# Smoked Salmon Candy w/ Qview



## smokeydokey (Jan 8, 2013)

Happy New Year All!

I have been smoking a lot of Salmon lately and have a recipe to share that I hope all you pescavores will like! I've tried a number of techniques and am pretty well set on this recipe as the one I'll stick to. I hope you try it and enjoy it:

Smoked Salmon Candy

1 Cup white sugar
1 Cup Brown sugar
3/4 cup sea salt
2/3 cup NM red chile powder
1 oz (appox. 1Tablespoon) cure #1
6-8 pounds fresh salmon filets













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Place Dry Ingredients in a bowl













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Blend the ingredients by hand in a bowl until completely mixed.













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The Star of the show, whole Atlantic Salmon Filets













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Portion salmon into 4-6 oz pieces













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Put about 1/2 of mixture into a baking dish and dredge the salmon through, completely covering all side of filet., place on a rack inside a carboy container making sure there is a gap between the rack and bottom of tray.













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If there are too many filets, simply stack on top of first layer. Making sure there is plenty of cure mixture in between. Spread any extra mixture over the top the filets and place carboy in the fridge.













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After 12 hours, or overnight, the cure will have leached out a lot of moisture from the salmon. There should be quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the carboy.













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Rinse off filets thoroughly, pat dry with paper towels and a Shamwow,  and re-rack in a clean container on clean racks with spacers between to allow air flow on both side of the salmon.













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A note on spacers: I went down to the local metal scrap yard and bought a length of 1" food grade stainless steel tubing. We took them into the shop and cut them into 1 3/4" lengths and deburred the ends...Voila! I can now stack drying racks for bacon and salmon 4 high

Let salmon dry, uncovered in fridge overnight, or until a tight pellicil is formed. ( a shiny, thin film that covers the exposed flesh. this will help prevent fat from leaking out of the filets during exposure to heat)













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Prior to smoking, paint a coat of maple syrup on the salmon,  baste with syrup 1-2 more times during smoking process.













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This can be a sticky mess, so I usually do this part on the rack in the carboy, which will make your clean up MUCH easier.













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I cold smoked with a mix of Cherry, Apple and Oak for 4 hours, using Todd's A-Maze-N pellet smoker. Because I expect some drip from the syrup, I place disposable foil pans on the bottom of the smoker.













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I have built a cold smoking annex onto my hot smoker with about 8 feet of 4" tube for the smoke to travel through. by putting the smoke generator into the hot smoking box I can cold smoke at whatever the ambient temperature is.













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After a 4 hour cold smoke, I then hot smoked with apple wood with the smoker at about 150-175 degrees until an internal temperature of 135 is reached on the fattest filet. (about an hour) Also, note location of internal temp probe on top shelf filet.













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Pull and cool immediately. These are the finished portions.
 













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Interior view of the finished product.

I normally use 1 cup of salt, but I found that even this slight reduction to 3/4 Cup made a profound difference. There was no need to desalinate as I usually do, just a good rinsing was all it took.  The flavor is very delicate a  good balance of sweet and salt. The chile added a nice flavor, but it is not picante at all. Very moist and good texture.

Probably my best salmon yet.













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Thai green coconut curry with tofu and Smoked Salmon Candy.


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## handymanstan (Jan 8, 2013)

Wow that really looks tasty.  Thank you for showing and explaining the way you did this.  I want to try fish soon. Have you tried it with the skin off or would it just fall apart?

Stan


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## smokeydokey (Jan 8, 2013)

Stan,

Skin off works very well too. It takes the cure better actually, and I've never had it fall apart, this is really firm meat. For me it really depends on where I'm sourcing my fish. Costco's Atlantic comes skinless, and I use that for Lox and they turn out beautifully. These came from my local grocer that was having a sale, and it came skin, scales and all. I have taken the cured skin after eating the salmon, and browned it on the BBQ or under the broiler, and it is quite tasty!

The best I've made was Copper River Sockeye, which has a very short season in July. If you can get some of that, it rocks!

SD


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## handymanstan (Jan 8, 2013)

Thanks SD,  I have to try this.  Never herd of eating the skin before and don't  think I will try that.  I bookmarked this thread in my I have to do file.

