How to Gut and Smoke an Eel with Steven Rinella - MeatEater

Steven Rinella demonstrates how to gut an eel and prepare it for the smoker.
The knife used here is a Havalon Piranta: bit.ly/YRwaMe
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[@antique7391]

I'm a American and was in Munich Germany back in 1995. My wife and I were at the huge flea market at the old airport. I have old video of good looking large eels being smoked and for sale to people at the flea market. Sat down with a bunch of old Germans eating eel,kraut, & swilling liter sized crock steins of beer. It was friggen 0800 in the morning.

[@SRNF]

I'm American and I was in America in 1995 cause I'm an American. MURRRRRICA!!!!!!

[@reesecollins482]

@@SRNF wow why so rude?

[@DaDaDo661]

@@reesecollins482 Cause he's a europoor

[@timeshaft5088]

antique I would love to see that video! Could you post it online somehow?

[@holeephuck4421]

@@reesecollins482 Thats not rude lmao

[@jacmaria]

i grew up in holland. gerookte paling is my favorite childhood memory. i gave a piece to my dog and she rolled on it to capture all its wonderful essence.

[@FijneWIET]

gerookte paling 4ever

[@SuperGereng]

I've tried eating eel twice in oriental restaurants and all I can say is: it's an acquired taste.

[@jacmaria]

i prefer the smoked ones we had in holland though the asian style eels aren't bad

[@christophersmith7714]

I'm English but lived in Holland (Hoorn) for 9 years! Paling was one one my favourites! Now I want to catch n smoke in UK! Cheers

[@yarospanjers1873]

Jup ff naar de vis boer voor een broodje gerookte paling met zaanse mayonnaise ze snappen t hier in canada ook niet lol and Steven rinella if you are reading this that's overcooked in my book you should be able to split them and separate the skin from the meat by wedging a spoon in between on the tail end and then strip away

[@gregnoyes4101]

I live in NY and grew up near the Delaware River. I’m a big fan, so it’s nice to see episodes from my neck of the woods.

[@RichardPeterson-de2fh]

I live in Ny also. We catch huge eels in a small creek called the coeymans creek. Also a nice trout creek.

[@colegreen7181]

I have a havalon piranta, greatest knife ever! i love watching your show, thanks for the tips.

[@angelomarin8243]

I'm straight born and raised in the city of Chicago don't really do any of this stuff but when I talk to family and friends that are out in the country of Tennessee and Kentucky and they talk about hunting thanks to meat eater I know what hell there talking about lol keep up the great work guys ✌

[@outdoorswithjt6652]

Move, get the hell out of there.

[@MeatEaterTV]

Joey, that jacket is from First Lite.

[@broomstickcowgirl]

You're killin' me Steve! At 1:40 there's snow outside everywhere and at 4:40 there's none. You're still my FAVORITE channel EVER!!!!

[@BornIn1500]

that wasn't snow.

[@behindtheblackstump2247]

We catch them with a Manuka pole that has a loop of Harakeke thats been scraped with a blade so its just the internal fibres left then tangled around strips of meat. The fibre gets caught in the Eels fine teeth and you can lift it out of the water into the bank.

[@MrHmmz]

I thought this man was a joke, but once i saw how he cleans an eel i instantly knew he is for real.

[@foolslayer9416]

I have an aunt from Japan and some of the best eel I've eaten was Japanese style roasted eel. Absolutely delicious, with a meat that melts like butter in your mouth.

[@Spidrunkrit]

How do you remove the batteries?

[@tricat92]

i think she was making an "electric eel" joke

[@foolslayer9416]

That's not an electric eel kiddo

[@undercovercop2000]

Eels don’t have batteries in them idiot. Just kidding, R/whoosh

[@jnava121]

@@foolslayer9416 you must be a snowflake eeL kiddo

[@foolslayer9416]

@@jnava121 What does being able to distinguish between an electric eel and a real eel have to do with being a snowflake?

[@tracebishop7275]

best hunting videos ever I love ur chanel keep making more vdeos

[@accussednerfherder]

My uncle use to take me and cousins gafing for eel when we were young. All you really needed was some fencing wire made into a make shift hook and a flashlight to stun them. Surprisingly good meat and easy enough to prepare.

