# Another Salmon Smoke



## bryce (May 8, 2015)

Well, my friend gave me a couple steaks from a springer he caught on the Columbia.

Tried a dry brine for the first time ever and love the ease of it. Went with 1 cup salt to 4 cups brown sugar and about 2 tablespoons of garlic. Brined it for about 11 hrs.

Here it is brined and dried. Achieved a good pellicle.














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__ bryce
__ May 8, 2015























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No TBS ever with the Little Chief. Guess that's ok? Sure seems contrary to what I read a lot of.














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__ bryce
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I've had a tough time smoking salmon recently. Not sure why and trying different things. I think I have it narrowed down to not having a good enough pellicle formed (thanks to this forum) before I start smoking. This would allow a lot of moisture to come through the fish during smoking which can't be good.  

Believe it or not, I used to make wicked good smoked salmon on this grill.

Ever since then I've struggled.













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__ bryce
__ May 8, 2015







Hopefully these steaks turn out great!


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## gary s (May 8, 2015)

Looks good so far 

Gary


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## bryce (May 8, 2015)

Still smokin'. 3 hrs in. Probably at an IT of 120 or so. Pellicle is holding strong. Only a little white from one piece where the fillet was cracked deep. The other one is money. Going half hickory and half alder. Going for a strong but not over powering smoke.


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## bryce (May 9, 2015)

I'm back baby!

Turned out awesome and tastes great. Got this thing figured out. Long story short, pellicle is everything.

4.5 hours. Brought IT temp to 140 and pulled from the smoker. It's amazing how much moisture and fat stays in the fish with a good pellicle. The meat is literally silky smooth. I'll leave it in the fridge until tomorrow to really dig into it. I happen to like smoked salmon after a day in the fridge than right off the smoker.

Not a speck of white on this fillet













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Thanks,
Bryce


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## cmayna (May 9, 2015)

Bryce,

Good job.  Looks fantastic.  That first pic of your finish product worried me for a moment for being so dark, but the next pic says it all.  Yum


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## daveomak (May 9, 2015)

That fish sure looks good.....   Awesome job.....  

If you ever get to the point of wanting to freeze some, wrap in saran and freeze, then vac pack....  tightly wrapped, will keep the fish oils from leaking out...   freezing keeps the fish from crushing when the vacuum is applied...     clip open the bag before thawing....  keeps the fish from crushing again when it thaws......

Dave


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## atomicsmoke (May 9, 2015)

Wow. That's great looking salmon. I never got it as nice as yours.


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## gary s (May 9, 2015)

That is some great looking fish

Gary


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## bryce (May 9, 2015)

cmayna said:


> Bryce,
> Good job.  Looks fantastic.  That first pic of your finish product worried me for a moment for being so dark, but the next pic says it all.  Yum



Yeah it's not quite as dark as the pictures make it look but it is a bit darker than I like. Do different kinds of woods create different shades or is it just the amount of smoke we put on the food?


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## bryce (May 9, 2015)

DaveOmak said:


> That fish sure looks good.....   Awesome job.....
> 
> If you ever get to the point of wanting to freeze some, wrap in saran and freeze, then vac pack....  tightly wrapped, will keep the fish oils from leaking out...   freezing keeps the fish from crushing when the vacuum is applied...     clip open the bag before thawing....  keeps the fish from crushing again when it thaws......
> 
> Dave



Thank you Dave and for the tip as well.


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## bryce (May 9, 2015)

atomicsmoke said:


> Wow. That's great looking salmon. I never got it as nice as yours.



Thanks Atomic!




gary s said:


> That is some great looking fish
> 
> Gary



Appreciate it Gary. I love smoked salmon. Next favorite to ribs.


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## daveomak (May 9, 2015)

Bryce said:


> cmayna said:
> 
> 
> > Bryce,
> ...




If you use chips, adjust the # of handfuls you add to the pan...  If you used 4, cut back to 3 or 2....  I use strictly alder...  other woods are too powerful for my taste...


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## cmayna (May 9, 2015)

DaveOmak said:


> That fish sure looks good..... Awesome job.....
> 
> If you ever get to the point of wanting to freeze some, wrap in saran and freeze, then vac pack.... tightly wrapped, will keep the fish oils from leaking out... freezing keeps the fish from crushing when the vacuum is applied... clip open the bag before thawing.... keeps the fish from crushing again when it thaws......
> 
> Dave


Hmmmmm,   Never have had an issue with my smoked salmon from crushing when vacuumed or thawed. Maybe due to the type of brine used?  Wet vs dry?


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## daveomak (May 9, 2015)

cmayna said:


> DaveOmak said:
> 
> 
> > That fish sure looks good..... Awesome job.....
> ...




I like moist, soft smoked salmon...  It tends to crush, for me anyways, when the vacuum is applied and the fish oils will ooze out of the meat...    All depends on how you smoke your fish...    I dry brine my fish....


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## themule69 (May 9, 2015)

Bryce that looks great!

Happy smoken.

David


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## gary s (May 9, 2015)

I liked the color 

Gary


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## bryce (May 9, 2015)

Thanks Mule and Gary. 

Smoked salmon sure is good stuff.


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## dockman (May 10, 2015)

What temp you smoke at?


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## bryce (May 10, 2015)

Hi Dockman, fish was smoked between 150 and 160.


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## smokinadam (May 10, 2015)

Nice looking stuff! I'm hoping to get on the great Lakes for some this summer and try to do my hand at some of this dry brine stuff.


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## bryce (May 10, 2015)

That would be great smokinadam. You'll definitely love smoked salmon. Just be sure to form that pellicle before smoking.


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