Smoked Lox

[cmayna]

Grabbed a few Salmon tails from the freezer to make some smoked lox. Basic procedure was to dry brine for 8 hours using non iodized salt with dk brown sugar. Then slightly rinsed and then into a wet brine for another 8 hours. Afterwards refreshed under cool running water for 30+ minutes. Then off to a fridge for 5 hours of drying, followed by 3 hours of room drying, then out to the smoker for 3 hours of cold smoking starting with Alder and finish with apple pellets.

The chosen 10:

Into a couple bags with the salt and sugar for 8 hours of dry brining:

Out of the dry brine bag, to be rinsed before taking a wet brine bath:

Bath time for 8 hours using water, kosher salt, brn sugar, maple syrup, whole black peppercorn, garlic chunks, dry dill. Once rinsed again, more dry dill will be sprinkled on before heading off to the drying sessions.

After a total of 8 hours to dry, now into the gasser, with no heat of course. Down underneath is the AMNPS. 2 hours using Alder and then 1 hours with Apple

Just a little smoke for 3 hours. Chamber temp remained around 52*

After being smoked, heading to the fridge for overnight rest.

Finish product

Belch!

 

[atomicsmoke]

Text? We don't need no stinking text. Pictures say everything. And everything looks awesome and yummy.
Can you clarify for this easterner what kind of salmon that is?

 

[cmayna]

King (Chinook) salmon which the wife and I caught this past season.

 

[gmc2003]

Craig that lox looks great. Nice job

Point for sure

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

Lox has to be one of my all time favorite meals, and yours looks delicious!
Al

 

[SonnyE]

Looks Wonderful Craig!

Now is this for you guys? Or the Mother-In-Law?

What chu mean Blech? You don't like?

Sounds pretty labor intensive with all the steps, drying, fridge times, and everything.
But the results are beautiful!

 

[tropics]

Craig they look great just the way I like Salmon,finished my last batch yesterday going to have to make more. Likes
Richie

 

[cmayna]

SonnyE, Belch not Blech. Big difference. I had to make more lox for a lot of people on the boats I fish on, love it and the fishing season is just around the corner.

Richie, wish that was my last Salmon to smoke. Have a heck-a-lot more to deal with. Could be worse I guess;)

 

[SonnyE]

SonnyE, Belch not Blech. Big difference. I had to make more lox for a lot of people on the boats I fish on, love it and the fishing season is just around the corner.

Richie, wish that was my last Salmon to smoke. Have a heck-a-lot more to deal with. Could be worse I guess;)

Gottcha. Wondered if you didn't like it. My bad.
It looks GREAT!

I'm working on my processes. I believe I tend to over-smoke/wrong wood smoke. So I'm trying to refine some from my hit and miss ways. I always eat the evidence, but somes better than others.

I have my equipment inventory fixed now, (No PID though...:(). And a sack of new Plastic Salmon I caught the other day at Sam's Club.
Anyway, trying to follow along...
Thanks for clarifying. ;)

 

[idahopz]

Very nice!

 

[iceman6409]

I am looking to try cold smoking lox for the first time. I LOVE the store bought stuff so I want to try my hand. Would anyone care to share their process? While I looked at the gentlemans process that made this post I think it is a bit step intensive for me for my first time. Process and chosen woods would be nice. By the way I will be using a 6inch tube smoker with pellets in case that matters. Zero heat

 

[dr k]

I am looking to try cold smoking lox for the first time. I LOVE the store bought stuff so I want to try my hand. Would anyone care to share their process? While I looked at the gentlemans process that made this post I think it is a bit step intensive for me for my first time. Process and chosen woods would be nice. By the way I will be using a 6inch tube smoker with pellets in case that matters. Zero heat

https://blog.thermoworks.com/2016/05/key-temps-smoked-salmon/

 

[SonnyE]

I am looking to try cold smoking lox for the first time. I LOVE the store bought stuff so I want to try my hand. Would anyone care to share their process? While I looked at the gentlemans process that made this post I think it is a bit step intensive for me for my first time. Process and chosen woods would be nice. By the way I will be using a 6inch tube smoker with pellets in case that matters. Zero heat

Well, maybe even though it appears Step Intensive, often it is better to do a recipe as given, before changing it around.
Because the results after changing or leaving out steps can mess up the batch. And Salmon is too precious to waste.
And Craig is one of the Go-To guys for great results. ;)

I do a lot of simple smoking recipe's because I'm a simple guy. o_O But I always eat my mistakes, as well as my triumphs, so nobody knows if it was good or bad. (Well, not entirely. I did throw out 3 failed first attempt flounder filet that, well, floundered, on my first attempt. But tomorrow is trash day, so I might get away with it if we keep it just between you and me.)
I've never made Lox myself, but I love to smoke Salmon and other fishes. Scratch around with the Search function up there. Let's see... Lox <click there<
Whoa! We can both find a lot there! Have fun and what I do is small test batches.
But I'm the only one around here that like smoked anything, and especially fish. More for me. :D

 

[GaryHibbert]

Looks great Craig. One of my favorite appies is lox and cream cheese, with a little thinly sliced onion.
Gary

 

[GaryHibbert]

Must be getting old. Had to come back to leave the POINT
Gary

 

[cmayna]

I am looking to try cold smoking lox for the first time. I LOVE the store bought stuff so I want to try my hand. Would anyone care to share their process? While I looked at the gentlemans process that made this post I think it is a bit step intensive for me for my first time. Process and chosen woods would be nice. By the way I will be using a 6inch tube smoker with pellets in case that matters. Zero heat

Iceman, I see that you are using a 6inch tube. Understand that the tube was designed for propane smokers. It will put out a lot of smoke which a propane smoker will consume probably half of the tube's generated smoke. Thus if you use the tube in any other type of smoker, what you normally need to do is to fill the tube halfway. Then lay it horizontally and vigorously shake it side to side, you will end up with half the tube filled, similar to an AMNPS. It then will not provide so much smoke, which is needed for light smokes such as cold smoking.

 

[diGitel]

A little late to the game here. First time posting here.

cmayna, your recipe looks great but of course i have never cold smoked salmon before but hear me out if you have the patience. I am a chef by trade. (If that makes any difference). I am wondering first if you have a full recipe for the above lox?

My thoughts are it seems to me that it would make a whole lot of sense to
1) dry brine the fish to pull the excess juices out at some specific salt to meat ratio. Then simply rinse the excess salt off. (Not run under water for and specific long length of time just say 30 seconds)

2) wet brine for a long period to rebalance the salt levels inside (equlibrium brine) so you can achieve the perfect saltyness every time. Then a simple rinse again.

Then set in the fridge to get the tackiness. Then smoke.

Sound crazy? I just dont why if you had everything pre weighed out to a T that you would have to rinse for 30 minutes and you could get very exacting consistant results everytime.

Finally lastly may i ask how come your fish above has 2 colours and not the perfect uniform orange like the store bought stuff?

Sorry to be a bother. If you think my idea sounds reasonable and can guide me in the general direction to start off i would love to share my results.