[@charliegottschalk1267]

I don't think I want to eat anything that came from the waters between New York and Pennsylvania.

[@joeroganofficial5433]

Charlie Gottschalk *New Jersey and Pennsylvania

[@joeroganofficial5433]

The water is pretty gross though

[@shotgunsam23]

@@joeroganofficial5433 up there is actually some good places up there. Not very polluted. The Delaware river coming down from NY is bad till about half way down pa. Like I wouldn’t eat anything starting at 10 miles above Easton PA.

[@tomsc8024]

That’s upstate New York in the Catskill Mountains. Pristine water

[@coreystoner4129]

I remember one time me and buddy were fly fishing the Delaware and right at dark we kept catching them left and right. Then a bunch of locals were like give it to us. We love eating them. We were more than happy to give it to them.

[@joshualawry971]

I love to see you an east coast big game hunt

[@413xxx86]

Yum! Unagi time!!!

[@littlenormy]

Nice video.thanks for sharing.

[@bigguschung1616]

My great grandfather used to cook and catch eels during the great depression because they were common were they lived in western pa and my grandfather would come home from school to a bathtub full of eels

[@robertunversaw]

Nice place Steve!

[@FijneWIET]

I love Eels (both the fish and the artist Mark Oliver Everett)

[@RichardPeterson-de2fh]

Where’s the old guy who set up eel weirs on the river there? He was on mountain men a few times I believe. He had a business selling smoked salmon.

[@nicholasvinkler1635]

What knife is that?! I would love to get one

[@jhattabaugh2180]

i love your Netflix show I really want to see more im a big fan if you want to find another way to fish for eel go to the Delaware river in Handcock NY there is a man who has a hand made weir to catch eels and smokes them and sells them

[@larsvegas1505]

I usually catch about 30-50 eels.. and then smoke them (u can freeze them while alive, defrost, brine, dry, then smoke)... i wouldnt smoke 1 though too much hassle... also 1lb smoked eel cost about 30 bucks (in NL), thats between .5 and 3 eels... i usually catch about 5-10 eels on a evening.. sometimes more then 30... fishing worms only, on a runner rig (ounce+ of lead runninng free on the mainline with like a 30 inch leader, and then put a glowstick on the tip of the rod.. I usually smoke them 1-2 times a year, its like a tradition ive done for the past 25 years... the fishing is fun aswell (they strong also)..

[@MrSeamus1964]

I already have enough problems with people poaching my eel traps now I will be fighting foodies who want to try smoking eels. thanks a lot. If you haven't already you should check out James Prosek writings on eels.

[@Peek4pony]

Where did you say you live now Seamus !! I could check on your eel traps for you !!! just checking ?? I love eels, used to catch them in Ireland as a kid. My Mom loved them too, Used to catch a fry a load of Bootlace for her . Fry in Butter !! Awesome. Nothing tastes like a small fresh eel fried in Butter. But maybe a smoked one does, I never had the pleasure to taste one. Hope to one day soon !!

[@BlkHunterGatherer]

The best way to catch eel is to go to the Lockwoods Folly River in North Carolina and fish for black drum with cut bait. I’ve literally caught 100s of these things as bycatch and I never knew that you could eat them. They suck. It almost always requires me to cut the hook off and tie a new one on and I usually do that until my Carolina rig has a 4” stubby leader. I may give this a shot.

[@ericspencer4599]

Its recommended that you eat less than 16 oz of eel from the Delaware River only once a year. And only 8oz of fin fish once a year.

[@huntervelk1056]

Why is that ?

[@ericspencer4599]

@@huntervelk1056 heavy metals in the water. And I don't mean Slayer. Mercury, lead ,vanadium, we have several lakes and rivers in Texas with the same restriction

[@thomaspray4379]

Just like lots of salmon populations are still hurting from river damning and overfishing during the runs, it's my understanding the same is true for eel-- especially in Europe and Japan (now they buy all our baby eels for eel farming). Anyone know how well our states are maintaining the populations?

