removed too soon?

[fiskadoro]

Hi,

I tried grilling salmon on a Brinkmann charcoal smoker... not sure if I removed it too soon or not. The albumin showed up and I panicked. I thought brining it (10 hours) beforehand would do the trick. At any rate, the temp never got above half way between "warm" and "ideal" and I pulled it off the grill after 80 minutes or so.

 

[JLeonard]

Needs more time. And you need a therm that will show cook chamber temps as well as the internal temp of what your cooking. Inkbirdbbq is a sponsor here. They have pretty good products and prices. They will post a discount on occasion. Available on Amazon. Thermpro is another good one. The factory therms are horrible.

JIm

 

[BigW.]

Get one of these at some point. They are usually are on sale even better than current price.
https://www.thermoworks.com/classic-thermapen/ or

ThermoPop® 2

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

There are several others including inkbird. Salmon looks a bit rare for me but looks edible. You also need a leave therm for meat temp and smoker temp very soon.

Smoke™ Remote BBQ Alarm Thermometer

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

There are several folks here that do a lot of salmon. When I hot smoke mine, albumin is visible. Wipe it off and eat.

 

[fiskadoro]

Needs more time. And you need a therm that will show cook chamber temps as well as the internal temp of what your cooking. Inkbirdbbq is a sponsor here. They have pretty good products and prices. They will post a discount on occasion. Available on Amazon. Thermpro is another good one. The factory therms are horrible.

JIm

Thanks! I will invest in a thermometer for sure. I am glad to have found this forum, I will spend a bit of time digging through for tips and guides on fish. Just trying to eyeball it leaves too much to chance I see, at least for my lack of experience.

 

[JLeonard]

Thanks! I will invest in a thermometer for sure. I am glad to have found this forum, I will spend a bit of time digging through for tips and guides on fish. Just trying to eyeball it leaves too much to chance I see, at least for my lack of experience.

Well we are glad you found us. Theres a ton of info and helpful folks on here that are more than willing to help.

Jim

 

[jcam222]

I believe cmayna does lots of salmon multiple ways.

 

[cmayna]

Hey Fiskadoro,
Welcome to SMF. Lots of good knowledge here. Looking at your pic, I do wonder what the chamber temp was. Seems too warm to me looking at the fish.

Was this planned as a entree dish or as a typical snack as most of us define smoked salmon as? My initial guess is that the chamber temp was too high, too early in the game.

Yes get both a chamber temp probe and an IT temp probe for the meat. For now, if you have a hand held digital meat temp probe hiding in your kitchen...

I use a dedicated electric smoker for my fish, starting at 125*, ending at 155* (chamber temp). Low and slow. Dry brine time depending on size of pieces. Smoke time from 3 to 5 hours, again depending on size of pieces.

Grab some more fish for another run........

Craig

 

[thirdeye]

Different species of salmon will cook differently, as will steelhead and trout. Doneness is a fine line. I think you are in the ball park and I would have gone just a tick longer. The albumen can show early with too high of a pit temp, and if the fish is readily flaking on the grill, it's a hair over for me. The suggestion by JLeonard about an instant read thermometer is sound advice. I like salmon and steelhead in the mid 140°s to the low 150°s depending on thickness and tenderness. Here is an example... still firm enough to remove from the grill and plate, but flakes very easily.

On these fillets, the albumen is just starting to rise when they were ready to pull because I was using a lower pit temp.

 

[JLeonard]

thirdeye has a perfect examples of how I like them done! That plate gets my heart all a pitter pattering!

Jim

 

[gmc2003]

Judging by your pics I'd say your pit temp was on the higher side, because the salmon looks a little undercooked for my tastes and the albumin showing up so soon. I also wouldn't worry too much about the albumin as it's tasteless and if you want can easily be wiped off. When hot smoking salmon I don't use a thermometer. I pull it off the grates when it looks like it's ready to start flaking. Also try to trim it so the pieces are basically even. The thinner tail will cook faster than the thicker belly.

Chris

 

[bluesmoke214]

These replies contain valuable, hard-won input. I've learned over time that fish is a challenge on the grill or smoker. The famous Texas pitmaster Aaron Franklin has said he learned how to smoke good brisket by making bad brisket. You will always learn from mistakes. Two things I have learned to use...the cedar planks, and the Meater system. The meater was a gift from my daughter, and in setting the app up on my phone I came up with some new cuss words, but I got it done and working. Mine is the Meater with four probes, although I have yet to use more than two. As others have noted, it allows you to monitor your cook chamber as well as up to three pieces of food. Oh, and I always have my wife stick a fork in the fish...she says it's done - it's done.

 

[fiskadoro]

Hi,

Thanks for the tips, long Saturday ahead so I have the time to give it another go. It was planned as a topping for eggs or salads, perhaps the occasional cracker. I will be sure to watch the temperature and keep it "low and slow".

Hey Fiskadoro,
Welcome to SMF. Lots of good knowledge here. Looking at your pic, I do wonder what the chamber temp was. Seems too warm to me looking at the fish.

Was this planned as a entree dish or as a typical snack as most of us define smoked salmon as? My initial guess is that the chamber temp was too high, too early in the game.

Yes get both a chamber temp probe and an IT temp probe for the meat. For now, if you have a hand held digital meat temp probe hiding in your kitchen...

I use a dedicated electric smoker for my fish, starting at 125*, ending at 155* (chamber temp). Low and slow. Dry brine time depending on size of pieces. Smoke time from 3 to 5 hours, again depending on size of pieces.

Grab some more fish for another run........

Craig

Hey Fiskadoro,
Welcome to SMF. Lots of good knowledge here. Looking at your pic, I do wonder what the chamber temp was. Seems too warm to me looking at the fish.

Was this planned as a entree dish or as a typical snack as most of us define smoked salmon as? My initial guess is that the chamber temp was too high, too early in the game.

Yes get both a chamber temp probe and an IT temp probe for the meat. For now, if you have a hand held digital meat temp probe hiding in your kitchen...

I use a dedicated electric smoker for my fish, starting at 125*, ending at 155* (chamber temp). Low and slow. Dry brine time depending on size of pieces. Smoke time from 3 to 5 hours, again depending on size of pieces.

Grab some more fish for another run........

Craig

 

[fiskadoro]

Judging by your pics I'd say your pit temp was on the higher side, because the salmon looks a little undercooked for my tastes and the albumin showing up so soon. I also wouldn't worry too much about the albumin as it's tasteless and if you want can easily be wiped off. When hot smoking salmon I don't use a thermometer. I pull it off the grates when it looks like it's ready to start flaking. Also try to trim it so the pieces are basically even. The thinner tail will cook faster than the thicker belly.

Chris

Thanks Chris!

 

[SmokinAl]

thirdeye has you covered. We don’t use a therm on salmon or any fish for that matter. We just stay by the grill & when they flake off real easy there done.
Al