OK, some of you have been asking for this "recipe" and I promised to post it, so ENJOY!.....(Let me know your own results!)
RC
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v728/Kummok/134-3407_IMG.jpg)
Excellent BRADLEY Smoked Alaskan Salmon
(A Spin-off from Bob Kitchen's Incredible Recipe)
Step 1: PREPARE FISH
Filet salmon. Leave skin on. REMOVE ALL BONES (Very important for excellence!)
Step 2: UNIFORM STRIPS
Cut meat into uniform strips, 3/8 to 1/2" wide and 3-6" long, OR as long as your smoker racks can handle......the key here is to get uniform thickness cuts for uniform brining and smoking. The length is important only as far as your own packaging preferences. The strips will have a tendency to fall or sag through the larger grid racks.........I've switched to a small grid (1/2") non-stick coated rack from WWW.ChezBubba.com and now have no problem with meat falling through
Step 3: BRINING
Soak in your own brine recipe for 12 hours at refrigerator temps (I use an Igloo type ice chest with about a gallon of ice thrown in). For more complete brining throughout, place a stainless steel or wooden grate over the top of the meat to hold it under the brine. Stir fish a few times during the brining process. The following brine recipe is included to get you started, but you are encouraged to experiment with your own salt/sugar, maple, honey, peppers, seasonings to develop your own. (My apologies to our metricated friends)
1 gallon cold water
1 quart teriyaki OR soy sauce
1 cup pickling salt
2 Lbs brown sugar
2 Tbsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp cayenne pepper
Step 4: GLAZING
Place fish in a single layer on drying racks and ensure that the pieces DON'T touch each other. Dry in a cool, shady place until a hard pellicle forms. Fish will have a tough, shiny coat and will be slightly tacky to the touch. (Winter time tip! Dry 12-36 hours in a cold place such as an unheated garage, but DON'T allow to freeze) In the summer temps, it can typically take 3-4 hours for the fish to "glaze". A fan can help speed the drying process. DON'T let the fish spoil from warm temps! Turn the fish over 2-3 times during the Glazing process to ensure more complete glazing. It is during the glazing process that you can sprinkle on certain spices (e.g. cayenne pepper) and/or visual enhancers (e.g. parsley flakes).
Step 5: SMOKING
Smoke using the following Bradley Smoking guideline:
100°-120°F for 1-2 hours, then increase to
140° for 2-4 hours, then increase to
175° for 1-2 hours to finish
Use the longer times given for thicker/higher oil content fish. As a general rule, the higher temp you use or the longer you hot smoke, the more the meat cooks the oils out, HOWEVER, the meat becomes dryer/tougher in the process. I've "accidently" left meat (silver salmon) at the 140-150°F range for up to 8 hours and it still turned out great. I personally believe that you'd have to try REAL hard to make a batch of smoke salmon unpalatable by over smoking/cooking. If you get white "boogers" on the meat, you're cooking too high/too fast.
EAT & ENJOY!![:D]
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
[crowd noise on]Clap, clap, clap, applause, hurrahs, major applause, standing ovation [crowd noise off]
If I could, I would sticky this to remain at the top of the fish forum page forever.
My wife & I love sushi and had grown resigned to the fact that salmon cooked in any way shape or form wasn't as good as raw. I've caught & smoked plenty of them in the past and have apparently been doing it wrong.
I've tasted Kummok's salmon and it is EXCELLENT! I'll admit to being a novice in the area, but I don't believe anyone can produce a superior recipe to what he has posted. Bring it on Emeril, BAM this!
http://www.chezbubba.com
WHICH WOOD?WHICH WOOD?WHICH WOOD?WHICH WOOD?WHICH WOOD?WHICH WOOD?
I forgot to mention that I've only used alder, cherry, and apple pucks with this recipe so far............
[:I] Thanks for the applause, Kirk! (Wait until you try the King Salmon "bacon"!!.....A delicacy.....it's the fattest part of the salmon, the belly. It smokes for 24-36 hours....it's a developed taste, kinda like sushi)[:p]
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
I hope this is a promise, not a statement of relativity![:D]
BTW, one more post & you gain a star.
http://www.chezbubba.com
I'll either save some for you! BTW, I just noticed the new star....just call me Jr. ![:D]
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
FANTASTIC!![:D]
I smoked a batch of salmon this weekend using Kummok's recipe and it turned out delicious! I had never smoked salmon before but I followed the recipe exactly (I used teriyaki)and it worked out great. I had a big filet of Atlantic salmon (skinless)and 8 alder bisquettes. I've added salmon as a regular item on my shopping list. Store bought- no choice in the matter.
If I were to make a large batch- would it be freezer friendly? Would it retain it's flavor and texture once thawed?
Give this one a try- you'll be a believer!
Cold Smoke
Sorry for looooong delay CS....I've been away again and just got back to the forum.
To answer your Freezing? question......ABSOLUTELY!! Freeze it and it just gets better. I actually prefer the salmon AFTER it's been frozen several months than I do fresh out of the smoker....the smoke flavor just seems to permeate the meat along with the oils and make it more moist than when it's fresh outta the Bradley.
I vacumn seal it in the 'FoodSaver' brand sealer available from Costco, although due to volumesmoked, I'm considering seriously, a commercial size sealer this summer....I want new trolling reels though and the dang sealers run $2-3K, so they might have to wait another winter! [:D] Dang....answering you made me go dig out some smoked red salmon from the freezer....getting down to a few pounds left, but the Kings are coming back in force lately. Had a King Derby today and I hear that there were 250+ boats registered and at least 22 fish caught by mid morning......[:D]
RC
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Welcome back Kummok! You hadn't been around for a while and I was starting to think you were dragged into the drink by a monster halibut or something...
Your recipe is awesome! I'm glad to hear I can freeze it and still have the same great (or even better as you mentioned) taste! Not sure how it'll ever make it to the freezer before getting all mopped up. I recently picked up a piece of supposedly smoked salmon from a nearby fish market- EEEWWWWW!!!- I think they brined/dyed the stuff in iodine or tainted nuclear waste sludge or something- it kinda looked like smoked salmon but compared to the stuff I made- worlds apart. That will be the last time I BUY anything smoked. A moment of weakness- had a hankering for that great smoked salmon taste. Only homemade stuff from now on for me.
Is it real important to leave the skin on?- the Atlantic salmon I can get now is skinless (as well as boneless). Have you ever done pink salmon? That seems to be available a lot these days and cheaper $$ than the Atlantic variety.
Cold Smoke
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Chez Bubba</i>
<br />If I could, I would sticky this to remain at the top of the fish forum page forever.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Now I can![:D][:D][:D][8D]
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
CS:
Really pleased to hear that your fish turned out the way you like it!
"To skin or not to skin?!?!" I honestly think that this is a matter of personal preference for most of the salmon. I find that it does seem to help hold the meat together when processing, especially when using the small uniform size strips I smoke, but I don't think it's REALLY necessary........EXCEPT with Kings!! In their case, I believe that the skin helps retain the oils that make the meat so moist and permeates the smoke flavor better when packaged.
When smoking large fillets, which I hardly ever do except for special gift packages, having the skin off makes for a better presentation and is easier to serve for guests to eat. I don't smoke whole fillets that often because it takes a special "small" size fish ("Jack salmon") and I don't catch those as often, (And if you believe THAT....!!) [;)][;)][:D]
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Kummok, this looks great, and the way you cut the strips is exactly the way I've seen it done in the Pacific Northwest, and by a local guy in Half Moon Bay. He also smokes his own unagi -- anyone ever tried to do that? Anyway, a few quick questions, if you have a moment:
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Leave skin on.</i><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Do you scale them? I am also going to FoodSaver mine, and I don't want random loose scales getting on the meat as the strips get vacuum-sucked.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>1 gallon cold water etc.</i><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I can figure this out, but just to give me a head start, about how many pounds of filet will this marinate?
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Smoke using the following Bradley Smoking guideline:
100°-120°F for 1-2 hours
140° for 2-4 hours
175° for 1-2 hours</i><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I was never clear on this, either. In one place the Bradley folks say that salmon can be smoked in 2 hours. Then they give as their recipe something that takes 4-8 hours. Do you smoke at the above temps/times sequentially in that order, or are those 3 choices for different outcomes?
Thank you for any help/advice. Now if only the salmon season would start here. I need fresh wild salmon, not that farmed raised-in-warm-water Atlantic stuff from CostCo with no omega-3s in it.
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
Glad to help CJ! To answer you questions.....
[?] "Do you scale them?"
[:0] ABSOLUTELY YES!! They get scaled when I first clean and fillet the fish. I HATE scales in the meat as much as I hate bones in it! [xx(]
[?] (Re: 1 Gallon of cold water) "I can figure this out, but just to give me a head start, about how many pounds of filet will this marinate?"
[:I] I still don't use scales to weigh anything so my best guess is about 8-10 Bradley racks of strips per gallon. It's easy and quick to mix up so I put the fish strips in the Igloo first, then mix brine until it's all covered. Then I put a weighted grid on top of the meat to keep it all under the brine, mixing it up every so often.
[?] (Re: Bradley's temp/times) "I was never clear on this, either. In one place the Bradley folks say that salmon can be smoked in 2 hours. Then they give as their recipe something that takes 4-8 hours. Do you smoke at the above temps/times sequentially in that order, or are those 3 choices for different outcomes?"
[:o)] Yes, they are meant to be used sequentially in the order printed. I use a version of these temp/times, adjusting each as I remember to check the guage/clock [:0] E.G., if I see the temp is rising slower than I want, I go longer, if rising too fast - less time. I also vary these temp/times according to the fish.....e.g. silvers are shorter cause they tend to be less oily, where kings [:p] , (my personal favorite), go longer and slightly hotter. I don't think I've EVER hit each and every temp time EXACTLY as Bradley gives, but I aim for them with each batch....they're a good guideline. If you tend to be OCD about smoking, they are a pretty reliable objective to use until you get your own rythym....[;)]
Hope this helps! [:D][8D]
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Kummok</i>
<br />Glad to help CJ! To answer you questions.....<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Thank you, Kummok. Very helpful.
And smoking is one thing that I'm definitely not OCD about, and I tend to do the same things you do (i.e., if it is heating up too slowly, smoke it longer, etc.).
I can't *wait* to get my hands on some good fresh wild salmon now. Thanks again! I'll let you all know how it turns out.
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
Hi my name is Angelo, and im a greenhorn to the art of smoking. I just finished my first batch in my new Bradley smoker. It turned out ok but its not what I was aiming for. I hope someone will answer my question. The recepe calls for 4 to 6 hrs of smoking time? it should say 4 to 6 hrs at a tempature, and x amount of minutes of smoke. how many briqutes do some of you use in a typical salmon recepe?
Thankyou for any information
Angelo
Angelo, first, welcome aboard!
Next: Amount of smoke is a huge variable - some like a lot and other's don't so that's a preference thing and you'll have to decide how much smoke flavor you like.
I typically will smoke salmon between 170 and 180 degrees, maybe lower with smoke the entire time...(1 1/2 to 2 hours)
Note that if you get that white milky stuff on your fish, you are cooking to fast at to high a temp...just a note....
"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Thankyou FUZZYBEAR , I just finished smoking some country style pork ribs. I followed the recepe for pork chops that came with the smoker. I used for apple pucks, and kept the heat 200' for almost four hrs. They turned out great, Thanks again Angelo
Kummok,
I have King Salmon caught from Lake Michigan that I would like to try. Why cut the salmon into strips[?][?] Would a whole filet work jsut as well.[?]
Thanks for the recipe.
Angelo,
Don't feel bad about being a "greenhorn" to smoking. I am too. The folks on this forum have been very helpful to me. I asked the same question about the "smoke time" that you did just a day or to ago. I think you are going to find that the guy's on the BS fourm are more than happy to help.
Have a GREAT day![8D]
Hey Brentk...I'll add my comments and then when Kummok reads, he can post his....I cut into strips as a personal thing...easier for me to move around/handle/fit in the brine....can you do a whole side? Absolutely, but you are limited by the size of the rack. I also use strips so that the smoke can better circulate around the fish (spaces in between let the smoke through) rather than around a whole side.
"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
I'll throw my $.02 into the ring....
I cut mine up into serving size pieces prior to prepping them for smoke. This allows me to vac-pac for no hassle snacking. I use about 2 oz portions like you would find in a store for purchase.
When in doubt smoke it.
Just finished smoking approx 10lbs of salmon this weekend- 2 different versions. One using Kummok's recipe- (added fresh jalapenos) which gave it a nice subtle heat. Turned out really great. The second batch was using a recipe from S&S- instead of sake wine I tossed in a cup of tequila [:D] along with soya, ginger and garlic. That one turned real tasty as well. I had skinless, boneless fillets that I cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch strips but would recommend cutting these into smaller strips (like Kummok's recipes says to do) like a half inch wide. The reasoning behind this is that you get more glaze/smoke teriyake/soya (whatever you're using) flavor around the thinner pieces and than you would around larger pieces. Thus resulting in more flavor in every bite.
One tip I would recommend is to ensure you spray your trays/grids with PAM or something so your fish dosn't stick.
Cold Smoke
I don't think Pam would like that![:D]
"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Smoked my first salmon in the Bradley yesterday. My wife will now adore me until the end of time, or until this batch of salmon runs out, whichever comes first. Many many thanks to Kummok for the recipe. Here's what I actually did:
I had about 9 lbs. of already-scaled very thick king salmon filet pieces (no tail pieces).
I mixed up the following brine in a 5-gallon bucket and put it covered in the fridge while we went out for the day, so it would be cold when I put the salmon in that night:
1 cup Non-Iodized salt
2 gal Cld water
2 lbs. Dark brown sugar
1 bottle (750 ml) White wine
1 quart Teriyaki sauce
6 oz Garlic powder
6 oz Onion powder
4 oz Pickling spice
1 oz Cinnamon
1 oz Mace
4 Tblsp Oregano
2 Tblsp Basil
3 Tblsp Cayenne
I cut the filet hunks into uniform 1/2" - 5/8" thick pieces, and brined them in the fridge overnight for 14 hours (I overslept [:)]).
The next morning, I rinsed the pieces, drained them, then laid them out to dry on the same non-stick racks that Kummok uses (but I sprayed them with olive oil as insurance) -- it took 5 of them (you can fit 8 into the smoker).
I then let them dry at room temp (about 70-75 degrees), but no pellicle would form (4.5 hours total). The last 1.5 hours I used an oscillating fan across them; still no pellicle. Finally I gave up and put them in the smoker for 5 hours, smoking (not just cooking) constantly. 15 bisquettes in groups of 3: alder-apple-alder-apple-alder.
Approximate times/temps were:
1.5 hours @ 100-110F (had to use ice in water bowl to stay this low)
2 hours @ 140F
1.5 hours @ 175F
Salmon came out nearly perfect! In fact, that is being unkind; it <b>is</b> perfect in terms of smoke, moisture, etc. (we like sort of medium-moist; not running juices when you cut into a warm piece, but moist nonetheless and very soft, not chewy at all). And, thanks to Kummok's strip technique, every piece is uniformly perfect. The only thing I would change next time is the brine; I would cut out the extra herbs and pickling spice (they just don't come through enough in the final product to be worth it), and lower the sweetness and raise the saltiness by using soy sauce instead of teriyaki sauce. Finally, I like a little more heat to mine, so I would up the cayenne, including more to compensate for removing the peppers in the pickling spice. Next time I think I'll do this:
1 cup Non-Iodized salt
2 gal Cld water
2 lbs. Dark brown sugar
1 bottle (750 ml) White wine
1 quart soy sauce
6 oz Garlic powder
6 oz Onion powder
4 T cayenne
Once again, thanks Kummok!
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Kummok</i>
<br />1 gallon cold water
1 quart teriyaki OR soy sauce
<font color="blue">1 cup pickling salt</font id="blue">
2 Lbs brown sugar
2 Tbsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp cayenne pepper
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Kummok,
Is pickling salt just coarse salt, or are you referring to a curing salt with sodium nitrite in it?
I did a batch with coarse salt and it turned out very tasty - my compliments... I was just thinking that I could sub in some tenderquik here for safety reasons. What do you think?
<b><font color="green">whitetailfan</font id="green"></b>
"Nice Rack"
Lethbridge, AB
WTF,
Pickling salt is fine "plain" salt. I believe the reason you use it rather than other types of salt is because it dissolves better in liquid.
King's on the smoker again this morning. Hopeful it will turn out great for this weekend.[8D]
BrentK
Grand Forks, ND
Well I just took my 2nd batch of salmon off the smoker........the words...OH MY GOODNESS come to mind.[:p][:p]
Maple wood, 1/2" to 3/4" strips, 8 hrs on the button. Temp just the way Kummok says.
BrentK
Grand Forks, ND
Finally got around to try something different. Kummok your brine is awesome. I followed directions, except for the width of pieces. I decide to cut them 1 1/2" wide and it turned out great, I'll try thinner next time.
jeff
Kummok;
I'm just getting around to seeing this recipe. Looks like I will give it a try. This may be a good brine for me to use the next time I brine poultry. I'll just cut back on the sugar (probably use 8 oz.) and add Pickling Spice (McCormicks); that is when I can find it. Also, you solved my brining problem; of limited refridgerator space. I never thought of using a cooler to brine my meat in.
Kummok, do you rinse the pieces before you dry?
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by bighoof</i>
<br />Kummok, do you rinse the pieces before you dry?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I'm not Kummok, but I do use his technique, and I rinse enough to knock the big chunks off, but I don't get crazy with it. I like to leave as much brine on as possible without there being clumps. Clumping is more of a danger with the brine I use, which is:
2 gallons cold water
1 cup Morton or 1.5 cups Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 lbs. brown sugar
1 bottle white wine
1 quart soy sauce
6 oz. (weight) garlic powder
6 oz. (weight) onion powder
4 tablespoons cayenne
I generally do 13-14 lbs. of filets because, sliced the Kummok way, that is all I can fit on 8 trays in the Bradley and still allow air flow. This much brine works quite well for that amount of salmon.
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
Sorry for being off-line sooooo long. King fishing has been absolutely unbelieveable up until I hit the road to America in Nov. I actually put 45 pounds of King through my 2 Bradleys the morning of the day I flew out of Homer. Wouldn't have tried that with any other smoker, (or without Chez Bubba's drying rack)! We were limiting out on every trip and the trips were 6 miles RT instead of the 35-45 miles we needed earlier in the season. Last nice one caught was a 35 pound WHITE Feeder King on a <u>spoon</u>, 15 feet down in 60 feet of water, aboout 20 feet from shoreline[:D]
Heading back home this week and will try to pay closer attention to answering questions on the recipe, at least until fishing starts up again in March/April.
Anyway , the last question I saw was from BigHoof about rinsing brined fish. I don't....but then again, I've never seen the "chunks" mentioned. I really mix up the ingredients to dissolve better before putting in the fish....maybe that's it[?]
I'm pleased to read of the successes with this recipe....does my heart good[:)] I'm also pleased to read about the modifications to the recipe and can't wait to get back and give them a try, (esp Cold Smoke's!)....does my stomach good!![:p]
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Kummok
Welcome back. In your absence you have been elevated to Salmon super mentor status...like the Emerill of the BS forum! [^] Glad to see you posting again.
Bill
I'm going to give this a try on Friday (if I can get a smoker that works), it sounds very good. I may cut a number of filet's and try several of the variations as well at the same time!
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by birdboy</i>
<br />I'm going to give this a try on Friday (if I can get a smoker that works), it sounds very good. I may cut a number of filet's and try several of the variations as well at the same time!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
For what it is worth, I use the tried-and-true Kummock method, with the following brine, and get uniformly rave reviews:
For 12-16 lbs. salmon filets:
2 gallons cold water
1 cup Morton or 1.5 cups Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 lb. brown sugar
1 quart soy sauce
1 bottle white wine
6 oz. (weight) garlic powder
6 oz. (weight) onion powder
4 tablespoons cayenne
I used to use 2 lbs. of brown sugar, but the resultant salmon tasted noticeably sweet, so I cut it back to 1 lb.
BTW, I brine in a 5-gallon plastic bucket with a screw-on lid I got from Duluth Trading Co. on the web. The patented Kummock slices of filet stay submerged nicely, and it is just the right size for my usual 13-14 lb. batch.
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
Thanks for the reply, I was wondering about the 'sweetness' level at that quantity of sugar, I don't want to add any sweet flavor to it, so I will try your alteration. Did you get any noticeable increase in sweetness at 1lb?
I will probably only be smoking 1/2 the amount of salmon that you did.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by birdboy</i>
<br />Thanks for the reply, I was wondering about the 'sweetness' level at that quantity of sugar, I don't want to add any sweet flavor to it, so I will try your alteration. Did you get any noticeable increase in sweetness at 1lb?
I will probably only be smoking 1/2 the amount of salmon that you did.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
It is not sweet at all; don't worry. Definitely don't leave it out. You need both salt and sugar to get the full brining effect and the tacky pellicle that will hold the moisture in. Just be sure you wash off any chunks of brown sugar as you take it out of the brine and before you lay the salmon out.
BTW, we prefer to eat this at room temperature or slightly warmer. YMMV.
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
I forgot to add: If you are smoking 1/2 as much salmon, just halve all the brine ingredient amounts. Works fine, although you'll be forced to drink the remaining half bottle of wine.
[;)]
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
True, can't leave 1/2 a bottle ... [:D]
I just tried Kummok's recipe and I used the teraki sauce with farm raised salmon. I gave it to a half of dozen people and all praised it.
Man, this smoking is getting expensive. It's so good and I end up giving it away to share the pleasure!
Hey CJ,
You hit that salmon with 5 hours of smoke? Sounds like quite a bit, someone earlier had mentioned 1.5 - 2 hours.
Well tried out several receipe's on the salmon, this was the favorite for sure. The only thing is that it came out pretty salty, would you reduce the Soy or the pickling salt?
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by birdboy</i>
<br />Hey CJ,
You hit that salmon with 5 hours of smoke? Sounds like quite a bit, someone earlier had mentioned 1.5 - 2 hours.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yep. 5 hours.
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
on Kummak recipe for salmon do I give it smoke the whole time ?
I would suggest you start with between 3 - 5 hours of smoke, depends on how much smoke flavor you like.
Birdboy Ty its my first batch
I asked on the "what's smoking this weekend post" what type of salmon you were doing but I see you are doing Kummock's. I did a batch just before xmas, my first in the Bradley, with just over 2 hours of smoke, and it was great. I sprinkled coarse ground pepper and rosemary onto the strips when they were drying and gettig tacky prior to smoking--they came out great. Let us know how long you applied smoke and how it came out.
Tom
Well I just snuck a piece out of the smoker its awsome ....
ok I used 5 hrs smoke and they are awsome cant wait for next batch was wondering can i vacume seal these and freese them or not ?
Originally posted by Kummok
To answer your Freezing? question......ABSOLUTELY!! Freeze it and it just gets better. I actually prefer the salmon AFTER it's been frozen several months than I do fresh out of the smoker....the smoke flavor just seems to permeate the meat along with the oils and make it more moist than when it's fresh outta the Bradley.
I vacumn seal it in the 'FoodSaver' brand sealer available from Costco, although due to volumesmoked, I'm considering seriously, a commercial size sealer this summer....I want new trolling reels though and the dang sealers run $2-3K, so they might have to wait another winter! Dang....answering you made me go dig out some smoked red salmon from the freezer....getting down to a few pounds left, but the Kings are coming back in force lately. Had a King Derby today and I hear that there were 250+ boats registered and at least 22 fish caught by mid morning......
RC
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Cold Smoke
coldsmoke I envy you mine were caught at COSCO lol bet fresh one would be awsome
I also FoodSaver my salmon, and it works great. You can microwave it right in the bag (or boil it, for that matter). For a Christmas party at a friend's house I pulled out some that was 6 months old and it was, as Kummok says, as good or better than when it was freshly smoked.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Kummok sez: "but the Kings are coming back in force lately. Had a King Derby today and I hear that there were 250+ boats registered and at least 22 fish caught by mid morning......"
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Kummok, I am really really jealous. Almost makes this Mississippi-Gulf-Coast-raised boy willing to move to Homer.
Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Curtis Jackson</i>
<br />Kummok, I am really really jealous.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">As well you should be. Awesome fishing, awesome scenery, awesome folk, it's, well...awesome!
Milk's 6 bucks a gallon so that sucks![:D] Awesome factor overpowers that though.[:)]
Kirk
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
Kummok's not the only one:
The following is an excerpt from a weekly fishing report for a marina 10 minutes from my place here on Vancouver Island, dated January 3.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Salmon fishing was GOOD according to the marina. Most of the fish caught this past week, and there were lots, went from 8 lbs up into the teens. The anglers are getting into the fish as soon as they get outside the marina's breakwater and drop their lines close to the bottom. In fact, most anglers are not leaving the bay. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
The salmon fishermen here are clearing the last finger of the marina and then dropping their lines to get their limit in 8-14lb springs(king). Temp here is usually around 5-6C(50's F)but a thermos of hot coffee with a little brandy cures that. These winter salmon are so firm, red and in such good condition, it's almost criminal...[:p]
These fish are not as big as the summer salmon (45 lbs was my biggest this past summer) but hey, this time of year it's nice to get off the couch, especially for a guy who's desperate for hockey on tv![V]
Tom
what is the limit on salmon up their?
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by tsquared</i>
<br />Kummok's not the only one:
The following is an excerpt from a weekly fishing report for a marina 10 minutes from my place here on Vancouver Island, dated January 3.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Salmon fishing was GOOD according to the marina. Most of the fish caught this past week, and there were lots, went from 8 lbs up into the teens. The anglers are getting into the fish as soon as they get outside the marina's breakwater and drop their lines close to the bottom. In fact, most anglers are not leaving the bay. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
The salmon fishermen here are clearing the last finger of the marina and then dropping their lines to get their limit in 8-14lb springs(king). Temp here is usually around 5-6C(50's F)but a thermos of hot coffee with a little brandy cures that. These winter salmon are so firm, red and in such good condition, it's almost criminal...[:p]
These fish are not as big as the summer salmon (45 lbs was my biggest this past summer) but hey, this time of year it's nice to get off the couch, especially for a guy who's desperate for hockey on tv![V]
Tom
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Like, we're supposed to feel sorry for you because you have to console yourself with great salmon fishing because you don't have hockey?[:D][;)]
Could be worse . . . you could be here in Boston with temps 30-50 degreess lower than yours, AND no hockey AND no fishing (well, I suppose I could to go the effluent of our local power plant and catch some contaminated bluefish schoolies . . . nothing like standing in the shadow of a power plant with a city skyline in the background to make you feel like you've gotten away from it all to go fishing . . .)
I hope I don't sound TOO jealous![:D][:D][:D]
John
Newton MA
Cologcab-the limit for spring salmon(kings)is 2 a day.
J2C-You kind of put it in perspective... Except that we are getting a touch of that Boston type weather today--howling winds, freezing temp and snow. I'll have to put away the fishing rods and get out the x country skis--just need a few more centimetres.
Tom
Jan. 8 We got that snow 12 inches so far and still coming down. Went for a ski with the dog this am, felt great and put me in the mood for some smoked oysters.[:D]
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by tsquared</i>
<br />put me in the mood for some smoked oysters.[:D]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">The wife's running to hide![:D][:D]
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
<font color="red"><font size="3">All you guys and gals talk about Salmon as if it was the only fish. Salmon Salmon Salmon and more Salmon...<b>well its not!</b>
</font id="size3"></font id="red">
<hr noshade size="1"><b>Quote Of Chez</b>
As well you should be. Awesome fishing, awesome scenery, awesome folk, it's, well...awesome!
Milk's 6 bucks a gallon so that sucks![:D] Awesome factor overpowers that though.[:)]<hr noshade size="1">
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">As well you should be. Awesome fishing, <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Ya ya well the fishin' here may not be salmon, but you ever see a 8-10 pound fluke?
