I made strips for the first time this year and here is most of the story:
It starts with the fish. A good friend of mine is a commercial fisherman and he called late one night with 29 reds (sockeye salmon) from a test run of his new crew.
That's him on the right making sure everyone knows how to operate the skiff.
I cut the fish into fillets until I could not see anymore. I floated to coolers in well water and got to bed about 2:30 AM. The next morning the fish was cold and fresh and still there...
...and also out of rigor mortis. Important for the next step:
I forgot to mention the bellies and sides were removed and kippered (bellies and sides) and pickled (sides only).
I built the stripping table in the morning. Cut them at 5/8" and kept them cold until ready to hang in the afternoon:
I used the time tested method of salt brine...floating a potato (actually bouncing a potato) in a five gallon bucket. It works out to about 1 cup per gallon which I have found to be the universal brine. No nothing else in the brine...maybe next year. I brined the majority of the strips for 6 Minutes. Some people recommended 10, 8, 4, 2. The thin strips soak brine very quickly and dry to less than 50% so salt is a big issue. Next year I will use 5 Minutes.
The weather was holding and the strips were shimmering. I eventually hung over 300. This was the longest and most painstaking part of the whole process. The skin holds the flesh under the knot. Just the right tension or..the neighborhood dogs got a treat from the floor. Those were extremely well behaved mongrels.
I let the strips form a very sticky pellicle for 24 hours before moving to the smoke room side. I only had a couple moose flies which were quickly dispatched with my tennis racket bug zapper.
I built 6 smokes over the next 3 days. I used peeled cottonwood and peeled birch. I added the seasoned birch at the last minute because of a building low pressure system. By the time I started smoking, the weather had turned and I was starting to get nervous. The fish was still extremely wet and needed enough evaporation to prevent it from going "sour." I kept a lot of dry cold smoke running and you know, it worked out in the end.
Unfortunately, all thought of photography was lost once I got to this stage so you will have to wait for some photos of the finished product. It has been trimmed and vacuum bagged and put in the freezer. I think they would last indefinitely hanging in a cool, dry place. This project took most of a week and to the cold smokers out there...my hat's off to you.
p.s. I friend loaned me this smoke house in exchange for some fix ups (and select strips coming his way). It had not been used in 30 years and he was happy to see it back making fish. It saved me a bundle in money, time, and bear headaches.
It starts with the fish. A good friend of mine is a commercial fisherman and he called late one night with 29 reds (sockeye salmon) from a test run of his new crew.
That's him on the right making sure everyone knows how to operate the skiff.
I cut the fish into fillets until I could not see anymore. I floated to coolers in well water and got to bed about 2:30 AM. The next morning the fish was cold and fresh and still there...
...and also out of rigor mortis. Important for the next step:
I forgot to mention the bellies and sides were removed and kippered (bellies and sides) and pickled (sides only).
I built the stripping table in the morning. Cut them at 5/8" and kept them cold until ready to hang in the afternoon:
I used the time tested method of salt brine...floating a potato (actually bouncing a potato) in a five gallon bucket. It works out to about 1 cup per gallon which I have found to be the universal brine. No nothing else in the brine...maybe next year. I brined the majority of the strips for 6 Minutes. Some people recommended 10, 8, 4, 2. The thin strips soak brine very quickly and dry to less than 50% so salt is a big issue. Next year I will use 5 Minutes.
The weather was holding and the strips were shimmering. I eventually hung over 300. This was the longest and most painstaking part of the whole process. The skin holds the flesh under the knot. Just the right tension or..the neighborhood dogs got a treat from the floor. Those were extremely well behaved mongrels.
I let the strips form a very sticky pellicle for 24 hours before moving to the smoke room side. I only had a couple moose flies which were quickly dispatched with my tennis racket bug zapper.
I built 6 smokes over the next 3 days. I used peeled cottonwood and peeled birch. I added the seasoned birch at the last minute because of a building low pressure system. By the time I started smoking, the weather had turned and I was starting to get nervous. The fish was still extremely wet and needed enough evaporation to prevent it from going "sour." I kept a lot of dry cold smoke running and you know, it worked out in the end.
Unfortunately, all thought of photography was lost once I got to this stage so you will have to wait for some photos of the finished product. It has been trimmed and vacuum bagged and put in the freezer. I think they would last indefinitely hanging in a cool, dry place. This project took most of a week and to the cold smokers out there...my hat's off to you.
p.s. I friend loaned me this smoke house in exchange for some fix ups (and select strips coming his way). It had not been used in 30 years and he was happy to see it back making fish. It saved me a bundle in money, time, and bear headaches.
