvest. One student said, "Because it is important for me to know how to so that I can help my family."

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