(Flounder with BIG teeth) (http://www.dow-mgc.org/Rayeimages/tas.jpg)
Meat as white as snow! Or a 50 pound snook whose meat is also white as snow! Or what about our grouper and sea bass. Not to mention our Red fish, speckled and silver trout, or the snappers,
or the black tip shark. (http://www.dow-mgc.org/smilies/Launch90.gif)Let's not forget the King Mackeral or the Marlin.
How about our lowly Sheephead?
(http://www.dow-mgc.org/smilies/2/g36.gif)
Funny about it I've have had more than one person at my table ask, "You got any more of that!"
Can you go one block out your back door and throw a net and come up with more shrimp than you care to peel and eat at a sitting.
Oh ya let's not overlook the Bull Nose Lobsters,(http://www.dow-mgc.org/Rayeimages/lobster1.gif) that you also gets in the net.
Then there are our crabs,(http://www.dow-mgc.org/Rayeimages/crab1.gif) clams, oysters and scallops.(http://www.dow-mgc.org/Rayeimages/clam.gif)
Within one mile of my house not one but two cobia 90 pound-plus were caught this summer on light tackle.
Or what about that 600 pound Jew fish!.(http://www.dow-mgc.org/Rayeimages/fisherman_boat.gif)
This is just a drop in the bucket for the types of fish we have here.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">awesome scenery, awesome folk,<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Ha! We have the most awesome-best-whitest Christmas scenery with the finest living Ornaments of all colors, that are wiggling and bouncing and smiling to beat of the Sunset that your eyes have ever seen!(http://www.dow-mgc.org/Rayeimages/wow.gif)
<b>And</b> you can see all of this every Christmas day at St. Pete Beach! Ha! (http://www.dow-mgc.org/smilies/Launch174.gif)
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Milk's 6 bucks a gallon so that sucks!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
That does it. I drink 3-5 gallons per week. Only $2.35!
Ya we don't have salmon but we got everything else so... (http://www.dow-mgc.org/smilies/Launch17.gif)
http://rminor.com
Olds~~~~You ALWAYS absolutely floor me!! Give 'em CHIT man!! I have a good supply of deer and walleye (still the king of freshwater fish- IMHO) in these parts...but you make a hell of a case for FLA. Paid by the Florida Tourism Council are ya??
Just jokin'... I'd love to have all those shrimp and all those crabs and all those fish and all my fish, and all those deer and all those moose and those bear and all Mickey and his friends in one spot - that would be swell- MINUS those BULLCHIT hurricanes and that other stuff~~ sure would love to try smoked gator or crocs - [^][:D][^]
And one of your famous dry aged prime ribs- Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
Cold Smoke
Olds....I'm convinced, you and I should be talkin about some "cabin swappin"! You make a compelling case for East Coast fish and crusteceans. What's for dinner?? I think I can get a flight down in time for tomorrow night's meal[;)] BUT, lest we forget, this thread IS called "Bradley Smoked Alaskan Salmon"[;)]
With all kinds of cod (ling, rock, grey), rockfish, shark, shrimp, King crab, Dungeness crab, Snow (Tanner locally) crab, clams, scallops, etc within an hour of our front doors along most of the Alaskan coast, we don't eat just salmon here, but the feeder King is definitely the TOP of the food chain in my book....especially after my "cardiac event" last spring. Not counting the daily snacking on smoked salmon, I eat salmon various ways about 3-4 times per week and it never gets boring. We cooked halibut and rockfish as fish n' chips for dinner last night. This Thursday is blackened King salmon with garlic/olive oil sauted bell peppers over angel hair pasta. As far as "whitefish", send me an email (
[email protected]) and I'll reply with a recent pic of a 247 lb "whitefish", locally called "Barn Door" halibut that would pretty much last most folks through an entire long cold winter. However most halibut locally are in the 25-50 lb range, while the saltwater caught Kings average 25-35 lbs.
As far as "catchin" fun, it's as hard to beat Florida or Mexico off-shore fishing as it is to beat the thrill of crawling through the brush with a 24" pole to drop a grasshopper in a snow fed mountain stream in Northern California, Idaho, Montana timber country. Heck, I guess ANY and EVERY kind of fishing and fish eating is what I'll look forward to for the rest of MY time here on the Big Blue Marble.[:D]
For those that want to give it a go up here and add Alaskan fishing to their "life's journey" resume, just send me an email and I'll give you some good links to check out! After Old's description, I know I'm looking forward to visiting Florida!![8D]<u></u>
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Good Afternoon Kummok,
I believe I've said this before, but Tsquared, and yourself and the rest of the forum members who live along the west coast, reside in what I consider to be God's country, and to think you didn't even mention the hunting opportunities. I think I'll take you up on that offer if you don't mind.[:D]
Ian ( GO STEELERS!!!!! )
I'm making up a list of the Forum members to visit on next few vacations . . . let's see, Florida, Arkansas, California, Alaska, Canada--hey, how'bout Texas?
John
Newton MA
Hello fellow Bradley Smoker users,
This seems like a great forum and I can't wait to try out Kummok's recipe. I was mixing up the brine tonight, but when it came to adding in the cayenne pepper and the garlic powder I paused to do a double take.
I'm definitely a novice at salmon smoking but have smoked up a few batches with a different brand smoker(you know the one). I've graduated up to the Bradley now.
But my question is on the amounts of cayenne and garlic powder used. Does the recipe call for 3 TABLEspoons of cayenne and 2 TABLEspoons of garlic powder? This seems like a lot and perhaps it's supposed to be TEAspoons?
Judging by the responses and the additional recipes some have posted here I'm guessing it is supposed to be tablespoons just as Kummok originally posted. Maybe thats why mine always tasted so-so and seemed to lack punch.
Anyways, if someone could please tell me that I indeed want to use 3 tablespoons of cayenne, and not teaspoons, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks again for this great forum and good smoking information.
LeBois
3 Tablespoons, tried it a couple weeks ago and it was fantastic, not spicy.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by LeBois</i>
<br />Hello fellow Bradley Smoker users,
This seems like a great forum and I can't wait to try out Kummok's recipe. I was mixing up the brine tonight, but when it came to adding in the cayenne pepper and the garlic powder I paused to do a double take.
I'm definitely a novice at salmon smoking but have smoked up a few batches with a different brand smoker(you know the one). I've graduated up to the Bradley now.
But my question is on the amounts of cayenne and garlic powder used. Does the recipe call for 3 TABLEspoons of cayenne and 2 TABLEspoons of garlic powder? This seems like a lot and perhaps it's supposed to be TEAspoons?
Judging by the responses and the additional recipes some have posted here I'm guessing it is supposed to be tablespoons just as Kummok originally posted. Maybe thats why mine always tasted so-so and seemed to lack punch.
Anyways, if someone could please tell me that I indeed want to use 3 tablespoons of cayenne, and not teaspoons, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks again for this great forum and good smoking information.
LeBois
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Welcome to the Forum, LeBois!
John
Newton MA
LeBois;
I just did 9 pounds of smoked salmon (farm raise; I had not other choice) using kummok's recipe, it turned out great. It is definitely tablespoons. I like more of a "kick" so I may up the cayenne pepper next time.
Yes, Greetings LeBois
http://rminor.com
Wow!
My first post late last night and off to work today. I get home from work, log on, and just the answers I needed! Thanks bird, JJC, Habanero, and Oldman....for the information and the warm welcome.(and Kummok for the recipe)
As I mentioned earlier the brine was mixed last night except for the cayenne and garlic. It's been "chillin" since then and now for the last two ingredients and fish. This is going to be fun. I feel that with the Bradley smoker I am much more in control of the whole smoking process. So many factors I can regulate and not leave up to chance; cooking temperature, wind/drafts, cleaner smoke, etc.
Well, off to finish this batch up and watch some games at the same time. Bet you didn't know you could catch salmon in Idaho!
thanks,
Lebois
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by LeBois</i>
My first post late last night and off to work today. I get home from work, log on, and just the answers I needed! Thanks bird, JJC, Habanero, and Oldman....for the information and the warm welcome.(and Kummok for the recipe)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Welcome to the forum. Just wanted to correct one line from your post though
Thanks bird, JJC, Habanero, and <font color="red">Old Man</font id="red">....J/K Olds[:D][}:)][;)]
Jeff
//www.bbqshopping.com
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/Jeff100/shopping.gif)
[/url]
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by BigSmoker</i>
<br /><font color="red">Old Man</font id="red"><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">He ain't THAT old![;)][:D][:)]
Kirk
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
The salmon is done and it turned out...Excellent!
This was about a 12lb. batch. Was in the smoker for 5 hours on the button at the graduating temperature settings per recipe instructions. Smoked the whole time with alternating apple/alder. Never had a salmon so great tasting with such a beautiful color and texture.
Vacuum sealed half and the other half is almost gone. Family loved it! Now its time to experiment with different wood flavors and maybe my first attempt at cold smoked salmon or even lox. Lots of recipes on this forum, not enough salmon or time. Must make time.
cheers,thanks,
Lebois
I just picked up some farm raised salmon tonight. This is as close as we get here in South Dakota this time of year to "the King Salmon".
The last time I smoked salmon I used High Mountain salmon brine. This taste good but I was not to impressed. This time I'm am using Kummocks recipe. I will post results and will try to get some pictures tomorrow.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/xcelsmoke/FREEGIF.gif)
<font size="4"><b>Doug</b></font id="size4">
Jaeger, I see happiness in your future. [8D]
I have used Kummok's recipe about a dozen times, and unless you crank the heat or something to hurry it along, you pretty much can't screw it up.
Be sure to leave ample time for the fish to air out and form a pellicle.
The salmon is looking good. I have been trying to keep the temps according to recipe. One thing though, this is a little different type of salmon this time, it looks a little more pale in color. Not as pink. Last time the brine included a cure. I'm sure both factors are coming into play.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/xcelsmoke/FREEGIF.gif)
<font size="4"><b>Doug</b></font id="size4">
The last batch I did was some Alaskan King that was given to me. It was foodsavered and frozen but they had all lost their seal. The fish wasn't freezer burned, but it did turn the color kinda funky, pale like you mentioned. (Although yours might be because of being farm-raised [;)])
Anyway, the bottom line is, it tasted great, and I'm sure yours will too.
BTW, I used a combo of Alder and Oak for the 1st time. Delicious! [:p]
A picture is worth a thousand words.[:D][:p][:)]
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/xcelsmoke/SalmonA.jpg)
Thanks for the info psdubl07!!![8D]
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/xcelsmoke/FREEGIF.gif)
<font size="4"><b>Doug</b></font id="size4">
No prob. Great pic!!! [:D]
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jaeger</i>
<br />A picture is worth a thousand words.[:D][:p][:)]<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Dam straight! Good to see the youngin' excited about the results![8D]
Kirk
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
Hello Kummok, I recently went to Alaska to see a place that was pretty cool. It all started when I saw a special on PBS called Alone In The Wilderness. Its a story of a man named Dick Proenneke who went there in 68 and built a little log cabin using only hand tools. He lived there for over 30 years by himself, and filmed the first 16 months on a wind up camera. If you watch PBS on Sunday Sep 18th you can see the special again along with some pictures I took of his cabin. Its a great show and it really makes you feel good about the great outdoors and doing things the old fashioned way like smoking salmon. I wanted to post a picture of his cabin but I cant figure out how to.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Mikey</i>
...It all started when I saw a special on PBS called Alone In The Wilderness. Its a story of a man named Dick Proenneke who went there in 68 and built a little log cabin using only hand tools......<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I LOVE that film.....it was sad to see him have to leave his place after all those years. His woodworking skills were, no doubt, instrumental to his survival! ThanX for the tip....I'll watch it on 9/18[:)] Anyone who ever thought about living in a cabin in the wilderness should DEFINITELY watch this....Proenneke is a "man's man"!
35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Hi Kummok, well I bought myself a Bradley and tried your Salmon recipe. Man was that tasty. It's savoury, but has a little sweetness that really makes it fantastic. Heck now I'm all riled up, gotta do some experaments. By the way I see theres allot of people doing these homemade fixes for cold smoking thier Salmon. I don't understand why Bradley doesnt come out with a proper (buy on the side) sytem that is custom made for the Bradley. I think a nice part of the Bradley is how good it looks and when you start taping hoses to it and cardboard boxes it kind of goes down hill for me. I was wondering if you could get a bag of ice in Block form and put it in a 6 x 9 baking dish to see if that would work. I know guys have tried the ice pieces, but I thought the Chunk would stand up to a longer smoke period. I also thought maybe a guy could fill 2 2liter bottles with water and freeze them, then put this into the smoker. What do you think?
Welcome to the Bradley World of kicked back smokin' Mikey!
I don't do cold smoking, (yet!), so I'm not the one to be giving advice on it. But I've purchased the minimum hardware necessary to "daisy chain" my two Bradleys for cold smoking. The lower one, of course, will pump out the smoke, sith ice in the cabinet, venting the cooled smoke through the top, via a removable metalized dryer hose into the upper Bradley smoke generator hole.
Lot's of other Forum suggestions on ways to cold smoke, but I'm blessed with two Bradleys, so why not link them. Again, I can't speak from experience on temp control using this method but it "thinks out" feasible.[:)] Just finishing a garage/museum project and the Bradley install was a component of the plans, so this winter should produce some reports on findings....plus some smoked Ptarmigan![:p][:p]
35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Here's another great recipe I got from a friend. Title: Pekka's Smoked Salmon
Categories: Fish & Seafood
Yield: Servings
2 c Sweet Soy Sauce
3/4 c Non-Iodized Salt
1 c Brown Sugar
1/2 c Water
1/2 t Onion Powder
1/2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 t Pepper
1/2 t Coriander Powder
1/2 t Tabasco Sauce
1/4 c Lemon Juice
1 ds Worcestershire Sauce
1 pk Alder Wood Chips
[Note: Pekka's Own]
Mix ingredients together except wood chips.
Brine salmon chunks for 8 hours or more, keeping refrigerated and
mixing often. I like to cut it into 1 inch strips without any skin but bigger chunks can be done.
Give chunks of fish a quick rinse in fresh water or
under top and pat dry. Allow to sit on racks for one hour or more to allow glaze to
develop. Place in smoker with bigger chunks on the
bottom rack. Smoke for up to 12 hours (depending on taste and size of
chunks) using Alder Wood Chips. Ketjap Manis Sweet soy sauce is
available in most Dutch Import shops, Vietnamese grocers and in BC,
Save-On carries it in their import sections. We use the ABC brand from
Save-On. It is much cheaper and just as good if not better then the
Conimex brand.
Enjoy.
Brine can be kept frozen and reused. you may need to add more salt.
Good brine will float an egg.
Michael's smokey salmon
Alder bisquettes
Brine:
2 cups water
1/4 cup pickling salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (real) maple syrup
1/3 cup western classics brand teriyaki sauce (Save on)
2 Tbs liquid honey
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
1 Tbs black pepper
1 large King salmon fillet
Cut salmon fillet into 1 inch strips, this will make it easy to vacuum pack and it will allow the smoke to penetrate from 4 sides rather than 2, more smoke flavour.
Assemble brine and mix thoroughly. Lay fish in the brine and make sure fish is completely submerged. Brine for 12 hours, remove from brine and rinse off with fresh water. Place fish onto paper towels
and dry thoroughly. Place on rack and wait for pellicle to form (shiny, sticky film that will help smoke stick) and smoke at low temp (under 90 degrees F) for 2 hours. Then quit smoking and
bring temp up to around 140 degrees F for a couple of hours, then to 170 degrees F until it reaches your desired texture.
Hey everyone,
I got my Bradley for my Birthday in September and have been addicted ever since.
I bought the Alaskan Salmon sugar maple brine mix from HiMtn and let my 3 lb fillet soak for 24 hours. The next day I rinsed it off and followed Kummok's method for letting it glaze. After pat drying it I applied some Sugar Maple Rub lightly to both sides of the now cut fillets.
When they were ready I smoked them with Maple for 5 1/2 hours at the temps Kummock's post recommended.
They were TO DIE FOR! Perfect in every way. No boogers at all...I used the foodsaver on the several pieces that were leftover....I'm doing more next week!
Thanks everyone for the great posts, you've taken a lot out of the learning curve.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Jefe-Weizen</i>
<br />.....the several pieces that were leftover....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
You are TRULY blessed, JW...leftovers RARELY happen with ANYTHING that comes outta the Bradley![:p][;)][:D] Glad to hear things went well....the maple cure sounds delicious[:p] I suspect that you're gonna find that the vac sealed fish is going to taste even better than the fresh stuff right outta the smoker....at least that's what most of us around here have discovered.
Just got back in from a slow fishing day here.....only 3 Kings (one 26 #er), one Silver (Coho), several halibut and Ling cod......the ol Bradleys are fixing to get a real workout soon![:p][:p][:D]
35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
RC,
Your last post reminded me that I haven't told you in a long time that I really hate you!!!![;)][}:)][:D][:D][8D]
Come on Powerball![:)]
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Chez Bubba</i>
<br />RC,
Your last post reminded me that I haven't told you in a long time that I really hate you!!!![;)][}:)][:D][:D][8D].....<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Come up here and say that to my face, Pilgrim (and bring your Oslos!)[;)][:D][:D]
A word of warning though, it's a bit slower than last Fall, but still producing 4-6 Kings per trip, in the 20-30# range. Getting kinda spoiled though.....if we only get four, we feel unsuccesful since we "expect" at least 6-8. Sheeeeesh [;)][}:)][:D][:D]
As usual though, we gave away all the halibut to visitors, thinking we could always go out and catch a bunch to get through winter. Now winter's here and the halibut bin in the freezer is pretty slim. Good thing we're getting the occasional collateral chicken, (<10 #), halibut while trolling![:0]
35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Hey Kummok, with all those rave reviews I guess I have to try myself.
Just filleted 2 14lb Scottish salmons (yeah, farm raised but super-fresh) for my chanukah casino night on the 25th.
Gonna do 2 fillets with Kummok's and 2 fillets with Fuzzybear II.
My normal brine is 1 qt water: 1/2 c. salt = 120g salt/qt
Kummok's is 1 gal water: 1 c. salt + 1 qt. Soy = 84g salt/qt.
I usually brine for 2 hrs for light flavor, so with his brine at 12 hrs might be just a bit saltier, but I don't think that much.
Fuzzybear's also 120g salt/qt so I'll keep the brining down to 4 hrs max I think.
Next time I might do Fuzzybear II brine with Kummok's half-cold-smoke method. Sounds interesting... [:p]
I'll post pictures, wish me luck!
Sam
So how'd they come out Sam[?] I like to hear about the mods to the original recipe....that's one of the many great benefits of this forum! I like your sodium reduction plans and am wondering how it turned out.
I just finished up the last of my 2003 "straggler discovery" batch yesterday, to rave reviews....go figger! Folks just LOVE smoked salmon...even the 2 year old stuff[;)] Gotta start another LARGE batch in another week or so...the reserve supply is nil. There's a few good folks that are still waiting for their promised samples.
35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Kummock,
I've been doing your recipe this season, and it's getting rave reviews all around! I upped the cayenne pepper somewhat so that folks get that sweet taste initially and then the heat as part of the "afterglow". It's dynamite!
John
Newton MA
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by JJC</i>
<br />.....I upped the cayenne pepper somewhat so that folks get that sweet taste initially and then the heat as part of the "afterglow". It's dynamite!.....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Truly a man after my own heart, John[:p] I also use a bit more cayenne than I posted in the recipe. This year, I'd like to try grinding the salmon and mixing it with course ground black pepper and chopped jalapenos to make some hot salmon jerkey sticks...[:p][}:)][:p]
35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Here's my results for the salmon.
To recap:
1 14lb salmon in Kummok's magic brine
and 1 14lb salmon in Fuzzybear II.
(http://members.aol.com/samalter/salmon.jpg)
Both turned out great!
I found Kummok's to be much more balanced in flavor and not as salty.
I ended up brining with Kummok's for 14 hours and Fuzzybear's for 4 hours.
In my previous post I calculated the salt content in ORIGINAL RECIPE for each. I didn't change the recipe.
For Kummok's the salt calculated to about 80g/quart
For Fuzzybear's it calculated to 120g/quart (my standard brine concentration).
So, even though I brined for that much longer, Kummok's still wasn't as salty as Fuzzybear's.
I like Kummok's brine a whole lot. The fish turned out fantastic!
A few observations:
I cut my pieces bigger than Kummok suggested.
I ended up smoking the fish for the minimum called for in the recipe.
1 hr @ 120
1 hr @ 140
1 hr @ 160
1 hr @ 180
very easily done with my magic thermostat.
The fish turned out nearly raw in the center. Bailed to oven to finish to perfection.
Conclusions:
Either I need to smoke longer at a minimum.
OR My thermometers weren't giving accurate readings.
AND Remember to cut my pieces smaller.
I think the next time I'll also make a point to brine and dry it well because that flavor was just awesome! I'm just getting more and more impressed with this smoker.
PS "Chicken Italiano" is melt-in-your-mouth perfection! I made 3 whole chickens that way and got a luscious thick smoky gravy when reheated to serve. The gelatin in the bones help to make the gravy.
Sam
Your conclusions are right on the money, Sam!.....some of the pieces look like they could be 1.5 - 2 inches thick. That's not necessarily a problem for experienced smokers but the recipe is for no more than 3/8 - 1/2 inch pieces, hence the times/temps given. Glad things turned out "fantastic"!![:p][:p]
BTW, the white stuff hanging down from the meat is actually nuclear waste, a common by-product of farmed salmon....[:D][;)][}:)] Just some Alaskan "humor" of course, but seriously I think that the white boogers will lessen quite a bit with the smaller, drier pieces you plan to use next time.
35 years of extinguishing smoking stuff and now I'm wondering WHY!
Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
Quotethe white stuff hanging down from the meat is actually nuclear waste, a common by-product of farmed salmon
Unfortunately I only have access to farmed salmon but even that differs considerably. Recently did around 25lb farmed salmon based on Kummock's recipe apart from using a rum and honey based marinade, got the salmon from two different sources and the difference in texture was remarkable between the two. One was particularly soggy and this produced much more "nuclear waste" so I know for next time where to get my supplies from! Only wish I had access to wild salmon. >:(
Every time I smoke salmon I always end up with the odd fillet breaking/flaking when removing them from the trays. I did the following recipe which was designed to make use of these odd bits:
approx. 8oz smoked salmon flakes.
approx. 8 oz mushrooms, chopped.
1lb fresh tagliatelle.
3 - 4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped.
9 - 10 fl. oz creme fraiche.
juice of 1 lemon.
Heat a tbsp olive oil in pan and add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown. Stir in salmon, parsley, creme fraiche and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper as required.
Simultaneously cook the pasta in boiling water for 3 minutes then drain, add to above and toss/mix gently.
Serve with your choice of salad.
It makes a really quick and easy meal,my two young boys asked for this two nights running for their evening meal, now that must be a recommendation!! ;)
Hi guys,
Been dying for some smoked salmon but with our N.Ca fishing restrictions this summer my usual source has dried up. I've yet to do it in the Bradley, have a Brinkman but was always frustrated with temp control. (There really is none). Never knew what the "white boogers" were on top. Thanks for the info.
Maybe this is sacreligious or something but in a pinch, instead of mixing up my own brew, I used Yoshida's gourmet sauce to marinate. The giant economy bottles are available at Costco. No muss, no fuss. :-*
Quote from: Jezziebella on June 12, 2006, 09:54:43 AM
....Maybe this is sacreligious or something but in a pinch, instead of mixing up my own brew, I used Yoshida's gourmet sauce to marinate. The giant economy bottles are available at Costco. No muss, no fuss. :-*
Nothing "sacreligious" about trying ANYTHING when smoking Jezz!! I buy large quantities of Yoshida's OGS and grill King Salmon/Halibut with it weekly, using the Reveo marinator, but it seems a bit spendy for brining?!?!?
Kummok
I tried a batch of salmon using your recipe, just a slight modification using about a quarter of the soy sauce. the salmon came out great!! thanks for sharing the recipe. I havent smoked fish or meat for over 25 years or so, just getting back into it. Thanks again
When we first started smoking salmon years ago, my wife and I took a one day class offered by the Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks Co operative Extension Service that explained many of the questions I have read in this tread such as to dry or not, nuclear waste,,,.
The basis for that class is available in an article online at
http://www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/publications/freepubs/FNH-00325.pdf
After trips to Chitna, Valdez, Homer, Kenai, with our neighborhood group the wives would get together, gather all the Little Chief smokers to be found, and have a smoke out. This is pre Bradley Smoker days. It may sound sexist but at that time the guys all worked long hours and many straight days so were not around to do the smoking.
I am hoping to go to Valdez in a couple weeks and catch some silvers and try them in the BS.
Quote from: jimguy on August 02, 2006, 12:13:33 PM
I am hoping to go to Valdez in a couple weeks and catch some silvers and try them in the BS.
Jim,
Just remember to eliminate the oil in the marinade as they might have been pre-dipped! ;) ;) ;D
Kirk
Naww, the otters have skimmed the oil off the water in the fishing areas
Quote from: jimguy on August 02, 2006, 12:13:33 PM
The basis for that class is available in an article online at
http://www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/publications/freepubs/FNH-00325.pdf
jimguy -
Welcome to the forum and thanks for the reference.
Art
Thanks for the welcome, Art :)
Just a little note about smoked alaksa salmon. Today I visited a friend who smoked some silver salmon his renter caught and cured using a dry coating instead of brine.
No. 1 it was cut too small, half inch strips
No. 2 it was soo salty we had to go to the nearest bar where we could get beer on tap to flush
No. 3 they smoked it too long, leaving it very dry. what alaskan's call squaw candy, more like jerky. great if you are selling the beer
sigh, southeners
Quote from: jimguy on August 04, 2006, 06:34:23 PM
No. 3 they smoked it too long, leaving it very dry. what alaskan's call squaw candy, more like jerky.
Don't go there Jimmy ;D ;D ;D
What :o
Jim,
He's referring to my probable impending post but I'll let it slide cause I've got orders to pack & a vacation to prepare for.
FWIW, there are too many fun words in your post to keep me from responding in my usual smart-ass manor normally.
Hope all of you have fun smokin' while the biggest decision of the day for me is gonna be whether I take a nap on the deck or play some pool.
See ya in a couple of weeks! ;) ;D ;D ;D
Kirk
A couple of months ago Iceman's use of that Alaskan term for salmon jerky launched one of the most vitriolic and personally directed attacks ever threaded on this forum.
I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I would imagine iceman explained that squaw candy is an accepted term in Alaska regarding hard smoked fish
Yep, he sure did.
in an attempt to ward off serious problems , I found this discreption of smoked salmon on the internet
Actually, we had a hard time finding anyone on this side of the Atlantic who did not affirm that lox is smoked. Then we came across James McNair's Salmon Cookbook, in which the author says that lox is the most popular preserved salmon, that it is generally Pacific species that is cured in brine, soaked to remove the salt, then "sometimes still lightly smoked after soaking it, as it always was in the past."
McNair, who has also written three or four thousand other cookbooks, defines a few other traditional salmon-preserving techniques:
Kippered Salmon — hot-smoked, or baked during smoking. It is moist, tender, and flaky, not salty. "Nonfish eaters like it," McNair says.
Nova Scotia — cold-smoked salmon from the waters off eastern Canada, expensive, and creamy with very little saltiness. But, he says, the term "Nova" is often loosely applied to any smoked salmon, no matter where it comes from.
Scottish, Irish, and Norwegian — cold-smoked Atlantic salmon; superb quality and expensive; dry and delicate; not salty.
Indian Style — two variations of Pacific salmon slow-smoked by native Americans from the Pacific Northwest to Alaska. One is moist and very smoky; the other, often called "squaw candy," is smoked and smoked and smoked until it has the texture of beef jerky.