Stan


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## smokeydokey (Jan 8, 2013)

If you ever go to a sushi bar, ask for a salmon skin roll... it may change your mind, It is really delicious! Descale it first though!


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## goinforbroke (Jan 8, 2013)

Mmm, I'd love to try that on a homemade bagel with cream cheese, red onion and dill.  and some sea salt/cracked black pepper.  

good job.


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## skull fish (Jan 8, 2013)

Great Q view!!! Thanks for sharing the info and recipe... its now on my to do list. Thanks again. Looks freekin awesome!


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## smokeydokey (Jan 8, 2013)

GoinForBroke said:


> Mmm, I'd love to try that on a homemade bagel with cream cheese, red onion and dill.  and some sea salt/cracked black pepper.
> 
> good job.


Here is a recipe for a spread that I made up that you may like....

1 Cup cream cheese

Smoked Salmon to taste

2T chopped fresh Dill

2T chopped chives or scallions

2T chopped capers

1T fresh lemon juice

Scant Mauldon Salt

Scant fresh ground black pepper

(note: I never measure anything while I'm making a dish like this, so these are approximations. spice to your own taste)

Whip these together, then flake off salmon to taste and add to the mix, spread on crackers, lavosh, or bagel thins, and start making another batch while your guests devour the first ( I had to make three batches the first time out). Pictured with it is a sprig of purple basil from our garden, which also lent a nice flavor note.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/image/id/533541/width/400/flags/LL


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## thatcho (Oct 30, 2013)

awesome recipe just in time for koke snagging. great Q view


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## pgsmoker64 (Oct 30, 2013)

Looks great SmokeyDokey!

I love salmon but it is the one thing I have not yet smoked.

Bill


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## webowabo (Oct 30, 2013)

Glad this got bumped up.. ! I like the annexed cold smoker mod... and of course the salmon candy for sure...


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## leah elisheva (Oct 31, 2013)

Really impressive! Terrific to see! Thanks for sharing! Cheers! - Leah


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## smokeydokey (Nov 15, 2013)

webowabo said:


> Glad this got bumped up.. ! I like the annexed cold smoker mod... and of course the salmon candy for sure...



Thanks so much.... What do you mean by this got bumped up?


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## papa chops (Jan 6, 2014)

This looks great, I think im gonna give it a Go!  What's the shelf life on this? I bet Your neighbors get real chummy when they smell the Smoker running! (which is also very cool)!!! Thanks for Nice Detailed Post


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## kjw08 (Jan 6, 2014)

Great looking salmon!!  I'm planning on following your recipe to smoke some salmon as well and I was just wondering if the heat from 2/3 c of red chile powder makes the fish really spicy or just a nice mild heat?  Thanks…...


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## sekkeisha (Jan 11, 2014)

Great recipe, I smoked some this morning and it turned out nice.  I don't have a cold smoke set up so I hot smoked it to about 150 and took it out.  I did add a little bourbon to the maple syrup and that worked ok too.  Really nice balance between salty and sweet and the subtle flavor of the NM chili is delicious.  I used no skin from Cosco and it held together great.  Thanks for the excellent recipe and guide. I couldn't help tasting before taking a picture.













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## bryd (Jan 12, 2014)

I have been looking for a good recipe for my winter steelhead, this sounded great. Excellent post!! this is gonna be my go to recipe. Thanks  smokeydokey. I had family over for dinner tonight put some out for an appetizer they loved it.  Happy smokin













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## driedstick (Jan 13, 2014)

That looks great very nice job and thanks for the great post.


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## foamheart (Jan 14, 2014)

Nice job on the candy. Nice Walk thru with the Q-View. Not a big tofu kinda guy but nice job with Thai green coconut curry, looks pretty awesome. 

I am really impressed with your smoking set up though. Out frickin standing!

Thanks for taking the extra time so we could watch.


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## duffman (Jan 14, 2014)

I have been wanting to try fish in the smoker. This looks amazing! I might have to try this out this spring.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Jan 14, 2014)

Looks good, now I gotta smoke some salmon this weekend !  Nice job, WHB


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## frosty (Jan 14, 2014)

Spectacular!  Recipes look wonderful!  Thanks very much for all your hard work.


