I've enjoyed lox forever (at least my knees think I'm that old), been making it for years, but just smoked one on a real, live smoker for the first time this morning.
(The other piece of fish is blackfin tuna, caught off the OBX last week)
I cured for longer than usual, mostly simply because I couldn't find the time to smoke during the week. I ran it in my MES30 with no heat, AMPTS filled with apple wood pellets, as you can see in the lower left.
I pulled it after about 3 hours or so. Smells great. Tastes great. But the fish is soooooo crumbly that I can't slice it. Nearly all of the firmness of the fish is gone and it literally falls apart as I try to slice it.
I read where someone recommended refrigerating for 24 hours before slicing, so after a few crumbly, delicious "slices", I put the salmon in gallon bags and into the fridge.
Any thoughts, comments, tips? Maybe everything is fine and I will be able to slice it tomorrow after it chills a bit. But there's no way I could get a real "slice" today except perhaps on the very end where it was the firmest.
Thanks for your help, brothers and sisters of smoke.
MG
(The other piece of fish is blackfin tuna, caught off the OBX last week)
I cured for longer than usual, mostly simply because I couldn't find the time to smoke during the week. I ran it in my MES30 with no heat, AMPTS filled with apple wood pellets, as you can see in the lower left.
I pulled it after about 3 hours or so. Smells great. Tastes great. But the fish is soooooo crumbly that I can't slice it. Nearly all of the firmness of the fish is gone and it literally falls apart as I try to slice it.
I read where someone recommended refrigerating for 24 hours before slicing, so after a few crumbly, delicious "slices", I put the salmon in gallon bags and into the fridge.
Any thoughts, comments, tips? Maybe everything is fine and I will be able to slice it tomorrow after it chills a bit. But there's no way I could get a real "slice" today except perhaps on the very end where it was the firmest.
Thanks for your help, brothers and sisters of smoke.
MG