Its a good week when I can find salmon on sale for $3.99 a pound. Picked up 6 fillets from 1.25 - 1.4 lbs each. Brined em for 12 hours with a modified brine from my last salmon smoke. Used some TQ this time instead of salt due to the length of time sittin on the countertop for the pellicle to form. Just figured it would be a little safer... Was going to post this last night, but was too tired, so my apologies to all who were in chat that I told it would be up!
For the brine, I was out of brown sugar, so I improvised:
1 gallon water
2/3 cup Mortons Tender Quick
1 cup honey
1/3 cup teryaki sauce
1/2 rough chopped onion
1/2 rough chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (with seeds/ribs)
10 crushed cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp crushed bay leaf
Got 2 cups of water to a low simmer to dissolve the honey, and added all ingredients to the big pot.
The fillets after the brine, rinse, patted dry, and racked up to pellicle-ize (Richtee's word). On the racks for 3 hours and the fire has been lit for 20 minutes. Once the oak burned down to coals, in the smoker they went.
Went for about 2.5 hours trying to keep the smoker temp at 180 - 200. Used oak for the smoke, with a touch of mesquite and hickory for a little flavor. Also used a spritz at the one hour and the 1.5 hour mark
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup honey
dash of onion powder
dash of garlic pawder
splash of teryaki sauce
bigger splash tequila
Here's the finished fillets.
My boys and I descended upon the salmon like a pack of jackals. We ate two whole fillets last night. They turned out really tasty, moist and flaky. I love the thinner parts from around where the ribs were cut away and the last couple of inches of tail. Those areas soak up a bit more brine flavor and I like the "jerkey" effect that comes to it.
Saved two for when I go visit the Queen of the Microwave next weekend. Gotta love foodsaver!
For the brine, I was out of brown sugar, so I improvised:
1 gallon water
2/3 cup Mortons Tender Quick
1 cup honey
1/3 cup teryaki sauce
1/2 rough chopped onion
1/2 rough chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (with seeds/ribs)
10 crushed cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp crushed bay leaf
Got 2 cups of water to a low simmer to dissolve the honey, and added all ingredients to the big pot.
The fillets after the brine, rinse, patted dry, and racked up to pellicle-ize (Richtee's word). On the racks for 3 hours and the fire has been lit for 20 minutes. Once the oak burned down to coals, in the smoker they went.
Went for about 2.5 hours trying to keep the smoker temp at 180 - 200. Used oak for the smoke, with a touch of mesquite and hickory for a little flavor. Also used a spritz at the one hour and the 1.5 hour mark
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup honey
dash of onion powder
dash of garlic pawder
splash of teryaki sauce
bigger splash tequila
Here's the finished fillets.
My boys and I descended upon the salmon like a pack of jackals. We ate two whole fillets last night. They turned out really tasty, moist and flaky. I love the thinner parts from around where the ribs were cut away and the last couple of inches of tail. Those areas soak up a bit more brine flavor and I like the "jerkey" effect that comes to it.
Saved two for when I go visit the Queen of the Microwave next weekend. Gotta love foodsaver!