Now, this is not to be confused with gravlax or gravad lax, which is a traditional Scandinavian method of curing salmon with salt, a little sugar, and dill for three or four days — and no smoke at all.
Quote from: jimguy on August 04, 2006, 09:03:47 PM
in an attempt to ward off serious problems.....I'm sorry if I offended anyone....
Hey Jimguy....fagittaboudit.....I musta missed that thread but I know too well that it's impossible to NOT offend some folks. ::) In fact the quoted source, McNair would likely offend Alaskan Natives by calling them "Indian" ("Indian Style") ;) Guess I missed out on the "the most vitriolic and personally directed attacks ever threaded on this forum"....just as well since I'd probably have just instigated more political incorrectness, being part Native American and all...and thinking highly of Iceman ;) ;D As you've said, and know well, being from Healy, it's been squaw candy forever and will be that way up here for many more generations I'm certain. Can you imagine going into Port Graham and asking for some "Pacific salmon slow-smoked by native Americans from the Pacific Northwest to Alaska" instead of squaw candy?!?!? They'd run ya outta the village. Actually, I wouldn't ask for it anyway, cause it's nasty tasting to me....the authentic "squaw candy" that I've known since 1959 is dried, not smoked, nothing added, and really yucky.
Kummok;
You may wake the sleeping giant. :)
I'm biting my tongue on this one guys. ::) ;D
Geez how about that weather were having? :D ;)
which weather Iceman? the day it is warm and sunny 8) or the next that is cold and raining :'( ??
I tried your rub and sauce on some country style pork. Love the flavors!! I have to admit I am a wuss around hot spicy things so seeing your sauce contained hanenaro, I was skeptical but it had just the right amout for my tender palate.
I won't brag about how the meat turned out other than to say it was very tasty.
Quote from: jimguy on August 15, 2006, 10:47:18 AM
which weather Iceman? the day it is warm and sunny 8) or the next that is cold and raining :'( ??
I tried your rub and sauce on some country style pork. Love the flavors!! I have to admit I am a wuss around hot spicy things so seeing your sauce contained hanenaro, I was skeptical but it had just the right amout for my tender palate.
I won't brag about how the meat turned out other than to say it was very tasty.
Glad to hear you approve jimguy. There is very little habenaro in the sauce. Just enough to make the taste buds say "wait a minute, what was that"? ;D
Hi, incase anyone is interested..
As we speak, I'm Brining a batch of Silvers we caught in Sitka and will air dry tommorrow, then smoke with Alder the next day. I guess with the Alaskan Fish and Recipie, it should be almost authentic :)
If anyone wants to know I'll let you know how they turn out.
Getting excited. :P ;D
MH
(//)
Quote from: meathead on December 09, 2006, 04:46:29 PM
Hi, incase anyone is interested..
As we speak, I'm Brining a batch of Silvers we caught in Sitka and will air dry tommorrow, then smoke with Alder the next day. I guess with the Alaskan Fish and Recipie, it should be almost authentic :)
If anyone wants to know I'll let you know how they turn out.
Getting excited. :P ;D
MH
(//)
Yer dang right you better keep us posted ;D Inquiring minds (and others) need to know.
Howdy
Any pointers on how to freeze Kumook Slamon? Note I dont have a Vac Sealer (yet), so will use Zip Locks, and gently squeeze most of the air out.
But can I put a few in each bag with Wax paper inbetween, or other methods??
And, do I let it cool before going into freezer, or not?
Thanks a lot!!
I would wrap in plastic wrap first then into the zip lock. If you are storing more then 30 days, I would add a layer of aluminum foil over the plastic wrap before placing in it the freezer.
Thanks very much!! Thats what I'll do
MH
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on December 11, 2006, 01:24:58 PM
I would wrap in plastic wrap first then into the zip lock. If you are storing more then 30 days, I would add a layer of aluminum foil over the plastic wrap before placing in it the freezer.
What Hab said plus DO make sure it is completely cool before wrapping it or it will go bad on you much quicker. ;)
Alaskan Wild Salmon is on special at the supermarket again today at £2.99/$5.80lb, as mentioned in a previous post not sure what type it is but figure it has got to be better than the farmed variety. ;)
Now got about 15 - 20lb in the freezer, this is one of my planned pre Christmas smokes. Just need a break in the weather, high winds and torrential rain now for several weeks does not make smoking easy! :o
The farmed salmon has always come out well, got VERY high hopes for the real thing!! :D
Sounds like nasty weather, MM. I am curing a batch of coho, spring and sockeye salmon to cold smoke later this week. I'm glad i wasn't trying to do it today as we had 100 kmh winds and rain....not good smoking conditions.
T2
QuoteI'm glad i wasn't trying to do it today as we had 100 kmh winds and rain....not good smoking conditions.
I get a 5 day forecast sent to me from the local met office every day, the 5 day forecast is cr*p with yet more gales and severe gales. Maybe the salmon will have to sit in the freezer until the New Year!! :'(
Quote from: manxman on December 12, 2006, 01:23:50 AM
QuoteI'm glad i wasn't trying to do it today as we had 100 kmh winds and rain....not good smoking conditions.
I get a 5 day forecast sent to me from the local met office every day, the 5 day forecast is cr*p with yet more gales and severe gales. Maybe the salmon will have to sit in the freezer until the New Year!! :'(
Extended forecast are usually wrong, especially coastal and mountainous areas. Amazing! Even with today's technology and knowledge, they still can't accurately predict beyond 72 hours, and that is pushing it.
Manx your getting hammered way to much over there. Keep bundled up and hope for some decent smoking weather. I'll cross the fingers for you. I have to do a bunch of turkeys this week end for co workers. Time to break out the big boys so I can do them all at once. I'll have an extra hot toddy for you. ;)
QuoteEven with today's technology and knowledge, they still can't accurately predict beyond 72 hours, and that is pushing it.
Very true HS, my brother is a meteorologist with the Royal Air Force and I tease him so much about how often they issue cr*p forecasts. Trouble is in the summer I keep my boat on a deep water mooring and when the forecast changes at such short notice it leaves me in deep doggy do's! I have already lost it once on the rocks and got away with it, won't be so lucky a second time!! :o
Quote
Keep bundled up and hope for some decent smoking weather. I'll have an extra hot toddy for you.
Thanks Pat, everyone is grumbling at the moment about the weather! We need a good fall of snow..... could just do a white Christmas!
Quote from: manxman on December 12, 2006, 02:11:47 PM
QuoteEven with today's technology and knowledge, they still can't accurately predict beyond 72 hours, and that is pushing it.
Very true HS, my brother is a meteorologist with the Royal Air Force and I tease him so much about how often they issue cr*p forecasts. Trouble is in the summer I keep my boat on a deep water mooring and when the forecast changes at such short notice it leaves me in deep doggy do's! I have already lost it once on the rocks and got away with it, won't be so lucky a second time!! :o
Quote
Keep bundled up and hope for some decent smoking weather. I'll have an extra hot toddy for you.
Thanks Pat, everyone is grumbling at the moment about the weather! We need a good fall of snow..... could just do a white Christmas!
I know what you mean. The favorite saying here in the northeast is "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change!"
It's been that way up here for sure Hab. Freezing rains end of last week, then snow this weekend and now clear and cold with snow coming later this week.
Opps, I should get back on subject here. I seem to have wondered off on this thread. :o :D
Quote"If you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change!"
I have forwarded that to my brother, sure to give him a laugh..... not!! ;D ;D ;D
Well the Salmon came out very tasty, but a little dried out. I left it till meat temp was 160 Degs for 30 mins, as I read somewhere (to ensure all the crawlies were dead), but this was way overkill. :o Next time I'll shoot for 155, then stop immediately.
Live and learn ;)
I had to bundle my dry cured salmon into a cooler and put the smoker, fish and cold smoke chamber and cooler into my truck to take to a friend's place who still had power when the fish was ready to smoke. We were hammered week before last by 2 big storms and lost power for 3 days. The cold smoked fish came out great tho, and it's been a big hit at our xmas gatherings. Hope everyone has a great holiday. I'm going to go out on the 28th and start catching more salmon to replenish the freezer. A little brandy in the coffee thermos and it's holiday fishing!
T2
T2 what recipe are you using?,I have a couple sides of spring left and was hoping to cold smoke them.The weather is crazy for sure Snow wind and rain ,makes the smoking a little difficult.
Mike
Hi Oguard--here is the recipe I use with great success. It comes from an excellent book called "Smoking Salmon and Trout" by Jack Whelan, published by Aerie Press here in British Columbia.(I think Jack is on his second edition which has been updated.) He calls it Scotch smoked salmon, although being a wise man he applies the scotch internally and uses rum as part of the curing process! Dry salt your salmon, injecting brine into very thick pieces. Times for dry salting vary according to the fattiness of your salmon and thickness. Put very little salt on the tail of the fillet(I don't even smoke tails anymore, as it is tricky not to oversalt them.)Make sure you drain your fillet during this process.
1.Salt a 1 in. fillet of a fatty fish 12 hours and lean (chum) 7 hours. Fillet should spring back when pressed with your finger if it is done enough.
2. Rinse your fillet off, and dry for 6 hours. I do this by putting it uncovered in my beer fridge.
3. Rub it with vegetable oil and then back in the fridge for 6 hours.
4. Rub off oil with a rum soaked cloth. (Scotch may be applied internally at any time during this process.)
5. Cover the fillet with brown sugar just as you did with the dry salt, then back in the fridge for 6 hours.
6. Wipe off the oil again with a rum soaked cloth and dry with a fan for a few hours, then the salmon is ready to smoke.
<b>Smoking</b>
1.Smoke the fish AT NO MORE THAN 85f for between 2-4 hours depending on your smoke and how much smoke taste you like. I use a remote fire box to stick my generator in and dryer hose to connect it to the Bradley box.
2. Continue to dry fish with 85 degree air in the smoker box for several more hours until the fish is firm enough for slicing. (Use the Mark 1 finger to test this) I have done this for up to 24 hours, depending on the feel of the fish.
3. Give the fish a polish by bringing the temp up to 100 F for 15 minutes. This has the effect of bringing some oil to the surface, giving it an attractive look.
4. Let fish cool, unwrapped in the fridge for several hours.
5. Enjoy!
In his book, Jack has much more detail than I give here. I can attest that I have used this recipe again and again with superb results.I have tried Spyguy's recipe which uses a wetbrine--it's nice but I prefer a drier, easier to slice product. You can play around with different spices like fresh dill or juniper berries or different booze. I have tried a lot of different stuff but I found that it's hard to beat the taste of well cured and cold smoked salmon. The key is getting the fish to a good firmness for slicing. I know at first glance this recipe seems complicated but most of these steps take 2 minutes and then you stick the salmon back in the fridge and forget about it.
Hope this helps.
Merry Christmas !
T2
Merry Cristmas to you T2 I have that book I will look up that recipe.
Mike
I am going to try Kummoks salmon recipe my question is how long do you actaully add smoke?
Thanks
I usually do between 2 and 3 hours.
T2
Hey I have looked everywhere for pickling salt. No can find, is that an Alaskan thing
My understanding is Pickling salt is fine-grained salt that does not contain iodine or anti-caking preservatives. I believe you could use Kosher salt in it's place but you would want to adjust the amount because Kosher is much more coarse and therefore requires more volume. I think Habs had posted a conversion amount a while back on another thread.
Mike
Here is a link to the thread I was reffering to:
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=6608.0
Mike
Quote from: Burnpwdr on February 19, 2008, 02:14:48 PM
Hey I have looked everywhere for pickling salt. No can find, is that an Alaskan thing
Burnpwdr;
Welcome to the forum.
In my area it readily available in all major supermarkets, and Super Wal-Marts. Some manufacturers label it as "Canning & Pickling" salt. Also you can find it where canning supplies are sold.
Hi Guys, do you know if it is OK to freeze the fish after it has dried and formed the pellicle. Reason I ask is, we don't seem to get more than one day of reasonable weather in Montreal at the moment and I do not have a sheltered area to use the OBS. I was thinking that if I brined and dried the fish and put it in the freezer when we got a nice day I could get smoking stright away. :-\
I've frozen already brined fish for later pellicle forming/smoking but never the already pellicle'd fish, so I can't answer based upon actual experience. My thinking is that it would still need to be dried somewhat after thawing....perhaps not as long as originally but I'm suspecting that the freeze/thaw process would re-moisten the outside?!?!? Anyone done this?
I know there may be enough comments on this receipe, but I did it with 6 lbs yesterday and I can only say OMG...my wife does not like salmon(I think she was dropped on her head as a baby ;D) and she even raved about it and when are we going to do that again!!!!! So if your new like me and have'nt tried this one...Get smokin and duuuuuitt!!!
C
Never "enough comments" about any smoking, WTS.....we all love sharing/hearing about the processing/smoking/eating/sharing experiences. Keep 'em coming :) I'm always amazed at the "conversions" of friends that "don't like salmon", then can't get enough after having it smoked. Wait till she tries it grilled fresh out of the Reveo, (no more than 2.5-to-3 minutes per side) ;) Not everyone gets THAT far with salmon, but the ones that do sure do a lot of MmmMmmMmmm's and "eyes rolling to the back of their head" when they arrive at the grilling level! Sometimes we need to drag them through the 'Backbay Blackened King Salmon Pasta' dish before getting to grilled, but often they skip right to the grilled perfection of this GREAT fish!!
Another batch going in this weekend..I gave what little I left with the fine folks I work with!!!..Its like being in high school (whenever the heck that was almost 30 years ago) I'm the popular guy ;D Sure wish I could get my hands on some fresh, here in west texas ain't gonna happen, alas do what you have to do with grocery store fish!! I was up in Seattle for a couple of years doing DR testing and the seafood, climate and beauty of the place..when (if) I retire I know where I'm a headin! Thanks again Kummok!!!
C
Quote from: westexasmoker on April 25, 2008, 05:55:15 PM
Sure wish I could get my hands on some fresh, here in west texas ain't gonna happen,
WTS, if you have albertsons in your area they will carry Alaska Salmon on occasion. If you get into Fort Worth, Central Market has Alaska Salmon, the price ranges from $15-20 lb. depending on the type.
Hope this helps
Domenick
;D I tried Kummok's recipe on 10 salmon fillets yesterday. They taste fantastic. ::) ::) The flavor is excellent, not to sweet as in the other recipe that I have tried. I vacuum packed most of them and put them in the freezer, I am sure they will taste even better in a few days time.
Thanks Kummok for a great recipe. ;)
Great to hear that you're enjoying the smokin n' eatin WTX and Yul!! And you're correct that they'll improve in taste after a chill in the freezer, Yul!
Hey kummok,
Tried your method yesterday with Chinook. After the time allotted, I thought the fish was still too moist so I smoked for 1 more hour and raised the temp to 180 for 1.5 hours. After all that the fish was done to my liking. I liked the cayanne kick!
I think next time that I will back off on the soya sauce. It really discolored the meat. I also forgot to spray the grills with pam before smoking. Needless to say all the skin stuck on the grills.
Most of the fish I vac packed and froze. Upon vac packing, you could see the juice being squeezed out of the meat.
Thanks for the help!
Lumpy and much Lumpier since purchasing a BDS!
Lumpy, next time try the recipe with Terryaki instead of the soy sauce. I like it much better with terryaki instead of the soy.
Is Teryiaki sweeter?
Yes, Teriyaki is sweet as where soy sauce is not.
;) I prefer the Soy sauce version. My previous efforts at smoking salmon used a dry brine, consisting of mainly brown sugar and salt. It tasted OK but my "better half" thought it was to sweet so I tried the Kummok method and we find it just right. :D
Oh my goodness!
We tried this recipe last night with a little twist..... I didn't have any soy or teryaki sauce on hand. What I DID have was worcestershire sauce. Followed Kummok's brine recipe, substituting worcestershire sauce....... Geez! This was the best salmon I have ever had in my life! I am hooked!
Thanks for the recipe Kummok!
Jeff
Really pleased to hear of the experimenting successes....THAT'S what it's all about! :) :) The recipe is/was offered as a easy place to start anyone off and running. I have even modified from it over the years, but the class I'm teaching tomorrow will again offer it as a place to begin and then modify for personal tastes. Pleased also that you're sharing you mods for others to experiment....gonna have to try the Worcestershire mod!!
Note to Lumpy:
The "juice", (or in Feeder King and Reds, 'oil'), becomes the "creme de le creme" as one's taste in salmon matures. To me that is the best part of the salmon, especially along the belly meat, which many cut off as waste. That's pure Omega 3 fat and really good! It CAN taste pretty nasty though IF the fish was improperly handled after catching....see other "salmon" threads for more details on handling (a significant emphasis during my classes!)
This will be my 2nd attempt at smoking salmon. I've just put a small batch (4lbs) into Kummock's brine recipe. Actually, its 2lbs of Salmon and 2lbs of Pickerel. I'm experimenting with different meats using small amounts so I don't have to throw too much away (or eat too much of something that tastes a little less than yuck!)
A couple of questions:
I cut my fillets according to the recipe. That leaves some pieces with thin belly meat, and others of a more consistent thickness. I understand that thicker pieces need to go lower in the OBS, but what do I do about those pieces with significant variance in thickness? Should I cut the strip where the thickness changes, so I have a bunch of thin pieces that can be put on a tray by themselves to be taken out earlier?
Also, bought an Auber WS-1500APH PID. Where would you recommend I put the meat thermo? In a thin piece, thick, or average? I'm thinking to put it in a thin piece and when that's done remove those pieces and move the thermo to a thicker piece...etc...until its all done.
I am planning on using a cold smoke setup, with the PID connected to the OBS not the smoke generator. The PID should let me keep the OBS at 100°F, right?
I think I've goofed up on the quantity of salt. I used "Fine Sea Salt" that was previously labled Kosher. I used the quantity recommended for Kosher salt. I now think that was larger than the number for Morton's because Kosher is typically coarser grained. Mine wasn't coarse at all. Do you think this is going to make a big difference (basically, I've used 50% more salt than I should have, I think.) All other ingredients are per Kummok's original recipe. Anything I can do to compensate after the brining is done?
Pickerel is no where nearly as oily as salmon, should I adjust anything while hot smoking because of the lack of oil? I've read about oiling white fish, is it ok to do that after the fish has been brined?
I assume that the hot smoking times will be roughly the same, despite the significantly less quantity, is that right? The PID lets me specify temperature and duration, and I have an ET73 to keep an eye on meat temperature, are there internal temperatures I can keep an eye out for to adjust the hot smoke time?
I read in another recipe that I should be targeting 140°F internal temperature. Is that true with this recipe?
BTW, when I adjusted the brine volume for my smaller batch I ended up needing ~3/4 gal of brine. However, I noticed that Kummok said he was just trying to cover the fish. So I took my fish, put it in the brining container, and added water till it was full. I then measured out the water and it turned out to be a lot less than I had calculated. I take it there's no reason for excess brine, is there?
I'll be smoking tomorrow alternating Alder and Maple, will post results after.
Cheers,
Russ
I cut the great majority of my pieces across the grain. That allows me to make uniform thickness pieces. (See pics on second page of this thread http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=7481.15 ) I still end up with thin pieces.....which I place on the 2nd & 3rd racks up and in the middle of the racks. Towards the rear and bottom seem to be the hottest spots.
Can't help you on the meat thermometer insert....never used one for salmon. I'm picky about some things but using a meat thermometer on salmon pieces would be to me like filling the gas tank in my car with a measuring cup...very low on the investment v gain scale. :-\
On the salt thing......if you believe that you've used too much and already brined, try rinsing well before drying. Still will taste salty but even so, the end product won't be inedible! :)
I wouldn't smoke the white with the red personally....saves opening the door. White typically takes significantly less time than the red, albeit uses a bit more salt in order to be "safe" and not dry out.
Where do I start on the brine question...... :-\ You need to consider the amount of salt/sugar/other spices that the meat is going to absorb. Different fish absorb differently. All things being equal, I'd go with a little extra brine before I'd go with not quite enough. The best "cover" I recommend is to place a stainless steel (SS) or plastic (a dish drying rack works great!) grid over the meat in the brine and weight it down with just enough weight (SS, glass or enameled pottery object) to keep the fish completely covered in brine. Stir occasionally during the brining period.
Hope all comes out well Sturgeon! Nice thing about salmon smoking is that even any "learning" mistakes taste great!! My motto: "Seek perfection but savor the journey!"
Well, finished the first smoke in ~4.5hrs. They were salty, unfortunately, but only slightly too salty...definitely edible. I found the garlic and onion powder to be too much for my liking...it was hard to taste the salmon. Of course my salmon is store caught, not fresh caught, regardless what it says on the packaging. Also, my fillets are fairly thin, or they at least seemed thinner than what you show in your pics.
I brined up a new batch last night and they're in the smoker now. I modified your recipe slightly:
- In place of the (I assume ~750ml) wine I used Crown Royal Rye Whisky, Grand Marnier, and B&B in 50/25/25 proportions.
- I used 25% more brown sugar.
- Slightly less garlic and onion powder.
FWIW, I converted all of the volume numbers into weights so it was easier to make up smaller batches. I have been averaging 1.5l batches to cover ~9lbs of fish.
Also, for the thinner belly pieces I folded them over and put toothpicks through them this time so the meat has a far more uniform thickness today.
Here are some pics.
Here's my gear all set up ready to start. Yes, its inside...in my sunroom.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2840916324_f19c695942.jpg)
And here we are all done at the end.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/2840916778_fe005cf273.jpg)
Thanks again Kummok for the recipe, and everyone else in the thread for their advice/comments/tweaks.
Cheers,
Russ
Excellent Recipe Kummok. I lived about half my life in Seattle and have really been missing some great smoked salmon. I just put in a 10-lb batch in the OSB, half using your brine recipe, and half with a brine of Redhook ESB, garlic salt, and cracked black pepper. I put rosemary and cracked pepper on the drying fish. Will let you know how it turns out.
My only concern isn't it didn't get quite as dry as you seem to point to in your glazing discussion. I didn't want to let the fish sit out too long, and maybe didn't let it dry enough. Do you know how this affects the smoke?
Glad you're not 'Smokeless in Seattle' (Sorry, couldn't resist, DC!). Gonna be down in Kirkland myself shortly....brief visit before heading for a WY-to-SoCal-to-Kirkland-back-to-Alaska trip.
I haven't noticed any problems with smoke flavor with "not dried sufficiently" salmon but it DOES make a notable difference in the meat texture and overall presentation. It also increases the chance of "white boogers". Concerns about leaving the meat out too long, e.g. higher ambient temps, can be alleviated quite a bit with an electric fan...I use a high velocity 24" shop fan with great results.
Looking forward to your results posting!
Quote from: Kummok on September 14, 2008, 03:35:03 PM
Gonna be down in Kirkland myself shortly....brief visit before heading for a WY-to-SoCal-to-Kirkland-back-to-Alaska trip.
Kummok,
You going to be down in SoCal long enough to get together?
We'll rally the troops. :D
Hello all
Has anyone measured the shrink between the raw salmon and the smoked using the recipe that Kummock has so generously posted?
Phil
Quote from: Gizmo on September 14, 2008, 03:50:57 PM
Kummok,
You going to be down in SoCal long enough to get together?
We'll rally the troops. :D
Better to hide the silverware than rally the troops when I come through, Giz!! ;) ;) Man, would I LOVE to meet you all, but I'm zipping through pretty fast to get up the AlCan Hiway before the really BIG snow flies. Probably be down there a coupla days to take grandkids/neices/nephews to Disneyland, then off to the Bay area for B-Day celebration (not mine!) and offload a coupla really old Winchesters, then zoom North. Zooming seems to be the story of my life and unfortunately missing out on meeting some great folks too often. Grandkids are still down in San Diego area so I will be down again and will warn you in advance so I can meet up with all you crazy SoCal folks and SoCal transplants! ;) Meanwhile, if you "just happen to be in the area" up here, let me know and I'll rally the Salmon!
Edit....Opps! Forgot to answer your question, Phil.....I haven't measured it weight or size-wise, but I'm guessing around 30% reduction in size, by sight. I'll have to weigh/measure before and after a batch sometime!
Lookin forward to the next trip then.
I'll definatly let you know if we ever get to the land of my favorite bird. ;D
Ya like ptarmigan, do ya?!?!?! ;)
Never had them,
was thinking of the great canadian geese.
I have had quail though and if I am not mistaken, they are similar.
Just finished my first batch of salmon (second time using my new OBS). I too found Kummok's recipe to be excellent. I used it on both coho and chum, freshly caught. Not sure I got enough glaze on it as I left it air drying for about 1 hour. But I did love the terriyaki in the brine. Put the chum on the bottom racks and coho above. Chum has more oils in it. I cut the pieces of fish larger than recommended but still came out fine. I think I will cut them smaller next time just to have a comparison. Vac sealed half of it and put it into the freezer. Look forward to eating those later. Will try more chum later as this is the time for them here in Seattle. Thanks to all who kept this thread running. As someone said before me "really cuts down on the learning curve."
I will trying this. Got the marinade ready, mixed to Kummok's recipe in the first post with the exeption of using 10 oz of Tamari instead of a quart, 6 cloves of garlic pressed and one tbsp of cayenne. I will marinate overnight(8 hours or so) then dry in the fridge until I get home from work to smoke it. I want to do some of it cold smoked and then extend the rest to a hot smoke. Think this will work?
I will post picks and reviews.
This forum Rocks!
Rider--it should work, but you need to make sure your fish is nice and dry before starting to smoke--put it in a cool area and turn a fan on the pieces for a couple of hours to get that satiny pellicle--then have at 'er. Let us know how they turn out.
T2
Did I just see the word "great" used to describe "Canadian Geese"?
That is definitely a first for me.
They're the seagulls of the north, only much messier, & much more ornery. If you've ever been attacked by one, you know what I mean.
Carter
Quote from: Carter on December 02, 2008, 10:22:10 AM
Did I just see the word "great" used to describe "Canadian Geese"?
That is definitely a first for me.
They're the seagulls of the north, only much messier, & much more ornery. If you've ever been attacked by one, you know what I mean.
Carter
:D :D ;D
I had to laugh, we have a fair number that nest here on the local lakes in the summer and you are extremely correct regarding "much more ornery".
In fact they are just nasty when they are nesting. I've been in a couple of scraps with them. :D
Funny (true) story for you. A guy who goes on a regular fishing trip with me was out fishing with his Dad. They came back to the marina to have lunch. They were sitting on the tailgate of the truck in the parking lot (very busy marina I might add) having some sandwiches and his Dad started feeding a Canadian goose bits of his sandwich. Now you have to understand, this is an older Ukrainian gentleman that worked hard his whole life. He's about 5' 6", stocky build and has big strong hands from hard work all his life. Anyway, he gets done his lunch and the goose decides he's still hungry so he (the goose) keeps pestering him. Well, soon the goose finally pretty much attacks him... there they are... the old man and a goose... rolling around in the parking lot... Of course the goose is making all kinds of noise. Then all of the sudden the old boy pulls out his knife and off goes the goose's head... Everything goes quiet... He picks up the goose, throws it in the back of the truck and looks at his son... So... are we going fishing or what?
:D :D :D ;D ;D
Mike
That's a great story. I'm sorry it took me two weeks to read it. :D
Quote from: Mr Walleye on December 02, 2008, 02:50:22 PM
Quote from: Carter on December 02, 2008, 10:22:10 AM
Did I just see the word "great" used to describe "Canadian Geese"?
That is definitely a first for me.
They're the seagulls of the north, only much messier, & much more ornery. If you've ever been attacked by one, you know what I mean.
Carter
:D :D ;D
I had to laugh, we have a fair number that nest here on the local lakes in the summer and you are extremely correct regarding "much more ornery".
