MES 30 and Cold Smoking Salmon

[jazzy]

Have an MES 30 on order AMAZNPS on the way and alder pellets and sawdust on the way (and some apple wood too.)

I'm going to be doing mostly salmon, hot and cold smoked.  I've got experience hot smoking but not cold smoking.  The rule of thumb for salmon seems to be 80 degrees or below, some sites say 70.  So obviously you can't cold smoke the fish on a hot summer day.  But want about a cold winter day, like 40 degrees.  Is there any difference in the process or resulting product if you cold smoke at 50 versus 70 or will the burning dust keep it up closer to 70 even on a cold day?

If anyone has done lots of experimenting with different processes and recipes for hot and cold smoked salmon on an MES with the AMAZNPS, I'd appreciate any tips/recipes you can provide.  I'm going to give this method a try:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/106689/1st-lox-smoke-w-modified-amns#post_634588

 

[SmokinAl]

You can smoke lox in the summer, you just have to put a tray of ice in the smoker to keep the temp down.

Here is a lox thread I did a while ago.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/106029/lox-made-with-bbally-s-recipe-loads-of-q-view

 

[Bearcarver]

Jazzy,

It took me 8 MES 30 batches of experimenting to get the final recipe at this link. That was a total of 19 very big Salmon fillets.

This is the final recipe:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/91264/final-smoked-salmon-with-recipe-instructions-and-qview

And this was the same recipe, but smaller fish. I'm only showing this one for the use of the AMNPS.

I didn't have it when I did the Salmon smokes above:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/111096/smoked-brook-trout-tilapia-hickory-smoke

Bear

 

[tjohnson]

Sometimes it's just a lot of trial and error to get your recipes just right!

Todd

 

[jazzy]

Hey Bear thanks!

I'll use your recipe as one of my references.  Only issue is, I'm dialing in recipes to hopefully go into product for a small business for smoked meats.  I need the least labor intensive methods as possible as I've got to keep working more 'regular' self-employed job from my home.  This is why the smoking business works well as I can smoke and work at the same time.  I'll need a smoking method using a constant temperature because I don't want to have to go back and forth multiple time fideling with the temp and setting alarms to remind me to make changes.

 

[jc1947]

Jazzy,

I have found the better most often sells more for more, which might make it worth the extra trouble. I know I would pay more for Bears smoked salmon than any I have had smoked any other way. Even smoked by a novice such as myself. And I am sure mine wouldn't hold a candle to Bears even though I followed his step by step to a T.

Just my 2 cents,

JC 

 

[Bearcarver]

Hey Bear thanks!

I'll use your recipe as one of my references.  Only issue is, I'm dialing in recipes to hopefully go into product for a small business for smoked meats.  I need the least labor intensive methods as possible as I've got to keep working more 'regular' self-employed job from my home.  This is why the smoking business works well as I can smoke and work at the same time.  I'll need a smoking method using a constant temperature because I don't want to have to go back and forth multiple time fideling with the temp and setting alarms to remind me to make changes.

Jazzy,

If you use your AMNPS, you won't have to mess with adding chips or chunks through the whole smoke.

As for changing temps often, you could probably do it with two temps-----Start with about 130˚ (no smoke for an hour or so to form pellicle).

Then keep it at 130˚ for a few hours, to get a good amount of smoke on it.

Then go right to 180˚ to finish it.

That should accomplish pretty much the same thing.

If you only use 130˚, it will never finish, and if you only use 180˚, it won't get smoky enough IMO.

Also, I don't know which MES 30 you're getting, but with the MES 30 or the MES 40 with the remote control, you can change your temps without going to the smoker.

Bear

Thank You for the kind words, JC.