# 40#'s of Coho Salmon Smoked in Ketchikan Alaska, start to finish!



## heapomeat (Feb 6, 2008)

Thought I'd share how to catch, fillet, smoke, and jar 40 pounds of Silver Coho salmon fillets in Ketchikan Alaska.

Step 1, fly from Seattle to visit the bro in law who lives up in Ketchikan with the boat.

Step 2, go out in a 16' Lund boat skiff and troll the local bay for fresh fish.

Step 3, have the wife fillet them out as she's got the knack, and I have a beer in hand, so it's hard to fillet while drinking.  Beer or knife, which would you rather hold?  he heh.

Step 4, QUICK brine 20-30 minutes max, low in salt, very basic, a little brown sugar, very little qarlic powder.

Step 5,  Load 40 pounds of fillets into the mother of all KING chief smokers, not a little chief, nor a big chief, this big bad boy is a KING chief and is BIG and TALL.

Step 6,  Smoke over alder chips for 6 hours very low and slow.  Pull off before "done".

Step 7,  Put in Kerr canning jars, CRAM as much salmon as you can into the as the meat will shrink during canning.

Step 8,  Put in a pressure cooker for about 30-40 minutes, this finishes the cooking and allows you to keep the salmon for years and years.  Tastes GREAT years later, and moist as anything.  RAVE reviews.

YUM!

Cannin is a great way to save your salmon for years to come...........


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## charles1056 (Feb 6, 2008)

Great looking Salmon, Heap.


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## brianj517 (Feb 6, 2008)

WOW!!! What a great haul!!! I love salmon. Great job.

Cheers,
Brian


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## ron50 (Feb 6, 2008)

Very well done. I'm going to be it Ketchikan in August, can't wait.


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## richtee (Feb 6, 2008)

That, Sir... IS a Heap-o-Meat!


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## pitrow (Feb 6, 2008)

Very nice. I need to get back up to Alaska again for some good salmon


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## walking dude (Feb 6, 2008)

nice catch heap........but what the heck is that lil summin summin to the right of the fish, in the pic of em on the boat dock?


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## bwsmith_2000 (Feb 6, 2008)

Great looking salmon! I especially like your fish cleaning arrangement. Hope they let you carry some of it back on the plane.


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## heapomeat (Feb 6, 2008)

If anyone wants a GREAT fishing guide, my bro-in-law is a fishing guide at one of the only fly fishing shops in town at Ketchikan,  he'll take you out to local rivers, and maybe on his boat.  Fly fishing is his thing, but trolling for salmon or halibut works too.  Personal guide, can't beat that, he's lived, fished and hiked the area for over 5 years.

He spent 20 years in the coast guard, and is a great person to fish with in a safe manner.  No dissapointments.

PM me for details, and maybe I can get your a "family" discount. 

YUP, that WAS a heap o meat!  Volume processing for sure.


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## heapomeat (Feb 6, 2008)

That little sumthin' was a rock cod, that came up from the depths with its swim bladder hangin' out its mouth.  Pretty cool when we caught a "trout" sized baby salmon, hooked in the eye........we threw him back and he splashed around on the surface, and in 12-15 seconds later a eagle swooped down and took him back up to his nest to be lunch.

Ketchikan is a small small town, and if you can hook up with a local for hiking or fishing guide you're miles ahead, skip out on any of the cattle boat cruise ship tours.


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## goat (Feb 7, 2008)

That is something on my list to do.  Enjoy the salmon.


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## mulepackin (Feb 7, 2008)

That is some great looking fish! I gotta call my buddy in Seward and get after em.


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## heapomeat (Feb 7, 2008)

For you future Ketchikan visitors..............here is the Flyfishing shop and guide service that my bro-in-law works for.

http://www.hookupflyshop.com/

Ask for Seth as a guide, and you won't be dissapointed.

Let me know in advance and I can help set up a custom trip for you, including even a seaplane flight to high alpine lakes. Some of his trout photos are pushing 24-26" long!


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