In fact they are just nasty when they are nesting. I've been in a couple of scraps with them. :D
Funny (true) story for you. A guy who goes on a regular fishing trip with me was out fishing with his Dad. They came back to the marina to have lunch. They were sitting on the tailgate of the truck in the parking lot (very busy marina I might add) having some sandwiches and his Dad started feeding a Canadian goose bits of his sandwich. Now you have to understand, this is an older Ukrainian gentleman that worked hard his whole life. He's about 5' 6", stocky build and has big strong hands from hard work all his life. Anyway, he gets done his lunch and the goose decides he's still hungry so he (the goose) keeps pestering him. Well, soon the goose finally pretty much attacks him... there they are... the old man and a goose... rolling around in the parking lot... Of course the goose is making all kinds of noise. Then all of the sudden the old boy pulls out his knife and off goes the goose's head... Everything goes quiet... He picks up the goose, throws it in the back of the truck and looks at his son... So... are we going fishing or what?
:D :D :D ;D ;D
Mike
Now, that is a funny arse story. I watched a lady on the golf course get chased by one so bad that she ended up jumping in a pond (not sure why she didn't think they were called waterfowl for a reason), but that Mike, is one of the funniest stories I've heard about a goose-human encounter.
Thanks for the laugh!
SD
Hey guys. Can you guys tell me in order which salmon have the most oil? I'm just trying to guage the cook times from Kummok's recipe...
Thanks,
John
Kings (springs) and sockeye at the top for most oil, then silvers (coho), pinks and chum salmon with the least oil.
T2
Thanks for the info T...
John
Just took my first batch of this out of the smoker.......HOLY CRAP IS THIS STUFF GOOD!!!!!
Welcome and congrats Chain Smoker.
Any time you want to post some pictures please do so.
W E L C O M E to the Forum chain smoker!
Congrats. you're hooked.
where can one find the non-stick coated racks that kummok speaks of?
tried to find chez bubba to no avail.
Quote from: smokinrookie on December 30, 2008, 06:19:57 PM
where can one find the non-stick coated racks that kummok speaks of?
tried to find chez bubba to no avail.
Chez bubba is no longer in business.
I wouldn't waste the money on the the non-stick coated racks. The coating will flake off after a few uses and they are harder to clean than the chrome plated originals.
Go to Bryan's (Begolf 25) Yard and POOL website. Purchase the Hi Temp Jerky screens. They are very durable, can take up to 500 degrees, easy to clean and will be one of the best investments you can make.
Here is the link:
http://www.yardandpool.com/High-Temperature-Jerky-Drying-Screen-p1900.html (http://www.yardandpool.com/High-Temperature-Jerky-Drying-Screen-p1900.html)
Smokinrookie
The coated jerky racks are ok but they tend to loose the non-stick coating on them after a period of time. What a lot of members, including myself, are using is the high temp screens available from Bryan at Yard & Pool. You just put them on your regular racks. They are very easy to clean and can be used for anything including Kummok's salmon. Here is a link to the screens:
http://www.yardandpool.com/High-Temperature-Jerky-Drying-Screen-p1900.html
Mike
:D :D :D :D ;D
Great minds think alike Giz! ;)
Ya beat me to it. ;D
Mike
Quote from: Gizmo on December 30, 2008, 06:56:11 PM
Quote from: smokinrookie on December 30, 2008, 06:19:57 PM
where can one find the non-stick coated racks that kummok speaks of?
tried to find chez bubba to no avail.
Chez bubba is no longer in business.
I wouldn't waste the money on the the non-stick coated racks. The coating will flake off after a few uses and they are harder to clean than the chrome plated originals.
Go to Bryan's (Begolf 25) Yard and POOL website. Purchase the Hi Temp Jerky screens. They are very durable, can take up to 500 degrees, easy to clean and will be one of the best investments you can make.
Here is the link:
http://www.yardandpool.com/High-Temperature-Jerky-Drying-Screen-p1900.html (http://www.yardandpool.com/High-Temperature-Jerky-Drying-Screen-p1900.html)
Smokinrookie,
I second Giz's recommendation on the high temp screens from Yard & Pool. Actually I guess Mr. Walleye got in second. Anyways..... the high temp screens are great.
Deb
I will fourth that recommendation although I would rather have a fifth! :D The high temp screens are great. Much better investment than the non-stick coated racks. I have both and have had salmon weld itself to the non-stick coated racks.
KyNola
thanks everybody, and 2nds on the 5th.
looks like i am off to yard and pool!
I'm going to smoke some salmon for Easter using the Kummok method.
Just curious about opening the vent at all during the smoking process?
If so, closed for first 2 hours?
1/4 open for next 2 hours?
1/2 open for remainder of time?
Keep it open the entire time. You need to let the moisture/condensation out.
KyNola
Like Kynola said, keep it open. I normally keep mine the whole way open on 90% of my smokes.
Backing up Pens and Kynola....I keep OBS vent about 1/3 - 1/2 open for the duration......
My freezer is down to my last chunck of this delicious stuff. I feel a big salmon smoke coming on.
And to think a couple of years ago I didn't care for smoked salmon. Now we get giddy every time we're cutting it out of the vacuum sealed bag.
On another note: It's been hard to find Alder at my Canadian Tire in Toronto. I've been using Apple. Works just as good IMHO.
Carter
I left my vent wide open.
Salmon came out great.
No worries.
Just put 3 fillets of wild caught sockeye salmon in brine tonight. These will be used for our Easter luncheon at work on Sunday. One question I have is the recipe calls for 2lbs brown sugar of which I only had 1 lb. I ended up adding a lb of demura sugar. Do you think it will b turn out ok? Hope so the reputation is on the line here as I have bragged about how good the smoked foods from the Bradleys are. :) :)
Thanks all,
Gary
demerara will be fine--you'll see-you'll be the easter hero!
T2
Thanks for the reply T-squared. Its in the smoker now. Smells great.
Gary
Well, I've done it. My wife HATES smoked salmon.... has never liked it.... and was pretty darn skeptical when I informed her that my next smoke was gonna be a bunch of salmon.
...so, backing up a little... I hauled my backside out of bed at 4am last Friday morning (>:( >:( >:() to head off to my local fish market, Billingsgate (http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Business/Markets/Billingsgate+Market/history.htm), which happens to be one of the oldest in the world and the biggest in the UK! It's quite the experience.... and one I'd definately recommend if any of you happen to find yourselves in London. Anyway, enough about that... this is about the salmon not the market!
I bought 6 1/2 kg of Altlantic farmed salmon fillets, freshly "caught" the day before and packed in ice for their trip to the market. So i guess when i bought them they were around 18 hours out of water, not bad and certainly better than getting it from the supermarket. I know... farmed salmon... yuck etc... I really do agree, but with farmed at £6.80/kg and wild at £24.00/kg (when you can even find it) there just isn't much choice in the matter. I'd love to catch my own, but that's not practical here either. So... farmed it is for now.
Anyway, got it home and into the brine.... used the most popular recipe on this forum (and the recipes forum), you all know the one I'm talking about ;) ;). Brined for around 14 hours... let air dry for about 3 hours before deciding the pellicle wasn't forming quickly enough. Stuck 'em in my convection oven with no heat, just the fan on for another hour and that sorted it out nicely!
Into the smoker, used 2 hours smoke in total, 2/3 Crown Royal oak and 1/3 apple. Unfortunately I noticed the little fat blobs forming on the surface of the fillets even at the low temperature (I used 120F for 1.5 hours) I decided if that was how they were going to behave there wasn't much I could do about it!
I had to go out for a while and decided to "hold" them at the middle temperature of 140F for 6 hours.... turned out to be more like 8 hours at 140F and the most incredible thing happened! All those little fat nodules DISAPPEARED! Almost like they got reabsorbed back into the fish! I'm pretty sure they didn't drip off as the drip pan and water was still fairly clean, and the finishe dproduct is still REALLY moist. Anyway, finished them off with 1.5 hours at 180F and as it was approaching midnight and my IT was still only 128F I cranked it up to 200F for 30 minutes which brought them up to an IT of 137F. Done deal.... into the fridge (after an appropriate few bedtime snacks to make sure they were ok!)
Anyway, next morning my wife agreed to try it... I knew it was a real moment of truth because if she didn't like this there was no way I'd get her to try smoked salmon again, no matter what I did to it. Well, I need not have worried... SHE LOVED IT! So... long story short, the recipe still holds it's own.... and has managed to convert one more person to loving smoked salmon!
So... got a nice little supply in the freezer now.... which I suspect won't last long!
Another Smoked Salmon convert via the Bradely. It's the same in my house TD.
You're going to love it too. Get yourself a vacuum sealer (if you don't already have one) and now anytime you're invited anywhere that requires you to bring something - boom - there it is, magically in your freezer.
You start getting invited a lot of places.
Carter
Well after your post tdcooper I think I am going to have to go out and see if I can get some fresh salmon. The salmon I am used to is from Lake Michigan, I never smoked it though. It was always ok but the first time I tried Alaskan fresh caught salmon, wow what a difference. So my mission for the next few weeks is to try and find some and follow the recipe and also see if my wife will give it a try.
Carter, I certainly agree that I need a vacuum sealer.... my current method is slightly more manual involving partially closing a Ziploc bag leaving only a tiny hole, sucking REALLY hard and quickly closing it completely. Works pretty good... but usually results in me nearly passing out after a few from the headrush!! Don't worry, once closed I do give the seal a rinse.... wouldn't wanna gross anyone out too much!
I'm kinda under a self-imposed moratorium on gadgets for the moment.... I go through stages of the serious "I Wants" and generally "I Gets" ;D, and never have any real issue with the "trouble and strife" (for you non-brits, that's Cockney Rhyming Slang... look it up here (http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/slang/trouble_and_strife)!) But, I've been buying a lot of stuff lately, and think maybe i should give it a rest for a few weeks at least :D.
Smokeitall.... good luck with your attempt. Is the Lake Michigan stuff farmed? Can you buy wild Alaskan where you are? One nice thing at least about the farmed stuff here is that the distance to market is only about 8 hours by road (typically from Scotland).... so it still stays fairly cheap. Alaska ain't close to anywhere except Northern Canada and Russia!! Where does yours have to come from?
tdcooper
Lake Michigan is one of the Midwest Great Lakes in which I grew up on. The lake is about 307 miles long, 118 miles wide, max depth is 925 feet, and 1,660 miles of shoreline. It is 1 of 5 great lakes in the Midwest. They are all fresh water lakes and I believe that is the difference. The Salmon range in weight up to 44 lbs.
Thanks for the geography lesson ;) ;).... but I'm actually Canadian, only masquerading as a Brit while I live in the UK! So I'm well aware of the Great Lakes we share between our (home) countries :)
My question was more trying to determine if the salmon you get from Lake Michigan is wild caught or commerically farmed in the lake waters.... kinda like they do up in Scotland... and where you might search for Alaskan salmon, being somewhat far away and having my home country in between you and that state! Does it get shipped in to local markets, or are you relying on a friendly fisherman to mail you some?
The wild caught stuff here is super expensive.... and it doesn't even have to travel that far, so I was quite interested in the economics of obtaining it when catching it yourself is probably not that viable an option....
Been running up to Milwaukee for the past three years in the fall, and going Salmon fishing with my BIL. 5 fish a day limit.
Oops sorry about that tdcooper.
That Salmon that I was referring to from Lake Michigan was caught by me, my brother, or friends...never purchased any. So it was fresh. Also caught Brown Trout.
The fresh salmon I have had from Alaska was from a guy that works for me that went on vacation and went on a charter and brought a whole bunch back with him, and cooked it for us. It was fantastic. I hope to get up there for a fishing trip someday
Great job on the wife "conversion" TD! Seen it happen many times and it's a wonderful thing to see!
If I'm reading right, your actual time in the Bradley was around 10 hours...if so, you'll really like Silver (Coho) salmon if you ever see it come up in the local market. Also look for Chum or Pink, two other species that come out on the drier side but with excellent flavor (opps, make that "flavour" ;) )
BTW, if you're not a professional writer, you should give it some thought...loved reading your post!
P.S.
Alaska is indeed closer to somewhere besides just Russia and Canada (YT/BC)....on some days, it bumps up against heaven!! ;) ;D
Kummok, Sorry... was thinking 2 dimensionally when I wrote that about proximity of Alaska to the rest of the world.... forgot about looking up!
I will certainly look out for some Coho's over here. I used to catch them off the coast of Vancouver Island as a young teenager. I had an uncle who lived out there.... he still does actually, in Qualicum Beach, and he was good friends with an old hockey legend named Howie Meeker who, if you're into hockey, you may have heard of. Anyway, Howie had a great old boat called the "Golly Gee"... which again, if you know about Howie, will make sense! Anyway, I have some fantastic memories of long weekends spent in and around the San Juan islands salmon fishing with the 2 of them, the only unfortunate thing was as a "kid" I didn't really qualify for my own share of the catch.... except to eat what was served to me that evening, which was pretty darn delicious in it's own right. As luck would have it, I'm actually planning a couple of weeks in BC this summer with my wife, as that's where her family is and we're planning to go visit that very uncle on Vancouver Island. Now you got me thinking... I wonder if Howie still has that boat!!?? ;) ;) ;)
PS. Thanks for the writing compliment. I don't write professionally, only for fun. You're not the first to have mentioned this... hmmm... never gave it much thought....
Man, that is pretty cool - salmon fishing with Howie Meeker around the San Juans. What a heady time for a teenager. Meeker's career was before I was born and when he worked for HNIC I was pretty hard core playing and watching football and baseball. But now after being hooked on hockey, I've heard of him quite often. Our color analyst here for the Predators, Terry Crisp talks about Meeker. While Crispy was one of the infamous Broadstreet Bullies, winning Stanley Cups, Meeker was doing the color for HNIC. He has to be getting up in age - does he fish anymore?
Shakespeare
The Bard of Hot Aire
Pontificator Extraordinaire'
Caneyscud, after my post I Googled him half expecting to read an obituary, but apparently he is alive and well and still living in Parksville, BC which is where he lived back then. He's 85 now... and I have no idea if he still fishes.... but I imagine my uncle still knows him so I'll certainly find out! How cool would it be if I could go out for a day with him again this summer? Probably shouldn't get my hopes up... at 85 I'm not so sure he'll still be up for pulling a salmon rig... but who knows?
I have great memories of Howie Meeker as a kid. He was one of the guys that made me realize that I like to immitate people. I really like doing Bryan Murray of the Ottawa Senators but the bad taste police (my wife and mother) usually shut that act down really quick - and they're right to do it - meanwhile my Dad is off in the corner pretending he's not laughing.
In any event, immitation is the highest form of flattery right?
Just for fun I googled Howie Meeker and found some great old clips. If you like hockey nostalgia, you're gonna love these. "C'mon keep your stick on the ice!!!"
http://archives.cbc.ca/programs/1564/
Carter
Hi guys. I used the brine at the start of this post as a rough guide and brined a salmon side and 3 whole trout for 12 hours. (I also dry cured the other salmon side and 2 trout fillets which I cold smoked after letting the pellicel form. 70% sea salt, 30% brown sugar, cured 12 hours, rinse, dry, smoked for 4 hours - came out good!).I cut my salmon was in bigger pieces than Kummock's portions.
Dried on racks in the fridge for 36 hours (only this long as I did the cold smoke first then was out and about). I hot smoked with oak as follows
120F 1 hour 20m
140F 1 Hour 20m
170F 1 hour 40m
This was enough to get the salmon just cooked through but very very moist still, which is how I prefer it. Also managed to fit in 4 chicken breasts down one side which also cooked/smoked nicely.
I have done hot salmon on a cedar plank a few times on my Weber S450, which is great for an occasion, but this gives excellent results, and you can set it and forget about it as well. :)
Hey Kum et al:
I'm wondering if the water pan to extinguish used chip cakes is really necessary? Seems odd to have a pan of water in a smoker designed to dry the product. My first batch came out way too moist, and I'm wondering if the pan of H20 is a contributing factor?? Some of the cakes in the pan look barely burned, and retained their original shape, what gives there? Is there an adjustment I can make to keep the chip cakes from being ejected before they are fully burned?
I also had the top vent open only around 1/8 inch, and suspect it should have been opened farther to aid drying.
I'm a newbie here, live in Fairbanks for 35yrs, and just came back from Chitina with my limit of 15 reds, don't want to screw up my next batch, may try cold smoking with an outboard box next time.
I used ~ 4 hrs @ 100, 4hrs @ 120, 4hrs@ 140, and finally 5hrs @ 100. I foolishly eliminated the pellicle stage, and got LOTS of white sludge on top of the fillets (before I found this excellent site) -- oh well, it's still edible, just not what I hoped for.
thanks for your help, Don
Hey another Alaskan - welcome! A couple of comments... first off i would recommend you keep the water dish in the smoker to extinguish the pucks after they burn. This keeps them from smoldering. You can remove the water dish after the smoke phase - a good idea, IMO.
Also, i would open the top vent at least half. You really want that moisture to escape.
A total of 17 hours seems long to me. The times i've done salmon, it's in the 5 hour neighborhood. Still ramp it up like you do, maybe try shortening the times a bit.
I have not totally solved the problem of "boogers" - the sludge on top - let me know if you find a good solution for that!
Again, welcome and don't hesitate to ask - you'll get lots of responses ;D
Camai Don!
The fish was too moist because they weren't pellicled first....this is critical to getting the right texture (and avoiding boogers!). Try again w/ a good overnight drying session and see if you aren't more satisfied with the outcome. Also, I'm down to about 3.5 - 4 hours total time in smoker nowadays and get great results....but that's because they get more pellicle forming time w/ fan on.
Thanks for your good advice guys. Nevermore will I skip the pellicle phase!!!
Kumm--what is the shorter heating schedule you're using now? I've ordered a programmable temp regulator, so should be able to duplicate it exactly. Have you tried cold smoking with an outboard box for the smoke generator yet? My first screwed up batch is actually fairly tasty, just ugly-looking and very moist. The only thing I've ever actually murdered in a smoker was an entire moose brisket cut into strips and marinated for jerky. My fire got out of control in the outboard wood-fired smoke generator and converted everything to charcoal inside the old refrigerator smoker -- live and learn!
You can stick w/ the standard recipe times and still get great results...I've just changed over the years to put more time into pellicle stage and then use the lower smoking times in the recipe (they total 4 hours)...but that's just the way I do it and might not be what others like. Not to downplay the use of the "extras" (like the prog temp regltrs and such) because they certainly have a use for making the job of smoking different things easier and more "duplicatable", but I don't use anything but the Bradley stock features and haven't had any fish that are inedible in the many years I've been doing this....doggone salmon is almost impossible to ruin in a smoker! ;) Just saying that for readers that might be concerned that they finally saved up enough to get their BS and think that they now have to add more $tuff........not! Kinda like getting your first boat, gun, ATV, bike, welder, computer, etc.....ALWAYS something new and fun to add but you can do a LOT with the OEM package!
Hi
I went to a cooking class on smoking today and loved it. I don't even have a smoker (yet) but want to thank you for all your great ideas.
Hi Sandma and welcome to the forum.
Great group of folks around here and more than willing to share information. If you haven't been to the recipe site yet just click on the smoker in the bottom of my post. Tons of great stuff there from all the fine folks here on the forum.
Mike
Hello All:
Been lurking a while. Just bought the OBS, Maverick E-73, and the small mesh non-stick racks. Never smoked anything before, but love smoked fish.
Not much salmon in Ohio, but caught 25 Lake Erie Steelhead and decided to try Kummok's method for some of them.
Did one load today and will do another tomorrow. Today's load will become smoked trout spread - tomorrow's will be vacuum sealed.
Took photos w/ my phone but left the download cable at work. Will try to post them Monday.
Steelies came out great. Stayed towards the lower end on the cooking times and applied smoke for 3 out of 5 hours.
Got a very small amount of the white stuff you all talk about but not bad (only about a third of the pieces) - maybe I'll try less time at the 170F level for 2nd batch?
One question for you - My Maverick was reading 15 to 20 degrees highter than the door mounted thermometer. Is this normal and, if it is, which temp should I believe? This time I leaned towards the Maverick.
Thanks for everyone's input on this thread - made my first smoke pretty easy!
By the way, I only fish for Steelies a few times a year - but get hundreds of walleyes throughout the summer and fall. Anyone have a good recipe for smoked walleye?
Jeff in Ohio
Hello Buckeye and welcome to the forum. Trust your ET on the temp. I've got the 6 rack digital smoker and the sensor for that is on the back wall. A remote with the probe near the rack with food on it will be more accurate. Glad to hear your smoked fish turned out for you. Never tried smoked walleye but I would think they might be a bit dry but with the numbers you catch, might be worth trying a batch. Good luck, ask lot's of questions and keep that vent open. ;D
I'm wondering if any one could tell me if you can use the same brine for a second batch or if i should make a new brine for each smoker load ? By the way MMMMMMMGOOD
Shaka,
In my unedumacated opinion I would recommend starting over with a new batch. To avoid cross contamination and figuring that the salts that are preserving the salmon won't have the same strength as in the first batch. IMHO
Quote from: shaka on August 09, 2009, 08:48:38 AM
I'm wondering if any one could tell me if you can use the same brine for a second batch or if i should make a new brine for each smoker load ? By the way MMMMMMMGOOD
Hi Shaka and welcome to the forum.
Hopefully Kummok will along and comment on your question but in my opinion you should never reuse a brine once it's been used. Having said that I will yield to Kummok's expertise because he is the salmon king hands down. ;)
It is fantastic isn't it! 8)
Mike
Quotethe same brine for a second batch
Welcome to the forum shaka.
I would always make up fresh brine from a food safety point of view for the reasons outlined by 10.5.
I agree with all comments on this question, Shaka. Re-using the brine is just plain nasty and not recommended.... Wish I could do that with the large batches I make up...seems wasteful but I'd rather dump the brine than waste the salmon.....
Thanks for the replies I'll be making fresh for the next batch of Coho
When making the Kummok Salmon does the first stage at 120 need to be using a cold smoke setup? I would think so. Also can I continue the cold smoke setup for the rest of the time? Also its not clear is the wood applied at all stages or just the beginning? Thanks!
I've been making it for years w/o a cold smoker, but that's just me. I also smoke the entire period...usually 10-11 pucks...but again, that's just me......you're going to arrive at your own method that works best for your taste after a few batches.
I live in Florida and its about 92-96 F right now. I was under the assumption that even at the lowest setting the temp would go over 120. I have the Auber PID and a cold smoke setup. Maybe I could cold smoke stage one, and then reattach the generator for stage 2 & 3? Or with the PID maybe I could use the cold smoke setup and it would be ok. I guess i'm not sure about the 120 first stage here in Florida. Between the smoke generator and cabinet element I think I wont be able to keep it at a low 120? Any suggestions or am I just totally wrong? Thanks!
Jeff
Jeff
There is no reason you can't use your cold smoke setup for the entire process in conjunction with your PID, especially with your high ambient temps. I have my Bradley setup in a permanent cold smoke setup that I built into my garage so I run mine this way all the time.
Mike
I think I'm spoiled here, Jeff....all of my smoking takes place in the 50°s or below. Great for smoking but sucks for water skiing! ;)
Funny, most people try to escape the cold and come to Florida, I need a vacation from the heat! Kummok, I am jealous.
Anyway, I decided I will go with the cold smoke setup and try my first Kummok Salmon. I bought two wild sockeye filets (about 3lbs) and will give it a shot.
Smoke on, Jeff! Looking forward to your results report!!
OK here is stage 1 "The drying" I sprinkled a little parsley and cayenne on top. Hopefully the pellicle will form in a few hours with the help of a fan. I will smoke later tonight.
(http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/jf7fsu/IMG_0378.jpg)(http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/jf7fsu/IMG_0379.jpg)
OK, I wasn't real happy with my batch of Salmon. I thought it was too salty and overcooked. I may have cooked too long for the size but I'm not sure. I did have some boogers but not a whole lot. I think it came out more like jerky than Kummok Salmon. A few notes I took maybe you guys can suggest some stuff for improvement.
I brined in soy sauce not teriyaki.
I did not rinse after the brine.
I used costco filets and maybe they were too small for the amount of cooking time i did.
I cut up two filets and they were like 1.5 lbs each. I am wondering if I should have cut the cook times in half I used 1.3 @120, 2.3 @132 and .5 at 175.
My thinking is rinse after brine, and cut time down. Since I am in FL I can't catch my own salmon and gotta get it at the store.
Based upon your report, I'd try:
1. All teriyaki - no soy
2. Rinsing never seems to be an issue with me (I don't) but it can't hurt.
3. Fish size looks okay to me...mine is even smaller.
4. Try 120° for 2 hrs, 1 hour @ 140°, and .5 hour @ 165°
(Did you use ice in the brine?)
Most importantly, if you have a vac sealer, vac seal what's left and freeze for a day or two then try taste test again....I always find that it mellows when vac sealed and frozen. If you don't have a vac sealer, just stuff it in a Ziplock bag, suck the air out before zipping closed...actually works fairly well for short term freezing.
I also had a pretty good/moist batch when I mistakenly let my wife help and she accidently doubled the brown sugar in the brine!!
I had the same thought when I tried my first pieces of Salmon done this way that it was too salty. After a couple of days in a vac seal things mellowed out and Everything is great.
Quote from: Kummok on August 14, 2009, 10:34:22 PM
Based upon your report, I'd try:
1. All teriyaki - no soy
2. Rinsing never seems to be an issue with me (I don't) but it can't hurt.
3. Fish size looks okay to me...mine is even smaller.
4. Try 120° for 2 hrs, 1 hour @ 140°, and .5 hour @ 165°
(Did you use ice in the brine?)
Most importantly, if you have a vac sealer, vac seal what's left and freeze for a day or two then try taste test again....I always find that it mellows when vac sealed and frozen. If you don't have a vac sealer, just stuff it in a Ziplock bag, suck the air out before zipping closed...actually works fairly well for short term freezing.
I also had a pretty good/moist batch when I mistakenly let my wife help and she accidently doubled the brown sugar in the brine!!
Thanks for the response Kummok.
I brined it in the fridge after pre chilling the brine. I did cut the recipe by 1/4 for everything since I had a small batch (?). I sealed a small portion for the freezer, and the rest is in the fridge. I will throw the rest in the freezer right now and see what happens.
I was wondering what type of smoker you had, but after futher review, you've doubled the racks for a 4 rack smoker. My 4 rack smoker broke and I was able to keep the racks. I now have a six rack digital smoker. BTY, I used your recipe on Pinks and it worked fine without an heating element.
Off to buy some salmon... Pinks $0.10 lb, Coho $0.75 lb, Kings $1.55 I can get is cheaper if I do some work.. :)
This is what the buyer is paying the local tribes for gill net fish.
Wow! :o :o :o
Man... is that cheap mcalpin1!
I could only wish that I could get that kinda price here! ;)
Mike
Holy crap mcalpin1 that is cheep its more like $8.99 per lb around here
I picked up eight fish and trying this recipe again. I used it on pinks and I received an empty plate approval. I don't know if the rest of you knew the word "pellicle", but I had to look it up. Sounds like a dentist is smoking the salmon.
The prices of salmon changed this week... Pinks are still dirt cheap, but the caviar/vodka consumers had to pay $5 a hen. Kings $1lb, and bright coho.. $1.50 lb. I need to get a great fillet knife..
Pellicle (mycology), the outermost layer of a mushroom; often used only for a surface that is viscid and easily peels.
Pellicle (biology), a thin layer supporting the cell membrane in various protozoa
Pellicle mirror, a thin plastic membrane which may be used as a beam splitter or protective cover in optical systems
Pellicle (dental), the thin layer of salivary glycoproteins deposited on the teeth of many species through normal biologic processes
Pellicle, the protective cover which can be applied to a photomask used in semiconductor device fabrication. The pellicle protects the photomask from damage and dirt.
Pellicle (material), a brand name for a very resistant synthetic material used for covering different surfaces, such as that of the Aeron chair
ok I tried it. overcooked my salmon a bit but seeing as this is the third round of smoked anything for me I did ok.
