Mr T's "Smoked Salmon From Go to Show" w/Q-View

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ShortEnd....

Sounds like you've developed the same reaction to salt as I have, maybe even more pronounced. I'm still good with garlic however, and pray that doesn't change.

For Kosher Salt I used Diamond Crystal and, thinking about it, I may have screwed up as I used 1/2 cup, but did not weigh it. Morton's KS is much more dense than Diamond Crystal's, and when substituting one for the other, the ratio is approximately 1:2. In other words, assuming the 1/2 cup of KS called for in the recipe was Morton's, I should have used 1 cup Diamond Crystal. If that were reversed, you should have used 1/4 cup but, you weighed it so there should have been no error on your part. In short, I may have not noticed the salt as you did because I was using 1/2 of the amount called for.

It's a gentle reminder to myself to get back to using weights when making brines rather than going by volume.

Mr T's recipe clearly specified the weight, but most recipes do not. It would be a big improvement to specify the brand of KS being used when a recipe calls for a certain volume of it, but the weight is not given.

Your brine, pellicle development, and smoke times were pretty similar to mine. The only major difference I see is that I soaked the fish, and you didn't. That could make a big difference with something as porous as a salmon, or any other fish for that matter.

I suggest you go back and review the the salt to water ratios of brines you've successfully used in the past and see how they compare to this recipe. You might get some guidance for adjustments on future attempts.

Good Luck.
 
dls, Short End,   personally I rinse the salmon for a very short time, just long enough to remove any cracked pepper that may be on the surface, then air dry.  Taking into consideration that you both are or are becoming sensitive to salt, it may not be possible for you to do this.  To me, this is one of the advantages of wet brining.  This also allows the fish to be subject to longer times at room temperature and an extended amount of time being refrigerated.   It is important that the proper pH and % salinity @ 60° is maintained though.  Changing the sugar and or salt content will change the holding time.  If consuming soon after cooking, enjoy the fruits of you labor. 
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The bottom line is and running parallel to dls’s comment.  “Each of the 100 folds in a chef’s hat represents a different way to cook an egg” 
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  Guess that could apply to most things. 

Later, I’ve got to get back to preparing for the garage sale. 
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Tom
 
I got some more CR Sockeye Salmon to give 'er another go. I had considered some fairly drastic changes, but decided to go slowly and incrementally on my changes. I used 1/2 c. Morton kosher salt instead of weighing it. The volumn seemed to be a little less than when weighed. Kept every thing else, including the garlic powder the same. Brined for 16 hours instead of 18. Rinsed real well and soaked in water for 1/2 hr. Checked the flavor at that time and it was very good. Not too salty at all. 2 hours with fan to form pellicle. Smoked about 2 hours with Alder to an IT of 145° and it turned out perfect. Thanks T, for this excellent smoked salmon recipe. I'll definately do this one again!  All cooled and ready to vacpac.

Thanks,

ShortEnd
 
I like em better cooked skin side up so that fat drips out,dont care for the fishy fat taste.Also like em on the dry side and they seem to cook faster.Bearing in mind Ive only done this three times,but the result,man,smoking salmon is the way to go!

So I guess a fair amt of variation in cooking style,these were 160-170f  smoker temp with hickory and cherry for 3.5 approx hours.I know internal temp OK,done em this way before.I pulled the skin off after removal from smoker,cooled in refer a couple hours and packed.

Good stuff for fish lovers and look at the money saved,got mine for 3.99/lb,couldnt pass that up!

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I dont believe I have ever posted on here. I just bought three lbs of wild salmon. Ive got it in the brine now and will post pictures when shes done. I'm only going to be able to brine for 8 hours, dry for a couple, then smoke. My first time so who knows. I have really enjoyed the awesome info that ya'll share. Thanks Greg
 
Greg,  Seeing that you are short on time.  Rinse lightly pat the salmon as dry as you can.  Place it on a wire rack and put a fan on it for the two hours.  You will be fine, but consider the short brine time when testing.  Keep notes for use later.

Will look forward to your results.

Mr T
 
How long do you smoke your salmon at 200degrees?
I don't go by time, but by temperature.  I bring the IT of the thickest piece to a temperature of 140° then turn the heat off.  The carryover will take it to the desired 145° and it will stay in that area for 1/2 hour.  Depending on your smoker the carry over and hold temp may differ.  The idea is to hold the salmon at 145° for 1/2 hour for safety reasons.  If the temperature goes above 145°, the fish will begin to dry out.

Tom
 
 
Tom,

From what I have heard Northern Pike smokes up very nicely.  And I know there are a ton of them where you live.

George
We locals try to keep that under our hats.  Are you proposing using your hydroplane racer to troll with?  I want to see that, as you may get a pike that is larger than your boat.

Tom
 
 
We locals try to keep that under our hats.  Are you proposing using your hydroplane racer to troll with?  I want to see that, as you may get a pike that is larger than your boat.

Tom
LOL, the problem with that are the sinkers heavy enough to get the line down at those speeds are quite costly!
 
Looked so good I had to try on some fresh Kingfish (King Mackerel). In the brine now. Made a couple adjustments though. Doubled the measurements for a double batch for 6-1/2 lbs. of fish. Used pickling/canning salt, 3 cups light brown sugar (ran out) & 1 cup dark brown, stayed with 1-1/2 tsp. cayenne, added 2 tsp. onion powder, crumbled the bay leaves (8). Will let it go about 6 hours. So as not to hijack Mr. T's thread, I started a separate one. It can be seen here http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/149432/fresh-smoked-atlantic-kingfish#post_1061957  .

Thanks Tom for the great looking recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Steve
 
Mr. T, I am new to smoking (except for cigars) and I have a general questions.  In your cooking instructions you mention smoking at 200F until an internal temp of 145 reached and held for a minimum of 30 min.  My questions is, if you want to hold the 145 internal temp is there any problem with dropping the smoker temp to 145 after the meat reaches 145?  Then theoretically you could hold that temp for as long as you wanted without it cooking more, kind of like sous vide cooking in water.
 
Mr. T, I am new to smoking (except for cigars) and I have a general questions.  In your cooking instructions you mention smoking at 200F until an internal temp of 145 reached and held for a minimum of 30 min.  My questions is, if you want to hold the 145 internal temp is there any problem with dropping the smoker temp to 145 after the meat reaches 145?  Then theoretically you could hold that temp for as long as you wanted without it cooking more, kind of like sous vide cooking in water.
 
 
Mr. T, I am new to smoking (except for cigars) and I have a general questions.  In your cooking instructions you mention smoking at 200F until an internal temp of 145 reached and held for a minimum of 30 min.  My questions is, if you want to hold the 145 internal temp is there any problem with dropping the smoker temp to 145 after the meat reaches 145?  Then theoretically you could hold that temp for as long as you wanted without it cooking more, kind of like sous vide cooking in water.
Good question, thanks for asking.

The 30 minute hold is the USDA recommended time to hold salmon at 145°.  The higher the temperature the shorter the hold time, the lower the temperature a longer hold time is recommended.  I like the texture at 145° so that is what I use.  The way to achieve this without drying the fish out is, when the IT of the thickest piece reaches 140°,  lower the smoker temperature to 140°, depending on your smoker carry over will take the IT to 145° and by the time the temperature drops the half hour has passed and the fish is done.

Theoretically if you wanted to hold at that temperature for a extended amount of time without drying the product, you could vacuum seal it and hold it in the smoker, oven, water or whatever.

Hope this helps. If you try it let me know how it turns out.

Tom
 
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