[@stevenforman3044]

lovely vid.

[@CryptoMafia]

i skin them, make an incision just cutting skin around neck and pull the skin off like a sock.

[@samiamnot8906]

Nice video :)

[@jesseknox9322]

I would love to catch some eel I think they're neat, but smoked eel sure looks delicious!

[@davidpotaka4718]

Steve if you bone from the back of head you can remove guts and frame in one go

[@adamking4246]

Year's ago I bought eels for my crab bait, everyone did being they were so cheap. Now the super expensive and no one uses them anymore unless you catch them yourself. Oh I worked the water's of Chesapeake bay, Choptank river and the Atlantic ocean. Was on the water before I could walk.

[@ungratefulknight]

Fry them and add Mustard, Japanese style. :)

[@stevenmoye5112]

Me and my aunt we go fishn on the wabash and Ohio weve caught quite a few weird a little bit

[@sherlockbonez]

Can also fillet like gutless method to turn into 1 big fillet

[@jivellokiar3001]

Hello Amen

[@jimbobthedog]

Approximately how long did you smoke the eel for?

[@seekNdestroy217]

What make of smoker do you use??

[@rman5033]

Nail it through the top of the head to a board or tree cut around the head grab the skin with pliers and pull slice the gut clean it out with one finger takes 60 seconds no mess

[@mitchmountenay2865]

When eating a eel, does size matter for flavour like fish?

[@giovannischulze1253]

u need to cut a bit past the "uni-hole" to fully remove the tail-kidney (thats what we call it in Germany)

[@Midnight339]

What kind of knife is that?

[@jakeed09090]

Havalon Piranta-Edge Skinning knife. It uses replaceable stainless steel blades commonly referred to as autopsy blades.

[@mikeybreakz6292]

if u dont eat them they are the best walleye muskie and pike bait going.

[@gtbear32]

did you ever notice the delaware county eel taste tinnie is it because of the slime ? what i did in hancock ny delaware county on the delaware river i would gut them after i caught them and packed the whole eel in salt

[@LGRW313]

Steve is so Michigan it’s hilarious

[@sfall616]

What's that mean? (I'm from MI)

[@LGRW313]

Squeezey have you ever spent time in other regions of the United States? Regional accents are definitely a thing and the Michigan accent is distinct. Steve has a strong Michigan accent

[@sirsir9665]

Remember my dad catching a Eel randomly while fishing. He had to knock it out by slamming his pole so he could get it back in the water because they move crazy

[@HamhockandHemorrhoids]

What kind of knife is that... Same one he field dresses with?

[@dominicmahon3463]

what state do u live in

[@skyman6936]

Got a friend that's an eel smoker. Lives in San Francisco.

[@steverogers3943]

Can I do the same with catfish?

[@Michele6984]

What's the ratio for the brine salt and sugar? And what temperature and time is the smoker on? Thanks.

[@Grease7]

3:07

[@georgeterangi2848]

We call those boot lases because there so small you can almost use them to tie your boots up with

[@attilasiskovits1876]

Eels we have here in NZ could feed a village

[@BB_46]

Do they taste like a slim jim? Thats what they look like after smoking.

[@klopmanwinkel8950]

in holland we dond marinade it

[@bennywalsh2038]

Do you not bleed the eels?

[@MrHmmz]

I fish all my life and we never bleed freshwater fish where i live (central europe). We just make sure to dispatch it, gut it and keep it cool in order not to spoil the meat. Never tasted any difference in bleeding vs not bleeding..

[@fattony123082]

I would at least take the damn ring off but other than that that's pretty interesting video... I came here from watching Joe Rogan's podcast all about eating beavers. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@realShortcut]

so how hot was your smoker ?

[@alexcribb9733]

Looked like 175-200

[@dylanwhitmer5325]

Funny how you don't see activists pitching a fit about the eel not being 'humanely' dispatched. It's almost as if they're only 'activists' for the cute animals. Hm.

