smoking Salmon, Smoked, Multiple Species

Beerswimmer

Beerswimmer

I have some salmon I found in the bottom of the freezer and thought I would smoke them first, then all the fresh stuff. So here's me smoking some old salmon fillets:
Brining the fillets in a mix of brown sugar and salt for 12 hours
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After that I dried them on racks in front of a fan for another 12 hours.

Old Smoky
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Chipped Alder, no bark. Bark is too bitter.
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Starting to smoke reds, silvers, and kings
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I try to keep it under 200 degrees. If the salmon starts to sweat out yellowy oils stuff, it's the fat cooking out. You don't want the fat cooked out, it'll be dry. So in 14-16 hours I'll be done!
 
BS...let me be the first ex-Alaskan to say...

OUTF--KINGSTANDING!!

Brings back memories and a tear to my eye!

Cheers, TB.

ps..heard Palin gave her two weeks notice...
 
texas blues said:
ps..heard Palin gave her two weeks notice...
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Yep. Dunno what the real reason is. I can think of a few, but who knows?

Gonna smoke a bunch of reds starting at 1 A.M. as soon as we get back from the firewoks. It's going to be a long night. Waking up every hour to add wood. Worth every bit of it though!!!!
 
Brown Sugar and salt. 1 can of Mortons non-iodized, and 3 times as much sugar. Mixed in with just enough water so that an egg won't sink in it.
The salmon is a little salty and a little sweet. But not too much of either to take away from the taste of fish and smoke. All the tastes start out subtle, then grow. I hate overly sweet or overly salty fish. All the guys at work chose mine as the best in our salmon cookoff. Mine was the most basic.

People add rum, pineapple juice, seasonings, etc. to the brine but to me the best is just brown sugar and salt. It's so perect tasting with the smoke. I have done just about all the variations, but everyone loves the sugar/salt the best. I have dry brined and liquid brined. Liquid id just eay, so that's what I do. I think that letting it dry on a rack for 12 hours helps it get a kind of glaze or crust that's just awesome.
 
That is classic Alaskan old school brine there..VERY tough to beat. I use a soy based brine for my Notorious Teriyaki Smoked Salmon. The brine is...

Soy sauce (in lieu of salt)
orange juice
Brown sugar
minced habanero or chile flakes
minced ginger
minced garlic

Sometimes cut the salmon in thin strips for a more jerky style. Most often in pieces about 5-6 oz. I marinade for a full 24 hours in large ziplock bags. I then drain and set on the racks of an hour and smoke anywhere from a minimum of 6 hours or as long as 24 hours, depending on the thickness of the fish and the time of year.(I smoke salmon all year)

I've posted my fish on THP several times and I find it refreshing to see a fellow Alaskan posting the real deal!
I'm looking forward to the seeing the finished product.

: tosses BS a bottle of 12yo MacCallum :

Cheers, TB.
 
Oh yeah, I do jerky too!!!! I slice the whole fillets the longway in 1/4" strips and brine. Then I smoke for just a few hours with the other fillets. Then into the dehydrator to turn them into red translucent strips of heaven!!!! No pics, they don't last long enough!!!!!!
 
looks very very tasty...i have been craving some smoked salmon...very soon very soon..lol

i just dry brine mine and let the salt take out the moisture in the fish.. 3 parts dark brown sugar, 1 part pickling salt and a bunch of spices
 
Some serious nom noms.

When you're drying them on the racks for 12 hours do you turn them halfway through?

Great motivation here Bswimmer, thanks.
 
patrick said:
Some serious nom noms.

When you're drying them on the racks for 12 hours do you turn them halfway through?

Great motivation here Bswimmer, thanks.
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No I just put a rotating fan in front of them. It's kinda pointed down at them, so they all get blown on pretty evenly. No to decide on what to bring to the cookout tonight.......
 
Beerswimmer said:
No I just put a rotating fan in front of them. It's kinda pointed down at them, so they all get blown on pretty evenly. No to decide on what to bring to the cookout tonight.......
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Razor clams and butt cheeks.

Cheers, TB.
 
Last time I had butt cheeks I beer battered and deep fried them, stuck on a buttered and toasted burger bun with melted tillamook cheddar and crispy bacon. That is the realzel my manizel fo' shizel!!

Cheers, TB.
 
BS...If we ever get up to Alaska to visit my wife's uncle, who is a salmon fisherman, we will have to hook up with you and bring some fish to smoke. That just looks out of this world!
 
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