# Perfection. Why tinker??



## locomotiveman (Jan 12, 2021)

My Smoked Salmon is THE best sez my friends. Simplest Recipe from right here. Dry Salt n Dark Brown Sugar for 5/hrs. Rinse. Dry it overnight then hot smoke. Done. QUESTION: What is gained by adding all sorts of various spices and wet brines etc.??  Used for a ‘spread’? Some cultures like exotic flavors?? Keeps better??


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## SmokinEdge (Jan 12, 2021)

Variety is the spice of life.


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## locomotiveman (Jan 12, 2021)

SmokinEdge said:


> Variety is the spice of life.


I s’pose. Some salmon peepul bring to parties just doesn’t cut... at all. I wonder why.


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## noboundaries (Jan 12, 2021)

If you ever figure out the "don't tinker with perfection" formula, bottle it and sell it here.


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## forktender (Jan 12, 2021)

The Salmon you describe as perfection sounds awful bland to me.
Don't take this the wrong way please, if you and your friends like it that's all that counts. 
I've been to parties where people are raving about the smoked Salmon, and it tasted under seasoned and bland to me.


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## Inscrutable (Jan 13, 2021)

SmokinEdge said:


> Variety is the spice of life.


^^^This^^^

We don’t necessarily tinker to make something ‘better’ but to experiment to create something ‘different’.   In a direct pair-wise comparison, sometimes we like it more, sometimes we like it less. But we learn something and have a little fun.


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## daveomak (Jan 13, 2021)

May I suggest adding cure#1 to any fish you smoke...   Botulism seems to be getting more prevalent, in salmon, these days......


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## zwiller (Jan 13, 2021)

As resident SMF devil's advocate, feedback from friends is generally biased.  They might just enjoy free food.  That said, fresh smoked salmon prepared in any fashion is generally tasty stuff.  I think you are onto something however and that simplicity IS the path to perfection.  To me, there are different schools of thought with fish (and ALL BBQ) and there are 2 main groups.  First group wants prominent meat flavor and the other want to mute it.  I am with 

 daveomak
 with the use of cure but admit it is more for flavor but added safety is a bonus.


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## locomotiveman (Jan 13, 2021)

locomotiveman said:


> My Smoked Salmon is THE best sez my friends. Simplest Recipe from right here. Dry Salt n Dark Brown Sugar for 5/hrs. Rinse. Dry it overnight then hot smoke. Done. QUESTION: What is gained by adding all sorts of various spices and wet brines etc.??  Used for a ‘spread’? Some cultures like exotic flavors?? Keeps better??


I suspect 2 preferences, RUB vs MEAT flavor schools of thought maybe is why some want Salmon ‘straight up’.. others want it more spiced up.  But some versions I encounter at fancy-pants events and conventions seem to be closer to Steamed Salmon dipped in Liquid Smoke, ie. No pellicle, no color, no taste. (Some smoked salmon just plain misses the mark sez the local Bartenders and I always wonder what was done to screw it up).


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## cmayna (Jan 13, 2021)

To the OP,  we all have different tastes.  You and your friends are use to your Salmon.  To others, it might be too bland, too dry, too whatever.  It's just what you have grown up with.    We can't expect to please everyone. 

As long as I can take care of my family, neighbors and fellow fishing buddies with some smoked fish, I'm happy.


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## SmokinAl (Jan 13, 2021)

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I have my hot salmon & cold smoked lox recipe’s that everybody around here loves. So I just keep them the same. It took a lot of experimenting to get them just right.
Al


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## locomotiveman (Jan 13, 2021)

zwiller said:


> As resident SMF devil's advocate, feedback from friends is generally biased.  They might just enjoy free food.  That said, fresh smoked salmon prepared in any fashion is generally tasty stuff.  I think you are onto something however and that simplicity IS the path to perfection.  To me, there are different schools of thought with fish (and ALL BBQ) and there are 2 main groups.  First group wants prominent meat flavor and the other want to mute it.  I am with
> 
> daveomak
> with the use of cure but admit it is more for flavor but added safety is a bonus.


Agreed. (This FORUM has a member who posts his Pics of HotSmokeTails n Chunks’ & does a black pepper w/diluted honey glaze. THAT is what my friends always want. All of em.  $Free$ Beer for me so I don’t dare change what works. Ha!!


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