# Awesome recipe for a wicked smoked samon



## thesmokingirl (Jan 13, 2016)

I did not know pictures of the process should be uploaded also ... Please give me some time to get photos of the procedure step by step!!! Thanks :) 

I was so stoked the first salmon smoke  that I would love to share the recipe. This recipe is for a Bradley digital smoker. Many of you may use this recipe but different smoking temps, different ratios. I'll tell you what's worked for me. 
I bought three large filets from Costco. Not sure exactly how big they were but this recipe is very forgiving. Without skin is better.

Cut the filets into 1" thick pieces however long you like. I usually do about 3 inches long. Honestly the smaller the better because the brine really has a chance to run through the nugget. Put nuggets in a glass dish or a big container. Use 1 cup kosher salt for every 2 cups brown sugar. I usually mix it in a bowl and then layer it onto the salmon. You want all the salmon very well coated. Almost so you can't see the salmon in the dish. If you like a more salty than sweet, add more kosher salt, but doing 2 to 2 turns out too salty for me! Everyone is different. 
After coating the salmon i glaze the top with honey. and then maple syrup ... You can add as much of this as you want! I usually do about 2-3 cups honey and   1-2 cups maple syrup. I have a serious sweet tooth. 
Let the salmon sit in your fridge for a whole day, mixing it every couple hours to make sure they're all well coated. When the Salmon is done it should be hard to the touch.  
Rinse salmon in cold water thoroughly,  so that the slippery texture is somewhat gone.
Place salmon chunks on your racks tightly together but not touching.
Set the oven temp to 180. 
I have been using alder and maple bisquettes for the smoke. I think either or tastes amazing. But maple is definitely a winner. 
3 bisquettes burn for 1 hour. Smoke the Salmon for 3-4 hours depending on your liking. I put in 11  bisquettes. Let your smoker get to oven temp before starting the timer. 
Rotate the racks every hour if possible. 
After you remove the racks of Salmon, ziplock bag them right away, to retain that juiciness. 
Of course eat a few pieces first to determine their done :) 
This was my first ever recipe I've posted online. Hope it works for everyone.


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## JckDanls 07 (Jan 13, 2016)

:th_nopicsye3:






:worthless


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 14, 2016)

Oh I'm sorry I did not know I have to post pictures too... I will be smoking more salmon soon and then I will take pictures of each step and create a proper recipe !


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## cmayna (Jan 14, 2016)

After you rinsed off the brine, did you let the fish dry and form a pellicle before going into the smoker?   Yes, next time we need pics.


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## wade (Jan 14, 2016)

Give Smokingirl a break - It takes a while to get used to all the buttons 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Uploading photos is quite straightforward. The button you want is this one...













Capture.JPG



__ wade
__ Jan 14, 2016






Once you click on it you will be stepped through the process.


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## SmokinAl (Jan 14, 2016)

Good luck girl! This a tough crowd!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Al


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## mfreel (Jan 14, 2016)

PICS!!!!!!  I WANT PICS!!!!!!!!!!

Many of the recipes for salmon candy you find on SMF call for a soaking period after the curing to remove some of the salt.  Do you think that would be necessary with your recipe?


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 14, 2016)

Yes let the salmon dry. Not sure about the pellicle phrase you used there. I use my blow dryer to speed up the process. But it takes about an hour to dry. The Salmon should be dry to touch before going into the smoker.


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 14, 2016)

mfreel said:


> PICS!!!!!!  I WANT PICS!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Many of the recipes for salmon candy you find on SMF call for a soaking period after the curing to remove some of the salt.  Do you think that would be necessary with your recipe?



I did not soak my salmon. I rinsed off each individual piece in cold water, and then placed on the racks to dry. Depending on how much salt you use, I don't think soaking is necessary. I prefer mine more sweet than salty, so a good rinse after the cure is all it needs.
If you used the 2:2 kosher salt to brown sugar ratio, then maybe a soaking would be necessary. I haven't used that ratio however. Hope that helps

And YES I promise pictures will come.
I have never posted a recipe online nor did I
Look at enough online to notice everyone had pictures. So my apologies in advance. 
I could remove the recipe until I have pictures of the procedure if that works better for everyone ?
Cheers


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## daveomak (Jan 14, 2016)

thesmokingirl said:


> Yes let the salmon dry. Not sure about the pellicle phrase you used there. I use my blow dryer to speed up the process. But it takes about an hour to dry. The Salmon should be dry to touch before going into the smoker.


