# Cold smoked Lox attempt...



## bgaviator (Jan 30, 2018)

Made Lox today using this recipe I got from the Bradley Smoker web site. It uses both a dry brine and wet brine process. I then smoked for 2 hours over alder pellets using the Amazen Pellet tray smoker inside my Kamado Joe. I just hope I didn’t over smoke it. I tasted a piece after I took them off and it was pretty strong. Does the smoke penetrate, distribute and mellow out after a few days?  I did vacuum seal all the pieces right away too as I don’t plan on eating it right away (on a diet right now). But I’m probably just going to put them in the freezer for a later date. 

 1. Dry brine for 8 hours using kosher salt and turbinado sugar
	

		
			
		

		
	







2.  Wet brine using kosher salt, dark brown sugar, peppercorns, garlic, maple syrup for 8 hours





   3.  Cold smoked over alder for two hours using Amazen Pellet tray smoker


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## PerazziMx14 (Jan 30, 2018)

Please delete


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## bgaviator (Jan 30, 2018)

It just seemed super strong. I’m hoping it mellows out a little bit being vacuum sealed and in the freezer for awhile.


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## tropics (Jan 30, 2018)

I have made Lox before from a recipe on SMF
Richie
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/making-lox-a-picture-guide.87043/


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## gmc2003 (Jan 30, 2018)

Looks good bg, did you let it sit and form a pellicle before smoking? If not I wouldn't think two hours was to much. 

Point for sure

Chris


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## bgaviator (Jan 30, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Looks good bg, did you let it sit and form a pellicle before smoking? If not I wouldn't think two hours was to much.
> 
> Point for sure
> 
> Chris


Yes I did. I put them on racks and let them sit on the counter for an hour. They got a little tacky.


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## SmokinAl (Jan 30, 2018)

There are a bunch of different ways to make lox. I've been using this method for several years & it works every time.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/homemade-lox-with-recipe-steps-plenty-of-q-view.106029/
Al


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## bgaviator (Feb 4, 2018)

Al,
i see a lot of people use Cure #1 in their recipes, but I've found an equal number of Lox recipes that don't use it.  Using Cure #1 makes me nervous.
I've used Cure #1 when I used Pop's brine to make my smoked turkey legs over Thanksgiving, but I think the amount was based on the amount of water in the brine. 

What's the purpose of the Cure #1 in making lox?  Does it make the product a lot safer or something?

Could I utilize Cure #1 in my recipe, if I like my method, to make the product safer?  I only dry brined for 8 hours, and wet brined for 8.  Would that even be enough time for the Cure #1 to do its thing?  Does it have to be added to the dry mix, or can you just incorporate it into the wet brine? 

Thanks!


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## SmokinAl (Feb 4, 2018)

I always use cure #1 when making lox.
It's an added safety precaution to kill any harmful pathogens.
As an added safety measure, after I slice & vac pack the slices I freeze it at -4 degrees for 7 days.
This will kill any parasites in the fish.
Both of these measures are necessary in my opinion, but I know others who do not do either one of these things.
This method is the way that I was taught to make lox & have always done it this way.
Al


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## bgaviator (Feb 4, 2018)

Thanks Al,
If I wanted to keep my current method (not saying I won't ever try your way), is there a way to incorporate Cure #1 into it?


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## SmokinAl (Feb 4, 2018)

bgaviator said:


> Thanks Al,
> If I wanted to keep my current method (not saying I won't ever try your way), is there a way to incorporate Cure #1 into it?



Yes you can use 1 tsp cure#1 per 5 lbs of meat in your dry cure, and or use 1 Tablespoon of Cure #1 per gallon of water in your wet cure.
Al


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## bgaviator (Feb 4, 2018)

Wow. Thanks Al!
So I assume you can safely reduce the ratio of cure if you are doing less meat?
And is there a minimum amount of time Cure #1 needs to work with either the dry or wet method?  I used exactly a gallon in my wet brine, so I could just throw 1 tablespoon of it in the wet brine?  My wet brine timing was only 8 hours, is that long enough for the cure to work you think?


