Salmon

[vulcan75001]

Here are the other pics from tonight...

came out great...and very moist as well...

Thanks for the welcome into the OTBS...
Hope this offers some insight.. into the mystery of cooking the beast..

Later
Richard

 

[bob-bqn]

Man O man they just keep getting better. That looks so tender, juicy, and GOOD! :D

 

[cajunsmoker]

Bro Vulcan, that be some good looking chit. 8)

I don't understand the plank thing. I think when I do mine it will be like yours. Strait up and on the grates. :D

 

[vulcan75001]

Bob...

Thanks...it was juicy and tender...nothing left but the memory and good taste...
Maybe the evoo does have something to do with it...I always use it .. and it alwasys comes out moist..
Just noticed the design on the roll of paper towels I had outside with me...LOL...

Later
Richard

 

[Dutch]

Great job to both Gary and Richard. I do my salmon right on the grates too, and EVOO, fresh cracked black pepper, a little garlic poweder and some dill sprinkled on top is all the seasoning that I use. The wife doesn't like dill but she'll eat my salmon and go for seconds too. The last salmon I smoked I used some apple wood chunks and oh man was it great. Tossed green salad on the side with some eye numbing cold Iced tea-Can't think of a better meal on a hot summer night.

 

[gremlin]

Hey that's a great lookin piece of fish Richard.
Maybe you could tell me about that fancy two sensor probe you used.
I would be interested in one of those.
I would probably need to go state side to get one though.
I haven't seen one up here in Canada :)

 

[gremlin]

Ice... good job ...looks really good..
I tried the plank thing once with a 20lb Carp
Had it and two others swimmin araound in my bathtub for a week like I was told to do.
To make a long story short..I threw out the carp and ate the plank...gave the others to a Greek lady down the hall. She said she would take em and cook em.
That was back when I was a bachelor..the wife would kill me if I had the tub full of fish. :lol:

 

[Dutch]

Gremlin, that thermo is a Maverick ET-73. It the one that I use. Do a search using "Maverick ET-73" and a number on online sites will came up. Don't settle for the first price you see, I've seen prices vary as much as $10.00 between sites. Also look for "End of Summer" Close-outs.

Check out the Thermo Forum in the Smoking Supplies and Equipment Section.

 

[smokemack]

The cedar planks are best suited for grilling over a direct flame. The theory is the same as using soaked chips. You soak the planks good and long, so as they are over the fire the edges begin to smolder and work their way inward, toward the fish. The smoldering cedar is your smoke with this technique, so (if your going for the pure cedar flavor) you shouldn't use any other wood. You can get the planks at some grocery stores and most specialty food shops (Whole foods, Wild Oats,...). They can be a little expensive, though. I go to Home Depot for mine, that way I can get bigger pieces of cedar and they're less than half of the cost as the food stores. Be SURE you buy UNTREATED cedar if you go to HD!!
I do this quite often on the gasser. I soak my planks in cheap white wine in a shallow casserole dish (or whatever they fit in best, once it was the tub), the longer the soak, the better. I make a compound butter. This is simply salted, sweet cream butter (room temp, must be VERY soft, but not melty) that I add ground black pepper, freshly chopped rosemary, honey and crushed red pepper to. Blend it well in a bowl, and coat it THICK all over the top of your salmon filets. Be sure the fish is very cold so the butter begins to firm back up, and coat the entire top evenly thick. I leave the skin on the salmon as when it is finished the skin usually sticks to the plank for me. If it doesn't stick, it easily comes right off. I put the filets back in the fridge so that the butter gets hard again, this way it slowly melts through the fish as it cooks, and helps keep the fish moist on top. The melting liquid also helps to keep the plank around the fish from burning.
I get the gasser hot, as high as it will go (remember you're trying to burn the cedar while basically cooking the fish indirectly), place the fish on the soaked planks and then onto the grill. You've got monitor the cooking process, this shouldn't take longer than 30-40 minutes. If you have a therm, cook the fish to 135 for medium, less for rarer fish, more for well done. During the process, you will see the cedar edged burning and smoking. If you notice the cedar burning too quickly (fish is still raw, and the plank has almost burned to the fishâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s edge) adjust your flame. When I get my planks I get them almost square so I don't have to worry about it. I like to see about two inches of plank exposed around all edges of my fish. Below is a picture of how I like my salmon to set on the plank, and the amount of space I like around my fish (the pic is not mine, just used for example).

 

[cajunsmoker]

OK JMack,

I thought that was the way I understood the cedar cooking plank. Now, the only question left in my mind is, WHY cook on a piece of wood that is not a proper smoking wood. I have always been told that pine, cedar, eucalyptus, cypress and any other type of evergreen tree is not suitable for cooking because of the volatile oils in the wood. These oils tend to give harsh creosote tastes. Is the Salmon just able to handle the taste?

I also saw planks from old wine barrels being sold at Bed Bath and Beyond. I think they were oak.

 

[cheech]

If and I repeat if you have left overs one of the best ways that I have found to have them is to mix the smoked salmon with some cream cheese and eat that mixture it is great. (worth the try anyway)

 

[smokemack]

Roger, I too am aware of the dangers of certain types of woods. I have never questioned the use of cedar because I have seen it used since I was a child. Here is a snippet of "cedar history"...

The history of cedar dates back to Native Americans but some believe that it dates back to the Scandinavian method of cooking fish. Native Americans have used wood, particularly Cedar, for centuries. Cedar wood when used for cooking actually becomes a "spice". They would attach meats directly onto a slab of wood and lay it against hot stones or the outside of the fire ring.
When it's exposed to the heat of cooking, cedar releases oil that gives food an intense flavor and keeps it moist at the same time.

Today cedar is considered "gourmet" by many people, and is offered in quite a few upscale restaurants across the country. Recipes abound on the internet, and occasionally you'll catch it on a Food Network show.

And here's a late tip: keep a spray bottle handy in case the plank flares up...

 

[cajunsmoker]

I promise this is my last post about the cedar :roll: . I think the statement about the oil acting as a spice with the salmon made the old light bulb go off over my head. It's a spice thing not a smoke thing :idea:

 

[vulcan75001]

Gremlin
Thanks..
Dutch is right ..that is the Maverick ET 73..and the prices for it are all over the place for it....
Here is a link to where I ordered mine from...got it within the week I ordered it... works really great..but check thing out...you might find it cheaper..


http://www.partshelf.com/maet73.htm

Later
Richard

 

[gremlin]

Thanks Dutch
I am going up to Bass Pro today, maybe they have one.

 

[smokindane]

So how did the wife like the salmon?

 

[smokindane]

Gremlin-

Stay away from the units made by Polder. I have had 2 units malfunction in the past year. Both units were purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I now use a model from CDN (Component Design Northwest) and it seems to work just fine.

 

[joed617]

That is some fine looking salmon.

Joe

 

[gremlin]

Vulcan... Good morn and thanks for the link.
That price is dirt cheap and I'm gonna order two of them.
One for me and one for my buddy
Thanks ....Gotta go to WORK now. :(

 

[vulcan75001]

Gremlin..

Glad I could help..