[@610vatorspeed7]

Being from Philadelphia area I wouldn’t eat anything from out of the Delaware River lmfao

[@dirtymushroom-hollybubba3796]

my absolute favorite meat....nowhere to get em in the South though

[@jonpatterson7211]

In the river outflow from Eurie Lake in Montgomery County, N.C. If you can get access to the water, you'll find eels. Good luck and watch for snakes.

[@jeffl2558]

Yeah I know I'm replying to a year old post, but I caught plenty of eels in the black waters of south GA.

[@jonpatterson7211]

Are they fit to eat, Jeff? I thought about it a time or two but that's about as far as I got.

[@jeffl2558]

@@jonpatterson7211 Definitely fit to eat. They are the same kind of American Eel that Steven's cookin up in this video, as far as I know. I've caught them on my catfish rigs since they seem to like the same kind of bait. Steve mentions a night crawler while gutting the eel in this video, and that is what I have used myself to catch them.

[@jonpatterson7211]

Thanks, Jeff. Good fishin'.

[@joecha9746]

What? I thought the eels go up river to spawn?

[@Triga91]

Awesome back yard dude looks like upstate

[@JackIsNotInTheBox]

looks like a slug

[@williamlandon5180]

I wore out 2 bic lighters trying to smoke one 🤪

[@RichardPeterson-de2fh]

Since when is 24 hrs overnight? lol. And you ran that smoker for 1 eel?

[@SlimWithATiltedGrin]

Full Brine Recipe?

[@davesilvia9711]

my dad used to put a ciggarette in water with the live ells and i5 would knockem out to handle them

[@sjvche7675]

Now you can make a wallet.

[@valentinamiller40]

He is such a handsome , manly man ♡ too bad my boyfriends a twat.

[@boxcancer2725]

+Tony Bigtony lmfao

[@11darkfuneral11]

Too bad you have to shit talk your bf on an fb video to seem relevant smh...the real men watching these vids despise you...

[@lostonlongisland6845]

maybe if you were not trying to smoke his eel he wouldn't be such a twat!

[@joshwoodley2762]

Valentina Miller dont listen to hate comments ur funny asf😂😂

[@guccipitts]

Wassup baby, lemme take you to the woods and oil you up. We'll wash up in the crick after ;)

[@reztangy8335]

That’s tiny hhhahaha

[@kunaltrivedy]

we dont have eels. we have lungfish tho...not bad

[@curiouskatrine]

I ussually dont like hunters but ur cool

[@gangliums]

how many hunters do you know Katrine?

[@B-real85]

ummmm idk about that. must be delish. but man I think I would pass.

[@mikeybreakz6292]

eels tangle and ruin your whole rig and make a slimy mess of everything. they tie themselves in and out of knots. but they are mighty tasty. they're worth the rig they trash.

[@Chris-zi9bb]

Not much detail.....lol

[@brianolson9967]

Doesn't look that appetizing or very much meat on that thing

[@cliftonfrederick2478]

u crazy eel kill you. not me.

[@mikenaples4046]

Nope.

[@LaurenMiddleton28]

Gross...

[@TheVelobicycle]

isn't the american eel endangered?

[@huntervelk1056]

I believe so but that don't stop people from eating them I believe they are only endangered due too not knowing how to breed them in captivity

[@thestoryline1]

You're not supposed to pull the skin off

[@Gunsmith420]

he never pulled the skin off. just washed the slime off him

[@KorDawg91]

+Mr. slippy fist he never did, do your eyes work?

[@tnelly4611]

CombatWombat yes he did lol he pulled it off with his fingers right before he ate it, do your eyes work bud??

[@eZupNhuR]

Ummm that eel is still in preschool

[@cdee2456]

its an adult.

[@mammakitteh]

So gross. I don't see anything even remotely appetizing about a slimy eel. Yuck.

[@THConnoisseur]

Bbq eel is actually so good, not fishy at all. Its like really tender pork.

[@lutzy411]

cause you"re a narrow minded turd

[@Geronimo-1960]

Seeing this eel i got the feeling it is allready a week dead.....please go to the Netherlands and learn how to do a good smoking..!!!

[@W3STSID303]

Discusting