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## ldrus (Jan 18, 2014)

Looks great now I want some


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## dj54 (Jan 21, 2014)

Do you think this would work good on South Louisiana catfish? Might have to gibe it a try.


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## karabelb (Jan 22, 2014)

Looks delicious and very very close to the recipe that I use.

Try a variation with Dark Brown Sugar and crushed Szechuan Peppercorns.  You won't be disappointed....

BK


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## smokin mikey (Jan 23, 2014)

Excellent looking finished product!


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## smoker jb (Jan 23, 2014)

Have a lot of Costco salmon fillets in the freezer...this should be a great use of them! Thanks for the post.


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## thatcho (Jan 23, 2014)

Curious bout the pink salt. Do u use it for saftey reasons? Does it change the flavor.


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## sb59 (Jan 23, 2014)

Thatcho said:


> Curious bout the pink salt. Do u use it for saftey reasons? Does it change the flavor.


Me too. Also Tablespoon seems a bit much. Shouldn't it be more like 1&1/2 tsp. or less depending if its 6 or 8 lbs?


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## stupeg (Jan 24, 2014)

Spot on, down here in Florida we smoke a lot of Mullet, about 8 hours, low and slow.













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These took less time, rib cage and backbone out, Red bay wood and green bay leaf branches.  I do about 100 pounds of

whole fish at a time.  You have to have a dedicated smoker for fish, that oil will transfer to other meats real easy.


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## stupeg (Jan 24, 2014)

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Here is my new rig I built, 20 racks, 33 X 23", should hold 200 pounds.


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## leah elisheva (Jan 24, 2014)

That sounds delicious!!! Cheers! - Leah


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## wade (Jan 27, 2014)

That is a recipe I will have to try. Looks great


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## ak1 (Jan 27, 2014)

One question? So I go to a local metal store and ask for food grade stainless steel. No clue as to what I'm talking about. So, I'm asking; what exactly is food grade stainless?


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## stupeg (Jan 27, 2014)

316 Stainless is better, 304 is cheaper, but is acceptable for FDA use.


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## scott mayfield (Jan 29, 2014)

Smoked Salmon was going to be my next project. Thanks for the recipe. 

question: does it really only take 12 hours for the cure to get through the meat? I know Pork (bacon) can take up to 10 days to get all the way through, roasts even longer.

Thanks again.

Scott


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## stupeg (Jan 30, 2014)

12 hours is on the low side, depends on the thickness of the filet, amount of salt and skin or no skin, I think.


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## wes w (Feb 2, 2014)

SB59 said:


> Thatcho said:
> 
> 
> > Curious bout the pink salt. Do u use it for saftey reasons? Does it change the flavor.
> ...


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## bagbeard (Feb 5, 2014)

mmm.  looks great

just wondering what temp you cold smoke at.  you mention ambient , but what is ideal?


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## kcoyne6673 (Feb 5, 2014)

You can smoke it just plain as well for a really nice dinner. Smoked salmon is great!


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## grillbilly cook (Feb 9, 2014)

Great recipe Smokey. Thanks for sharing!


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## dave17a (Feb 14, 2014)

SmokeyDokey said:


> Stan,
> 
> Skin off works very well too. It takes the cure better actually, and I've never had it fall apart, this is really firm meat. For me it really depends on where I'm sourcing my fish. Costco's Atlantic comes skinless, and I use that for Lox and they turn out beautifully. These came from my local grocer that was having a sale, and it came skin, scales and all. I have taken the cured skin after eating the salmon, and browned it on the BBQ or under the broiler, and it is quite tasty!
> 
> ...


Thinking Fireball on salmon
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 Pricing Salmon all the time and want it fresh and be in the mood to get it done. Good job!


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## smokinchick (Feb 17, 2014)

Trying this recipe now, however, I really want to try the green curry tofu w/smoked salmon recipe.  Can you share that as well.  Very creative!


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## irie (Feb 28, 2014)

these look fantastic, cant wait to give them a try thanks for sharing


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## mfreel (Mar 10, 2014)

I followed your recipe/method pretty close, but with some changes based on what I had on hand.  If anyone's interested, just search for "salmon candy."  Thanks for posting this.  It's my preferred method for fish so far!!!


