Comparison of Salmon curing methods

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Sorry to revive an old thread, but there is a lot of good information here that I just read.  I'm fairly new to smoking.

Your sugar to salt ratio is inverted from what I have seen and tried when smoking salmon or sturgeon.  For salmon, I have done 1:1 sugar to salt ratio, and for sturgeon, I did a dry cure of 1:2 sugar to salt ratio, which is the inverse of several of your cures.  Do most people who smoke salmon do more sugar or salt in their cures?  Have you (or anyone else) ever tried testing the inverse, using more salt than sugar?  I'd be curious as to the results. 
 
Sorry to revive an old thread, but there is a lot of good information here that I just read.  I'm fairly new to smoking.

Your sugar to salt ratio is inverted from what I have seen and tried when smoking salmon or sturgeon.  For salmon, I have done 1:1 sugar to salt ratio, and for sturgeon, I did a dry cure of 1:2 sugar to salt ratio, which is the inverse of several of your cures.  Do most people who smoke salmon do more sugar or salt in their cures?  Have you (or anyone else) ever tried testing the inverse, using more salt than sugar?  I'd be curious as to the results. 
I use little or no sugar on my salmon cures. personal preference.
 
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Sorry to revive an old thread, but there is a lot of good information here that I just read.  I'm fairly new to smoking.

Your sugar to salt ratio is inverted from what I have seen and tried when smoking salmon or sturgeon.  For salmon, I have done 1:1 sugar to salt ratio, and for sturgeon, I did a dry cure of 1:2 sugar to salt ratio, which is the inverse of several of your cures.  Do most people who smoke salmon do more sugar or salt in their cures?  Have you (or anyone else) ever tried testing the inverse, using more salt than sugar?  I'd be curious as to the results. 
My standard now is 1:1 salt:sugar dry cure for salmon which I find suits most UK pallets. The salt I use is coarse sea salt and I find this gives a very different result than when using fine salt. A lot is down to regional preference though - I am from the UK but have worked/lived in the the US too, and the US pallet is more used to a much sweeter product than in the UK.
 
Wade at the risk of blasting through 5 pages too quickly, I read that you have more weight loss with dry brines vs wet brines?  Doesnt this mean that the dry brines leaves salmon that is not as moist and juicy as a wet brine (I dont like dry salmon).  TY.  Oh and I am referring to a hot smoke.
 
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It does not make it at all dry but it does firm up the texture. The dryness will depend more on the length of time that it is in the hot smoker.

Once I have dry brined, I then cold smoke it for about 8 hours then I cook it hot and fast - 12 minutes at 180 C (350 F). It comes out smokey, moist and tender and it melts in the mouth. It is not wet and pappy - which is how I find uncured salmon steaks can be when they are cooked.
 
Cool thanks. And just to confirm I am refering to dry brining salmon vs curing it. So 2% salt of weight for dry brining right?

I need to start weighing my meats. 36 hour dry brine vs none, and then really see the weight diffs post smoke.
 
Cool thanks. And just to confirm I am refering to dry brining salmon vs curing it. So 2% salt of weight for dry brining right?

I need to start weighing my meats. 36 hour dry brine vs none, and then really see the weight diffs post smoke.


The primary difference you will notice is in the flavor..... Salmon needs salt....
 
Hi guys. I just picked up a few pounds of chinook from Washington. I did the 4:1 dry brine and am getting ready to take them out of the brine. Do I need to rinse off the dry brine or do I leave it on?
 
"Typically" the 4:1 dry brine is 4 parts dark brown sugar over 1 part salt.  That's what I use but add a few more special ingredients.
 
I did like how it describes in the #6 trial. 4 parts cane sugar and one part kosher salt. 2 hours cure time. Some thicker pieces got a little more cure time because they were still really soft. The skin is still on these pieces.
 
This deserves a bump up this time of year.  Wade used up a lot of fish just to give us the results.  More than I smoke each year.  LOL

Thanks wade for the time, expense and effort. 

I trust and pray that your Dad is still going strong now.
 
Almost 6 years later and this info is still gold! Much appreciated!
 
I read through most post and may of missed it. Where all the fish rinsed after curing? Any thoughts on using sugar substitutes? Nice work here.
 
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