Shuckman's contribution to the movement is taking fish from the wealth of spring-fed streams, curing it with, among other things, local bourbon, and smoking it with hickory from the trees that grow in the area. It's a process performed totally by hand, and Shuckman is comparing it to the loving craftsmanship that goes into making premium cigars. As a lover of all things smoked, these are the words I want to hear. Shuckman goes on to explain that he uses smoking methods brought by his family from the Old World. His method of smoking starts with a combination of wet and dry curing.
Salt is applied to the fish during the dry-cure portion of the process.
I know it's going to be the same thing day in and day out. Consistency is important to Shuckman, so he uses state of the art smokehouses that apply smoke to the fish at very specific temperatures for closely monitored time spans. This is where important blending principles come into play, as Shuckman chooses woods for their unique interaction with the fish he is smoking. Spoonfish is largely boneless, so he uses hickory from the region, which works itself through the meat quickly. For trout, he uses a combination of hickory and ash because hickory alone would be too harsh.