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## SmokinAl (Feb 4, 2018)

bgaviator said:


> Wow. Thanks Al!
> So I assume you can safely reduce the ratio of cure if you are doing less meat?
> And is there a minimum amount of time Cure #1 needs to work with either the dry or wet method?  I used exactly a gallon in my wet brine, so I could just throw 1 tablespoon of it in the wet brine?  My wet brine timing was only 8 hours, is that long enough for the cure to work you think?



Here is the calculator that most of us use to calculate the amount of cure to use in a dry cure.
http://diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
Just plug in the weight of the meat & it will tell you how much cure to use. In my opinion 8 hours is a little short for the dry cure, but if you combine that with the brine cure for another 8 hours, that may do it. Since you are only brining it for 8 hours you could safely use 2-3 Tablespoons of cure per gallon of water. 
Al


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## ab canuck (Feb 4, 2018)

Some great info here, Thx for sharing the links


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## bgaviator (Feb 5, 2018)

Well I may very well try this next time. I have a container of Cure #1. I definitely want to be safe and not put people in harms way.
Will using Cure1 in the dry and/or wet brine change the texture or taste of the Lox?

I just ask because putting Cure1 in my Turkey brine obviously changes the flavor/texture profile of the turkey legs to make them more ham like, but as you stated Al, I’m curing for a much shorter amount of time.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 5, 2018)

bgaviator said:


> Well I may very well try this next time. I have a container of Cure #1. I definitely want to be safe and not put people in harms way.
> Will using Cure1 in the dry and/or wet brine change the texture or taste of the Lox?
> 
> I just ask because putting Cure1 in my Turkey brine obviously changes the flavor/texture profile of the turkey legs to make them more ham like, but as you stated Al, I’m curing for a much shorter amount of time.



I'm sorry I don't have an answer for that, because I have never made it without using cure #1.
Al


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## tallbm (Feb 5, 2018)

I'm not sure if the strong smoke will mellow out now that is vac sealed.
Usually you can rest in the fridge for a day or two and the hard/harsh smoke will mellow out.

I think what you ran into was stale smoke from cold smoking.  There isn't a lot of draft or smoke movement in a cold smoke compared to the draft and movement created naturally from a hot smoke.  I ran into the same harder/harsher smoke on my first ever cold smoke and it mellowed out after 24 hours of sitting open in the fridge.  Made a HUGE difference in taste.

Since then I made a little cold smoking assist device based off another member's design.  The idea is that I put this contraption over the vent of my MES and the contraption will make a draft to suck the smoke through the smoker so it doesn't sit stale.  It worked like a charm!  Here it is.







I hope this info helps! :)


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## cmayna (Feb 5, 2018)

To the OP,
I do a similar smoked lox recipe to what you seem to do.  8 hours dry brine, then 8 hours wet brine. Fridge for 5+ hours.  Cold smoke for 3 hours.  I do not use any cures.  My Salmon is always previously frozen for weeks prior to doing this recipe.  I then freeze the finish product afterwards.


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## bgaviator (Feb 6, 2018)

This may seem like a silly question, but say I get a scale that can weigh grams precisely for the amount of cure I need for the amount of meat I have.

I haven’t been measuring out a set amount of the sugar/salt mix I put down for the dry brine part of my process. I just eyeball it and sprinkle a decent layer on each side.

So with that being said, can I just sprinkle the cure then over the salt/sugar mix after I put it down?  Or sprinkle the cure over the fish first then put down the sugar/salt?  Or do I really need to distribute it through the salt and sugar first?


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## cmayna (Feb 6, 2018)

Why not mix it well into the dry brine first?


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## bgaviator (Feb 7, 2018)

well like I said, I haven't been measuring out the amount of my salt/sugar mix....I just put down enough until it looks good.  But if I measure the amount of cure I need for the weight of the fish I have, I can't mix it in to my dry ahead of time because I make up a big batch of salt/sugar mix, and I don't usually use it all.  I'd want to make sure I was using all the cure I calculated I would need for the weight of the fish I'm making.


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