Smoked Octopus Recipe with Hacks and Tips

When it comes to seafood, the number of options is endless. There’s just so much variety. You can eat all kinds of stuff ranging from crabs to lobster to salmon. Octopus is also one such seafood that appears on many food menus. Offering distinct and exciting flavors, octopus is a favorite for many. You can serve an octopus in many different ways such as fried, grilled, or smoked. Today we’ll discuss the smoked octopus, which truly complements the flavor of this delicate yet delicious meat.

In this article, we will tell you the best ways to smoke an octopus while also giving you hacks and tips for this dish. The article will also help you with ideas for serving smoked octopus to your friends and family.

Smoked Octopus Recipe

While smoking an octopus may seem like a daunting task, it’s not as hard as it sounds. In fact, the process is quite simple, and you can even have fun while smoking.

Our kitchen experts have worked hard to develop this foolproof recipe. It’s guaranteed to help you prepare the octopus in the best possible manner. Here is what you’ll need:

Ingredients

• 5-pound octopus
• 1 cup salt
• 12 oz. maple syrup
• Water (as required)

Instructions

1. The first thing you’ll need to do is to wash the octopus. Make sure that you clean it out thoroughly. This will help prevent any harmful material from entering your body.
2. Next, take the octopus and start cutting it into small sections. The size of your section depends on your required size.
3. Then, we move on to prepare the brining mixture. To brine the octopus, combine the salt and maple syrup in 1 quart of water. To get the best flavor, use the Butternut Mountain Farm Maple Syrup. This high-quality maple syrup will add robust flavor to your octopus, making it pleasing to eat.
4. Add the brine mixture to a large Ziploc bag and then add your octopus sections in the bag.
5. Then, place the Ziploc bag in the fridge and allow the brining process to take place overnight. We also recommend flipping the bag between intervals. This helps ensure that the octopus is brined evenly.
6. On the next day, remove the octopus from the bag and using a kitchen towel, pat it dry.
7. After drying the octopus, place it on a smoker rack and let it rest for about two hours.
8. During this time, the octopus will develop a pellicle. This is why it’s also important to keep the fan running over the meat or make sure that there is proper ventilation in the room.
9. Next, set up your electric smoker and place the smoking pellets. Applewood chips work best for octopus meat.
10. Before starting your smoker, maintain the temperature at 120 degrees and smoke the octopus in it for two hours. For the smoking process, always make sure that you get the best smoker accessories to make this process easier.
11. After smoking for 2 hours at 120 degrees, smoke the octopus for another 2 hours at 150 degrees and then at 175 degrees for a while.
12. Your octopus will be ready once it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees.
13. After that, remove your octopus from the smoker.
14. Your smoked octopus is ready for you to enjoy!

Smoked Octopus Video Recipe

How to Serve Smoked Octopus

There are many ways in which you can serve smoked octopus. If you want a healthy option, then you can make a citrus and octopus salad with the following recipe.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

Ingredients

• Smoked octopus
• 2 oranges; peeled and sectioned
• Orange juice
• 4 cups arugula
• 1 cup radish
• ¼ cups olives
• Smoked paprika
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder

Instructions

1. The first thing you’ll need to do is to smoke your octopus for this salad. To smoke the octopus, get a smoker and turn it on. While the smoker gets hot, prepare your octopus by cleaning it thoroughly and coating it with olive oil, paprika, and garlic powder.
2. Smoke the octopus on the grill for about 12–13 minutes. Once the octopus starts to turn crisp, remove it from the smoker and set it aside.
3. In the meantime, prepare your vinaigrette by adding salt and pepper to orange juice and olive oil.
4. Next, take a large bowl and add an arugula and orange slice to it. Place in your smoked octopus and drizzle the vinaigrette on the salad.
5. Toss everything together and serve fresh!

Hacks and Tips

To get a perfectly smoked octopus, keep the following hacks and tips in mind:

• While cleaning the octopus, make sure you remove the beaks or the guts from the top of the tentacles.
• If you are using an octopus head, then make sure that you remove the ink sack before placing the octopus in the brine mixture.
• If you want your octopus meat to be tender, then boil it before smoking. You can boil an octopus by simmering it in boiling water for 45–60 minutes. This will ensure that the meat is not tough or chewy.

Final Thoughts

Eating an octopus is amazing for your body, given the amount of omega-3 in it. There are many different ways you can eat your octopus. Smoked octopus is one way of eating it. You can easily smoke an octopus at home and then use the meat to make different types of recipes.

Happy cooking!

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