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Smoking Salmon

Probably not a fish you catch much in Iowa, but I'm going to be getting some salmon in the near future to try smoking. Anyone got any good pointers? This will be my first time on salmon (or fish of any kind).
 
I have smoked quite a few batches of salmon and you will want to use alder for the wood. The brine recipe is wide open on possibilities but you will want to dry it well before putting it in the smoker. I can provide more info if you want to message me.
 
I usually use mix of 2/3 alder and 1/3 apple.

I will brine for 6-8 hours.
Take out of brine and pat dry and put on racks in refrigerator for 2-6 hours until Pellicule forms (this is thin film on outside of fish - it has sticky texture). The pellicule is important in that it allows better smoke flavor.

I either use 1 of 2 brines (with or without soy sauce)
1. Soy Brine

  • 8 cups water
  • 2 cups soy sauce (Kikkoman is our favorite)
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp garlic
  • 1 tbsp ginger
1. Salt Brine

  • 8 cups water
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp garlic
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorn
There are about a million ways to do this from types of brine to type of wood to smoking temperature.
A long time ago I settled into a routine of smoking in a cold smoker at <90 F for 2-3 hours and then hot smoking at 200 F for around 3 hours.
Always turns out pretty damn good.
 
Some smokers allow you to add water while cooking to keep the meat moist, in my opinion do not add water when smoking fish or they get mushy.
 
One cup brown sugar. One cup koser salt. One gallon on water. Nice simple and good brine.

We bring home 100-150# of salmon a year from Alaska so I do a LOT of salmon smoking. My favorite is similar to this only I use 2 cups of brown sugar & 1 cup table salt per gallon. Soak skin on fillets for 12-24 hours, rinse, pat dry & smoke. I also sprinkle a bit more brown sugar on the flesh side while smoking. Enjoy!
 
Thought I would update with a recipe/pic that I tried. Only did 1 lb cut into two pieces this time to see how it came out. Brined both pieces the same, then did two seasonings/rubs to see how each tasted. Smoked on Traeger with hickory (what I had, may try something else next time). Had a beef roast on beside since I had the room, but no pics of it.

Brine:
2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tender quick

Seasoning/rub #1:
Garlic powder, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Seasoning/rub #2:
McCormick Brown Sugar Bourbon rub mix

Mix brine ingredients and put in sealable bag (I didn't boil and cool, just went cold). Place filets in brine. Brine overnight to 12 hours. Remove filets and pat dry with paper towel. Season with rub. Let filets air dry 3 1/2 to 4 hours (to form pellicle). Smoke at 200 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until fish reaches 140-145 degrees internal temp.
picture.php


I think I preferred the garlic/pepper to the other (right in pic), but both were good.
 
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