Vacuum Sealing Cold Smoked Salmon

mds51

Meat Mopper

Original poster

Nov 10, 2011

217

23

Oklahoma City

• Oct 14, 2012

• #1

:

Thanks to this forum and the Amazen Pellet Smoker, I just finished smoking four nice fillets of Salmon. My question are as follows:

1. How long will the Salmon stay fresh in the refrigerator if I vacuum seal the product?

2. Does it matter if I slice the Salmon or leave it in sealable size portions as to how long it stays fresh? Also does slicing affect the texture when it is stored sealed and refrigerated as compared to sealing portions?

3. Does freezing affect the texture of vacuum sealed cold smoked Salmon?

I would appreciate input from anyone who has done either or both ways and what results you have had with the quality of the product.

Thank You!!

mds51

 

daveomak

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Nov 12, 2010

27,123

4,979

Omak,Washington,U.S.A.

• Oct 14, 2012

• #2

mds, evening....  What temp did you smoke it at ??  Was it salted and cure# 1 added to the fish ?? What size are the fillets ?? Freezing smoked salmon for any length of time, in my opinion, ruins it..... Force yourself to eat it fresh or give it to your friends fresh.... Paybacks can be a good thing...  If it is truly cold smoked, it will keep for a long time hanging in a dark cool place with air circulation like they do on "Yukon Men"..... nothing else needed.... 

PS... In my signature line there are several reads about fish.....  

Dave

 

mds51

Meat Mopper

Original poster

Thread starter

Nov 10, 2011

217

23

Oklahoma City

• Oct 15, 2012

• #3

Thanks for the reply Dave!! It was cured with kosher salt and sugar and Cure 1 for three days and then rinsed and allowed to form a Pellicle in the refridgerator for 12 hours. I then cold smoked it in the MES Smoker with the AMNPS with Alder Dust and no heat. The chamber temperature never got above 100 degrees since it was a mild day here in Oklahoma.THe fish was smoked for three hours and then removed to cool and then refrigerated. I also agree that freezing does not do anything good for fish. I would like to vacuum seal some of the fish and keep in the refrigerator for about four weeks for the Thanksgiving holiday. Do you think that it will be safe and still quality to to this for that period of time?

Thanks mds51

 

tjohnson

Smoking Guru

Moderator

OTBS Member

SMF Premier Member

Insider

Dec 29, 2009

5,600

139

Savage, MN

• Oct 15, 2012

• #4

I'm curious too....

 

mds51

Meat Mopper

Original poster

Thread starter

Nov 10, 2011

217

23

Oklahoma City

• Oct 15, 2012

• #5

I forgot to add that the fillets were about 2 1/2 pounds each and we smoked a total of ten pounds of fish. As I originally stated I used a recipe from the forum and Todd`s AMNPS that has proven to be perfect for cold smoking fish in the MES. I microwaved the Alder dust for one minute and filled one row with the dust and this burned perfectly for three hours. I cannot give enough credit and thanks to the forum and Todd Johnson who has taken time to answer all my questions about his product and many related to smoking meats and other items. The results have been excellent and this batch of Salmon tastes better than most of the products you can buy.

 

daveomak

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Nov 12, 2010

27,123

4,979

Omak,Washington,U.S.A.

• Oct 15, 2012

• #6

mds, morning.... Great job on following safe food practices....   So as to not lose something in the translation, below are guidelines for handling, packaging and storage of fish, cold smoked fish etc....

  Dave

http://www.fishbrothers.com/www.fishbrothers.com/Case_Size_and_Shelf_Life.html

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/ResearchAreas/SafePracticesforFoodProcesses/ucm094579.htm

 

mds51

Meat Mopper

Original poster

Thread starter

Nov 10, 2011

217

23

Oklahoma City

• Oct 15, 2012

• #7

Thank you Sir!!  Great reference source for these questions and I always appreciate your input. I learn something everytime I look at this site and it makes this great hobby some much more enjoyable and successful. Have a great Week!!  mds51