Doing what you did was PERFECT !!!   That drying step formed the pellicle...   Salmon dry to the touch has a pellicle on it....     Helps to hold in the moisture and allows the smoke to stick and penetrate into and on the fish....     Good JOB !!.....


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## mfreel (Jan 14, 2016)

We're just messing with you about pics.

Just adds to the mouth watering!


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 14, 2016)

DaveOmak, thank you very much


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## JckDanls 07 (Jan 14, 2016)

mfreel said:


> We're just messing with you about pics.
> 
> Just adds to the mouth watering!




:yeahthat:

don't take the pic harassment serious...  just fun'n with ya....


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 14, 2016)

JckDanls 07 said:


> :yeahthat:
> 
> don't take the pic harassment serious...  just fun'n with ya....



Good! I can wipe these tears away now ! :) :) :)


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## cflbob (Jan 16, 2016)

Thanks for this!  Gonna try this recipe this weekend. 

Bob


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## redheelerdog (Jan 16, 2016)

Thanks for the recipe, I have a couple of Silvers in my freezer I will try with this.


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 17, 2016)

redheelerdog said:


> Thanks for the recipe, I have a couple of Silvers in my freezer I will try with this.
> 
> :welcome1:
> [/quo
> ...


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 17, 2016)

redheelerdog said:


> Thanks for the recipe, I have a couple of Silvers in my freezer I will try with this.
> 
> :welcome1:



Please let me know how it goes !!!


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## cflbob (Jan 17, 2016)

It was a successful smoking, but came out too salty for my taste.  The texture was good, and the fish flaked easily when done. I used 1:1 ratio salt to sugar, and a 1 1/2 pound salmon fillet cut into pieces which shrank up A LOT while soaking (50%?).  BTW, the "CFL" in my name means central Florida, about 2000 miles from the nearest living salmon, so it was from the fish market and supposedly never frozen. 

I've never been one to salt food, so it may just be my tastes.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 17, 2016)

CFLBob said:


> It was a successful smoking, but came out too salty for my taste.  The texture was good, and the fish flaked easily when done. I used 1:1 ratio salt to sugar, and a 1 1/2 pound salmon fillet cut into pieces which shrank up A LOT while soaking (50%?).  BTW, the "CFL" in my name means central Florida, about 2000 miles from the nearest living salmon, so it was from the fish market and supposedly never frozen.
> 
> I've never been one to salt food, so it may just be my tastes.



1:1 ratio is way too much. For years I have done a 4:1 sugar to salt ratio and it is what we prefer. The 2:1 that was used in the OP's recipe here is probably fine because honey and maple syrup were added too.


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## cflbob (Jan 17, 2016)

I need to figure out what concentration of salt is required to cure the fish.  Maybe even better, alternative ways to cure fish.  I have a problem with sugar - not diabetic, yet, but I'm the only one in my family that doesn't have it.  I do my best avoiding it completely.  Because of that, I wanted to use the least amount of sugar I could get away with.


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 17, 2016)

JckDanls 07 said:


>


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 17, 2016)

CFLBob said:


> It was a successful smoking, but came out too salty for my taste.  The texture was good, and the fish flaked easily when done. I used 1:1 ratio salt to sugar, and a 1 1/2 pound salmon fillet cut into pieces which shrank up A LOT while soaking (50%?).  BTW, the "CFL" in my name means central Florida, about 2000 miles from the nearest living salmon, so it was from the fish market and supposedly never frozen.
> 
> I've never been one to salt food, so it may just be my tastes.


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## daveomak (Jan 18, 2016)

CFLBob said:


> I need to figure out what concentration of salt is required to cure the fish.  Maybe even better, alternative ways to cure fish.  I have a problem with sugar - not diabetic, yet, but I'm the only one in my family that doesn't have it.  I do my best avoiding it completely.  Because of that, I wanted to use the least amount of sugar I could get away with.


