# Cooking time for salmon fillets



## selli (Jun 24, 2012)

Today I smoked two salmon fillets on a plank at 180.  They reached 145 in about 90 minutes.  I was expecting about 4 hours.  Did I do something wrong?  

The problem is that they were done way before we want to eat them.  Any suggestions would be appreciated

There wer two fillets, not rel thick and combined they weigh about 2 1/2 pounds.


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## daveomak (Jun 25, 2012)

Selli, morning....  Sounds a bit quick to me.... Are you sure of the smoker temps...  Did you check the thermometer calibration ????  Factory therms are notorious for being wrong....  If the therms are correct, you have new guidelines for cooking salmon fillets... Check the temps at the grate level where the fish is cooking...  Dave


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## selli (Jun 25, 2012)

Thanks for your reply. I did read in Jeff's book that he recommends cooking the salmon at 160 instead of 180.  I will try that next time.  Thanks again


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## selli (Jun 25, 2012)

Dave
I did forget  to ask--how do I actually test the internal temp. Of the smoker?   Will a digital probe work!


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## cmayna (Jun 25, 2012)

Yes, a digital probe stuck in the thickest part of the meat.  But I must ask when you say fillet on a plank, is this in a smoker or a regular BBQ?.   I have done Salmon Fillet on a cedar plank numerous times on my charcoal or gas BBQ and it would normally take 30+ minutes.


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## selli (Jun 25, 2012)

I did the salmon on the plank in the smoker.  As for the temperature, I was referring to the internal temp. Of the smoker, not the salmon.   Dave, in an earlier post had suggested that maybe the smoker itself was cooking at a higher temp. Than what the digital thermometer said, and I wanted to see how to check the actual internal temperature.


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## daveomak (Jun 25, 2012)

Selli, evening...  A digital probe therm will work well..... check the probe to see if it is OK for temp reading... boiling water works....  then set the probe near the smoke chamber therm and see if they read the same....  when cooking food, set the probe at the same level or even next to the food.... sometimes the chamber temp and the meat level temp are different.... make notes and adjust accordingly....   If the smoker says 160 and the meat level temp says 180, lower the smoker temp to 140 ish so the meat will be at 160 ish...   Dave


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## chef jimmyj (Jun 25, 2012)

Selli said:


> Today I smoked two salmon fillets on a plank at 180. They reached 145 in about 90 minutes. I was expecting about 4 hours. Did I do something wrong?
> The problem is that they were done way before we want to eat them. Any suggestions would be appreciated
> There wer two fillets, not rel thick and combined they weigh about 2 1/2 pounds.


 This may be a bit fast but consider the thickness and weight of each piece in the timing. In this thread, post #9, by MikeBham is some good info on Fish Brining and Smoke Timing...JJ

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/90289/smoked-fish


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## olivia325 (Jul 13, 2012)

I have some tips and recipes for your salmon. Let us find the *Salmon Filet Recipes* now ! :)


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