# Cold Smoked Steelhead



## dert (Jan 12, 2020)

Cold smoking some steelhead from Costco in MN today!

Dry cured with brown sugar, salt and nitrite for ~ 30 hours.












Outside temp<20 degrees F, smokin’ it #3 with the amazen cold smoker never got above  70 degrees F.


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## jcam222 (Jan 12, 2020)

How was it? I never realized that steelhead was sold. I fish them when I have time during fall runs into the rivers.


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## dert (Jan 12, 2020)

jcam222 said:


> How was it? I never realized that steelhead was sold. I fish them when I have time during fall runs into the rivers.


Have t tried it yet, mellowing until tomorrow!  I’ll update the post though


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## Teal101 (Jan 12, 2020)

jcam222 said:


> How was it? I never realized that steelhead was sold. I fish them when I have time during fall runs into the rivers.


Most of it is not real Steelhead. In the midwest it may be since the Great Lake Steelhead runs are decent. Here in the PNW they are farmed in large nets in the Columbis river. They're sterile rainbow trout and live on a pellet diet.


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## sawhorseray (Jan 13, 2020)

Beautiful color on that fish, nice job! Like, RAY


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## SmokinAl (Jan 13, 2020)

Looks fantastic!
Al


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## pushok2018 (Jan 13, 2020)

Really nice color on that fish! Waiting from you how was the taste....


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## thirdeye (Jan 13, 2020)

I buy a similar product from my Sam's Club, and I have never been disappointed, although I generally hot smoke.  I also pressure can the steelhead and ironically had a 1/2 pint jar this morning for breakfast with some baguette toasts. 

Looking forward to hearing the results of your Nova lox, especially the saltiness factor.  Also, would you post the details of your procedure?


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## dert (Jan 13, 2020)

Probably too much smoke, went for about 12 hours, salt seem fine may reduce cure time to 24 hours and smoke to 6-8 next time.


Yum!


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## dert (Jan 13, 2020)

thirdeye said:


> I buy a similar product from my Sam's Club, and I have never been disappointed, although I generally hot smoke.  I also pressure can the steelhead and ironically had a 1/2 pint jar this morning for breakfast with some baguette toasts.
> 
> Looking forward to hearing the results of your Nova lox, especially the saltiness factor.  Also, would you post the details of your procedure?


The procedure was quite simple. I added equal parts brown sugar and non-iodized salt to cover both sides I also added probably a half teaspoon of Prague powder number one, wrapped in cellophane for 30 hours press between two baking dishes rinsed but dry overnight cold smoked over alder pellets for 12 hours...


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## thirdeye (Jan 13, 2020)

dert said:


> The procedure was quite simple. I added equal parts brown sugar and non-iodized salt to cover both sides I also added probably a half teaspoon of Prague powder number one, wrapped in cellophane for 30 hours press between two baking dishes rinsed but dry overnight cold smoked over alder pellets for 12 hours...



Thanks for that. I do a combination cure, dry/wet and a soak-out.  My wintertime smoke times average 5 or 6 hours using a sawdust smoke generator it it's not too cold outside.  And it if the temp is low, I'll cycle on my Big Chief with pellets for 15 minutes, then turn it off for 15 or 20 minutes trying to keep the smoker at 60° to 70°.


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