For the rest of the newbies like myself do yourself a favor and try this recipe. FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The fillets that didn't get overcooked are out of this world.
Kummoks brine with 2hrs of cherry smoke is on top of the recipe favorites for me. :) :D ;D 8)
Shake ;D
"Overcooked" to me means it's time to shake a little Chef Paul's Blackened Redfish Magic in a Ziplock along with the fish and make blackened smoked salmon...another great crowd pleaser! ;)
Hi there Kummok,
I got a strange call today. My wife called and knowing that I will be flying home tomorrow night she said that she will buying some salmon tomorrow so that I would smoke them for us on Friday. She always enjoyed smoked food but has nothing to do with the work involved. She said that she will have them brined your way for me ( I arrive around 2 AM Friday morning) and the she added by she wants them smoked Kummok's way. It was a shocker to me/. Apparently she's been reading through the forum.
HR
She's a smart lady HR! ;) :D
Ya just can't beat it! ;)
Mike
Youare right on the money Mr. Walleye,
after two weeks away on business trip, I miss my wife, kids, dog and my Bradley smoker. But not necessarily in that order.
HR
Quote from: Hopefull Romantic on September 09, 2009, 09:31:34 AM
Youare right on the money Mr. Walleye,
after two weeks away on business trip, I miss my wife, kids, dog and my Bradley smoker. But not necessarily in that order.
HR
Darn I forgot she's been reading through the forum. Just kidding honey ::)
HR
She's DEFINITELY a keeper, HR!! I can't get my wife to handle the fish....she loves it but doesn't like the prep smells..... :'( Too bad, too....she REALLY wanted to help a while back so I told her that she could mix up the brine. She misread the marking on the bags of brown sugar, doubled it, and we ended up with the best squaw candy EVER!!
I am new to The Forum but have enjoyed following the thread and learning a great deal from you all. Actually, I have smoked salmon, steelhead and other fish for over forty years and thought I had it down until I bought my new Digital, four tray, Bradley. What a shock......... Like trying to teach an "Old Dog" new tricks! Here is where I need help......... How can I get the deep smoked color I was use to with my old smokers on Salmon? Especially on white King. And, how does opening the shutter on the top of the smoker affect the smoked flavor and color of the finished product? The nice folks at Bradley couldn't answer and referred me to the forum. Help! :( :(
Orca One
Hiya Orca, welcome to the forum. I personally can't help you but someone will be shortly that can.
Just wanted to say greeting and home to see around forum again.
Hi Orca One;
Welcome to the forum. There are many that smoke a lot of salmon, hopefully you will soon get responses. I only smoke salmon occasionally.
As for the vent openings, this link may be helpful:
What is the purpose of the vent? (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showpost.php?p=780&postcount=22)
Welcome to the forum Orca.
HR
Welcome to the fun Orca.
Hi Orca One--welcome to the forum. It sounds like you are going through the same learning curve of "new tricks" that I went through with the Bradley and fish. One thing I thought re the colour of your fish is the temperature. If you are using Kummock's kippering technique (raising the temp gradually) you might try starting out at the lowest temp with no smoke and wait until the 2nd temp change to put your pucks on. The reason for this is salmon will take on more colour if you hit it with the smoke at a higher ambient temperature as opposed to a lower one. I wouldn't hit it with a longer smoke time because it will still take on a smokey taste at a lower temperature but it doesn't show with as much colour.
Cheers,
T2
PS--
I'm sitting at my computer(sicker than a dog) looking out at a beautiful sunny Juan de Fuca strait, wishing I was out looking for winter springs.
Sorry for delayed response, O-1....After 20 years w/ a Mac, I finally suffered a crash on my laptop I couldn't (rather, I WOULDN'T!) fix myself so I've been offline as I've been traveling since Oct.
As far as making the white King darker, I wouldn't even recommend messing with that nasty stuff...better to just send it to me for proper disposal..... ;) ;) ;D Kidding aside, I've thrown the white in with the rest and never even tried to get the color different so can't give you experienced advice on how to get it darker. Mine turns out kinda carmally, maple syrupy looking but has the proper oily King texture and tastes great. I've commented myself that the white doesn't present as well but defy anyone to tell the difference in a dark room! ;)
Hope you're well by now T2....I was going to suggest to you that when you locate the missing winter springs (is that an oxymoron?!?!?), slap a couple on the behind and send them North, but I've been hangin out in Mexico, Arizona and SoCal of late so I'd miss 'em anyway! Should be back in time to make some ptarmigan nervous though!
Kummok-- I'll slap those springs on the behind and put them right in my smoker!! ;D I'm feeling better but I have been too busy between working and house renovations to get out fishing. As today was a holiday I was working on the house--nice sunny day--and I look out at the bay below my place and there's a #$%%$* guy anchored up fishing halibut! Talk about rubbing a guy's nose in it! Oh well, we're within a few weeks of being finished so we'll get everything back in order for Christmas. One of these days you're going to have to fall off the trail North and come to the island for a visit. The boys are saying the springs are here--8 to 14 lbs--small but hungry.
T2
I would like to report my success.
I tried Kumok's recipe, but used only 1 lb of demera sugar. I had picked up 3 fresh frozen pinks from the local store relatively inexpensive, figuring that if I stuffed up the recipe it would not be to expensive. That recipe makes for a lot of brine I discovered, so I poured about half of it into a cleaned out Ice Cream bucket, put the lid on it and into the fridge for the future (before the fish went in). I could have poured off more...but thats all about learning right! Fish were filleted while still partly frozen, cut into 3/4" - 1" slices and then into the brine. I bought a rubbermaid tote just for food processing, fits perfectly in the fridge. 12 hours or so later I took them out of the brine, and realized I had forgotten to pull the little bones out. It is a lot more work to pull the bones out after the fish is cut up ...Dooh! I had also found some cake cooling racks at the grocery store, that, with a little modification fit right into the bottom of the bradley racks. Set up to form a pellicle and back into the fridge for a few hours.. Well life and family happened, so I got back to them 14 hours later! No harm, nice pellicle formed. So into my almost new Digital smoker. 1.5 hours at 120 (lowest setting), 3 hours at 140, and ~1 hour at 180, with maple smoke for 2 hours, they were done. When I first tasted them I was a little disappointed, to salty I thought, then I realized it wasn't the salt but Cayenne I was getting...Maybe to hot? Certainly edible, maybe to hot? Couple of other people tried it and pronounced it good. Maybe to hot I kept on thinking? Next day I had some more...not to hot, good...perhaps a touch more sugar. Most important test was the wife test though! She likes them! Not bad for a second adventure with the Bradley!
Thanks to everyone who has shared their wisdom here!
James
Well,
I'm trying this recipe for my first time. I'm brining overnight 7 pounds of salmon from Costco. I plan to give it about 14 hours, then take it out for most of the day tomorrow while my country style pork ribs are smokin, then smoke the salmon tomorrow night, freeze it, and take it out for mother's day.
I have 2 questions:
1) Does anybody know how long this recipe will last in the refrigerator? If I smoke it Monday, will it be okay Sunday? Or, should I freeze it and just take it out the day before?
2) The recipe makes a lot of brine. I noted in the forum that the brine can be reused? Can I reuse it even though it has been used to brine the salmon already? Could I just store it in an old gallon milk jug? Would it need to be refrigerated?
Thanks! Can't wait to try it!
Ethan
I would not re-use the brine. you could scale back the ingredients so it doesn't make so much.
My last batch kept in the fridge more than a week, and the food police did not harass me.
Hi Phone Guy;
To save on some clean up; instead of using cooling racks, I invert the Bradley trays. This elevates the salmon so a good pellicle can form on all sides.
Made this yesterday with Kummok's recipe. I used the soy and cut all the ingredient amounts in half except the garlic powder which I forgot to cut in half. I was only making 5lbs tops so I didn't need that much brine. Came out really good, not to sweet or salty. Cooking times and temps got a bit screwy. It was over 90 outside and was hard to regulate the temps.
Thanks for the recipe, it was my first time smoking salmon.
1w1
Kummock: When I used your brine on a batch of fresh sockeyes from Chitina, they came out fine. When I repeated with the same brine receipe after the fish had been frozen a couple of weeks, that batch came out WAY too salty. A friend had the same experience. My guess is that freezing causes expansion of the water in the cells of the meat, causing the cell walls to break, which lets the salt penetrate more easily. Judging from this experience, I would cut the salt at least in half when using frozen fish.
I don't remember seeing others comment on this here. Have others had the same experience?
BTW, the same thing happened on my second batch of Caribou jerky made with frozen vs. fresh meat --- different receipe, but same over-salted result with identical marinade (soy + garlic) when I used frozen meat.
Comments?
Thanks, Don in Fairbanks
Quote from: Dancindon on August 23, 2010, 12:20:33 PM
Kummock: When I used your brine on a batch of fresh sockeyes from Chitina, they came out fine. When I repeated with the same brine receipe after the fish had been frozen a couple of weeks, that batch came out WAY too salty. A friend had the same experience. My guess is that freezing causes expansion of the water in the cells of the meat, causing the cell walls to break, which lets the salt penetrate more easily. Judging from this experience, I would cut the salt at least in half when using frozen fish.
I don't remember seeing others comment on this here. Have others had the same experience?
BTW, the same thing happened on my second batch of Caribou jerky made with frozen vs. fresh meat --- different receipe, but same over-salted result with identical marinade (soy + garlic) when I used frozen meat.
Comments?
Thanks, Don in Fairbanks
You may be on to something here. When meat is frozen slowly, such as in a home refrigerator jagged ice crystals form and damage the cells. Because the cell are damaged when the meat thaws the cells loose a lot of their liquid. You may have notice this liquid lost when you thawed the fish. Since there is a smaller amount of liquid in the cells; it may be that during osmosis there is not exchange of liquid, but just almost full strength brine filling the empty cells.
I've recently read members brining their fish while it thaws (I wouldn't do this on thick cuts of meat). Probably osmosis would properly occur under those conditions.
I haven't noticed any changes in that regard but, since it involves personal taste, it might be that my 60 year old taste buds are shot!?!? ;) If it's repeatable then I'd think you're on to something. The explanations offered certainly sound plausible (but then again, so do the explanations I've heard for buying a Shar-Pei .... :o ;) )
While I don't have that same experience with my own smoking processes, I do know that there are several issues associated with freezing salmon and using again for food, e.g. pre/post rigor freezing, brine freezing, gaping, etc which deal more with commercial processing. This website gives you more info on brining than most brains want to endure http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/70/Brining Additionally, this website actually gives you some lab time to conduct your own brine experiments, (be certain to take a match and lighter fluid to use on your hair just in case you need a valid to run out of the lab screaming "Too much info!, Too much info!") http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/28308-brining/ I find both sites extremely helpful to better understanding the process of brining...but then again, I don't buy Shar-Peis! :o ) Token apologies in advance to any Shar-Pei owners seeing this post....not for my comments but for the fact of you actually owning one :-\
Your theory is sound and I suspect HabS has hit it on the head. Freezing does cause the water in the cells to expand and it can rupture cell walls. Slower freezing produces larger crystals that are more apt to damage or break cell walls. That is one of the reasons why many frozen food processors now use flash freezing with liquid nitrogen. The effect is more pronounced with goods that typically have high water content cells, such as vegetables - they tend to get mushy from cell damage and fracture in the freezing process.
Hi,
New to smoking fish and trying Kummoks recipe on Northern Pike. Was wondering if I should rotate the racks around in the smoker or just leave them racked as is? Thanks much!
Rotate them around.
Welcome aboard as well
Kummok, I bow to your mad fish smokin skills man, I did three racks of Alaskan caught Salmon on Monday. It was to say the least incredible. Smoked it on Alder and the fish was in the marinade for about 7 days. Holly crap this is good. I can't wait to do some more. ;D
ThanX for the kudos WaterKC. I'd love to take the credit but, truth be told, it's the salmon that deserves it. The recipe I posted years back has always just been meant as encouragement to help nudge folks off the starting block and let the salmon do its own magic! ;) You can also try it with other fish, venison, moose, caribou and see if it works out as well for your own taste....
well if your still in the Socal area let me know, I would like to get you a beer. Thanks again, I am hooked on the Salmon but that is nothing new. I have always luv'd it. hehe
Just thought I would add the photos.
(http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/xx247/waterkc/Smoked%20Salmon/salmon.jpg)
Left there in 2002...used to waterski year round on Elsinore's green water (heard it's been cleaned up). Would love to take you up on the suds offer if/when I get down there again...I'll bring the smoked King!
awesome, Can't wait to have that beer. I have 3lbs going on the marinade right now. Will smoke this weekend.
Question do you rinse the fish off after you take it out of the brine?
Some do...I don't. Never seen anything convincing that pushes me in either direction so I follow the path of least resistance and eliminate that unnecessary (for me) step....
Hi guys/gals,
I am having trouble keeping this new smoker at 140F for the 2-4 hours. If I set the digital temp to 140F it is jumping up to 149F. And when I set it to 130F its dropping down to 119 or so. I have the vent fully opened right now as the coho was done in a wet brine.
Is it safe to assume to just cook it at the lower temperature over a longer period? Then kick it up to 175F to finish?
Mike
That's quite common to have those temp swings like that. Especially when items first go in and are colder than the temp setting. If it ran up to 149, I'll bet if you left it alone it probably dropped down to around 130 or so. That's the nature of the BDS's heating element. It's either on(heating) or off(not heating). As the salmon gets warmer, you will notice the temp swings lessen. Once you set the BDS, leave it alone. Don't try to "chase" the temp you want. You will drive yourself crazy.
Thank Kynola,
I was starting to wonder if this was more work than necessary. I will take your advice and enjoy a scotch. ;)
Mike
Cheers!
Well thanks again Kynola!
The salmon turned out amazing, and once you informed me of the temperature adjusting itself my afternoon was totally relaxed. I believe im really going to enjoy this new digital toy. ;)
Mike
Ok Alberta, now that you are all chummy with your smoker, let me introduce you to the next asset in smoked salmon perfection. I give you the "Auberin's PID Temperature Controller". It will make your life so simple and your salmon and sausage to perfection. If you are not already familliar with them, they will tighten your temp swings to 2 to 3 degrees and do your temp ramps for you. You will never be sorry for getting one of these. And if you do a long smoke like a overnight pork butt or a brisket it will do all the work and you can sleep without worry.
That sounds great, I have been up for the better part of 2 days now smoking nonstop, and have another 15 pounds of salmon hitting the smoker at 10pm tonight. Where in Canada do I go to get one of these PID's for my DBS?
Mike
I think you will have to order out of the states. I am not sure there is a CDN distributor for them. But if you google search "Auberin's" you will get the website and you can get their # and phone them. They will ship it real quick. They (from what I have heard) have great customer service like Bradley's. You will get it fast.
Ordered one of the PID controllers myself. Also ordered a set of the puck savers from the same company. Ordered them through ebay under bradley smokers. They were shipped Oct 02 and arrived Oct 29 by mail. I'm not sure what happened but I imagine customs had some inspecting to do because of an electronic timer being sent through the mail. Gonna try it out this weekend.
Oh Boy! This sounds like a winner!
I am going to abandon my attempts to simulate the sharp taste of Kodiac Is. smoked salmon using rice vinegar as the base liquid. It was edible....but I would not stand in line to try more.
Your menu is accomplished and verified by others here. That is enough for me.
Thanks a bunch for sharing! ;D -Larry
Having trouble with using Cheyenne pepper in a test brine mix with water. Whether I heat the water or leave it cold, some of the pepper remains in suspension and most will accumulate at the bottom whether stirred vigorously or not.
Does the pepper stick to one of the other ingredients as part of Kummock's brine mix for an even distribution of the pepper in his liquid brine mix?
Sprinkling pepper on the fish after brining will not work well for me.... I am bound to get "hot spots" and the measure will be difficult to control too.
Quote from: albertapoacher on October 04, 2010, 02:26:23 PM
Thank Kynola,
I was starting to wonder if this was more work than necessary. I will take your advice and enjoy a scotch. ;)
Mike
Scotch? :D. I like good scotch and a good cigar to go with it. I'd better go hunting for another salmon or 2 ;)
Love this recipe. Have some whitefish that I am waiting for the pellicle to form. Gonna smoke em up tomorrow morning.
I've tried some smoke whitefish and it's pretty good, at least the stuff I had. I've tried whitefish fried, and baked. Didn't care for it all. Too soft a flesh IMO but smoked, it's good.
Whitefish in smoker. Hanging steak style as I am still trying to replicate Calumet Fisheries. I have a pic, but how to get it on here? ??? ???
I suspect now you need to have the picture on a site already and can link to it, but you cannot upload directly right?
So, rather dumb question:
Is there a certain temperature or range that the Glazing process should take place at?
Can the fish sit in the fridge or is that too....?
Thanks!
Dave
Room temp has always worked for me.....my room temps are normally in the mid 60s F and I always use a low speed fan....cooler is better for the meat. I know some folks that pellicle in the reefer but I don't...not enough air circulation for my tastes.....also likely to get unwanted flavor transfers....
Perfect! Thanks. I kinda figured that about the fridge since the fish would be sitting there uncovered, kinda like how the ice in a freezer can get the flavor and scent of the other stuff in there.
More questions, is there a "it sat at the glaze phase for too long" time? Ie. It sat over night and glaze happened rather quickly but I fell asleep and didn't get to it until morning. Can it sit in the fridge sealed up after it glazes for a bit?
i didn't think it was safe to leave the fish outside overnight, so i always glaze it in the fridge for 12 hours or more. sometimes up to 24 hours.
In the Smoking time, are you giving the fish smoke through the entire process, or smoke the 1st couple of hours, then just heat?
OK, This smoked salmon rocks. I am a 2 week old owner of the Digital 4 rack and just did my first salmon. I followed the Kummok brine/glaze/smoke guidelines and couldn't be happier. Tailgating at the Cardinal game just stepped up a bunch of notches. My buddies are going to flip over this tomorrow. Who cares that we don't have a QB, we have smoked salmon, jalapeno poppers and burgers. Thanks Kummok!
Hi there...I'm getting ready to smoke some steelhead and salmon this afternoon and I have a couple Qs...first, is it really neccessary to cut the fish into little strips like this recipe calls for? I have always smoked my fish in 1/2 full fillets. At what setting do you generally keep the vent on top when smoking the fish? Or is this depending on how strong you want the smoke flavor? Thanks in advance.
Quote from: ShutUpNFish on December 15, 2010, 08:15:25 AM
Hi there...I'm getting ready to smoke some steelhead and salmon this afternoon and I have a couple Qs...first, is it really neccessary to cut the fish into little strips like this recipe calls for? I have always smoked my fish in 1/2 full fillets. At what setting do you generally keep the vent on top when smoking the fish? Or is this depending on how strong you want the smoke flavor? Thanks in advance.
The vent is not used for smoke control. You want the vent open to release moisture that can keep your temps down, and cause black rain on your food.
You don't have to cut the salmon that small, although you may need to adjust the cooking times. For even cooking its important that the pieces are of similar size.
The size of the meat is strictly according to personal tastes and discussed more specifically in other 'Fish' threads. It will however, have an effect on pellicle forming and smoking times....essentially, the bigger the chunk of meat the longer the pellicle and smoking times....(not talking major time differentials). I have "evolved" into 1-1.5" bite-size chunks because I like the smokey outsides (kind like making just muffin TOPs!)....they take a bit longer to process into bite size but hey, I'm retired!!
Venting is more about releasing moisture than smoke flavor....very important to vent when smoking fish....I usually run the vent 1/2 to 3/4 open and close it a bit during the last hour...
I always try to give this "disclaimer"....
Salmon is especially forgiving....you might hit exactly what you're after on your first smoke but most of us have dialed it in for our own tastes after a few more experimental smokes....meanwhile the "mistakes" are delicious!!
Was smoke applied the whole time?
Johnk5555--Don't apply smoke the whole time--it will be too smokey. I usually do 2 to 2 1/2 hours of smoke--the rest is just cooking/drying.
I'm putting in 8 racks of strips this AM.
T2
I only smoke for 3.5 hours, (because of the size of meat I make), and I apply smoke the entire time...but that's just me...Like T2, most salmon smokers I know don't smoke for the last hour.
N00b here. I gave a rather nice fillet to a friend of mine earlier in the week to smoke. He followed your recipe Kummok. It hasn't rested much yet but I cracked into a pack for my office and just had my first taste. After a few bites I went online and bought a Bradley. Fantastic recipe. Thank you for posting.
Wow...ThanX!...great compliment to the recipe, Bradley, AND your friend! Welcome to the wonderful world of Bradley smokers!!
Should I be SMOKING constantly, or smoke for half of the cooking time? (how many bisquettes??)
Thanx - Drewsky(rookie)
See posts above....if you're smoking my way, (all smoke ~ all the time), it's 10 pucks for the 3.5 hours....again, it depends upon the size of the meat you're smoking; whole fillets will take a bit longer. If you're smoking just the first couple hours, 6-7 pucks (@ 20 min/puck). The great thing about salmon is that even your first attempt will be delicious, then you modify to your own tastes from there! Smoke on!!
Hey Drewsky,
You should be smoking constantly.
Oh, you mean the salmon. ;D
I smoke using Kummok's method, but shorten the smoke time to 1 hour and 20 minutes (4 pucks).
Good luck and enjoy.
Carter
Do you use the recipe exactly? Including the Garlic? I like Garlic in salads but wonder whether it dominates when used for salmon smoking?
I've got a few Sockeye and quite a bit of Spring Salmon (Canadian for King Salmon) that I'm going to be smoking but as I've never done my own, I'm just checking on the recipe.
Smoked some Bear sausage and a Bear ham today and it turned out great!!
Thanks,
Pat
First Time smoking in my DBS, so I got some salmon from a friend. Used Kummok recipe. I think I did a couple things wrong
1. I let the fish stay in the brine for 14 hours, but I think I rushed the pellicle process, it was out in the garage with a fan blowing on it for about 3 hours.
2. I think that the meat was really thick, a lot thicker than what I have seen stores sell. I followed the steps for smoking, 120F, 140F, 175F, and used the longer time in each step, total time 8 hours. I checked the fish after 8 hours and it was still a little raw. So I let it cook for another 4 hours at 180f.
So At 0023 I pulled the fish out, took a sample, and to my delight it was great. Gave some to my neighbor to get feed back, he liked it. I wonder how much better this would have tasted if I did it right. It's still good :D
Hi time2smoke;
Welcome to the forum.
The length of cooking time depends on many factors that are related to those that slow the smoker's recovery time. The sooner the cabinet comes up to the ideal cooking time the less time it will take to fully cook the salmon to the texture you like. On the other hand if you have a large load, or wrong vent setting or if it is windy, or if you open the door too frequently, and any combination that will add additional time to your smoke/cook.
The most important factor is the finished product. :)
Hello all;
Regarding the smoke time, I usually let it roll the entire time the fish are in the smoker since my cuts are fairly large. The type of wood will also make a difference. I've mostly used Alder, but I think Maple is even better. With the last two batches I've used Oak -- which I'm told is common for fish in Europe -- and the results are wonderful. It has a more distinctively smoke taste than Alder, but certainly not overpowering.
One thing I have experimented with lately is cutting the entire belly off the full fillet. The fat content must be 25% higher than the rest of the fish, and it's a real delight.
Rich
Quote from: Smokeville on March 24, 2011, 05:37:12 AM
...One thing I have experimented with lately is cutting the entire belly off the full fillet. The fat content must be 25% higher than the rest of the fish, and it's a real delight.
Rich
CAUTION, Rich...you are now approaching Nirvana!! The fat belly is the best part of the best food in the world....brine a little longer, pellicle a little longer, smoke a bit longer...we call it 'salmon bacon'!
Note to TimeToSmoke:
You've just experienced the two best rules of salmon smoking; #1. No matter how much you THINK you did wrong, it will still taste GREAT!, so #2. Just go ahead and smoke it! ;)
Hi Kummok;
I just started a thread on Belly.... Next time I will try what you suggest. The belly seems to be a lot like Sablefish in the way it should be prepped and smoked.
It truly is wonderful. I've also been putting lemon/pepper spice on as it forms the pellicle....
Rich
I made this yesterday and was VERY IMPRESSED with the results. Many people have compared it to candied salmon. Only few differences I made was, it soaked in the brine (made exactly as per instructions) for 36-hrs (by accident) and I used Maple chips using the cooking method stated. WOW...have we ever got a winner here. Wife has now given me permission to spend her entire paycheque to go purchase more salmon and do the same..:D. Wish I had access to fresh (not farmed) salmon but, considering I am land-locked,..I'll take what I can get....I have a feeling peeps are going to start pounding down my door.....pic's of finished product to follow.
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb337/banff_springs/Salmon_smoke_May_2011_0002.jpg)
A HUGE Thanks to everyone in this forum that was a silent "partner" in helping me do my first batch of salmon successfully.
See you on the flip-side..
I want to do your recipe to the tee but my salmon doesn't have the skin on it. I bought two slabs of Salmon that are Atlantic farm raised they are each 1.5 lbs and without skin. Should i leave the slabs intact or can I cut them into 2" pieces like you do? Will they be OK right on the SS Rack that came with the smoker or should I lay them on Cedar Planks and smoke them on that?
I also have 1 10lb picnic pork roast and one baby back that I plan to smoke at the same time to utilize the open space in the smoker. I'm planning on keeping the Salmon on the top so nothing from the pork drips on the salmon. I also know that the 3.5 hours required for the Salmon won't be nearly enough time for the roast. so once the Salmon is done I can up the temperature and finish the roast.
Thanks
Clare
I have use Kummock recipe with Atlantic salmon without skin and it works just as well. I followed the recipe, have placed them on the regular racks that came with the smoker and they held together. Remove the salmon from the racks while they are still warm. The racks are not stainless steel, they are some type of chrome plated metal, in the future you may want to consider fogmats, that can be purchased from Yard & Pool. Cedar planks will not provide any additional flavor is you plan on using the planks in the Bradley. They will not get hot enough for the planks to smoke. If you are using the planks over a grill that will work.
I generally will not smoke salmon and something else at the same time. Kummok's salmon, and your picnic and ribs require different cooking methods, and wood flavors. Loading your smoker will also increase the time it will take to recover and it will take more then 3.5 hours to finish your salmon. This may keep your picnic and BB ribs in the danger zone for too long. Although smoke has some antimicrobial properties, you may be looking at a lengthy time. In addition, cooking that low for too long my dry out your ribs.
I would cook/smoke seperately. If you cook all together, I would use 225°F - 250°F, but your salmon will have a different texture, and may fall apart.
Thanks for the advise habanero. That's why i also listed my plans of the additional pork, to get some feedback. I appreciate the advise and I'll heed it. I also had two Pheasant breasts that i was going to smoke at the same time and i think i'll still do them as they're small and should take about the same time as the salmon to smoke. I plan on wrapping the pheasant breasts in bacon to keep them from drying out.
Cool tip on the frogmats. looks like a good web site, i can also pick up a couple bubba pucks to stop half burning some pucks.
Hi Everyone ;D
Just got a Bradley yesterday! After a few years of using that "other" kind lol- with great success I might add- I'm moving on up ;D
Thanks to this forum I have a little better understanding on how variating temperatures works. Got my salmon in my brine last night and looking forward to using it later today.
Quote from: balboa on May 23, 2011, 09:36:23 AM
Hi Everyone ;D
Just got a Bradley yesterday! After a few years of using that "other" kind lol- with great success I might add- I'm moving on up ;D
Thanks to this forum I have a little better understanding on how variating temperatures works. Got my salmon in my brine last night and looking forward to using it later today.
Hi balboa and welcome to the forum
I have used this recipe several times with great success. I think you will like the way it turns out and it's pretty hard to screw it up. Remember we like pictures so get that camera out and post away
Welcome Balboa!