Bob, morning.....   Try weighing your slabs of fish....  Then add 2% salt and 2% sugar...  about 12 hours later, rinse and dry....    That would give you a good starting point to make future adjustments...   I like that combination...  it allows for the flavor of the fish shine without being salty or sweet....    I add cure #1 to all my fish to stop the threat of botulism at a rate of 1.1 grams per pound of fish....   If you would like a recipe, PM me....     Dave.....


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## wade (Jan 18, 2016)

CFLBob said:


> I need to figure out what concentration of salt is required to cure the fish.  Maybe even better, alternative ways to cure fish.  I have a problem with sugar - not diabetic, yet, but I'm the only one in my family that doesn't have it.  I do my best avoiding it completely.  Because of that, I wanted to use the least amount of sugar I could get away with.


Hi Bob

When smoking salmon you do not actually need to use sugar in the cure at all. It is often there in recipes to balance out the flavour of too much salt. Some people like a salty product but, like you, I do not.

The highest qualities of commercial smoked salmon (at least the ones produced here in the UK for the likes of Harrods and Fortnum and Mason) use a dry cure and use only salt - no sugar at all. Whether you are planning to hot smoke or cold smoke you can use the same basic dry cure process. It is important to use a coarse grain (kosher) salt or coarse sea salt and apply a thin coating of salt on the surfaces of the fish. If you use a fine grain salt the end result will be considerably more salty. If you are hot smoking you only need to leave the salmon in the salt for 3-4 hours and it can also be laid on the bottom of a container to cure without it becoming too salty. If cold smoking then it will be left in the salt for 24 hours (or more) and therefore it is best placed on a wire rack to allow the liquid brine to drain away from the fish.

If you are interested I can post up a Q-view showing the step by step process in a new thread.

Wade


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## cflbob (Jan 18, 2016)

Dave,

Thanks!  1.1 grams of salt per pound of fish is a dead easy number to remember, and my kitchen scale measures in both systems at the push of a button. 

Wait... did you mean 1.1 grams of the mix? 

Wade,

I did a dry brine.  Packed a mix of coarse grained kosher salt and light brown sugar, at a rate of 1:1.  

I guess it gets back to the way I read the OP.  The part that stuck with me was the one cup of salt - I thought that meant it needed that much salt, and the OP added two cups of sugar to cut the salt taste.  The salt had to be one cup and the sugar was there to dilute the taste.  I went to YouTube and saw two different videos, both of which started with a cup of salt.  So I cut the sugar 1:1, thinking I'd see what it tasted like and then cut more sugar next time if it was OK.

I put this into the refrigerator for an overnight brine late Friday night, but the Saturday morning, it was still mostly dry mix.  I let it sit longer in the powder, and that eventually pulled more water out of the fish, but then it got too late in the day to smoke the salmon.  So I left it in the mix overnight again until Sunday morning.  By that time, the salmon was pretty dry and firm to the touch, so it seemed right.  Like I say, the texture came out nice, it was just the salty taste that bothered me.  Maybe it sat in the salt too long, too. 

The first smoker I ever had was a Lil Chief, for smoking fish.  I used to smoke fish I caught, like Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel and some others.  I used a liquid brine for those, from a booklet that came with the smoker.  Wish I had that recipe now. 

Thanks,

Bob


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## wade (Jan 18, 2016)

CFLBob said:


> I put this into the refrigerator for an overnight brine late Friday night, but the Saturday morning, it was still mostly dry mix.  I let it sit longer in the powder, and that eventually pulled more water out of the fish, but then it got too late in the day to smoke the salmon.  So I left it in the mix overnight again until Sunday morning.  By that time, the salmon was pretty dry and firm to the touch, so it seemed right.  Like I say, the texture came out nice, it was just the salty taste that bothered me.  Maybe it sat in the salt too long, too.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Bob


If you are doing such a long cure (overnight +) then try placing it on a rack to drain. If you leave it in the wet brine/slush that is created from the water from the fish then you will get a much greater uptake of salt. This is not such a problem with shorter cures.


