Smoking Salmon??

[Springer]

I was wondering if anyone has a recipe and proven method for smoking salmon??

I would like to do one but since the salmon are few and far between here in AB i may need some BC advice please.

What type of wood as well ?

[Gatehouse]

Dude....

You were just in BC, man.

You don't smoke FISH dude, you smoke the OTHER stuff, man...

[Robert_G]

Cookie sheet.
Layers of newspaper on cookie sheet.
Paper towels on that.
Fillet fish pieces to liking.
Sprinkle course salt on fish. Just enough to look like it got a snow dusting on it.
Put in fridge for 12 hours.
Take out and remove salt as best you can with hands...(try not to lift the fish off the paper towels at this time)
Pat on dark brown sugar..depending on how sweet you like it. (I usually bury it in sugar)
Put back in fridge for 12 hours.
Remove sugar with hands.
Do not worry if there is a bit left on there.
Let sit out at room temperature for 1 hour or till there is a nice glace on it.

Lay on smoker rack and smoke accordingly...Hickory or Cherry is best. Alder tastes like old shoes..

A 7-12 lb fish takes 5-6 hours depending on smoker and outdoor temp and how the fillets are cut.
12-20 lbs fish takes 6-8 hours denpending or how thick the fillets are cut

Another option is to rub minced garlic on it just before you put the salt on it. I usually do that.


Here is what mine looks like usually. I get lots of good compliments on it.

[Springer]

Gatehouse , now that you mention it i did have a hard time trying to get that fish lit to smoke it !! I will handle the smoke after the fish instaed of before next time.

Robert thanks for the recipe. Tuesday or Wednesday will be smokey day. Whats the best thickness for fillets , i am new at smoking salmon remember.

your pics are very enticing and delicious looking.

[billy goat]

Another one to try if you like,

Place salmon fillets, in a mixture of apple juice, and maple syrup, you want to boil the juice down to concentrate the flavor, let cool before the fish goes in. Around 50/50 mix is good. You just want the liquid to come over the top of the fish so not that much brine is needed if you choose your container wisley, a rectangular glass baking dish works well. I also add about four table spoons of coarse salt per 8 pounds of flesh, if your a salt fan it wont hurt anything to double this amount. Add this to your brine mixture. Let this all stand together in fridge for twelve hours. Take out and dry the salmon on a oven rack,place some paper towl under rack, as you will get lots of drippins. Use a fan if you can to help the drying time, you just want a dry sticky crust to start forming on the fish, may take one hour up to three hours. Believe it or not this step makes or breaks a good smoked salmon...trust me. After it has formed a dry crust it is time to smoke with wood of your choice( Alder is my favorite) or apple wood. As for the smokeing time that all depends on how you like your fish done, and you smoker type.

[gitnadoix]

1 cup rock salt
2 cup demura sugar
1 teaspoon Chilli powder
1 teaspoon Cyan powder
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Onion Salt
1/2 teaspoon dry musterd powder.

filet fish, (Large chinooks over 25lbs fillet twice) set fish in a tub with a perferated bottom nested inside another tub, so moisture drips away. liberally sprinkle with brine mixture. set in fridge for 24 hours

The remove brine mix and brush lightly to knock off salt but not spice.

Air dry in cool room with fan blowing air over it for 18 hours. Then into smoker and cold smoke for 24 hours, with alder.

take out slice 1/4 inch thick and try not to eat it all in one go.

[the rifleman]

Man this thread is making me hungary! I love smoked salmon, it is truly the way salmon tastes best, in my opinion.

I leave the bones in when I do my fillets, which means a little more work eating it. I usually cut the fish lengthwise through the back, so you have two halves, then further cut the halves into meal size pieces. I mix up a dry mix of about one part salt to five parts sugur. (Taste the mix, if its to salty/sweet, add more sugar/salt) Several teaspoons of granulated garlic, and a cup of soy sauce are mixed in. Then using a big pot I ladle in some of the mixture, lay a few pieces of fish on it, ladle more mix on to them, building a layer of fish and a layer of cure. Let it sit at least overnight. The mostly dry cure will now be a thick syrupy liquid, as it has drawn out much of the moisture from the fish. I then put the fish on the smoking racks, and let it drip onto newspaper. After a few hours, when the coating has glazed, I throw the racks in the smoker. The Big Chief does a fair amount at a time, and I like the smoke flavour, so I will usually burn 4-6 pans of dampened chips, over a 8 hour period. I use hickory, store bought chips mixed with some large chips of cherry, from my own tree prunings.

I think I better take a couple of salmon out of the freezer, and get to it! It's making my mouth water....

[billy goat]

mmmmmmmmmmmmm, this thread is good enough to eat.

[willyqbc]

For an interesting added layer of flavour try soaking your chips of choice in red wine overnight then let them dry to whatever moisture level you like for smoking! Sounds a little weird I know but really does add a little something to the finished product.!

Chris

[Silent Wolf]

You didn't say if you wanted Indian candy or just reg. somked salmon. I have a killer one for Candy , not sure how I got to know it though.


Silent Wolf

[Reddog]

Gentleman my cous is the king of cold smoke salmon he is with out a doubt the best in the west or in the top 5 unfortunately he cannot reply because he is running the salmon killer elite in the QUEEN CHARLOTTE I and is beyond reach, bogman is one of the best in the west and when he returns to cyberland we the unwashed will benefiot an unworthy relative

[Springer]

Man what a wealth of knowledge you guys are. Thank you so much.I could have bought 3 different books to get these top secret recipes.

Silent Wolf , You bet i want that Indian Candy recipe,It is a small fortune to buy that stuff off the shelf. Please by all means share that recipe with us.

I know what i am doing Wednesday. Thursday may be Buffalo Jerky day..

Thanks again Huntshoot.comers !!

[boonerbuck]

I was actually going to post a question about cures and brines for smoking salmon and look whats waiting here.

I have a 30lber from last year in the fridge thawing and its going to be the guinea pig for my new Bradly smoker. I've never done up a salmon myself and I'm comming back from Nootka Sound pretty soon with a freezer full. I'd rather ruin my first one from last years left overs.

[open-sights]

Salmon university has one that is close to a common old faithful, SU has about anything you need, lol.
http://salmonuniversity.com/rs_htss01_index.html
OS

[billy goat]

The apple juice/maple syrup recipe is as close to indian candy as i have come so far, and it is close.... try it and you be the judge