Smokin-It User Forum!
Recipes => Fish => Topic started by: TmanEater on April 05, 2015, 01:00:57 AM
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Today was my first try of smoked salmon and I do have to say I was very happy with the results. I tried some Alaskan sockeye (1.7lb) and some farm raised atlantic salmon (2 small fillet chunks probably about .75 lb total). I did a dry brine mix of:
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup demerara sugar (just because I ran out of brown sugar)
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
Coated fillets in ~1/4" brine mix within tupperware containers, wrapped saran wrap over brined fillets and another layer over the container holding them, rested ~11 hours overnight in fridge. Then I rinsed fillets, pat dry with paper towels and sliced into serving size portions, and placed them on wire rack to form pellicle. Let them form pellicle in fridge for 2-4 hours.
Prepared smoker with 2.25 ounces of alder(majority), apple, and hickory chips. Bought some real maple syrup and poured some into a basting pan for brushing onto fillets hourly during smoke session. Smoked ~100º-125º for first 2 hours, then ~140º-145º for the next 2 hours, and 175º till finished (1 or 2 hours more). Let internal temps of fish get between 130º and 142º and then pulled. I ended up using my cold plate about halfway through the smoke just to get some more smoke going without the heat. Not sure how necessary this is or was but I didn't get any albumin (white ooze). The key to this is gently bringing up the heat and having a good pellicle to start with.
Pics are below and let me tell you... the flavor of this was superb! The maple sweetness mixing with the smokiness and softness of the salmon inside just melts in your mouth like candy.
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Looks great, Tony. I have been meaning to try these for a while and you have motivated me. Thanks for the detailed recipe.
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the fish looks great, nice color and obviously your temp was perfect. However I am wondering about your cure, are those numbers correct? A total of 2 cups sugar, cut with 1/2 cup salt?
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I love to make salmon and yours looks great Tony. I agree that the pellicle makes a big difference. I used to use hickory and apple also and now I find I like just the milder apple.
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the fish looks great, nice color and obviously your temp was perfect. However I am wondering about your cure, are those numbers correct? A total of 2 cups sugar, cut with 1/2 cup salt?
Yep, got the recipe idea from here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St8au0YcONM&feature=youtu.be
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I tried some yesterday and it was awesome after sitting overnight in the fridge. I'm definitely making some of this again down the road.
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Thanks Tony for the well described smoke. Another one for my list. I'm thinking that the Demerara Sugar may actually have been a better choice for this rub recipe than the called for Brown sugar. Nice touch with the maple syrup also..
Congrats.. :)
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Hey Tony, which kind of salmon did you like better? Personally I like farm raised or wild caught better. Sock eye and the others always seem more gamey to me.
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Personally I like farm raised or wild caught better
You can buy blackberries grown and picked on a farm or blackberries grown and picked in the wild. The same applies to salmon. How do you like both options better?
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Your right Brian, that does sound strange. Let me clear it up and make it simple. I don't like red salmon like sockeye and steelhead. I like Chinook and Atlantic farm raised.
If its orange I buy it, if it's red I don't.
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OK thanks, that is more clear.
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Your right Brian, that does sound strange. Let me clear it up and make it simple. I don't like red salmon like sockeye and steelhead. I like Chinook and Atlantic farm raised.
If it orange I buy it, if it's red I don't.
Very clear now. My wife loves salmon but I'm not an admirer. Smoking it may be the answer though. Tony's looks great and I'm going to take a look see the next time I'm in Costco.. they always have salmon but I'm not sure what they sell (red/orange?).
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I think I do like the farm raised salmon better but I think both are pretty good. I have more frozen so I'll have to thaw it and eat more in the coming weeks to decide if it's worth switching to one or the other on the next batch. If I'm indifferent I may just buy whatever is cheaper and go with it.
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As you know...it's all a matter of taste. I'm glad you tried both. As I was writing this, my wife brought in an add from a local market. Wild Alaskan salmon from the Yukon River. Regularly 7.99 lb on sale for $3.99. Will be checking that out tomorrow.
I smoked half a salmon yesterday that came out fantastic. Farm raised and excellent quality. Smoked salmon is probably my wife's favorite dish. Quality fish makes a huge difference. I even tried that frozen chinese salmon from Walmart once. Wasn't to good.
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I'm not sure I'd ever buy salmon from walmart. Especially if I would have known it was frozen chinese salmon. You sir are very brave! Definitely try that wild alaskan salmon though! Let us know how it goes.
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Yeah, didn't realize it came from China until I got it home.
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"As you know...it's all a matter of taste. I'm glad you tried both. As I was writing this, my wife brought in an add from a local market. Wild Alaskan salmon from the Yukon River. Regularly 7.99 lb on sale for $3.99. Will be checking that out tomorrow."
Arnie is you know I'm just across the alligator Alley from you and I was wondering which store has that salmon on sale maybe they have it in Naples also. my wife also is a big salmon fan.
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Living in Florida we have some great fish options, but when I want something special I order from a family business in Alaska.
I really like their Tiger Prawns, they are 3-4 to the pound and they are sweeter and taste better than lobster.
http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/shellfish.htm#Black_Tiger_Prawns
Link to their salmon.
http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/fresh-alaska-salmon.htm
Everything I have tried from them is great, getting ready to place another order in a few weeks.
Greg
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Ralph, the store is Penn Dutch. There are only 2 of them, both near me. Margate and Hollywood. It does say frozen and it is in a cry-o-vac, so I will check it out.