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## daveomak (Jan 18, 2016)

CFLBob said:


> Dave,
> 
> Thanks!  1.1 grams of salt per pound of fish is a dead easy number to remember, and my kitchen scale measures in both systems at the push of a button.  * 9 grams of salt per pound of fish *
> 
> ...


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## cflbob (Jan 18, 2016)

DaveOmak said:


> Thanks!  1.1 grams of salt per pound of fish is a dead easy number to remember, and my kitchen scale measures in both systems at the push of a button.   *9 grams of salt per pound of fish*
> 
> Wait... did you mean 1.1 grams of the mix? *  I add cure #1 to all my fish to stop the threat of botulism at a rate of 1.1 grams per pound of fish....  *
> 
> *And if you make a mix of 1:1 sugar and salt, add 18 grams of the mix per pound...   If you add cure #1 to the mix, add 1.1 grams of cure #1 for every 18 grams of mix...   then add 18 grams of mix per pound of fish....*.


Got it!  I missed the reference to cure  #1.  Thanks for the clarification.


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 18, 2016)

Hey guys, sorry to hear it turned out a little salty for you. The 1:2 kosher salt to brown sugar worked magnificent for me, as long as honey and maple syrup are added... If left longer than a day in the brine I can definitely see the salmon soaking up more salt ... 
Brown sugar is definitely not necessary, however, it all comes down to your desired taste preference. Myself, I love the sweetness of a smoked salmon. This recipe I gave you guys was pretty much my cup of tea for smoked salmon. It's good to see everyone experimenting with the ratios, and finding whats right for you. Everyone is different. Thanks for all the salmon chat :) 
Cheers to everyone


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## thesmokingirl (Jan 18, 2016)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> 1:1 ratio is way too much. For years I have done a 4:1 sugar to salt ratio and it is what we prefer. The 2:1 that was used in the OP's recipe here is probably fine because honey and maple syrup were added too.



My first ever salmon smoke was 1:1 and it was WAY too salty. I had to chase each piece with a glass of water. 2:1 has always been perfect for me. Or even cut the salt in half if that's preferred?  2 cup brown sugar to 1/2 cup kosher salt. It's hard to say because you need the right amount of kosher salt to really harden the salmon. :) 
Cheers


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## wade (Jan 18, 2016)

Both hot and cold smoked salmon are usually chilled and consumed within 10 days, or they are subsequently frozen. Unless you are considering storing them unchilled or for longer periods of time without freezing then the use of Cure #1 is not required. You may want to add it though if you are uncertain as to the provenance of the fish (in which case do not eat it) or is a variety that is more susceptible to having botulinum in their intestines or gills (usually more prevalent in bottom dwelling muddy river or lake fish).

Botulism as a result of eating fish is rare. The last recorded outbreak in the UK was in 1955 and was as a result of eating pickled imported fish. I do not have figures for the USA though - it may be more common there. The table below from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations shows laboratory results of different types of fish that were each inoculated with one million botulinum organisms (which is far higher than is found naturally occurring in fish) and the number of days that it took before they became potentially toxic at different temperatures.


*Fish product*

*Temperature of storage*
 
*5°C*

*10°C*

*20°C*

Herring

11

5

1

Cod

10

Plaice

10

Scallops

6

Kippers

9

2

Smoked salmon

18

7

Smoked trout

11

5

Smoked haddock

29

3

Even if you were to store it at room temperature (say 20 C (68 F)) it would still take at least 7 days before the botulinum toxic became potentially toxic. At higher temperatures this would be less, but I am sorry I don't have any figures to show how long it may take if left in your backpack while you are hiking around Furnace Creek in 46 C (115 F).

Providing you keep your smoked salmon chilled and eat it within 10 days (or freeze it for longer term storage) then there is no need to use nitrite in your cure. Of course, if you do it will not hurt you either - providing it is within safe limits.


