- Feb 3, 2013
- 32
- 11
So, I got some salmon this weekend at a decent price so decided to try out a winter salmon smoke session. I grew up with an uncle who had a Salmon Charter Boat business in Westport, Washington and anytime we visited him, I ate the most amazing smoked salmon. Since it's almost impossible to get good King salmon down here in New Mexico, this was just cheap Atlantic salmon. C'est La Vie... :) I bought 2.5lbs, which was an entire half-fish filet, cut into 3 chunks...
Per the instructions by AKhap, I brined them in his solution for 90 minutes and then put on drying racks to form the pellicle.
After about 3 hours under a fan, I got a very thick and noticeable pellicle. I've never left them that long and now I see what it's supposed to feel like, it was like a hard piece of plastic over the skin. Not just moist, sticky fish...
I then added a thin coating of maple syrup and spread it around the surface of the fish...
Next, I covered that with brown sugar. The syrup really helped the sugar to stick onto the fish. I use little aluminum foil 'boats' so that the sugary goo doesn't run all over the bottom of my smoker....
I set my MES 30" smoker for 140 degrees, using an AMNPS with Oak pellets and 1 chip tray full of mesquite just to give it an extra bit of kick. I inserted the probe into the thickest filet and waited for the IT to reach 140 degrees on the fish. This took quite awhile... after about 4 hours, I raised my smoker temp to 150 degrees and it took about another hour to reach the 140 degrees IT. I pulled it and was a bit dismayed to find that I had some oil seepage. I find my MES to keep pretty accurate temps, so I don't think I was much over 140 degrees for very long. I'm not sure what I did wrong. Anyway, the oil on the surface may not be pretty, but the fish flaked and tasted great when I tested it. Now into the fridge for a few days and I'll be able to make a real judgement.
Per the instructions by AKhap, I brined them in his solution for 90 minutes and then put on drying racks to form the pellicle.
After about 3 hours under a fan, I got a very thick and noticeable pellicle. I've never left them that long and now I see what it's supposed to feel like, it was like a hard piece of plastic over the skin. Not just moist, sticky fish...
I then added a thin coating of maple syrup and spread it around the surface of the fish...
Next, I covered that with brown sugar. The syrup really helped the sugar to stick onto the fish. I use little aluminum foil 'boats' so that the sugary goo doesn't run all over the bottom of my smoker....
I set my MES 30" smoker for 140 degrees, using an AMNPS with Oak pellets and 1 chip tray full of mesquite just to give it an extra bit of kick. I inserted the probe into the thickest filet and waited for the IT to reach 140 degrees on the fish. This took quite awhile... after about 4 hours, I raised my smoker temp to 150 degrees and it took about another hour to reach the 140 degrees IT. I pulled it and was a bit dismayed to find that I had some oil seepage. I find my MES to keep pretty accurate temps, so I don't think I was much over 140 degrees for very long. I'm not sure what I did wrong. Anyway, the oil on the surface may not be pretty, but the fish flaked and tasted great when I tested it. Now into the fridge for a few days and I'll be able to make a real judgement.
