Cold Smoked Salmon

[Silvergrizz]

First Cold smoked Salmon. Farmed Atlantic Salmon picked up fresh from local Market. They filleted and deboned for me. Starting weight was 9.4 lbs, but I cut and froze the small tail sections (.9 lbs) leaving me with 8.5 lbs. Did the double brine method by Mitch Unger (Spyguy) off the susanminor site. I mixed up way too much dry brine, 2.5 lbs salt and 3 lbs Demerara brown sugar. I found most of it was still dry after 7.5 hours in the fridge, but the salmon was certainly cured. Into the wet brine for another 8 hours and then smoked. Planned on 3 hours of special blend, but smoker quit after 1 hour, didn't notice for another 45 minutes. Turned  off and on, seemed to start heating again, but wouldn't burn pucks. Dismantled smoker and wiggled all connections, back into cold smoke adapter and fired up. Working now, but another hour had past. It is freezing here so no issue with salmon I don't think. Starting temp was 30F got up to 58F before it quit. Down to 29F by the time I got it working again, smoked for another hour, temp rose to 61 by the end of the hour. Turned off and allowed to cool in smoker, temp down to 35 when I removed. Cut up and froze, ended up with 5 lbs 1/2 oz when completed and no I didn't eat any of it before weighing. Planning on letting 1 pkg sit in fridge overnight for Bagles, cream cheese and lox for breakfast.



Salmon before trimming and dry brining



Salmon after finishing in smoker, thats dill weed spread on the salmon during pelicle formation

[devo]

Funny I was just looking at that recipe today. Been thinking about trying it out for a while now. Off from work for a couple of weeks so I have the time, just need to get some salmon.

[Silvergrizz]

I would be very interested in your thoughts on the amount of salt/sugar you use. I am into my second batch tonight. 3 lbs wild Alaskan Sockeye from Costco. Forget to take it out to thaw yesterday or I would have done both at once. Used 20oz salt and 24oz sugar to get this batch covered. I read in another recipe to use 3 tbls salt for 3 lbs salmon rubbed well into fish. Huge difference. Anyway,interested in your results.


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[devo]

My first thought is I have made salt fish plenty of times and never used that much salt to cover the fish. My second thought is that's why it has to be soaked in fresh water so much. The salt fish we make has a weight on top. Maybe thats the difference, I'm not sure on that. Also salt fish does not use brown sugar so the two mixed together plays into the amounts that are used.
If I get around to trying this I am going to follow the recipe to the letter just to see how it turns out.
I will let you know

[Silvergrizz]

Found the other recipe, "Smoked Gravlox" page 11 in the recipe book that came with my Bradley Digital


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[Habanero Smoker]

When you first make this recipe follow the directions as printed. I have made Spyguy's recipe several times, haven't changed a thing, and very happy with the results.

The dry brine can be scaled down for lesser amounts of fish, but if you make a large batch it has a long shelf life. If you scroll to the bottom of the recipe you will see that a member has scaled down the wet brine.

[Silvergrizz]

Hab, I did a second run tonight on 3 lbs wild Alaskan salmon using 1 1/4 salt and 1 1/2 lbs sugar and it was all liquid after 7 hours. Only difference this salmon was frozen, but a huge difference in liquid.


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[Habanero Smoker]

For myself, I have found that salmon that has been previously frozen in my freezer, produces a better texture for lox.

This is another one that I will have to get back to, once the holidays are over.

[Silvergrizz]

For myself, I have found that salmon that has been previously frozen in my freezer, produces a better texture for lox.

This is another one that I will have to get back to, once the holidays are over.

That's very interesting. After removing my Alaskan from the wet brine this morning, I found most of the pieces were all cracked open for lack of a better description. Air dried for 4 hours this morning and into the smoker at 10:30am for 3 hours of Special blend. Still waiting on my order of Alder (that's another story, ordered 5 weeks ago).

Here is the money shot of this morning's breakfast. My very first home made LOX




It was delicious  ;D

[KyNola]

Beautifully done!

[SiFumar]

Really looks great!

[devo]

very nicely done sir. I have some rainbow trout in the freezer I think I will give this a shot with.

[Salmonsmoker]

[/quote]

After removing my Alaskan from the wet brine this morning, I found most of the pieces were all cracked open for lack of a better description.
[/quote]

Silvergrizz,
It's been my observation that freezing causes that cracking you describe. I smoke 250# of Alaskan salmon every year, H&G and frozen whole. The faster it's thawed, the more checking there is, and slow thawing in the fridge lessens the checking, but it's still there. In my experience fresh caught and filleted salmon doesn't do that. Although I don't have any proof, I suspect the freezing ruptures some of the connective tissue between the flakes so it doesn't hold together as well. MHO

[Silvergrizz]

Salmonsmoker, I would have to agree with you on your observations. The first salmon I smoked was fresh, only crack in fish was in it when I picked it up from the market. No more cracks after dry and wet brining.

[Silvergrizz]

I don't know whether I should start a new thread or not, so I am going to tag my second salmon run on this one. Followed the same procedure except for a couple of things. The salmon is frozen Wild Alaskan I picked up from Costco and the wet brine is the remainder from the first batch made the day before. Not sure if that extra time will be a  factor or not. I also air dried for 4 hours with a fan before throwing into the smoker. Temps never got above 65F. Allowed to bloom for 2 hours in the smoker, temp dropped to 33F. And here is the finished product. 2lbs 6 oz out 3 lbs at the start.