Yup you will enjoy that recipe, and as he stated dont be shy to experiment with it. I change out the water for a bottle of white wine, and it adds a nice flavour to the salmon. Some guys add JD or dark rum. Mind you be careful or you will soon be spending 60$ per brine before you know it haha.
And as Devo said, pics are great!
Ok all you experts please tell me how to keep the salmon from sticking to the racks. I just finished an 8 hr smoke and they came out great but I had to scrape them off the racks.
Also I used Kummok's brine and it seemed to be too sweet (and I have a terrible sweet tooth), any suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
You can adjust the sweetness to your taste. Just use less sugar. As for the sticking problem, well it is tricky. I spray my racks with Pam but they still stick some. I flip the racks over and just ease the skin loose from the racks with my finger nail. You can get some frog mats from Yard and Pool. They work great from what everyone says. I will get be getting some soon myself.
Tried this for the first time today. With an Auber PID and OBS in ambient I could not get lower than 135 and I was not going to bother with ice or breaking out the home made cold smoke rig. Cut about an hour or so off of the mid temp smoke time and I think the finished product is fantastic. I'll vac pac it and sample again in a few days. All apple smoke for the first hour then one puck of hickory then another 40 minutes of apple.
Can you reuse your brine ? If s just add more salt. How soon after your done your smoke salmon can you vac PAC for maximum flavor ?
It is not safe to reuse the brine. The recipe as written will brine at least 16 pounds of salmon. If you don't need that much brine you can alway halve or quarter the recipe etc.
Quote from: Captainkirk on June 16, 2011, 09:27:14 PM
Can you reuse your brine ? If s just add more salt. How soon after your done your smoke salmon can you vac PAC for maximum flavor ?
Hab hit the "re-use" nail on the head, Captain Kirk.....as far as the "How soon after...." question, the sooner the better. Be certain to try it fresh outta the smoker before vac sealing so you can see if you prefer it fresh smoked or vac sealed...it's a matter of taste and both ways are great but I personally prefer the vac sealed and frozen step before indulging.....
Well, first attempt at smoking fish, and it was a complete FAILURE! I decided to use Kummoks recipe so that I can have a successful middle ground to work with (If I didnt like something I can change it next time). My salmon became dried out, pasty meat bricks. I used copper river, and monkfish, about 5 pounds worth, cut to spec, marinated to spec, and temps (see below) to spec. The only thing I did was put my times directly in the center of what was suggested. Since I didnt know how oily this was compared to others, I opted for the middle ground. If it says 1-2 hours at 100*, I did it for 1 1/2 hours etc for all the times...
Well, it came out terribly. Even at the 100* step I was getting white fat, so I dont know how this could be low enough. So I lowered the heat of the next two stages down 10*.
This is before the cooking began...
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c268/hackk/921587824_photobucket_82639_.jpg)
after
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c268/hackk/921587824_photobucket_82643_.jpg)
Sorry to hear that your smoke/cook did not go well.
The type of fish may have something to do with your outcome, I'm not familiar with all species of salmon. I see you have at least two temperature probe wires, but I can't see where the probes are actually placed. To me it appears that at least one in monitoring the IT and the other the cabinet temperature. If one or more are monitoring the cabinet temperature, the placement of the probe looks too close to the fish. Place the probe below the bottom rack. If you have to place the probe on the rack with the fish or meat make sure the tip of the probe is at least 3 inches from the meat.
If the probe is too close to the fish it will register a lower temperature then the actual cabinet temperature. The lowering of the temperature close to the surface of the meat is due to moisture evaporation from the fish while it is cooking. For large cuts of meat this could mean a difference of up to 40°F at the beginning of the cook time, of course for salmon the difference will be much less.
you know Habanero, you may have just hit the nail on the head! That makes perfect sense as to why the heat was too great. That didnt even register in my head. Thank you, and Im glad I posted a picture
You da man Kummok.
My first attempt turned out amazing !
Dried and ready for the smoker.
(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f241/centurycigar/photo1-9.jpg)
All done.
(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f241/centurycigar/photo2-9.jpg)
Love the pics of your results, Century....great to see how much fun and good eatin' that you're having with your smoker!
Got my first batch brining right now. First lesson learned about Kummoks brine recipe...it makes a lot! I had 3 lbs of Silver and I only needed about half at most.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qTp4ZbYCAXE/TjSqCO382LI/AAAAAAAAAvg/-n7AUAeKBJw/s720/DSC_0004.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pFPGh1j2IRs/TjSqXxT5qgI/AAAAAAAAAvo/C4_sKuSEX4o/s720/DSC_0006.JPG)
Very nice Winestein. You are going to love it.
Just finished reading through this whole thread and decided i'll have to give Kummoks recipe a shot. I was using a basic brine and it worked out great last year but for some reason the batch I did last week didn't turn out so great. I've got 30 Copper River red filets in the big freezer that I am pulling out tomorrow to thaw and I was wondering if this would be a good time to pull those bones out? My smoker isn't electric but is propane heated but I think I can control the temps close enough to what is recommended in this thread.
One thing about the salmon sticking to the racks, I think it's the sugar in the brine that is causing it to stick because I used a good amount of Pam on my racks when I smoked my salmon last week and they still stuck pretty good. I don't see a way to eliminate this without eliminating the sugar (won't do that!). Anyhow, this is an awesome thread and I can't wait to try this recipe. Headed back down to the Copper River for another 25 more reds next week!
Missed the Copper River trip this year, AKHomeBuilt :'( Glad to see that you're making up for my loss! ;) ;) You're right about the sugar "glue" on the racks of course....next time you're in ANC, go to AK Butcher Supply (have someone cover you...it's in Mountain View!! :o ) and get some frogmat...or better yet, save the trip and order from Bryan at http://www.yardandpool.com/High-Temperature-Jerky-Drying-Screen-p/hitempjrky.htm and just shake your fish off next time!!
I've got my 44 for when I travel down Mtn View..........lol
What's the secret to getting those danged bones out before you smoke your fish Kummok?
If you're talking about the pin bones, I use a small pair of curved needle nose pliers. I also let the slabs stay in the reefer for 2-3 days, wrapped in paper towels, so the bones stiffen a bit. A little extra work but really worth it
Quote from: AkHomeBuilt on August 03, 2011, 12:57:32 PM
One thing about the salmon sticking to the racks, I think it's the sugar in the brine that is causing it to stick because I used a good amount of Pam on my racks when I smoked my salmon last week and they still stuck pretty good. I don't see a way to eliminate this without eliminating the sugar (won't do that!).
Here's another product that works also.
http://www.smokehouseproducts.com/prod_detail.cfm?ProductNo=9749-016-0000&CategoryID=33&SizeID=0
Pros: $25.99 for five 10" X 16" sheets (Smokehouse) vs. $7.99 for one 10" X 13" sheet (Frogmat)
Cons: 250o F (Smokehouse) vs. 550o F (Frogmat)
I bought mine at Sportsman's Warehouse about 6 years ago. They work very well with jerky and fish. A quick check on-line shows them available through several outlets.
Got all my red filets smoked up this weekend and man are they good! I omitted the garlic and cayenne and also added a bit more water, a little less teriyaki and they came out fantastic. Probably the best salmon I have made to date. I bought 2 9 gallon Rubbermaid containers, put my brine in them then added the filets. I filled 2 1 gallon ziplock bags with ice and put them over the top of the brine/filets which acted as a weight to hold the filets down in the brine so they would be completely submerged. Then I put each Rubbermaid container inside a cooler and filled them with ice. It worked out great and my filets stayed nice a cold inside my garage.
I also found a cure for removing the salmon from the grates without them sticking. I sprayed the grates heavily with some Pam and pulled them off as soon as they were done and it worked like a charm. Wish I had some pics but I was too busy to take any.
Love to hear about all your use of ice...you DO know how to care for salmon, AKHomeBuilt!! :)
BTW, what did you build at home in Alaska?
I built my smoker which resides in my backyard. Installed a Bradley Smoke Generator in it last week and it uses propane for heat. I also installed 2 temps probes on the left side, one just above the first rack and the other above the top rack. Drilled 2 vent holes on the upper backside and I use outlet covers to adjust airflow but it does need a few more along the sides. I've got quite a few compliments on it and have to say she does look pretty good for my first one. These pics are before I added the smoke generator.
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p126/M70fan/SmokerAug2010001.jpg) (http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p126/M70fan/SmokerAug2010003.jpg) (http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p126/M70fan/SmokerAug2010005.jpg)
Great looking smoker! Glad I asked...and even more glad that you responded....w/ pics, no less!! Good size smoker and just in time for the great Red return we had this year and moose opener just around the corner
Thanks Kummok, appreciate the comments. Got back Wednesday night after dipping the Copper for most of the day, got another 25 reds to finish off my limit plus a 10 fish supplemental. Looks like i'll be smoking some more this weekend. Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself (dipping the Copper) but seeing the end result makes it all worth it.
Dipping the canyon is an experience that everyone (who is physically capable!) should do...very rewarding terror!! Actually not that terrifying but all that separates you from sheer terror and probable death is one little slip of the shoes... :o
No doubt, especially when the water level is up, it can be downright scarey! Right now the river is almost 5 feet lower than it was 3 weeks ago, I actually had trouble finding a good place to dip but once I did, it was game on! Your recipe is a darn good starting place for a brine, everyone loves the batch I just finished last weekend, now I have to do some more. I'm going to smoke 18 more reds and will done for the year. I might try and make some jerky from a dall ram if I manage to get my sights on one in a couple of weeks.
I can personally vouch for this same brine being great for smoking moose but haven't tried it for Dall......
Kummok's for dummies.... ;)
1- Cut the brine recipe in half so that it fits in a stock pot.
2- Obtain 5lbs of boneless/skinless salmon.
3- Cut the salmon into 1.5" strips.
4- Brine for 24 hours in the fridge with a a lid and steamer basket on top to push the salmon down.
5- Stir it 3 times throughout to mix it all up.
6- Spray your bradley racks with a non-offensive non-stick spray. I like butter flavor from business Costco.
7- Fill 3 racks with tightly spaced salmon strips that aren't touching.
8- Pre-heat bradley with a full water pan and get smoke going.
9- Put racks in the 2nd through 4th position, without the salmon getting too close to the thermometer.
10- Smoke for 2 hours at 120, then increase 10 degrees every 30 min until 170.
11- Leave at 170 for 1 hour.
12- Set aside a few pieces for yourself.
13- Vacuum pack the rest of the strips and give them to your wife to distribute to her friends and family.
I've been following these instructions for the entire summer, and so far, my marriage is going quite well.
CHEERS,
jack
Wait till the fall when you run out of fish. Then the pusher man will be in trouble,uh huh. You get them all addicted and then cut them off, you will see how fast the marriage goes south. ;D ;D >:(
Caught this 40 lb Tyee (Chinook) yesterday in Barkley Sound. Into the brine this morning and then it's smoker time for this unit!!! Going to use a variation of this recipe.
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u136/toolguy65/IMG_0937.jpg)
Quote from: forkliftdriver on August 13, 2011, 11:20:55 PM
Kummok's for dummies.... ;)
1- Cut the brine recipe in half so that it fits in a stock pot.
2- Obtain 5lbs of boneless/skinless salmon.
3- Cut the salmon into 1.5" strips.
4- Brine for 24 hours in the fridge with a a lid and steamer basket on top to push the salmon down.
5- Stir it 3 times throughout to mix it all up.
6- Spray your bradley racks with a non-offensive non-stick spray. I like butter flavor from business Costco.
7- Fill 3 racks with tightly spaced salmon strips that aren't touching.
8- Pre-heat bradley with a full water pan and get smoke going.
9- Put racks in the 2nd through 4th position, without the salmon getting too close to the thermometer.
10- Smoke for 2 hours at 120, then increase 10 degrees every 30 min until 170.
11- Leave at 170 for 1 hour.
12- Set aside a few pieces for yourself.
13- Vacuum pack the rest of the strips and give them to your wife to distribute to her friends and family.
I've been following these instructions for the entire summer, and so far, my marriage is going quite well.
CHEERS,
jack
Well Done!!
Very nice T'a, Toolguy!!
Nice You gotta luv that hog.
Hello
I will love to try your recipe kummok, my only problem is that i am from Norway and we have a bit other measures here.
So if you have the time i would be very thankful if you can clear a couple of things for me.
how mutch is a quart soy/terriaki in dl ?
2lbs brown sugar is about 1 kilogram ?
Tbsp i guess is a normal table spoon ?
I have a lot of rainbow in the freezer hoping to do some smoking this weekend.
Best Regards
Tom
Might be best to goggle an online recipe conversion chart for your area.
Hi Tomk
Welcome to the forum.
There is a nice converter on the Recipe Site. Just click on the below link. On the top of the page you will see a menu bar. Click on "Conversions Tools"; a drop down list will appear. The measurement you want to convert is "Volume". Make sure you select the correct U.S. ingredient (liquid or dry) measurement.
Recipe Site (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?180-Our-Time-Tested-and-Proven-Recipes)
If you have rainbow trout, you may be interested in the following recipe:
Smoked Trout (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?445-Smoked-Trout&p=695#post695)
This is a very good converter and its free
http://wscope.com/convert.htm
(http://wscope.com/images/convert.jpg)
Thanks for the converter info.
Is still abit worried about doing this right.
The recipe says 2 lbs of brown sugar and 1 quart of soy/terriaki it sounds very mutch to me
Just to clear this so everybody can understand 1 quart of soysause is similar to around 3 full coca cola cans ?
2 lbs brown sugar is about the same amount as the soy sause ?
Thanks again
Tom
1 quart [US, liquid] = 0.946 litre
1 Imperial quart = 1.14 litres
2lbs of brown sugar would be about 4 cups
I know it sounds like a lot but its not. I guess if you only have a small amount of fish to do you could cut all ingredients down.
2lbs of sugar is just about 900 grams.
Thank you all
Will try this in the weekend
Quote from: tomk on September 29, 2011, 06:40:38 AM
Thank you all
Will try this in the weekend
Let us all know how it turns out.
Take photos and post them! Otherwise it never happened!
sorry for the late reply, but my heating element shut down after 10 min last weekend, and this is only the third time of use.
So to save the fish i had to cook it in my oven instead, that went ok and it tasted ok.
This weekend with a new element from my dealer it worked out great.
i curred it for about 14 hours and dried them in my fridge for about 15 hours.
Followed the smoking time in the description and it turned out really nice.
We had 12 guests for dinner, and everybody loved it.
So Kummok thanks for this nice recipe :-) :-)
Best regards
Tom
My first go with the new 6-rack Bradley smoker. I used Kummok's method for smoking some reds with great success! 25f temps outside, thicker pieces and longer smoke/time, but am really impressed with the outcome. Will go with thinner pieces next time, but other than that I wouldn't change a thing!
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff114/tull777/bd1bdaca.jpg)
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff114/tull777/8910b82f.jpg)
Thanks much... I'm hooked! :)
Nice!!!! Great color on that fish ;D
Looks perfect to me!!!
Quote from: muebe on October 18, 2011, 05:02:04 AM
Nice!!!! Great color on that fish ;D
Turned out great and I'm really impressed with the color too!
Quote from: Keymaster on October 18, 2011, 05:25:33 AM
Looks perfect to me!!!
Thanks much, Keymaster! Coming from you pros makes me feel like I really accomplished something.
Good stuff!
I sure miss being up in Alaska. Seeing great looking fish like that makes me miss it even more
C'mon up for a visit 10.5...the cabin and the fish are waitin'!
Might be a stupid question, but can I do store bought salmon and fresh (currently frozen) caught Brook Trout in the same brine and smoke?
This is going to be my first attempt using the digital, or any smoker for that matter, I'm really hoping I dont mess everything up.....
You can use the same brine, just don't use the same brine twice. I have done speckle trout and rainbow trout in the same brine
Devo's got you covered...but just something else to think about: If your "store bought" salmon is farmed, be aware that mixing it with your wild trout will cause your trout to glow in the dark..... ;)
I did read recently that those pellets they feed farmed salmon makes the color look like fresh...creepy actually...
Quote from: La Quinta on November 17, 2011, 12:29:05 AM
I did read recently that those pellets they feed farmed salmon makes the color look like fresh...creepy actually...
That is true. They can make the salmon any shade of red they want. Some major distributors like Sam's and Wa-lMart have a patented color that can only be used for the fish sold in their stores.
Kummok has be sounding the alarm for years. It's getting to the point I'm beginning to listen. :)
So consider this then, you can make the flesh almost any colour you want. I have seen blue and green. It was done by an activist to mock the industry. Kind of funny but disturbing. Glad I don't eat it.
Well, once again kudos to Kummok for this brine recipe.....
I got an e-mail order for some trout pate and steelhead trout pieces. So the wife who ordered it sent her husband to pick it up on his way home from work. This fellow shows up at our house, and I immediately notice how well dressed he is. Now, we live in a town which is the richest per-capita income in Canada, but this suit was even exceptional by town standards. It was the type of suit that would cost about the same as 4-5 brand new DBS6's. So, the first thing he says is "you have an exceptional product!"
Well, we all know just how good salmon (or trout) from a Bradley is, and how much better it is because of Kummok's brine.
But then I decided to check out who this well-dressed young man was. It turns out he is a very senior VP with a very large company, and this very large company is the largest grocery chain in the country.
In my fantasy world, I'm waiting for his call offering me several hundred thousand bucks to develop this into a chain wide product.
In the meantime, thanks to Kummok for this really really great recipe.
Rich
Very glad it's working out for you, Rich! It is sooooo cool when a hard working person(s) with a passion for what they do (such as yourselves), gets "discovered" by a "somebody". Hoping this turns into a major deal for you/yours...(and that you bring me down in your Gulfstream 550 for a fishing trip in your 65' Bayweld private troller...I'll bring the local Red Knot ale)! ;) ;)
BTW...don't care much for suits anymore...what kind of car/truck was he driving?!?!? ;)
I couldn't tell the make because its was too dark, I regret.
About that 65' Bayweld private troller... the only place nearby to fish would be Lake Ontario. And, although there is a lot of sport fishing in the Great Lakes, and even some commercial fishing surviving, that, to me, is a very scarey thought!
And, regarding living in a fantasy world, here is my favourite T-shirt......
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu28/rrchambers/2011-11-12_15-29-10_138.jpg)
Love the shirt...I've always said that life is a lot easier when you finally give in to insanity! :o As far as the trolling, by the time you get the private jet you'll already have a fishing lodge on the BC coastal waterway with the boat docked there....not to worry! ;)
I'll meet you there! (Both in BC and my own little world).
Is there an internal temperature one should be shooting for when smoking salmon??
Thanks,
nodak
Not really. It sort of is done when its done. You want to get it to about the dryness you desire. I like mine a little dryer but my brother made some awhile ago and didn't make it as dry and I really liked it. You have to go to your personal liking. Some like it closer to loks and some like it drier.
Well pulled my first tiny batch salmon out of the smoker. Like texture of the thinner pieces but seem a little salty. maybe I'll try rinsing next time after brining. But overall prettygood I must say. thanks for the posts. Kinda nerve racking for first timer when not going for an Internal temp.
Thanks,
Nodak
How much you dry your fish while smoking it is a matter of personal preference. The internal temperature which your fish reaches while smoking it is important for the safety of the fish, and should not be a matter of personal preference. Food preservation experts recommend that you always heat smoked fish to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F for at least thirty minutes in order to kill the bacteria which can cause botulism and other food poisoning.
University extension services are a good source of information about the proper way to smoke fish. If you Google "smoking fish extension service" you'll find a lot of useful information about smoking fish. An example of the information you'll find is Smoking Fish at Home - Safely, by K.S. Hilderbrand, Pacific Northwest Extension Publication #238, which is available at http://cru.cahe.wse.edu/cepublications/pnw238/pnw238.pdf , and Smoking Fish at Home, by Chuck Crapo, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service FNH-00325, which is available at http://www.uaf.edu/files/ces/publications-db/catalog/hec/FNH-00325.pdf . These PDF documents may take a minute to download; click on the screen if nothing seems to be happening.
Food preservation experts say that producing safe smoked fish requires three things: (a) salting or brining the fish long enough to ensure that adequate salt is present in the smoked fish, (b) heating the fish to a 160 degree internal temperature for at least 30 minutes, and (c) refrigerating and/or freezing the fish after it has been smoked. Because fish of different thicknesses, different oiliness, and with and without skin will absorb salt at different rates, you can't determine whether a piece of fish has adequate salt content to preserve it without chemical analysis. As a result, the only way to ensure that your smoked fish is safe is by bringing the fish to an internal temperature which is high enough to kill the bacteria which cause botulism and other food poisoning, and by refrigerating the fish after it is smoked. Unless the fillets being smoked are quite thin, the air temperature in your smoker will need to be higher than 160 degrees to produce an internal temperature of 160 degrees in the fish in a reasonable amount of time. If your smoker can't produce high enough air temperatures to produce an internal temperature of 160 degrees in your fish, you should finish the fish off in an oven after smoking it.
I've noticed some postings in this forum in which people say that they feel that a smoker temperature or an internal temperature which is much lower than a 160 degree F internal temperature is sufficient for smoking fish. Food preservation experts don't agree with those opinions.
Some trial and error is required to learn how to produce fish which has what you regard as the perfect degree of dryness and a nice flaky texture, without developing "curds" from getting the fish too hot before it has dried out sufficiently, but while reaching a 160 degree internal temperature for at least half an hour during the smoking process. This typically involves beginning the smoking process at a moderate smoker temperature such as 120-130 degrees, and then as the fish starts getting as dry as you like, increasing the smoker temperature to a level which will get the fish up to a 160 degree internal temperature for half an hour before the fish gets too dry. You'll need to try various combinations of time and temperature. I have a lousy memory, so I keep notes about what I did and how it turned out. You can quickly figure out a good procedure for a particular kind and size of fish, but may need a quite different procedure for a different kind of fish. For example, the last fillets I smoked were pretty large and thick lake trout fillets, which aren't particularly oily. Kokanee salmon fillets, which are little thin oily fillets, require quite different times and temperatures.
:'(HELP!?
I accidently left my Salmon in the cure for the last 2 1/2 days, it is sugar/salt and garlic. Should I trash it? Anyone know how it will turn out?
Many Thanks!
It may be overly salty. Cut off a small piece and pan fry it, then taste to see how salty it is. If it is way too salty, you can soak in it water, changing the water every half hour, then do another taste test. Repeat if necessary.
I transferred the following exchange from another thread, because it relates to Kummok's brine recipe:
Smokeville said: Hello all; From what I understand, a typical brine of 1/2 gallon of water and 1 cup of kosher salt will read 60 on the salinity scale. Kummok's brine recipe calls for 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of salt, and 1 quart of soy sauce, which has a LOT of salt.
Can anyone calculate what this does to the salinity? Does this bring it back up to 60? Thanks, Rich
I replied:
Brine recipes which call for a specific volume of salt, such as 1 cup of kosher salt in half a gallon of water, are less accurate and predictable than brine recipes which call for a specific weight of salt, because different kinds and brands of salt have different densities. If you check the volume-to-weight conversion tables for salt in various books and internet sites, you get a pretty wide range of weights for a cup of regular table salt. 10 oz./cup is about in the middle of the range of weights for table salt. Warren Anderson's book "Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage" lists weights of 22 grams/tbsp (i.e. 12.4 oz./cup) for regular salt and 12 grams/tbsp (i.e. 6.8 oz/cup) for kosher salt. amazingribs.com contains the following conversion table for different kinds of salt:
1 tsp Morton's tables salt equals:
1.5 tsp Morton's kosher salt
1.8 tsp Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
1.8 tsp Morton's pickling salt
3 to 4 or more tsp sea salt
Because of these differences in the density of salt, a brine recipe which specifies the quantity of salt by weight will be more predictable than a brine recipe which specifies the quantity of salt by volume. There are charts which specify the volume of water and weight of salt required to prepare brines of different salinities. For example, a brine which is 60 degrees SAL (salometer degrees) will contain 15.837 percent salt by weight. That is 1.568 pounds (25.088 oz.) of salt per gallon of water, or .784 pounds (12.544 oz.) of salt per half gallon of water. There is a good article on making brines and salinity at http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing/making-brine which contains such charts. See also "Preparation of Salt Brines for the Fishing Industry," Oregon Sea Grant Publication ORESU-H-99-002, which is available at http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/onlinepubs/h99002.pdf .
Another way to prepare a brine with a specific salinity is to use a salinometer to measure the concentration of the brine, and to adjust the concentration by adding water or salt. However, that takes a lot of trial and error. It's faster to use the weights of salt specified on a salinity chart.
It is difficult to predict the salinity of Kummok's salmon brine because his recipe specifies a volume of salt rather than a weight of salt, and because different brands of soy sauce contain different concentrations of salt. The only way to determine the salt concentration of Kummock's brine recipe for any specific kind of salt and specific brand of soy sauce is by mixing up the volumes of water, salt, and soy sauce which he recommends, and then measuring the concentration of the mixture with a salinometer, before adding any other ingredients such as sugar.
However, you can estimate the salt concentration produced by the water and salt components of Kummok's brine recipe based on the weight-to-volume conversion ratios described above. Based on the conversion ratio for regular table salt of 10 oz./cup, a cup of regular table salt in half a gallon of water would produce a brine which is about 50 degrees SAL. However, kosher salt weighs less per cup than regular salt. Based on Anderson's conversion ratio for kosher salt of 6.8 oz./cup, a cup of kosher salt in half a gallon of water would produce a brine which is about 35 degrees SAL. Kummok's brine recipe calls for 1 cup of pickling salt in a gallon of water, so if you look just at the salt and water portion of his brine recipe, based on Anderson's conversion ratio for kosher salt, the recipe would produce a brine which is about 18 degrees SAL.
A brine doesn't need to be 60 degrees SAL in order to salt fish for smoking, but the lower the salt concentration in the brine, the longer the fish needs to stay in the brine to reach a desired degree of saltiness. Longer brining times increase the chances of bacterial growth and spoilage.
The advantage of being accurate and consistent about the salt concentration of your brines is that you can learn how long fish of a certain species, size, thickness, and with or without skin should be left in the brine to produce the degree of saltiness which you like. If a batch of smoked fish comes out saltier than you prefer, don't leave the next batch in the brine as long. When I try out a new brine recipe, I adjust the salinity of the water and salt portion of the brine to 60 degrees SAL, because it doesn't take very long to brine fish in a brine which is that concentrated, and I know how long I like to leave different kinds of fish in a brine of that concentration.
Quote from: nodak on January 02, 2012, 12:10:30 AM
Well pulled my first tiny batch salmon out of the smoker. Like texture of the thinner pieces but seem a little salty. maybe I'll try rinsing next time after brining. But overall prettygood I must say. thanks for the posts. Kinda nerve racking for first timer when not going for an Internal temp.
Thanks,
Nodak
You can solve this by cutting the belly flaps off of the thick body meat. Then brine the flaps for less time. I like to do this and add extra brown sugar to the flaps. They kind of get candied and are great to nibble on.
Am new to this forum and have spent a lot of time reading. Long story short, was in Portland a few weeks ago and my son took me steel head fishing and we had a guide and fished on the Washington side. We did real well but we had to release a lot because the guide said we could not keep the wild ones. Wonder why that is?
I brought back approx. 20 lbs of fish. My son did smoke some while we were there and WOW, that was great. So after spending a lot of time reading on this forum and the help and advise from pmmpete, I did my first batch yesterday. It really turn out better than I hoped. I had a little last night but this morning, I put some on a bagel w/cream cheese and WOW, had to have another one. ;)
Tasted better after being in the refrig over night.
One question, put some in a zip lock bag in the refrig and noticed it was very oily this morning, is that normal?
Now I am hooked on smoking salmon!
Yes steelhead is an oilier salmon. but that is just liquid flavour. Congrats on your successful smoke. Enjoy.
