Well, after the success of the Thanksgiving turkey, I decided to resurrect an old family recipe for smoked salmon. I like it so much that I wanted to share it with everybody and possible get a few tips.
1.Soak salmon filets for 24 hours in a brine. I like to put the salmon and brine in large Zip Lock bags. I submerge the bags in water to squeeze all of the air out.
Brine:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup honey
2 cups kosher salt
1 tsp. chili pepper
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper.
1 quart of water
Warm mixture in sauce pan until sugar and honey are dissolved. Cool mixture before brining fish.
2. After 24 hours in the brine, pat dry with paper towels and let the filets dry for a couple hours until they have a glazed appearance. This is an important step that prevents the meat from forming an ugly white goo on the surface when smoked.
3. Smoke for 10-12 hours at 175-225 degrees. Adjust smoking time to suit your preference for moist or dry meat. Make sure that the wood used for smoking does not produce so much smoke that it overpowers the meat. I use mesquite charcoal for the heat and a little alder wood for flavor.
4. Late into the smoking process, with only a couple of hours to go, glaze the meat with a warm mixture of:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tsp. salt
Warm glaze until clear and brush over meat several times over the last few hours of smoking.
This recipe makes a great smoked salmon that looks a good as it tastes.
Good luck.
Cameron
1.Soak salmon filets for 24 hours in a brine. I like to put the salmon and brine in large Zip Lock bags. I submerge the bags in water to squeeze all of the air out.
Brine:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup honey
2 cups kosher salt
1 tsp. chili pepper
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper.
1 quart of water
Warm mixture in sauce pan until sugar and honey are dissolved. Cool mixture before brining fish.
2. After 24 hours in the brine, pat dry with paper towels and let the filets dry for a couple hours until they have a glazed appearance. This is an important step that prevents the meat from forming an ugly white goo on the surface when smoked.
3. Smoke for 10-12 hours at 175-225 degrees. Adjust smoking time to suit your preference for moist or dry meat. Make sure that the wood used for smoking does not produce so much smoke that it overpowers the meat. I use mesquite charcoal for the heat and a little alder wood for flavor.
4. Late into the smoking process, with only a couple of hours to go, glaze the meat with a warm mixture of:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tsp. salt
Warm glaze until clear and brush over meat several times over the last few hours of smoking.
This recipe makes a great smoked salmon that looks a good as it tastes.
Good luck.
Cameron