Cold Smoked Poke with Ahi Tuna

Jul 28, 2023 • Thomas Jackson

Cold Smoked Poke with Ahi Tuna is the raw fish dish you didn't know you needed in your life. It mixes together a creamy, pineapple coconut slaw and a citrusy, bright Japanese BBQ dressing. Smoked with cherry pellets this Ahi tuna steak will melt in your mouth. A must try!

Cold Smoked Poke with Ahi Tuna

Tom Jackson

Rated 4.3 stars by 4 users

Cuisine

Asian

Servings

4

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours

Calories

1104

Are you ready to embark on a culinary adventure that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more? Look no further than Cold Smoked Poke with Ahi Tuna! This extraordinary dish combines the freshness of raw Ahi tuna with a creamy pineapple coconut slaw and a zesty Japanese BBQ dressing. And to top it all off, the Ahi tuna steak is cold smoked with cherry pellets, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth experience that is simply out of this world. Trust us, this is a must-try dish that will take your seafood game to a whole new level!

Ingredients

Coconut Pineapple Slaw:

1/4 cup Kewpie mayonnaise
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha Hot Sauce
2 cups angel hair cabbage
3/4 cup pineapple, minced

Poke Dressing:

1/3 cup Bachan’s Yuzu Japanese Barbecue Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp ponzu
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Colonial Chile Oil
1 tbsp Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha Hot Sauce

Poke:

1 lb sushi grade Ahi Tuna
1/2 cup avocado, diced
1/2 cup sweet onion, shaved very thin
1/4 cup green onion, green parts only, sliced thin
2 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Everything Bagel Seasoning

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Directions

Press the power button on the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill to turn the fans on. Do not hit the start button.
Fill an A-MAZE-N Tube Smoker with 100% cherry wood pellets. Place the tube smoker on the bottom right side of the grill. Light with a torch and let the flame burn for a minute before blowing it out.
Place a pan of ice next to the tube smoker on the main cooking grate. Place your Ahi Tuna on FrogMats on the second shelf of the grill. Close the lid and let the ahi cold smoke for 2 hours.
After two hours, remove the ahi from the grill and place in a vacuum seal bag (or zip top plastic bag). Place in the refrigerator overnight to let the smoke flavor mellow.
To make the Coconut Pineapple Slaw, combine all ingredients except the pineapple and cabbage in a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the pineapple and cabbage to the bowl and toss to coat. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This can be made the day before serving.
To make the poke, first combine all poke dressing ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk well.
Dice the ahi tuna into bite sized pieces. Transfer them to the bowl with the dressing and add the avocado, sweet onion, green onion and mix well. Top with Cattleman’s Grill Everything Bagel Seasoning.
Serve the Cold Smoked Poke along with the Coconut Pineapple Slaw.

Recipe Note

You might also enjoy: Grilled Cucumber Salad, Everything Bagel Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna

More about cold smoking:

To some, cold smoking sounds like it’s complicated. It’s really not. Cold smoking is simply passing smoke over food without a heat source to cook the food. All you need is smoke and a way to contain the smoke so it can pass over the food.

For smoke, we use a smoke tube or smoke box, which lets wood pellets smolder and produce a continuous stream of smoke. We also prefer to use a Yoder Smokers pellet grill because we can turn on the fans without turning on the heat. The fans move the smoke through the grill, over the food and eventually out the chimney. If you don't have a Yoder Smokers pellet grill, you can still create great cold smoked food. Just get your smoke going with the smoke tube or smoke box and keep the smoke moving by opening the grill once in a while or using a fan inside the grill.

Keep in mind, airflow in the smoking chamber is key to cold smoking. When smoke is allowed to rest on food instead of flowing over and around it, the smoke can make the food bitter.