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## ironhorse07 (Mar 25, 2014)

Wes W said:


> :yeahthat:


bump. Yeah, I been waiting for some clarification on this myself.


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## ironhorse07 (Mar 25, 2014)

SB59 said:


> Me too. Also Tablespoon seems a bit much. Shouldn't it be more like 1&1/2 tsp. or less depending if its 6 or 8 lbs?


let's get the whole quote, @#$%& mobile.


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## sb59 (Mar 25, 2014)

Ironhorse07 said:


> bump. Yeah, I been waiting for some clarification on this myself.





Ironhorse07 said:


> let's get the whole quote, @#$%& mobile.





Wes W said:


>





SB59 said:


> Me too. Also Tablespoon seems a bit much. Shouldn't it be more like 1&1/2 tsp. or less depending if its 6 or 8 lbs?


You waiting on Wes W or me on why I wonder why he is using double pink salt recommended?


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## ironhorse07 (Mar 27, 2014)

yeah, I thought the same thing. Kind of surprised that this wasn't cleared up.


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## wade (Mar 27, 2014)

SB59 said:


> You waiting on Wes W or me on why I wonder why he is using double pink salt recommended?


I was wondering why pink salt was being used at all. I have never used it with salmon and I don't know anyone else who regularly smokes salmon who does either. Are you expecting to store it for an extended length of time?


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## sb59 (Mar 28, 2014)

I figured he used a cure for added safety, because he cold smoked for 4hrs & then brought the fish up to a 135 internal temp. only.

I started using a cure this season when I do fish also for the same reason, many times my smokes are low & slow  even for fish.

I've seen smokers on this site  who stay with the 40 to 140 in 4 rule with meat , then take 6 or more hrs. with fish at smoker temps. 140 or lower with salt only, for both salmon candy & fish jerky.


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## ryansguitars (Apr 1, 2014)

Great recipe!

I just got making a couple pounds of this today. My only regret was not making more. Man is it good!

I used my AMNPS and cold smoked for about 2 hours before turning the heat to 150. It took a little over an hour to bring the fish to 135.

Once again thanks for the story and recipe.


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## tatts4life (Apr 11, 2014)

This looks so tasty. I'm gonna have to try it. If only I knew how to make my own cold smoker. Right now all I have is a Char-broil 2 in 1 smoker roaster.


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## mfreel (Apr 11, 2014)

Cold smoker?  

Get an AMNPS from www.amazenproducts.com.

Get a tall cardboard box or tape a couple together.  Put some rods or coat hangers across it inside to set your racks on (or some contraption).

Cut a hole in the top and one in the bottom.

Instant cold smoker.


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## tatts4life (Apr 11, 2014)

LOL ghetto rigged. I'll build something but it will be something that can be used over and over.


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## farwest (Jun 20, 2016)

Maybe a dumb question but, If i smoke 3-4 lbs of salmon just cut this recipe in half? I know the cure would  be cut down. Thanks


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## Bearcarver (Jun 20, 2016)

Farwest said:


> Maybe a dumb question but, If i smoke 3-4 lbs of salmon just cut this recipe in half? I know the cure would  be cut down. Thanks


Yes.

Bear


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## smokeydokey (Jun 20, 2016)

Hey Farwest, Thanks for your interest. consider making the whole batch. it won't stay around as long as you will hope it to.

but if you make a half, I would probably cut the recipe down as well, although, I have used a smaller amount of fish to the full cure and had great results. the flesh is so moist and it cure so quickly that I have found I like using a bit more cure to fish than posted. Also, I do use cure 1 mainly because I am cold smoking, and I store it in my fridge, cryovaced for months without any issues.

Have fun, and let me know how you like it!

SmokeyDokey


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## Bearcarver (Jun 21, 2016)

SmokeyDokey,

I answered that because since this thread was a couple years old, I didn't know if you would catch it.

I made it short, so you could elaborate on my Yes. Sorry for jumping in on your thread.

