How do I reduce the moisture in my Smoked Salmon!?!

[eeriedayze]

I dry brine for about 8 hours, form a pellicle, and smoke at 180-200 for about 4 hours.
The end result is always a hit but id prefer something with more form and less moisture or mush.
Help fellow smokers!!
:)

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please remove

 

[Mauritius]

I would smoke it longer and at lower temperatures if you can to dry it out more. I usually do salmon for 10+ hours and fairly cold, like under 120 and then bump it up at the end to cook to temp. I apply smoke off and on for about half of that time.

 

[dan the mano]

I dry brine for about 8 hours, form a pellicle, and smoke at 180-200 for about 4 hours.
The end result is always a hit but id prefer something with more form and less moisture or mush.
Help fellow smokers!!
:)

hello there , well i have smoked my salmon quite a few times now ,and a lot of what i do goes against a lot of what some people say . i mean i either do the rub... or... liquid marinade and i always go over night in this. hopefully get about 12-18 hours out of this, then i will things air dry while on racks (1-2 hours)... no letting it dry totally .. no wiping it off ... then put in my smokers . i have 3 Bradleys ( the old manual ones) and temp is usually set 160-175 (pre heat), you see the way i do this , the fish will not heat up quickly ... but slowly ,so on comes the pellicle .and i usually go (depending on amount and thickness 5-6 hours ) thick ones at the bottom while the thinner ones are at the top . and keep the door closed .... at least till 5 hours later and go from there .

 

[eeriedayze]

Ia the trick just to cure it longer in the brine and smoke it longer?
What about mushy consistency?

 

[gmc2003]

I go against the conventional wisdom above also. I usually brine in a mix of water, brown sugar, SPOG, and dill. Let it brine for a few hours and smoke it at 250 using apple. I don't look for certain temps just coloring and texture. It comes out a dryer and flakes nicely. It's great on crackers or snacking on straight up.

Chris

 

[dan the mano]

Ia the trick just to cure it longer in the brine and smoke it longer?
What about mushy consistency?

\

Ia the trick just to cure it longer in the brine and smoke it longer?
What about mushy consistency?

well from my experience , i would say Ive never had the mushy consistency , to just firm it up so it is no ...so wet , always smoke a little longer ,and then if it gets to dry ,(which can happen also ) just means you smoked to long .you see i .....always... go over night in my marinade or dry rub ... always... and with the dry rub it will be quite amazing of all the moisture you get coming out of the fish.. meaning it will be dry to start with and then in am , it will be half a pan full of liquid . but again never had i had mushy there .
i hope this helps you out , let me know how you make out

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please remove

 

[daveomak]

Use a dry mix "rub".... Here is some salmon I added a dry mix to.... You can see the liquid it drew out of the meat....


Smoked with a rum & brown sugar glaze..


MONEY !!!!


And some trout... you can see how it was dehydrated from the dry rub...

 

[eeriedayze]

Use a dry mix "rub".... Here is some salmon I added a dry mix to.... You can see the "

Hot damn!! That's a thing of beauty!!
Did you cut the salmon after the cure or before?
My issue might be that I cure and smoke in large filets...
And what's ya recipe for the rum sugar glaze?! Looks incredible :)
What temp and how long to smoke??
Thanks man

 

[eeriedayze]

Thanks for the advice everyone!!

 

[daveomak]

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/kippered-atlantic-salmon-11-19-update-money.237773/

There is the thread on how I did it... With the new "process" the forum just installed, some stuff may have gotten lost.. I'm here to answer any questions you may have... One note... add the rum to the brown sugar gradually.. Your objective is to get a THICK syrup so it sticks well to the fish....

 

[cmayna]

What species of Salmon are you smoking? Fresh or previously frozen? Are you trying to make fish a dinner entrée or more like a snack such as smoked salmon with cream cheese and crackers? Do you have any pics of your previously smoked fish?

 

[eeriedayze]

What species of Salmon are you smoking? Fresh or previously frozen? Are you trying to make fish a dinner entrée or more like a snack such as smoked salmon with cream cheese and crackers? Do you have any pics of your previously smoked fish?

Fresh sockeye or farm raised fillets
Usually as an appetizer

 

[eeriedayze]

I also use a 1:3 salt to brown sugar ratio

 

[cmayna]

I really can't imagine what is causing your Salmon to be too moist. Do you have any pics of a cut a way shot of the meat? For a Salmon filet, I typically brine for around 5-6 hours, rinse and dry for a couple hours and then smoke at 130, then 140, then 150 for 3+ hours. Ends up pretty dry (perfect for appetizer stuff.