Washington only allows you to keep hatchery-reared steelhead on selected rivers. The Fish and Game Department has a restoration and preservation plan for the wild steelhead population.
Quote from: San Diego Man on August 29, 2012, 10:24:05 AM
One question, put some in a zip lock bag in the refrig and noticed it was very oily this morning, is that normal?
When the fish cools down it shrinks up a bit and will "squeeze" some of the oil out. It's normal. If you vacuum seal it it will eventually absorb it back in.
This is a great recipe! I have used it numerous times.
Not trying to stir the pot....
But Please e dont eat farmed salmon. Gross and and killing our wild stocks up here in BC.
Lorne
Another smoked salmon first timer here and it's a total success!! :D :D :D :D :D :D
Thanks for the recipe Kummok!!! Wifey is super happy with the results and when Wifey's happy...
(http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w469/reboot007/salmon.jpg)
Looks great!
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
Im about to try this recipie today, it looks fantastic. Steaks or strips though? Is it preference or is it best to go with strips?
Also, is there a substitute to pickling salt?
Quote from: rooster85 on December 02, 2012, 11:19:01 AM
Also, is there a substitute to pickling salt?
You can use kosher salt, but you must weigh it. Pickling salt weighs 10.2 ounces per cup; which can be rounded off to 10 ounces. Salts labeled sea salt will also have to be weighed, but those types of salts may contain impurities that may impart some additional flavors in you food. Another substitute would be non-iodized table salt, that measures the same as pickling salt.
Rooster85 asked, "Steaks or strips though? Is it preference or is it best to go with strips?" Sometimes I smoke whole fillets, because they look cool. However, if you chop the fillets up into smaller pieces, the brine and smoke will penetrate better, and you can sort the pieces by thickness on trays in your smoker. Then you can leave the trays with thicker pieces in the smoker longer, or you can move them to a hotter area in your smoker. It's also easier to vacuum package smaller pieces. So generally I'd say, cut your fillets up into pieces.
Rooster85 also asked "is there a substitute to pickling salt?" Different kinds of salt have different grain sizes and shapes, and thus different densities. For an explanation of the densities of different kinds of salt, and conversion volumes and weights for different kinds of salt, see Reply 386 in this thread, which is on Page 26 of this thread. In addition, some kinds of salt contain various additives and impurities. For example, you shouldn't use iodized salt when brining fish, because the iodine will make the fish taste bad. Table salt often contains calcium silicate, an anti-caking agent, and sea salt contains various minerals in addition to salt. Rock salt isn't intended for eating, so who knows what is in it.
Though you should keep in mind, when converting salts it is always better to use weight. Morton's Pickling Salt and Morton's Table salt have the same crystal size and density. I use Morton's Kosher, Pickling & Canning, and table salts. I know their densities. That chart shows their pickling and table salts at different weights per volume. It has the table salt almost twice the amount as the pickling salt per volume. It even has Morton's Kosher salt, more dense than their Pickling salt. That is wrong, and it brings the whole chart into question.
Habanero Smoker, do you have a chart for converting volumes of different kinds of salt to weights which you think is accurate? I agree that it is best to list weights of salt rather than volumes of salt in fish brine recipes, because different kinds of salt have different densities. And when I try out a new fish brine recipe, usually the first thing I need to do is convert the volume of whatever kind of salt is specified in the recipe to a weight which will work with any kind of salt. Unfortunately, my googling has turned up quite a variety of weights for different kinds of salt, and quite a variety of conversion factors. It would be great to have an authoritative conversion table for use in converting volumes of different kinds of salt to weights.
Quote from: pmmpete on December 03, 2012, 07:21:11 AM
Unfortunately, my googling has turned up quite a variety of weights for different kinds of salt, and quite a variety of conversion factors. It would be great to have an authoritative conversion table for use in converting volumes of different kinds of salt to weights.
This brings up the question. Which chart is correct? As you have noted there are numerous different charts with different results. I would suggest calling the manufacturer of the salt that your using and ask them the specific densities of the particular salt that you are using.
Quote from: pmmpete on December 03, 2012, 07:21:11 AM
Habanero Smoker, do you have a chart for converting volumes of different kinds of salt to weights which you think is accurate? I agree that it is best to list weights of salt rather than volumes of salt in fish brine recipes, because different kinds of salt have different densities. And when I try out a new fish brine recipe, usually the first thing I need to do is convert the volume of whatever kind of salt is specified in the recipe to a weight which will work with any kind of salt. Unfortunately, my googling has turned up quite a variety of weights for different kinds of salt, and quite a variety of conversion factors. It would be great to have an authoritative conversion table for use in converting volumes of different kinds of salt to weights.
I bellieve the chart you are using came for the Amazing Rib site.
Morton use to have a link to a it's Morton Salt Conversion Guide. When you go to their site the link no longer works. But after doing a search I found that someone on the Smoking Meat Forum had copied the chart from the Morton's site, and posted it over there. This is the Manufacturer's conversion of their salt brands; by volume (not weight).
(http://www.susanminor.org/users/Hab/Misc_Files/Other/Misc/Morton_Salt_Conversion_Guide.jpg)
I can only go by my experience in using Morton's products, and their Salt Conversion Guide. I have measured/weighed Morton's Kosher, Pickling & Canning, and Table salts. I have also measured/weighed Ball's Pickling & Canning Salt, and it measures and weighs the same as Morton's Pickling Salt, and table salt.
Here are commonly used salt weights to use for conversion, that most highly regarded cookbooks list.
1 cup table salt (all brands) = 10 oz. = 285 grams
1 cup Morton Kosher Salt = 8 oz. = 225 grams
1 cup Diamond Crystal Salt = 5.5 oz. = 155 grams
Got another question guys, sorry, I've had the salmon out of the brine and its in a cool dry place but it hasn't started to set up yet. Been out for several hours. This could take up to 24 hours?
By "set up," do you mean form in a shiny dry outside layer, called a "pellicle?" If so, you have two options:
(a) If the air is cool and/or humid, or you are keeping the fish cool in a refrigerator, it can take longer to form a pellicle. In an effort to speed up the drying, you can set up a fan to blow air across the fillets, and/or set the fish out in a room-temperature area.
(b) put the fish in your smoker at 80-100 degrees for an hour, without any smoke, in an effort to dry off the fish.
The reason you want to form a pellicle before you start smoking the fish is because fish or sausage which is wet doesn't absorb smoke well. However, you don't want to leave the fish for too long at temperatures above 40 degrees while forming a pellicle, because bacteria can grow in the fish at warmer temperatures, and you may spoil the fish.
You really have watch where your from. Here in Canada pickling salt is coarse salt. I also bought some Kosher salt the other day and it clearly says its sea salt.
Windsor Kosher salt just says its coarse crystal salt.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SJfbrRjaOws/UL0-4chPjqI/AAAAAAAAER4/pwztTm7UXA4/s640/DSC_0076.JPG)
No name Kosher brand says sea salt
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Bnpl5a2CRC4/UL0-7-QLAyI/AAAAAAAAESA/2jvkz1NzCTs/s640/DSC_0075.JPG)
Quote from: pmmpete on December 03, 2012, 03:57:20 PM
By "set up," do you mean form in a shiny dry outside layer, called a "pellicle?" If so, you have two options:
(a) If the air is cool and/or humid, or you are keeping the fish cool in a refrigerator, it can take longer to form a pellicle. In an effort to speed up the drying, you can set up a fan to blow air across the fillets, and/or set the fish out in a room-temperature area.
(b) put the fish in your smoker at 80-100 degrees for an hour, without any smoke, in an effort to dry off the fish.
The reason you want to form a pellicle before you start smoking the fish is because fish or sausage which is wet doesn't absorb smoke well. However, you don't want to leave the fish for too long at temperatures above 40 degrees while forming a pellicle, because bacteria can grow in the fish at warmer temperatures, and you may spoil the fish.
Right, I want it to form that pellicle. It may be to cold here so I put them in the smoker as low as I could get it and cracked the door. They are getting "tacky" but no crust as of yet.
"Tacky" should work just fine.
Thanks kynola, I'm about to fire it up now and give it a shot before it gets to late and the fish spoils.
I prepared Kummok's Brine Recipe earlier today and have 11 lbs of Salmon cut into 1.25" strips sitting in an iced 5 gallon bucket of brine in the garage. The plan is to go to bed shortly and wake up in 3 hours to pull them out and dry them off. I will rack them in the fridge and leave them there until I get home from work tomorrow. By that time I am hoping that a nice pellicle has formed. I haven't yet decided what flavor smoke will be rolling tomorrow evening but I am leaning towards hickory for about 2.5 hours. Has anyone had good luck with this? I just replaced my OBS with a digital 4-rack and I'm excited to get this thing going!!! ;D
Nothing wrong with hickory at all
Pulled the Salmon out of the brine and have them racked up to form pellicle. It sure does smell good, I can only imagine what they are going to taste like. I can't wait to get these babies into the smoker tonight!! It is going to be a long day at work today!
Quote from: Tenpoint5 on December 08, 2012, 08:11:05 PM
Nothing wrong with hickory at all
Works for me ;)
Apple is kind of nice too.
Finished my salmon up pretty late last night and other than the few nibbles I tried while going through the vac-seal process, I didn't get to enjoy it. I raced home after work tonight to have it for dinner and the only thing i have to say is, Hickory combined with Kummok's brine recipe is PRETTY SPECIAL!!! I'm glad I now have a freezer full of this stuff. My next area of exploration is Pastrami - I think I'll try that before the holiday.
Quote from: devo on December 03, 2012, 04:14:06 PM
You really have watch where your from. Here in Canada pickling salt is coarse salt. I also bought some Kosher salt the other day and it clearly says its sea salt.
Windsor Kosher salt just says its coarse crystal salt. No Name sea salt...
"Sea Salt" is usually no different from pickling salt or kosher salt - it's mostly sodium chloride. A real unrefined sea salt will be grey and contain some insoluble scum. All the salts you mentioned are generally interchangeable.
Calling salt "sea salt" whether or not it is actually from an actual ocean is basically a marketing ploy. If it's unrefined salt, the color (pink, grey, whatever) will give it away. I wouldn't necessarily use those salts for food preservation. Kosher salt is your best bet. Just avoid anything that lists any other ingredient than salt.
Doing this bad boy right now, though I must have done something wrong, following the temp/time guidelines and at the low end at 1.5 hours had boogers. Got about an hour left just bumped to 175*. Wipe boogers off during or after?
Some salmon are just, well, snotty...especially farmed salmon. I'd wait until smoking is done and then wipe their noses...the boogers are all about appearance anyway. Make certain that you are venting well while smoking and getting a good pellicle formed before putting in the smoker.
did a second batch and lot less boogers, left at the lower heat longer, almost lost a whole tray as i dropped it, luckily i didn't spray the racks because they all stuck to it but one little piece.
I gave this a shot yesterday, and it came out amazing.. I vac sealed and froze the left overs. Would you guys recommend to put the bags in boiling water when reheating this so they don't dry out in the Microwave or oven?
Quote from: rveal23 on July 28, 2013, 03:59:13 PM
I gave this a shot yesterday, and it came out amazing.. I vac sealed and froze the left overs. Would you guys recommend to put the bags in boiling water when reheating this so they don't dry out in the Microwave or oven?
Rveal23, I simply defrost my frozen smoked salmon in the refrigerator for a couple of days. To serve, I plate it and let it come up to room temperature.
If the salmon is going to be sitting out for a few hours, I will put the serving platter in the fridge or freezer to get it well chilled before I plate the salmon. My logic is that a chilled platter will help keep the fish a bit chilled for a while.
Thanx tskeeter
I have used your recipe and have found the salmon to be bitter. I think this is because I am allowing it to smoke too long but am not sure about this. Do you shut the smoke down after awhile and only use heat?
brucep do you have your vent open. You need the smoke to flow thru real well. I open mine wide and smoke the whole time but you can cut off the smoke at any point you feel and then see how it comes out.
Hi brucep;
Welcome to the forum.
Smoke taste is subjective. I use 1:40 - 2:00 hours of smoke; and generally will use maple or apple on salmon.
Bitterness can also be caused by the surface being too moist during the smoke application; allowing too much smoke to penetrate and adhere. Make sure you air dry the fish, until the surface is tacky.
thanks gotta try this bummer its store bought here in So Cal
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on December 11, 2006, 01:24:58 PM
I would wrap in plastic wrap first then into the zip lock. If you are storing more then 30 days, I would add a layer of aluminum foil over the plastic wrap before placing in it the freezer.
And the best way of reheating/warming up/reserving is. please?
Depends...if you want to eat soon, let it sit on the counter for about an hour...if you want it later in the day, let it sit in the reefer in the morning and it's ready by afternoon. I don't recommend "heating" or "warming" but that's just my own personal taste. Also, these suggestions assume the sizes I make, not a whole filleted slab (1/2 of a salmon)...simply put, thicker takes longer and, in that case, I would thaw overnight in reefer.
For those that don't own a vac sealer, it's highly recommended for longer storage. However, for shorter storage times, e.g. a month, try the 'poorman's Foodsaver' and get the Ziplocks with the little hand vac pump....OR, just put your salmon in a Ziplock, seal all but the last inch and suck the air down with lung power....I've do the latter method many times while out and away from electricity....
Hey guys kinda new to smoking, followed kummok's salmon recipe and it turned out great. Had a bit of trouble keeping the temp down to 100-120 but I just picked up a smoke generator extension from Costco and am going to see how that works out. Its supposed to let the smoke cool before it gets to the smoker. Going to smoke 15 lbs of salmon Saturday.....
Well guys my grand daughter is coming for Thanksgiving and her and our favorite dish is Kummok's recipe. We did four slabs.
Here is the fish just out of the brine.
(http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad274/pikeman_95/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1817_zps474c9b89.jpg~original) (http://s943.photobucket.com/user/pikeman_95/media/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1817_zps474c9b89.jpg.html)
Now on the frog mats with a little pam on them to keep things from sticking. They just slide off.
(http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad274/pikeman_95/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1820_zpscdf4287e.jpg~original) (http://s943.photobucket.com/user/pikeman_95/media/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1820_zpscdf4287e.jpg.html)
after one hour of very low heat and 3 fans running in the smoker we have a nice pellicle and ready for the smoke.
(http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad274/pikeman_95/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1825_zpsfc6e2abd.jpg~original) (http://s943.photobucket.com/user/pikeman_95/media/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1825_zpsfc6e2abd.jpg.html)
Now we roll the smoke for about 4 hours while slowly heating up the smoker. If you give it enough dry time before it gets too hot then you have fewer boogers.
when I say roll the smoke my smoke generator can put out when I ask it to.
(http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad274/pikeman_95/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1826_zps3b0f980a.jpg~original) (http://s943.photobucket.com/user/pikeman_95/media/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1826_zps3b0f980a.jpg.html)
Now after reaching full temp for about 1 hour it comes out to cool on the counter.
(http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad274/pikeman_95/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1828_zps8ded6e93.jpg~original) (http://s943.photobucket.com/user/pikeman_95/media/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1828_zps8ded6e93.jpg.html)
(http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad274/pikeman_95/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1830_zps68d6a81f.jpg~original) (http://s943.photobucket.com/user/pikeman_95/media/SMOKED%20SALMON%20WITH%20JIM/106_1830_zps68d6a81f.jpg.html)
All I can say is this is the best of all recipe I have ever had for salmon. Now to crumble a few chunks of this on the top of a Cesar salad and you have a great meal. Thanks again Kummok
Kirby
Great looking salmon.
Fantastic looking salmon! Good job!
That looks awesome! I new to try that one even though I don't know what "boogers" means. Doesn't seem I would want any though... ;)
Quote from: STLstyle on November 26, 2013, 07:55:17 AM
That looks awesome! I new to try that one even though I don't know what "boogers" means. Doesn't seem I would want any though... ;)
I think by "boogers" pike man means the white fat curds that form on the fish if you heat it up to fast.
They also refer to it as "atomic waste". ;D
I just tried smoking salmon for the first time this weekend (newbie only my 6th smoke) and I have to say it was a pretty good effort. I did not use Kummok's brine due to timing restraints but definitely plan to next time. However I did smoke using his technique. I had 2.3 lb fillet w/ skin that I cut into 1"+ wide pcs. I used a brine of water, canning salt, brown sugar and soy. I brined for 3 hours then rinse, pat dry and apply a rub of course pepper, brown sugar and (very little) garlic powder and let dry in the fridge for 12-14 hours (don't exactly remember how long). The salmon was tacky to the touch when it was go time. I put in the OBS (w/ auber) for a total of 7 hours using 3 hrs of alder (started smoking at 0 hr). I cooked as follows per hour:
100
110
140
140
148
148
175
IT was 145 when I took it out. Honestly I was very pleased with the outcome. Dry on the outside but still moist on the inside. It was a little salty but not too bad and a lot of you have said that is normal.
I have a couple of questions that have come up from reading this post.
1) For the cooking temperature Kummok's recipe says 1-2 hours or 2-4 hours for this or that. At what point do you turn it up? at a certain IT?
2) kind of related to 1. I have read that some of you cook it in about 4 hours, how so? Not that I care how long it takes but is 4-5 hours better than 7-8?
3) What should the IT be when you take it out? I did 145 but I was reading where others said 160+ and also for a certain amount of time. Can anyone elaborate on that?
As always thank you in advance for any advise you might be able to give.
Camai from Alaska, Tyweb69!
Congrats! Sounds like a tasty outcome was achieved...encouraging for your first time outta the chute, isn't it! The "little salty" likely comes from using the salt AND soy...you might try using a little less of each if you are using both, but it is indeed a matter of personal taste.
Recognizing that everyone's taste is unique, I'll attempt to answer your questions:
1- I use a timer if I'm going to be distracted by other projects while smoking, other wise I use the times as guidelines to slowly increase the temp setting, spread out over 3.5-4 hours so I get a gradual rise to finish temp (now my taste prefers 165°F)
2- Less time generally equals moister, more tender meat...as mentioned above, I'm down to 3.5-4 hours total time now. 7-8 hours would render my fish pretty hard/dry
3- I don't use IT for my salmon but the 160+ is for bacteria control. A friend of mine hardly ever gets past 140s with his and it hasn't killed him yet....we are in a blessed situation though, to get fresh salmon, treat it right, and smoke it right away..might have an advantage there.
A note about my answers: In other pics on this thread, I've included those that show the size of cuts to which I've "evolved"...they are bite size, hence no place to take an IT. This size is more flavorful for my own tastes and easier for packaging, eating, and gifting but it's considerably more labor intensive and not for everyone. Also, salmon is VERY forgiving so, unless you are smoking commercially where detailed routine records are a must, use the recipe/smoke schedule as a guideline, launch from there, experiment and take notes so that you can more easily reproduce what really works for you/friends/family as you arrive at your own epic smoked salmon taste/texture explosion!
Thanks Kummock. I did another batch same way (again given time restraints I had to use the same brine not yours but I do want to try that soon!) and did 80% of the salt. MUCH better, you can barely taste the salt. I also cut the time a little bit too (5 1/2 hours). Can't wait to give it another go!
I'm very interested in everyone's opinion about desired IT of smoked salmon. I'm a rookie and have done 1 batch of Kummok's recipe. I pulled around 145 or less, can't remember. I read somewhere to start fork testing at 135. It was delicious and I assume it wouldn't be as good if I pulled at 160. Here in MO it's not common to see wild fresh salmon offered at the stores I frequent that's not an option. Can't wait to do another batch... Thx in advance for the comments.
See my comments about internal temperature at http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=30863.msg364765#msg364765 .
Great post thanks!
Hi
I'm not sure if this has been asked before (haven't had time to read the whole thread :-\)
The recipe on the first post... how much fish is that for? If I have one slab to do, how much should I use?
Sorry if this has been asked before.
Thanks,
Brent
I also have a question for the salmon experts out there. The last batch I did turned out very well, it was wild caught frozen sockeye, delicious! My question is: some (not all) of the portions have a grayish layer about 1/8" thick just under the skin that is kind of mushy and oily. Is this from not drying long enough between brining and smoking, or some other cause?
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Porkdog and other newbies to this site, please don't worry if someone has already ask a question. We are not uptight here and don't mind answering the questions. In the past our search engine for this site sucked and it was real hard to find the answers you were looking for. If you have a questions try the search or ask, you will either get an answer or someone will post a link to the answer. Enjoy.
Quote from: tailfeathers on January 20, 2014, 11:56:46 AM
I also have a question for the salmon experts out there. The last batch I did turned out very well, it was wild caught frozen sockeye, delicious! My question is: some (not all) of the portions have a grayish layer about 1/8" thick just under the skin that is kind of mushy and oily. Is this from not drying long enough between brining and smoking, or some other cause?
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The gray layer just under the skin is the slime gland which is where some of the strong fish flavor comes from. This is why I filet the skin off my ocean salmon. If you make it a point of getting that gray layer off you will find it taste better. Try tasting that gray layer by itself. Tell me what you think of the taste.
It's pretty fishy all right! If I remove the skin and there is some of the grayish stuff I've been removing it and spreading it on a triscuit with a little smoked cheddar. Not bad, but not nearly as good as the rest of the salmon.
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1/8" is probably not accurate, it's less than that.
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Quote from: tailfeathers on January 20, 2014, 05:07:17 PM
It's pretty fishy all right! If I remove the skin and there is some of the grayish stuff I've been removing it and spreading it on a triscuit with a little smoked cheddar. Not bad, but not nearly as good as the rest of the salmon.
Then again, I like anchovies and it don't get much "fishy-er" than that!
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Costco used to sell there farm raised salmon with that gray layer left on. They finally started taking it off. I think they figured that tasting bad was not worth the weight left on. When theu had it on I found freezing it almost solid made it much easier to slice that gray layer off. I have made no effort to save that stuff. The same goes for canning salmon. If you leave the skin on you can expect it to taste real fishy. One of the other reasons I like to take the skin off is I like both sides with the great taste of Kummoks brine. When you leave the skin on half of the flavor is tossed out with the skin.
Kirby
Well I've filleted a pile of fish in my day so I guess henceforth I will remove the skin. I've no experience with salmon however. Will the meat come off the skin like a walleye or perch?
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You bet. I use brush cleaner that I get from Ace hardware.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3006698
On a flat board I pin the skin on tail end to the board then with a very sharp knife I slip the skin off. I have fileted lots of fish . Here are some small rainbows that I had. Look how nice the skin came off.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=24231.msg290908#msg290908
here are some pike
(http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad274/pikeman_95/Pike%20pictures/000_0012.jpg~original) (http://s943.photobucket.com/user/pikeman_95/media/Pike%20pictures/000_0012.jpg.html)
Great idea with the wire brush!
Two words about the grey stuff under the skin....biohazard, radioactive! Just kidding of course but that stuff is naaaaasty and serves no purpose for eating. The depth of that layer depends upon the size of your salmon and the location of the stuff on your slab but it's easy to see so I cut it ALL out and discard with the skin and bones...a sharp fillet knife does the trick wonderfully.
I'm eating and sharing some Kings right now, down on a little island called Rarotonga...one local wanted to trade me for some smoked tuna but, to me, that's like trading a Bayweld boat for a Hewescraft....both great boats but no comparing the better to the lesser!
Well call me a freak show, but I love that stuff. If it sticks to the skin I peel it of and eat it. :-\
Quote from: Quarlow on February 03, 2014, 06:44:13 PM
Well call me a freak show, but I love that stuff. If it sticks to the skin I peel it of and eat it. :-\
I may be wrong but last I heard that is where the mercury and other toxins are stored in Salmon
The last batch I did I removed the skin and gray layer prior to brining and I must say it is my best to date. Thanks for the help everyone! Now when I get healed up and can install my new micro switch I will be raring to go!!!
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Quote from: Tenpoint5 on February 04, 2014, 06:22:17 AM
Quote from: Quarlow on February 03, 2014, 06:44:13 PM
Well call me a freak show, but I love that stuff. If it sticks to the skin I peel it of and eat it. :-\
I may be wrong but last I heard that is where the mercury and other toxins are stored in Salmon
Ok, so I am never eating that part again. lol
I have enough "grey stuff" between my ears already so I'm like Kummock and cut it out of there prior to smoking. ;)
A lot of fish have that grey outer fat line and it usually tastes nasty in my experience. I avoid.
Soooo, we're calling that void space between our ears "grey stuff" nowadays are we?!? I'll go with that!! ;)
New to Bradley smoking. 4 rack digital. Long time Egg smoker. Got Bradley to smoke fish and jerky at lower temps. Love the recipe but how do you smoke at 100-120 when control 's lowest is 120 and with smoke unit only, no oven on, the lowest I can get is about 150. Is there something I'm doing wrong?
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TNeyedoc check out the "Bradley Cold Smoke Adapter", it lets you move the biscuit burner off to the side into a steel box with 3 feet of hose to cool the smoke before it enters the oven. It only raises the oven temperature about 10 degrees above ambient temperature. Hope this helps.
Thanks for advice. Will definitely look into that.
While on the subject of temperature control, what can I do about big temperature swings. I keep reading about an Auber (sp?) PID; can this solve the big temp swings?
Thanks again for your response.
Yes, an Auber pid will hold your temp within a degree or two of your set point.
Quote from: TNeyedoc on May 12, 2014, 08:29:11 AM
New to Bradley smoking. 4 rack digital. Long time Egg smoker. Got Bradley to smoke fish and jerky at lower temps. Love the recipe but how do you smoke at 100-120 when control 's lowest is 120 and with smoke unit only, no oven on, the lowest I can get is about 150. Is there something I'm doing wrong?
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Eyedoc, several forum members have also built home made versions of the cold smoke adapter using the variety of receiver boxes to replace the Bradley steel receiver box. Everything from large mail boxes, to wood boxes, to cardboard boxes. Steel, of course, would be the most fire resistant. But, if you keep the heat of the puck burner away from combustible surfaces, apparently even cardboard will work in a pinch.
Thanks to tailfeathers and tskeeter for responses. Will look into both of these options for modifying my unit.
Hi all and thank's to Kummok for posting this recipe,had to harvest some rainbow's from my aquaponic system as the weather is getting a bit warm 34C trout dont like it.So for 12lbs of kippered fish i used the recipe for the first time with a couple of variations,eg 2.5 cups of brown sugar thats all i had. and soy vay veri veri teriyaki all else is the same,
smoked with apple for 6 hrs at the listed temps,wow what a great flavour the best so far.
We have had a very hot summer over here.
Cheers Jim.
Kummok ,how much salmon is used in this recipe pounds? or size of slabs?
What it really comes down to is, how much salmon can you fit in this mix...I'd estimate it at around 10 -15 lbs if cut into piece size I've recommended in the recipe. l'm usually reducing about two average sized salmon (10-12 lbs, on the hoof w/o head/guts) down to a batch. I usually have a little leftover after the soak in the brine mix because it won't all fit on the 8 racks in the smoker. If you cut too much or brine too much, just vac seal and refreeze the leftovers for your next smoke. If I'm doing a BIG batch, all 3 Bradleys will be smoking away....
I put my brine recipes on Excel spreadsheets. When I enter the total volume of brine which I want (say 5 cups), all the ingredients automatically adjust. This avoids doing a lot of unit conversion and math before you mix up a batch of brine (Like, how many tablespoons are there in a cup?), and avoids the risk that you will screw up a batch of brine and fish by making a unit conversion or math error. Then you need to figure out what ratio you like between the volume of the fish you want to smoke and the volume of the brine. You don't want to go too skimpy on the amount of brine, but there also isn't any point in mixing up way more brine than you need to get the job done.
do you put enough briquets to smoke for the entire time or just for the first couple of hours? How critical is the glazing step?
Quote from: claygirl on June 26, 2015, 06:14:58 PM
How critical is the glazing step?
