Smoked Salmon

[Bodofish]

Hey ChefJ, Good call on the dry rub after brining, that's been one of my favorites. If people are looking for a spiced up brine, one that I've used quite a bit is to get your brine liquid, what ever it may be and boil some chili flakes for a couple minutes, then add your salt and sugar. As the meat plumps with the brine it also pulls in the tasty spices. The entire reason I give the standard brine receipe and nothing more is to foster experimentation. The fun in smoking any meat is making it your own.

Rock on guys! Pink season is a great time to work on your favorite smoke. Ahhh errr meat.......

[Gringo Pescador]

ok - I see what you guys are saying about liquid vs dry. The original recipe I started from referred to it as a "Dry Brine" and since it turns to liquid, figured it did the same thing.
I have two batches to smoke already this weekend and (knock on wood), going for another on Saturday morning, plus taking my mom & aunt out on the Snohomish for my aunt's 75th birthday with John of Rotton Chum on the 11th which could easily bring in another 3 batches. So I want to try some of these other recipes!=p~

['OL GREY DOG]

lolol i guess that is what i was do'n .... like i said in my earlier post about adding pepper/herbs ect ... i do it after i've rinsed off the pieces and "racked" 'em ... and before it starts dry'n out .. i dont "rub" tho just sprinkle ...


pic is of some of my "pepper salmon" .... think i got some "kind"/"helpful" comment like ... "looks like burnt up crap" <shrugs>

[Toni]

Has any one looked up the difference between brining and curing? It is very interesting.

[curado]

gringo, John Thomas is a great guy

[Gringo Pescador]

Moved from river forum to here

[TedBull]

There is alot of good info in here. I dont have a smoker yet but am thinking hard about getting one very soon. What should I look for in a smoker? Will the $100 smoker at fred meyer do the trick? I would probably only use it for fish, and probably only use it during salmon fishing season so it wouldnt have to be huge or fancy I wouldnt think.

[curado]

yes it will. i believe your talkin about a big cheif by luhr jensen. i have one and love it. i use a card board box around it to help make more heat and a keep the smoke in longer

[crappiemaster]

all of those brines sound great! I am not trying to take away from the salmon topic, but do you think they would work with deer? I am thinking I need a good jery recipe and some of the salmon ones look pretty good!

[curado]

a quart of water, cup of salt and a cup of sugar is a good brine and a easy one. this is what i use to make jerky out of beef or deer. then add desired spices as a rub

[knotabassturd]

Mmmm smoked deer sounds superb LOL. I'd maybe try a more teriyaki-weighted recipe.

LORDY DOG that looks like salmon jerky! I love jerky BTW... Think next batch I will smoke up a bit longer and with more teriyaki. U guys are inspiring me.

[MarkFromSea]

Surprised at what I've forgotten, thanks for the refresher on the science of smoking. Great recipes here! I might try some thing other than just my usual orange juice concentrate brine. I've heard apple juice works also, for those who like to tinker.

[Bodofish]

Surprised at what I've forgotten, thanks for the refresher on the science of smoking. Great recipes here! I might try some thing other than just my usual orange juice concentrate brine. I've heard apple juice works also, for those who like to tinker.

Apple is great!!! If your smoker is big enough, brine a turkey in the apple brine and smoke it for a few hours keeping the temp down then finish in the oven.

Thanksgiving dinner you won't forget!

[MarkFromSea]

Found this hand written recipe dated 8/25/03.
SMOKED SALMON - REED STYLE
1/2 gallon water
16 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup non iodized salt
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground pepper

brine for 24 hours in fridge, non metallic container
stir fish/brine each 2-3 hours if able
fish on greased racks
air dry 3 hours
smoke for 2 to 5 hours depending on desired product dryness, outdoor temp, wind
change chips 2-3 times when smoke ceases
apple or alder

My little chiefs are 30-40 yrs old, so, the temp is up to them. The box is on the smokers.

Here's a brine I'm doing right now as a result of reading these WaLakes recipes:
10 filleted pinks cut in 6 pieces each
1 quart frozen orange juice concentrate
3 quarts water
1 cup salt
4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons pepper

All ingredients into a cooler, mix and let steep for 15-30 minutes, add fish, stir fish pieces around, place cooler in fridge. I've got a spare fridge for this purpose. I'll stir my fish pieces around each 2-3 hours for the next 24 hrs when I'm able.

The brine tastes pretty darn good! My only concern is the salt/water to lbs of fish ratio. I suspect by the time 24 hours is up, the brine will be more like a slurry consistency and that has been the reason I usually don't rinse it off, it tastes like candy, if anything, I'd like to inject more of it into the fish. LOL I'll rinse some to see how that goes.

[natetreat]

Aha! I never thought to use a cooler! I've got a bunch more fish to brine, but I can't do batches that big yet, I have to stagger them out. I've got two recipes in the works, I'll post an update on how it works out. BTW I filled my second catch card today at the carbon, I'll post a report later tonight. SOOOOO much tasty chrome to smoke!!!!!!!

[chefjake99]

Here is a batch I made at the restaurant.

Water 2 gal
Salt (kosher or flaked sea salt) 4 cup
Extra dark brown sugar. 4 lbs
Dark molasses 2 cup

- mix all together pour over the salmon and brine
For 16 - 24 hours.

- I smoke the salmon at 125 degrees for 6-8 hours
I mix 3 cups honey 1 cup water and brush it
On the fish every 1 1/2 hrs or so.

[natetreat]

Does the honey/molasses give it a nice glaze, or does it end up flavoring the fish as well? I'm gonna try some honey on my next batch, we've got a bunch from some friends honey farm in Lewis County that should be really good.

[MarkFromSea]

Aha! I never thought to use a cooler! I've got a bunch more fish to brine, but I can't do batches that big yet, I have to stagger them out. I've got two recipes in the works, I'll post an update on how it works out. BTW I filled my second catch card today at the carbon, I'll post a report later tonight. SOOOOO much tasty chrome to smoke!!!!!!!

Way to go on the second catch record card! It was looking mighty full the other day, you've picked up 6? since Thursday! Busy Busy! LOL Looking forward to seeing a recipe that you've found satisfactory.

Chef, molasses crossed my mind today. Didn't have any on hand so stuck with my OJ. Nice to see your recipe. I'm writing that one down! Thanks!

Just looked at the pictures,,,,,,,,,CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!:bounce:

[chefjake99]

Does the honey/molasses give it a nice glaze, or does it end up flavoring the fish as well? I'm gonna try some honey on my next batch, we've got a bunch from some friends honey farm in Lewis County that should be really good.

Nate -

The molasses is in the brine and adds flavor to the fish. The honey / water mix is brushed on while smoking and gives it a nice thick caramelized glaze. Good local honey cant be beat I used honey from a place called heavenly farms Buckwheat honey. Let me know how it turns out.

[chefjake99]

Aha! I never thought to use a cooler! I've got a bunch more fish to brine, but I can't do batches that big yet, I have to stagger them out. I've got two recipes in the works, I'll post an update on how it works out. BTW I filled my second catch card today at the carbon, I'll post a report later tonight. SOOOOO much tasty chrome to smoke!!!!!!!

Way to go on the second catch record card! It was looking mighty full the other day, you've picked up 6? since Thursday! Busy Busy! LOL Looking forward to seeing a recipe that you've found satisfactory.

Chef, molasses crossed my mind today. Didn't have any on hand so stuck with my OJ. Nice to see your recipe. I'm writing that one down! Thanks!

Mark-

You are very welcome sir I am glad that I can contribute more to this site than just my mediocre fishing skills.