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## cflbob (Jan 18, 2016)

thesmokingirl said:


> Hey guys, sorry to hear it turned out a little salty for you. The 1:2 kosher salt to brown sugar worked magnificent for me, as long as honey and maple syrup are added... If left longer than a day in the brine I can definitely see the salmon soaking up more salt ...
> Brown sugar is definitely not necessary, however, it all comes down to your desired taste preference. Myself, I love the sweetness of a smoked salmon. This recipe I gave you guys was pretty much my cup of tea for smoked salmon. It's good to see everyone experimenting with the ratios, and finding whats right for you. Everyone is different. Thanks for all the salmon chat :)
> Cheers to everyone


Not a problem at all.  After reading your recipe, you pointed me to a bunch of others that were all based on a dry brine made of one cup of salt and either 1, 2, or 3 cups of brown sugar.  Being a low carb guy, I used as little sugar as I thought I could get away with. 

The local grocery store sells a smoked salmon that I love which uses zero sugar.  I was trying for that. 

Bob


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## cflbob (Jan 18, 2016)

Wade said:


> Both hot and cold smoked salmon are usually chilled and consumed within 10 days, or they are subsequently frozen. Unless you are considering storing them unchilled or for longer periods of time without freezing then the use of Cure #1 is not required. You may want to add it though if you are uncertain as to the provenance of the fish (in which case do not eat it) or is a variety that is more susceptible to having botulinum in their intestines or gills (usually more prevalent in bottom dwelling muddy river or lake fish).
> 
> Botulism as a result of eating fish is rare. The last recorded outbreak in the UK was in 1955 and was as a result of eating pickled imported fish. I do not have figures for the USA though - it may be more common there. The table below from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations shows laboratory results of different types of fish that were each inoculated with one million botulinum organisms (which is far higher than is found naturally occurring in fish) and the number of days that it took before they became potentially toxic at different temperatures.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this!  The chances of a smoked salmon making it 10 days without being eaten are about the same as the Powerball lottery.  At least around my place.  Yesterday's batch is gone already, even with both of us thinking it was too salty.


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## daveomak (Jan 18, 2016)

Some interesting articles for your information...

Recent recalls on botulism in fish.....

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...purs-minnesota-to-issue-warning-on-dried-fish

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...lmon-bacon-recalled-due-to-threat-of-botulism

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/163731/smoked-fish-recalled-in-canada-for-potential-botulism

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/five-most-poisonous-substances-polonium-mercury

*1. Botulinum toxins*

Even though some of them are used in the cosmetic industry (including in botox), the botulinum family of neurotoxins includes the most toxic substances known to man. The LD50 values reported for these seven proteins are about 5 ng/kg (ng stands for nanogram, which is a billionth of a gram).

Non-lethal quantities injected into mice can paralyse the affected limb for as long as a month. The exquisite selectivity of these toxins for certain types of cells in the human body is remarkable, but also means that many species (including all invertebrates) are simply unaffected.


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## cflbob (Jan 18, 2016)

Forty years ago, I took an junior level microbiology class in college.  The prof talked about botulinum and said something like one teaspoon of the toxin would kill every living soul in North and South America.


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## cmayna (Jan 18, 2016)

Yumm


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## smokin phil (Jan 18, 2016)

.


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## wade (Jan 19, 2016)

DaveOmak said:


> Some interesting articles for your information...
> 
> Recent recalls on botulism in fish.....
> 
> ...


Good articles Dave. They show that our/your food inspectors are doing their job of prevention and ensuring that the food that we do buy is safe. I expect there are regularly similar notices issued for all types of food too (not only fish) as they work tirelessly keep the foods that are in our shops safe to eat.


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 20, 2016)

I'm a long ways away from fresh salmon and I was wondering if this would work with other types of fish? I like my fish fresh if I can get it here I have yellow fin and blue fin tuna as well as blue fish and striped bass (we call rock fish)


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## cflbob (Jan 20, 2016)

You're about 800 miles closer to a salmon than I am.  I got mine in the local grocery store.   

Seriously, back when I had my Little Chief smoker and smoked the mackerel, bluefish and other fish I caught in South Florida, I used their "universal cure" for all fish.  That was a wet brine instead of dry brine like this, but it works out the same.  A wet brine is 1/2 cup non-iodized salt, with 1/2 cup sugar in a quart of water and whatever else you might put in to flavor the fish. 

I think oily fish like bluefish and tunas smoke better than a white flesh fish.  I've never seen a striper, but I think they're a white fleshed fish.   

I've heard dry brine works best on fresh fish, but wet brine will work on anything.


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