Store bought Salmon

[f043041]

I am going to smoke some salmon and being from nebraska, we pretty much have to buy it.  I have about 1.5lbs and would like some help on the brine and smoking times.  Please help.

[Keymaster]

Follow the directions in this thread and you will have excellent results, feel free to ask any questions . I cut the recipe in half all the time.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=107.0

[f043041]

Thank you for the help.

[OU812]

I am going to smoke some salmon and being from nebraska, we pretty much have to buy it.  I have about 1.5lbs and would like some help on the brine and smoking times.  Please help.

Another Nebraskan...................WOO HOO!  ;D

Blair area my self.

[hal4uk]

Ohhhhhhhh... You can get fresh Salmon.
Might have to cancel vacation, and the new car...  But, you can get it!

[f043041]

Out here in the big town of Gretna.  Not much for fishing when you want Salmon.

[OU812]

Out here in the big town of Gretna.  Not much for fishing when you want Salmon.

Work there quite often.

No Frills has Salmon in the meat department under the glass that works for me.  ;D

[JZ]

I have used this recipe 3 times (doing a whole bunch more in a week or so) and it is awesome - the best smoked salmon I have ever had. I think if you are only doing 1.5 lbs of fish you could cut the recipe in 1/4 or less; all you need is enough to cover your fish.

When I use the recipe I do a full load on the smoker (4 racks) probably around 15 to 20 lbs. I also cut the fillets into about 1" wide strips instead of 1/2" so that I can get more fish on the racks.

Can't go wrong if you follow the  recipe.

[Quarlow]

If you have to buy store bought, try to get "wild caught" that farmed stuff is just not up to par. However if you can only get farmed then that is what you have to do. You might want to try Kummok's recipe:

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") teflon 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!![]