This Smoked octopus the recipe starts with the perfect marinade and ends with a smoking process that results in a perfect texture and very aromatic smoked octopus! Serve with chipotle smoked mac and cheese!
A few times a year, my husband, Scott, likes to surprise our daughter, Nena, by bringing home octopus to smoke. During a family vacation in Hawaii many years ago, Nena fell in love with the “smoked taco.” This is the Hawaiian name for smoked octopus (“tako” is Japanese for “octopus”).
Unfortunately, flying to Hawaii a few times a year is not in our family’s budget. Can I get an amen? A better option was to come up with our own version of smoked tako to make Miss Nena happy!
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😍 Why you’ll love this recipe
This is a fairly easy recipe to make. The hardest part is cleaning the baby octopus. However, you can easily just use the tentacles, making the process much simpler and faster!
The marinade gives the octopus just the right flavor while still allowing the smoky flavor to come through. The best part about this recipe is that you can have smoked tako whenever you feel like it; no need to fly to hawaii to get some! 😉
🔪 How to clean and prepare octopus
Before the octopus can be smoked, it must be brined. But before that happens, we need to clean and prepare the octopus for brining. This step is not for the faint of heart. It’s a little soft, but I know you could do it! You will need to remove the head from the tentacles and remove what is inside, leaving only the hood.
Next you will need to remove the beak from the tip of the tentacles. Yes, octopuses do have beaks, think about it! Alternatively, you can cut off the head and not use it, which will save you a lot of time, but I personally like to use as much of the octopus as possible.
Although you’ll notice in the clip below, she refers to the beak as “the measure.” Watch this short but helpful video demonstrating how to clean baby octopus, then come back!
Cleaning and preparing the octopus
🐙 How to make smoked octopus perfectly
Stir in the brine ingredients, making sure the salt is completely dissolved. Place the octopus in the brine and refrigerate overnight.
Set an electric smoker to 250 degrees F. While the smoker is heating, soak hickory wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Remove the octopus from the brine and arrange on the smoker racks.
When 30 minutes have passed, drain the wood chips and add to the smoker.
When the smoker is ready, reduce the temperature to 140 degrees F. Place the racks back inside the smoker and smoke the octopus for 1 to 1-½ hours or until desired flavor/texture is achieved.
Once you’re happy with the results, remove the octopus from the smoker and enjoy!
👩🏼🍳 Professional advice
- If you want to line the racks with foil, be sure to poke holes in the foil for smoke circulation and liquid to drain.
- Nene likes to eat them as jerky, but I’m sure there are other ideas online, like adding them to a salad or pasta. Have fun creating!
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week!
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📖 Recipe
Smoked octopus
Juicy smoked baby octopus. Add to a salad or eat as a snack!
Print Pine RatePortions: 4 people
Calories: 270kcal
Instructions
Stir in the brine ingredients, making sure the salt is completely dissolved. Place the octopus in the brine and refrigerate overnight.
Set an electric smoker to 250 degrees F. While the smoker is heating, soak hickory wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Remove the octopus from the brine and arrange on the smoker racks. When 30 minutes have passed, drain the wood chips and add to the smoker.
When the smoker is ready, reduce the temperature to 140 degrees. Place the racks back in the smoker and smoke the octopus for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until desired flavor/texture is achieved.
Once you’re happy with the results, remove the octopus from the smoker and enjoy!
Notes
-
- If you want to line the racks with foil, be sure to poke holes in the foil for smoke circulation and liquid to drain.
- Nene likes to eat them as jerky, but I’m sure there are other ideas online, like adding them to a salad or pasta. Have fun creating!
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week!
Nutrition
Service: 1service | Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 5Mr | Protein: 46Mr | Fat: 9Mr | Saturated fats: 5Mr | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 3821mg | Fiber: 0Mr | Sugar: 1Mr
