Smoking Salmon

[murrhunts]

I put some salmon in the Bradley this morning, it has been in for 4 hours, the smoke is done.  I peek in to see what it looked like, and it doesn't look like it has much of a smoke look to it.  I pulled my heat probe and put it in a different piece I have 113 degrees and it is soft.

I followed the Bradley Smoke wild salmon recipe, I know it has to cook longer before it is done but can anyone tell me how to get a heavier smoke to it and is the softness normal till it is completely done?


Thanks

[devo]

Smoking salmon is much like smoking jerky, it will take about 8 hours. You didn't say how many hours of smoke you gave it already, only that its been 4 hours so far. You still can give it a couple hours of smoke if you want but not knowing how long you smoked it for in the beginning it would be hard to tell you to add more smoke. As you get closer to the 7-8 hour mark your fish will start to dry out and firm up. Keep an eye on it.

[murrhunts]

I gave it 4 hours of fish, I let the fish air dry in the smoker with the door open this morning for 3 hours. 

[murrhunts]

4 hours of smoke, sorry

[devo]

Well if you already gave it 4 hours of smoke I would think that should be plenty. As the fish dries out it will take on a darker color.

[devo]

This is before


And this is after pictures, see how much darker it got

[murrhunts]

Well I gave it 2 hours more smoke, maybe I didn't have it dry enough.  But I have a darker color now, what IT do you use?  I read 145 degrees is this correct?

[murrhunts]

The salmon we catch don't have a red meat, we fish New York the Salmon River.  They have a white meat, I am told it is because they stop eating when they spawn.  Don't know how true this is, but maybe me comparing it to the pictures on the forum it looks a lot different to me.

[murrhunts]

Well I am not happy with the turn out, last time I put too much salt in this time not enough.  3rd time is a charm right?????

[Snoopy]

Yup, and that's the joy of smoking, trial and error. You'll get the flavor you want. I've yet to screw salmon up to where I couldn't use it, last time passed out from two bottles of wine and it was in the smoker cooking for about 16.hours. Little dryer but ended up mixin most of it into a dip/spread.

[Habanero Smoker]

The salmon we catch don't have a red meat, we fish New York the Salmon River.  They have a white meat, I am told it is because they stop eating when they spawn.  Don't know how true this is, but maybe me comparing it to the pictures on the forum it looks a lot different to me.

Generally the color of the salmon's flesh depends on their diet. If the salmon eats a lot of crustaceans; especially shrimp their flesh will turn from white to various shades of red. Farm raised salmon, that are not feed shrimp or other crustaceans have white flesh. To get their flesh a pink to reddish color a dye is mixed in with their feed.

As for the final color after the salmon has been cooked, also can depend on what you have in your brine. Brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcester sauce etc., can also contribute to the final color.

The internal temperature for salmon can be from 135°F or higher. If you are taking them out at 145°F, and feel the texture is too soft, continue to cook them until you get to the texture you like. Many continue to cook until you can flake the salmon with a fork. The brining process should keep them moist.

[Grouperman941]

I have only done salmon once.

Right out of the smoker, I was not too impressed with my effort, but after a night in the fridge, it was just right.
Everything from the fish flavor to the texture to the flavor of the seasonings came out great after the rest.

[Wazzulu]

I do mine with a dry brine, and then only run 1.75-2.25 hours of smoke.  Usually alternating alder and a fruit wood.  Before I got my Bradley I would toss some cedar in as well.  It turns out almost candy like. 

[murrhunts]

Well the verdict is in, everyone loved it!!  I think I am just worried about what everyone will think.    But after it sat a day or two it did taste a lot different than tasting it from the smoker.

I think I will stick with this recipe, good thing I wrote everything I did down.

[rveal23]

Murrhunts, you are your worst critic!  Devo those pics look awesome!