Greg, tiger prawns are amazing. They are also expensive. The same store above has them for $12.99 lb. but not nearly as big as Great Alaska. They are good...like lobster. For me though, $30/lb for anything is pretty steep. 2-3 / lb must be huge.
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Living in Florida we have some great fish options, but when I want something special I order from a family business in Alaska.
I really like their Tiger Prawns, they are 3-4 to the pound and they are sweeter and taste better than lobster.
http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/shellfish.htm#Black_Tiger_Prawns
Link to their salmon.
http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/fresh-alaska-salmon.htm
Everything I have tried from them is great, getting ready to place another order in a few weeks.
Greg
Very tempting, do you suppose they would have a $3.99 sale? LOL
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Living in Florida we have some great fish options, but when I want something special I order from a family business in Alaska.
I really like their Tiger Prawns, they are 3-4 to the pound and they are sweeter and taste better than lobster.
http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/shellfish.htm#Black_Tiger_Prawns
Link to their salmon.
http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/fresh-alaska-salmon.htm
Everything I have tried from them is great, getting ready to place another order in a few weeks.
Greg
Very tempting, do you suppose they would have a $3.99 sale? LOL
Ralph,
They are not cheap, but you can count on fresh.
Greg
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Ralph, the store is Penn Dutch. There are only 2 of them, both near me. Margate and Hollywood. It does say frozen and it is in a cry-o-vac, so I will check it out.
Greg, tiger prawns are amazing. They are also expensive. The same store above has them for $12.99 lb. but not nearly as big as Great Alaska. They are good...like lobster. For me though, $30/lb for anything is pretty steep. 2-3 / lb must be huge.
Thanks Arnie,
How bout that! We come from PA Dutch country (Wife born in Lebanon PA). I'll have to stop in a Penn Dutch store if/when I ever get over that way again.. :)
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Ralph, the store is Penn Dutch. There are only 2 of them, both near me. Margate and Hollywood. It does say frozen and it is in a cry-o-vac, so I will check it out.
Greg, tiger prawns are amazing. They are also expensive. The same store above has them for $12.99 lb. but not nearly as big as Great Alaska. They are good...like lobster. For me though, $30/lb for anything is pretty steep. 2-3 / lb must be huge.
That is a great price, I would buy 5-6 lb vacuum seal and freeze!
Greg
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Living in Florida we have some great fish options, but when I want something special I order from a family business in Alaska.
I really like their Tiger Prawns, they are 3-4 to the pound and they are sweeter and taste better than lobster.
http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/shellfish.htm#Black_Tiger_Prawns
Link to their salmon.
http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/fresh-alaska-salmon.htm
Everything I have tried from them is great, getting ready to place another order in a few weeks.
Greg
Very tempting, do you suppose they would have a $3.99 sale? LOL
Ralph,
They are not cheap, but you can count on fresh.
Greg
I'm sure it is. My favorite is Halibut and they sell that also: Boneless & Skinless Petite Alaska Halibut Fillets $31.95 lb.
I'll have to bust open the piggy bank.. :)
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Ralph,
I know it sounds like a lot of money, but I figure if I went out to dinner I would spend 3-4 times a much. I feel the same way about steaks, I buy prime from Costco.
Also realize we don't eat this way every night :)
Greg
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Here is the salmon at $3.99/lb. I bought 4 packages. The fish guy said they overbought so were getting rid of it in this 2 day sale. He said it's always $7.99/lb otherwise. Looks good. I will try it soon. I just made some the other day and we are still eating that.
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It looks good and the price is right.
I think this weekend I am going to smoke some fresh grouper.
Greg
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Here is the salmon at $3.99/lb. I bought 4 packages. The fish guy said they overbought so were getting rid of it in this 2 day sale. He said it's always $7.99/lb otherwise. Looks good. I will try it soon. I just made some the other day and we are still eating that.
Really good deal Arnie.. My kind of bargain. :)
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At that price I would have filled the shopping cart.
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Some people did Brian. We don't have an extra freezer so it just wasn't possible. Especially since it is already full of other meats waiting to be smoked.
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Being a salmon fisherman, I can't bring myself to eat processed salmon. Oddly, I don't like my fish to taste like fish and the only way to insure that is to eat it fresh caught.
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"Smoked ~100º-125º for first 2 hours, then ~140º-145º for the next 2 hours, and 175º till finished"
Tony, How did you keep/hold those temps? I did a couple of practice runs and both times the temps climbed well over 150. Both times I only used the element until I had smoke from chips and then turned it off but temp kept rising from chips smoldering. Ambient temp was about 82.. ???
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"Smoked ~100º-125º for first 2 hours, then ~140º-145º for the next 2 hours, and 175º till finished"
Tony, How did you keep/hold those temps? I did a couple of practice runs and both times the temps climbed well over 150. Both times I only used the element until I had smoke from chips and then turned it off but temp kept rising from chips smoldering. Ambient temp was about 82.. ???
Trade Secret? :-) Actually, I forgot to mention I have a cold plate I used to block the heat. I also have a pid controller that I can change the temp from my cell phone at a couple button presses.
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Just curious after viewing the Vid I noticed his cook time was 2 hours @ 150 why did you cook your Salmon so long , and not to mention that this is a must cook recipe in my opinion .
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I was cold smoking to get it exposed to more smoke. I cooked it till IT reached the zone I wanted.