Wet fish and wet sausage don't take up smoke flavor very well. So before you put fish in the smoker, you should put it in front of a fan on the smoker racks until your finger doesn't get wet when you touch it, and its surface is a bit tacky. This is called "developing a pedicule." I live in a dry climate, so an hour in front of a fan at room temperature is sufficient. Then I put it in my smoker at 100 degrees for half an hour to dry off the surface of the fish some more and and start warming it up before I turn up the temperature and turn on the smoke.
^^^What pmmpete said!^^^ He knows his salmon! Pellicle forming is critical to a good end product. As far as actual "smoke applied" time, I smoke pucks the entire 3.5-4 hours, but that's just me...it's a matter of personal taste...I like smoke flavor.
OK, fish experts, I need some advice.
I screwed up. Decided to try Kummock's recipe with some Iliamna reds that my brother-in-law sent down. (First time using a wet brine.) Got the brine all set up. Chilled over night. Put in the salmon in the morning before I headed to work. Obviously, I didn't overhaul the salmon while it was brining. When I got home that night, I took the salmon out of the brine and prepared it to dry. The color of the salmon was inconsistent. It looked like some areas of the fish had taken up more of the soy sauce in the brine than other areas. The areas that seemed to have taken up less brine were also less firm than the darker areas. It looks like the places where the pieces of fish were in contact with each other didn't get brined very well.
Believing that I had gotten myself into a situation where there wasn't much hope of recovery, I went ahead and smoked the fish following Kummock's recommendations. Total time in the smoker was about 6 hours or so.
So, the $64K question, is my fish safe to eat? Or would you suggest I trash it?
This is why I started to brine my fish in a 2 gallon zip-lock bag. You can slosh it around a couple of times and reorient the fish chunks. You should do this at least 4 times in the brining process. I have never experienced areas of the fish that look different from the rest.
Ok I may have an issue! I've had 12 racks drying in the fridge for almost 44-hours trying to dry them with not much luck so I decided to place them on the kitchen counter and dry them for a couple hours with a fan. Just before I switched the fan on I noticed the several pieces of fish had what looked like small bits of grey mold on them maybe the size of a pea or match head. I'll try to post pictures. Anyone ever had this problem before???
I'm desperate!
Akmoose...answered on your other thread...
tskeeter...Sorry for late response. A quick look at my other posts will illustrate that I'm probably not the best person to answer "food safety" questions. Mostly because I stretch the limits! My response is of course I'd eat the multi colored salmon...likely wouldn't be able to tell much difference in a blindfold test. Curious because of my tardy response, what was you final action?
Quote from: Kummok on August 19, 2015, 06:52:20 PM
Akmoose...answered on your other thread...
tskeeter...Sorry for late response. A quick look at my other posts will illustrate that I'm probably not the best person to answer "food safety" questions. Mostly because I stretch the limits! My response is of course I'd eat the multi colored salmon...likely wouldn't be able to tell much difference in a blindfold test. Curious because of my tardy response, what was you final action?
Thanks for your response, Kummok.
Trashed it. Was going to use it for a neighborhood gathering and decided that I wasn't willing to take any chances due to the number of people who could be affected.
Had a lot more brine that I needed. Thought I'd be OK brining while I was at work because of the amount of space in the brine container. The soy sauce made the inconsistent curing pretty obvious, which I was able to confirm with a press test. The darker areas were much more firm. Obviously cured. The lighter areas were soft, like freshly filleted fish.
So, how often do you overhaul your salmon while it's brining? I'd like to take another shot at this and get it right.
Better to be safe when feeding others...good choice! I normally brine overnight, so it doesn't get a lot of stirring...maybe 3-4 times. The meat to liquid ratio is akin to a thick soup so meat isn't actually packed in real tight. Also, for my own personal taste, I no longer use soy sauce, preferring teriyaki sauce instead...Kikkoman being the sauce of choice but Yoshida's as a close second...results in a bit sweeter but still enough salt taste for my taste buds....
Love the recipe and the results but I have a question about the glazing and pellicle formation. I have let the salmon dry for 15+ hours in the fridge, and have also tried air drying with a fan blowing over the fish but I'm not sure I'm getting the 'pellicle' formation. What is meant by pellicle? My fish after either of the above approaches is more-or-less dry to the touch but otherwise it doesn't seem to have any kind of harder surface if that is what is meant by pellicle.
I don't rinse the fish after the brining stage and I assume that the residual brine is what would form the pellicle/glaze but would appreciate somebody confirming that this approach is correct.
Thanks
A good pellicle should be tacky to the touch. It is a reaction of the salt and proteins on the surface of the meat or fish, that produces a sticky membrane. If the surface is too dry it will not pick up much smoke. The pellicle improve the smoke favor, and the smoke will not be as harsh. It is also said that the pellicle help keep the fish or meat more moist. If the surface is too moist, more of the "harsh" chemicals in the smoke will adhere, possibly producing a bitter taste..
Hab's answer is A+...Time, tackiness, translucency, all add up to determining the end of the drying, (or pellicle), stage but I've learned over the years that the "look" is my best final indicator of when it's ready to put in the smoker. Of course, it takes doing it quite a few times before you develop your own confidence in seeing "the look" but I'll try to describe it;
Fresh from finishing a seven rack load at midnight thirty last night, the pellicle stage was complete after 7 hours of drying on my custom rack (which provides plenty of air space for proper venting). The first 6 hours were inside my house at around 72*F, then moved outside at around 45*F for an hour to cool. The fan was blowing on 'High" the entire time and I rotated the rack 90* about every 1.5 hours. That's just what I did for this particular batch...it's also turned out great leaving it out overnight with fan on "Low" and not rotating it while I slept.
With last night's batch, I knew it was ready at 7 hours by seeing the slight translucency, the "pulling" of the thinner spot of meat where it was in contact with the frog mats, and the barely perseptable tackiness by touch. ( I also never rinse the meat after brining)
I teach salmon smoking class in Alaska so I have everything from totally open students to highly observant and critique ready students in the typical class...and the most often sought information, after the brine recipe, is how to determine when it's ready to smoke. That's why my class ALWAYS starts with a rack full of salmon ready to put in the smoker, having achieved peak dryness so they can see/touch a proper pellicle stage completion. Then the rack is placed in a warmed smoker for the duration of the 3.5-4 hour class, the "final exam" being a taste test that is always well received and everyone seems to pass!
Here's a couple pics from last night's smoke. The first one shows the fan setup and the second shows the finished product. In reality, the "finished product" photo is pretty much how the salmon looks when it it also ready to smoke. Hope this helps you achieve pellicle perfection!!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v728/Kummok/Mobile%20Uploads/th_image.jpeg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Kummok/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image.jpeg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v728/Kummok/Mobile%20Uploads/th_image_1.jpeg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Kummok/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_1.jpeg.html)
Quote from: Kummok on October 12, 2015, 10:36:14 AM
the pellicle stage was complete after 7 hours of drying on my custom rack (which provides plenty of air space for proper venting). The first 6 hours were inside my house at around 72*F, then moved outside at around 45*F for an hour to cool. The fan was blowing on 'High" the entire time and I rotated the rack 90* about every 1.5 hours.
Kummock, what is the typical humidity in your area? In Montana, I set my brined fish on racks inside my house in front of a fan to form a pellicle, and it takes way less than 7 hours. But the humidity is normally quite low.
We are a coastal community here...I can watch whales breech through my front Windows. Average humidity is 70-80%...it is 79% at the moment.
Quote from: Fuzzybear on May 16, 2004, 03:44:38 PM
...
Note that if you get that white milky stuff on your fish, you are cooking to fast at to high a temp...just a note....
"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Good info... learnt the hard way!
Quote from: Kummok on October 15, 2015, 10:04:01 PM
We are a coastal community here...I can watch whales breech through my front Windows. Average humidity is 70-80%...it is 79% at the moment.
That explains why it takes so long for your fish to develop a pedicle! In Montana, where the humidity is normally quite low, I can develop a pedicle on fish at room temperature in front of a fan in under an hour and a half.
I am a newbie when it comes to smoking fish but my mouth watered when I read about Kummok's salmon - all hale Kummok you're my hero
ThanX for the kudo....like most good things, my recipe/process is the result of many folk's trial and error (smoked salmon errors are still edible!) Be sure to post your results!!
Kummok,
I'm hoping maybe you can help me out, during a trip to Alaska 6 years ago visiting friends who at the time worked for PWSAC - they sent us home with a bunch of canned smoked salmon - it was amazing!!! I'd love to be able to smoke a bunch of salmon and can it
My questions are is it better to cold smoke or hot smoke salmon that is going to be canned? Do smoking times very for canned salmon i would assume that canning the meat may intensive the smoke flavor??
Also does any liquid need to be added to jars or does the smoked fish still have enough oils and moister in it to produce liquid when smoked
Thanks for your time
Sorry PAhardwoods...absolutely 0 hrs experience with canning anything at all so whatever I would tell you about it should be considered highly suspect! Every bit of salmon I smoke gets vac sealed and frozen. While canning would prolong the shelf life, nothing I put in the freezer stays in there for more than a year so I really have no need to can....
PA,
When I can smoked salmon I've only hot smoked before canning. Cold smoking would reduce moisture loss in the flesh, which is one of the main drawbacks of canning smoked salmon IMO. The high canning temp pushes a lot of liquid out of the flesh. Although I'm not a food expert, I think the canning process will kill any pathogens developed during the low temp. cold smoke. I can smoked salmon in 1/2 pint jars and I add one Tbsp. of good quality olive oil to each jar before sealing. This helps with keeping more moisture in the fish. Canning 1/2 pint or 1 pint unsmoked salmon requires 100 minutes @ 11 pounds pressure in a dial gauge pressure canner or 10 pounds pressure in a weighted gauge pressure canner.(Quart jars @ 160 minutes) Canning SMOKED salmon requires 110 minutes at the same pressures.(there isn't a time/pressure for quart jars of smoked salmon/fish) which usually means that testing showed inconsistent results and safety of the food product couldn't be assured. For more canning info, the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Georgia is one of the major food preservation research stations in the country and work in conjunction with USDA food safety. I've taken food preservation classes here locally through the WSU extension service and most of the teaching material comes from UofG. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the info it is greatly appreciated!!!
Can this recipe be applied to Lake Trout and/or White fish?
I haven't so I can't speak to the experience. That said, I and others have used it for halibut and rockfish with great results...don't know why it wouldn't work for lake trout and whitefish. If you give it a go, be sure to post your results!
The Lake Trout is an oiler fish like salmon, the whitefish is more like the rockfish or halibut in oil content. If Kummok says the recipe works great for the them, I'd give it a go. I grew up enjoying smoked lake trout, northern pike etc. It was all good.
Kummock's recipe works great on Lake Trout, which are oily fish which are similar to salmon, and also works very well with less oily fish like rainbow, brown, and brook trout.
Will post results. Bradley Digital 4-rack SG decided to "crap" the bed. Pucks don't want to advance. Not a happy camper. Read a few posts on here as to troubleshooting non-advancing pucks. Sadly, failed. SG not very old and worse yet, barely used. End product looks like I was able to save it (advanced pucks manually for 4 hrs). When I get my pic's uploaded to PC, will be happy to share my results. I vacuum-sealed to seal in the flavour. Had to beat the family off with a stick. Did keep a couple pieces out to appease the masses.
Banff springs-- try putting a piece of wood under the 2 feet of your smoke chamber on the side cpwith the generator attached. Something 3/8" thick would be plenty. I had the same problem years ago with the puck advance and tried the usual things to no avail. Finally tried the piece of wood and haven't had a problem since.
T2
I don't quite follow. Put wood under the smoke chamber? I'm game to try your suggestion. Are you able to take a pic and post?
I believe he is suggesting propping the SG side of the cabinet up by placing thin blocks under the feet. Thus putting the SG, its chute and the burner on a slight slope. Its a good thought but not a fix I would consider. JMO.
I called Bradley and they seem to suggest (after giving them the sympton's I am exeriencing), it's the micro-switch and/or motor. All in all, $13.00 for both pieces. Sadly, shipping/handling is damn near twice that cost.
After disassembly and successful "open-Smoke Gen" surgery, am please to say that it WAS the micro-switch that was giving me the issues. It now works as advertised. Will post pic's of my smoked Lake Trout using a dry brine with Alder smoke for 5 hours @ 140*F. Family ate it right up. Nothing left.
Quote from: PAhardwoods on December 13, 2015, 08:12:33 PM
Kummok,
I'm hoping maybe you can help me out, during a trip to Alaska 6 years ago visiting friends who at the time worked for PWSAC - they sent us home with a bunch of canned smoked salmon - it was amazing!!! I'd love to be able to smoke a bunch of salmon and can it
My questions are is it better to cold smoke or hot smoke salmon that is going to be canned? Do smoking times very for canned salmon i would assume that canning the meat may intensive the smoke flavor??
Also does any liquid need to be added to jars or does the smoked fish still have enough oils and moister in it to produce liquid when smoked
Thanks for your time
Quote from: Kummok on December 05, 2015, 11:43:21 AM
ThanX for the kudo....like most good things, my recipe/process is the result of many folk's trial and error (smoked salmon errors are still edible!) Be sure to post your results!!
Would love to post the pic's however, do not see an option to attach *.jpg pic's of pre- and post smoke pic's. Is is drag-n-drop? I see an option to insert an image but I don't think that's what I am looking for.
There's some other detailed threads on here for posting photos. That said, I use photobucket.com...upload your photos there and it will give you a properly formatted URL to copy/paste right into this text body. Photobucket will give you the choice for thumbnail or full size URL to copy and paste....real easy after your first successful post...
Thanks. I'll see what I can do. :) ;D
Quote from: banff_springs on February 23, 2016, 01:53:34 PM
After disassembly and successful "open-Smoke Gen" surgery, am please to say that it WAS the micro-switch that was giving me the issues. It now works as advertised. Will post pic's of my smoked Lake Trout using a dry brine with Alder smoke for 5 hours @ 140*F. Family ate it right up. Nothing left.
Quote from: banff_springs on February 23, 2016, 01:58:53 PM
Quote from: PAhardwoods on December 13, 2015, 08:12:33 PM
Kummok,
I'm hoping maybe you can help me out, during a trip to Alaska 6 years ago visiting friends who at the time worked for PWSAC - they sent us home with a bunch of canned smoked salmon - it was amazing!!! I'd love to be able to smoke a bunch of salmon and can it
My questions are is it better to cold smoke or hot smoke salmon that is going to be canned? Do smoking times very for canned salmon i would assume that canning the meat may intensive the smoke flavor??
Also does any liquid need to be added to jars or does the smoked fish still have enough oils and moister in it to produce liquid when smoked
Thanks for your time
Quote from: Kummok on December 05, 2015, 11:43:21 AM
ThanX for the kudo....like most good things, my recipe/process is the result of many folk's trial and error (smoked salmon errors are still edible!) Be sure to post your results!!
Would love to post the pic's however, do not see an option to attach *.jpg pic's of pre- and post smoke pic's. Is is drag-n-drop? I see an option to insert an image but I don't think that's what I am looking for.
Alright, let's see if this works. Here are a few shots of pre- and post- smoke of my Lake Trout.
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb337/banff_springs/th_20160214_164346.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/banff_springs/media/20160214_164346.jpg.html) (http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb337/banff_springs/th_20160214_164827.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/banff_springs/media/20160214_164827.jpg.html) (http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb337/banff_springs/th_20160214_165010.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/banff_springs/media/20160214_165010.jpg.html) (http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb337/banff_springs/th_20160214_185818.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/banff_springs/media/20160214_185818.jpg.html)
Appreciate all the help. Thank You !
Like a pro, Banff_Springs!
Ok, I don't eat soy but as an alternative I use coconut aminos. Anybody here try this for Kummok's recipe? I did well on the salmon last week out in CA so I plan on smoking one this weekend. Thanks!
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Sometime back a neighbor returned from Alaska with a load of salmon. He asked if I could smoke some. Since I had not smoked any fish I asked him to let my try first on my own. Yesterday I purchased 1.75lbs of wild caught salmon. Today the warden and I prepared the brine (actually she prepared the brine.) using kummok's recipe. Obviously the quantity was reduced. I know the instructions said to keep in fridge for 12 hours I am wondering if 18 hours would cause any adverse effects? I left the skin on.
Here is the start:
I cut into strips maybe not too uniform. :-X
(http://i1328.photobucket.com/albums/w539/JohnM70/m_DSC_0240_zpsabcirfze.jpg) (http://s1328.photobucket.com/user/JohnM70/media/m_DSC_0240_zpsabcirfze.jpg.html)
Into the brine
(http://i1328.photobucket.com/albums/w539/JohnM70/m_DSC_0241_zpsbfqmv6no.jpg) (http://s1328.photobucket.com/user/JohnM70/media/m_DSC_0241_zpsbfqmv6no.jpg.html)
Now for a cool slumber.
(http://i1328.photobucket.com/albums/w539/JohnM70/m_DSC_0242_zps2jmsrr5s.jpg) (http://s1328.photobucket.com/user/JohnM70/media/m_DSC_0242_zps2jmsrr5s.jpg.html)
More tomorrow...
Quote from: rooster85 on July 20, 2016, 12:55:45 PM
Ok, I don't eat soy but as an alternative I use coconut aminos. Anybody here try this for Kummok's recipe? I did well on the salmon last week out in CA so I plan on smoking one this weekend. Thanks!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Never heard of coconut aminos until now. Is the flavor similar to soy?
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on July 23, 2016, 12:46:25 PM
Quote from: rooster85 on July 20, 2016, 12:55:45 PM
Ok, I don't eat soy but as an alternative I use coconut aminos. Anybody here try this for Kummok's recipe? I did well on the salmon last week out in CA so I plan on smoking one this weekend. Thanks!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Never heard of coconut aminos until now. Is the flavor similar to soy?
It tastes similar only sweeter. I ended up using it and I really enjoy the outcome! Smoked about half a salmon.
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I may have to order some, I can't seem to find it in any local stores.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on July 24, 2016, 01:25:06 AM
I may have to order some, I can't seem to find it in any local stores.
I have to get mine from a Heinens market, about 30 min from home. I know it can be purchased on Amazon though. It's more of a specialty item.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I saw it on Amazon. I may order from them. Thanks
Well things did not turn out well. The salmon turned out to be somewhat dry. :'( It was darker than I would have imagined and was a little salty, and I thought I rinsed well. The taste was ok but.... When the air dry was complete the filets were firm and somewhat sticky. I had a fan blowing over the filets for about 4 hours.
I think the problems were: a little too much soy, and too long in the smoker. Also, I believe the filet was too thin and I should have cut larger pieces. I set the temps to 75 min @ 110F, 130 min @ 140. When this step was finished I checked the IT and depending on the thickness the range was 115F to 130F. I also noticed the pieces had shrunk some. The last step the temp was 175F for 60min. the final IT temp range was 141F to 152F.
I will try again soon. Maybe I can get my neighbor to sell me some of his salmon. He has lots. ;D
John
I must stand corrected, I sampled the salmon right after I removed it from the smoker. It was in the fridge over night and when I sampled it the next day it was good. Like I said before a little salty & dry, (but thats what beer is for :) ) and it may have become jerky. But it tastes great ;D. I just need to think it through the next time.
John
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on July 25, 2016, 01:26:41 AM
I saw it on Amazon. I may order from them. Thanks
Give it a shot Hab, you may like it. I know I like it but I haven't had soy in so long that I don't really remember what soy tastes like.
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I will. I plan to order some the next time I order from Amazon, but in the mean time, I will check a few health food stores. It looks interesting. I'm curious as to why you don't use soy sauce.
This brine recipe was originally posted back in 2004 and has evolved a bit since then for my own personal use. Most of the changes are buried in all the comment but here's the synopsis:
I use only teriyaki (or Yoshida's) and I double the brown sugar (4 lbs). Further, I only smoke for around 3-3.5 hrs and rarely pass 145°F, starting around 120°F. All skin/bones removed and meat is cut into bite size pieces. Overnight soak, 10-20 hours is safe and dry with fan on 'Low' about 6' from product for 5-8 hours max...Hope this helps! Just finished making 16 lbs of finished tasty morsels this way....
Quote from: rooster85 on July 28, 2016, 05:27:29 AM
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on July 25, 2016, 01:26:41 AM
I saw it on Amazon. I may order from them. Thanks
Give it a shot Hab, you may like it. I know I like it but I haven't had soy in so long that I don't really remember what soy tastes like.
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A nearby health food store sells Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos. I didn't try it as a substitute for Kummok's brine, but did use it in a Carribian style barbecue sauce I make. I do like the flavor, but I feel the taste is a little too subtle for the strong flavor of salmon. I could only taste a slight hint of it in my sauce. This would make a good replacement for soy sauce as a condiment.
thank you been wanting to try salmon
tu amigo
mahto
Quote from: mahto on November 30, 2016, 12:19:56 PM
thank you been wanting to try salmon
tu amigo
mahto
So Matho, how'd the salmon turn out?
This one is for Mr. Kummok, but all members input is appreciated. Just returned from fishing in Valdez and loaded up on Silvers...My new Bradley original 4-rack smoker arrived today and just finished seasoning it...Cant wait to put it to work. I used your recipe for brine: terriyaki instead of Soy, 4T of Cayenne instead of 3, and a little extra brown sugar as you had mentioned in a previous post. Not sure if it was necessary, but heated the brine to make ingredients go into solution better...It's now chilling in the fridge. Question about the brining process: This is a dumb question I know...You mention dumping a gallon of ice in an igloo. Is this in addition to water used to make the brine? If so, won't this dilute the brine solution? I was going to keep it in the fridge for 12 hrs in a big pot that I have used for turkey deep fry.
Lot's of info out there on the smoking process...I have never done it before and please correct me if i'm wrong but here is my plan:
100F -115F for 1 hr no smoke.
120F 1.5 hrs with smoke
140F 2.0 hrs with smoke
170F-175F for 1 hr no smoke
4 Big fillets sliced up in slightly larger strips than you have suggested maybe 1"
Fish were all about 9-12lbs and thickest fillet is slightly over 1" thick.
Any insight or comments on this topic would be deeply appreciated.
I recently tuned into this forum and have been reading many of your posts...I am anxious to try your recipe as it looks like a winner!
Thanks much,
Well,
Just finished my first batch...I stuck to kammok's recipe, and followed the smoking procedure I outlined above. The fish on the lower rack in the rear is black...extremely well done. smaller pieces in the middle racks and top rack good but on the verge of being well done. The hot product tasted quite salty, but it seems like the flavor is getting better as the product cools down a bit. I can taste the Cayenne a bit which is nice.
I think next time around I'll try smoking a little differently....Maybe test some of the fish as it's smoking. DUH! I will use lower temps as I think when I pushed it to 175F for the last hour it was too much. Do you really have to go to 175F?? 155F might have been better?? Also, think I'll use a little less smoke...I piped straight smoke for 2.5 to 3 hrs, and it seems a bit strong.
So Next time slightly less smoke, lower temps, sample product as it is smoking, and possibly a little less salt. Maybe this is how it's supposed to taste??? I guess I was expecting more of a candied flavor.
Thoughts and comments appreciated.
For the fish to cook more evenly, rotate your racks; top to bottom, and front to back - meaning turn the racks 180 degrees before placing them back into the smoker.
If the fish fillets are thinner, you may want to cut back on the brining time.
Did you soak the fish in fresh water for an hour or so before putting in smoker to help eliminate to much salt?
Quote from: watchdog56 on September 10, 2017, 06:34:52 AM
Did you soak the fish in fresh water for an hour or so before putting in smoker to help eliminate to much salt?
I rinsed the fish as indicated after brining. I did not soak the fish in FW for an hour. Have you done this?
As a side note, the flavor of the fish after coming out of the refrigerator a day later was outstanding. The salt content seemed much lower than the samples I tried when product was hot from the smoker!
Thanks!
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on September 09, 2017, 01:36:31 AM
For the fish to cook more evenly, rotate your racks; top to bottom, and front to back - meaning turn the racks 180 degrees before placing them back into the smoker.
If the fish fillets are thinner, you may want to cut back on the brining time.
Thanks for the comments...Being a newbie to the smoker, I never really thought about this. I will follow this practice in the future.
The flavor of the finished product was actually much better than I had originally thought...I guess letting the fish chill overnight in the fridge caused the extreme saltiness to dissipate somewhat.
thanks for your comments and advice.....now on to the smoked ribs!
Glad to see the Silvers turned out well for you! They are a bit drier salmon so I shorten the pellicle forming time and the smoking time/temp for a more moist texture. I also double the brown sugar, don't rinse after bring and have cut down the time/temp considerably since this recipe was originally posted back in 2004...that will result in the more "candied" product that you expected...
Just saw your PM and gave more detailed answer via same...Smoke On!
How long do you spend forming pellucite? You mention letting it take 12+ hours in winter, but what about if I'm refrigerating it?
Sorry for delay, RBark...traveling...
Quote from: RBark on September 24, 2017, 03:26:59 PM
How long do you spend forming pellucite? You mention letting it take 12+ hours in winter, but what about if I'm refrigerating it?
The pellicle forming stage is critical to achieving the finish texture you desire...end it too early and you'll have soft, sticky, more easily crumbled salmon..too late and you'll have what I call 'Pocket Salmon', because you can carry it in your pocket without worrying about crumbling.
I've come to prefer around 6-8 hours with fan blowing on 'Low' setting..that gives me a product that is moist but doesn't fall apart too easily. It's my own personal preference but I no longer pellicle without a fan, so that precludes, for me, doing pellicle forming in the non-ventilating reefer..
ThanX to TedEBear, Oldman's quickie summary (w/ a couple old fish photos) of my original post as it appears in the Susan Minor Recipe site is located here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20151004223727/http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?105-Excellent-BRADLEY-Smoked-Alaskan-Salmon
Mr. Kummock,, have you ever smoked black cod and if yes could you please post some info on that,, thanks
I haven't but others locally have with great results, using the same brine as in original post. I have tasted it and it is spectacularly tasty
what about the smoking time and temps,, thanks
Again, I haven't smoked the black cod but I'd expect to use shorter smoking times than salmon and I'd still go for max 150-5°F-ish...once I smoke some, I'll be able to advise better...I just know that those that do locally, produce an excellent product and tap about it being more oily than salmon....
Hello. Thank you for your recipe. you have the advantage of having wild salmon, which we hardly have in Portugal. I'll try your recipe. but I would like to propose to the group.
I have had many friends love my smoke salmon.
I clean the boneless fish and cover all the fish with salt pre-mixed with 10% brown sugar (6 pounds + 0.6 of sugar)
leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Then put in the refrigerator for another 3-4 hours. if the fish is too high leave a little longer. Then remove all the salt, dry the fish very well and leave 12h in the refrigerator with a weight on top for the fillet to become more uniform and dense.
Then I put in the COLD smoker with the kind of wood I like. 3-5 hours .I have varied tipes of wood and all are different but delicious. I have never tested with mesquite.
I have Photos but i cant put in forum
and he is ready to enjoy.
Very tasty and easy.
Brand new to forum and new to the Bradley. I have a couple of questions for those who have done this smoked salmon.
.
1. Do you recommend smoke the entire time? If not how long for the smoke?
2. Is vent open or closed on top of the smoker?
3. Water pan full or empty for catching expired wood briquettes?
Thanks in advance, tried to look for answers in the forum and went through the first 16 pages or so.
Hi dwightman;
Welcome to the forum. Kummok generally follows this thread, so you may hear directly from him. This is what I do.
1. Do you recommend smoke the entire time? If not how long for the smoke?
I apply smoke for 2 hours during the second stage. That is when you increase the temperature to 140°F.
2. Is vent open or closed on top of the smoker?
During this recipe I keep the vent wide open. Never use the Bradley with a completely closed vent. Moisture and debris will backup into the generator.
3. Water pan full or empty for catching expired wood briquettes?
I fill the water pan. That is to help extinguish the bisquettes, and the small amount of drippings that may occur.
thanks for the reply