Bear


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## farwest (Jun 21, 2016)

Thanks for the reply guys, I will let you know how it goes. I had a little over 4 lbs of steelhead I caught last year.


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## smokeydokey (Jun 21, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> SmokeyDokey,
> I answered that because since this thread was a couple years old, I didn't know if you would catch it.
> 
> I made it short, so you could elaborate on my Yes. Sorry for jumping in on your thread.
> ...


No worries. There's every chance that I would've completely missed it, so it's good that somebody answered his question in a timely manner. So thanks, and no offense taken.


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## smokeydokey (Jun 21, 2016)

You're quite welcome. This works really well on steelhead and other trout as well.. It should not suck!


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## martyj (Jun 23, 2016)

Where do you find Cure #1? Can you find it in your local grocery store and is it called cure #1?

Thanks for your help and sorry for the dumb question. Looking to try this for the first time.


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## big nut brewer (Dec 17, 2016)

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Making this recipe today, with the exception of using all brown sugar and using just plain old dark chili powder.  I was amazed at the color it picked up.  This is a picture as it's going in for some initial cold smoking.

Edit: I also cut the Prague powder down to the recommended teaspoon per 5# of meat ratio.


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## smokeydokey (Dec 17, 2016)

I get mine at the sausage maker.com. Readily available all over the Internet. Cure 1, pink salt #1, or Prague powder, all the same thing


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## smokeydokey (Dec 17, 2016)

I get mine at the sausage maker.com. Readily available all over the Internet. Cure 1, pink salt #1, or Prague powder, all the same thing


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## smokeydokey (Dec 17, 2016)

Looks great! The chile adds lots of color.try to find some from NM. It's really tasty!


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## tarragonchicken (Jan 1, 2017)

tried this method and it is a BIG hit I skipped the maple syrup but great method to hold moisture good job


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## ab canuck (Jan 1, 2017)

Looks amazing. I am going to be trying this one for sure. Early this summer we have a salmon fishing trip planned so it will be well used.


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## mkriet (Jan 1, 2017)

This looks awesome.   Gonna try this


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## smokeydokey (Jan 2, 2017)

Thanks for trying it. yes, I frequently skip the syrup as it is a pain. I like it either way. Happy New Year!


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## rob sicc (Jan 3, 2017)

HANDYMANSTAN said:


> Thanks SD,  I have to try this.  Never herd of eating the skin before and don't  think I will try that.  I bookmarked this thread in my I have to do file.
> 
> Stan



Stan,  if you scale the skin before you start this process, you will be very happy if you try it.  Broiled Salo
N skin is really tasty


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## rob sicc (Jan 3, 2017)

sekkeisha said:


> Great recipe, I smoked some this morning and it turned out nice.  I don't have a cold smoke set up so I hot smoked it to about 150 and took it out.  I did add a little bourbon to the maple syrup and that worked ok too.  Really nice balance between salty and sweet and the subtle flavor of the NM chili is delicious.  I used no skin from Cosco and it held together great.  Thanks for the excellent recipe and guide. I couldn't help tasting before taking a picture.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What ratio of bourbon did you use?


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## rob sicc (Jan 4, 2017)

Just so I'm clear, the pink salt was used so the salmon will last month the rather than say a few weeks without the pink salt? 

Do I have that right?


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## ab canuck (Jan 5, 2017)

I haven't been able to find any NM red chilli powder ( or any NMChilli powder) around here, I am probably going to order it online. And I'm thinking a bit of bourbon or maybe some Canadian whiskey would be great with the maple syrup.


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## rob sicc (Jan 9, 2017)

AB Canuck said:


> I haven't been able to find any NM red chilli powder ( or any NMChilli powder) around here, I am probably going to order it online. And I'm thinking a bit of bourbon or maybe some Canadian whiskey would be great with the maple syrup.


Sorry for the ignorance but what is NM red Chilli?


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## ab canuck (Jan 9, 2017)

Hey Rob, It's New Mexico Hatch chile pepper. grown in various regions of the state and south of the border. Usually it is ground with seeds from red or green hatch peppers, where as chile powder is a blend of ground chile's mixed together. The flavors are different and have different heat levels as well. I preferred the hatch or NM chile powder better when I last tried it.


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