Salmon Smoking Success

[Ruler]

I successfully smoked my first fish this past weekend. Thanks to the people who offered advice on my previous thread about smoking fish on a grill. I figured I'd do a detailed run through of what I did for those of you without the benefit of a smoker and who want to get some REALLY good tasting smoked fish. :)

I used cherry to smoke with. I went to the local mill a couple of times and the second time, they'd cut cherry that day. Got a bag of the ends of the boards that they were gonna toss. I actually looked around to buy cherry, but the only lumber yard that had 'specialty' wood like cherry was this mill, which didn't sell to the public. (Wholesale only according to the chick on the phone. They would've sold to me, but I would've had to buy a huge amount of wood.) Gander Mountain had cherry chips, but cost $4 for a small bag. (About $.50 worth of wood there, tops.) Anyways, I cut the ends up into small chunks on my table saw, most about 1" x 1/2". This was way too big, as the bulk of the wood is still there- only the outside got charred.

I made a cure out of 1 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup of salt. I put a layer on both sides of the fish and let it sit for 4 hours. Although I used no liquid, the fish was covered in water after only about an hour; it's what the salt pulled out of the fish. I rinsed them off and patted dry.

Since I have a charcoal grill, that's what I used. I wanted to do an all-wood fire, but that was not to be. The wood lit when I doused it with fluid, but wouldn't stay lit. So out came the charcoal briquettes and the propane torch to light them, which also didn't work too well, but well enough. Put a pan of water in the middle of the grill and put the coals on either side of it. Tossed the wood chunks on the coals and put the salmon on.

I went out several times to blow air on the coals to get em going again and once to move the grill onto the porch, as it had started to rain. Smoked for about an hour and 10 minutes total. I should've kept a bunch of chips and put smaller amounts of smaller damp chips on several different times, but didn't know this at the time. The fish 'looked done' long before I took it off, but never looked dry.

I smoked some without the cure and some with. The ones smoked without went right in the garbage- they weren't fit to eat. The ones done with the cure are probably the best smoked fish I've eaten in my life.

All I need now is more wood (they only cut poplar today :( ) and to catch more fish! :D

[Salmonsmoker]

Ruler,

Thanks for the report. There are many ways to make smoked foods - if you like the results, then it is a good way.

One suggestion: you can buy a "charcoal chimney" at Meijers for under $10. It makes starting charcoal easy without the petroleum flavor of charcoal lighter fluid. When Dutch-oven cooking with charcoal, I use two of them alternating starting time (it takes about 20 minutes from the time you light the paper in the bottom of the chimney until you have 25 or so hot coals.)

Salmonsmoker

[Ruler]

Actually, I just did it again this past Sunday. This time, I knew I needed the charcoal, so I used the electric lighter. Took a LOOOOONNNNGG time to smoke, I'm thinking because it was 40 degrees instead of 65. Fire kept dying down all the time and no heat would build up.

I smoked some salmon and a walleye. The salmon turned out mushy, but it was frozen, then thawed before smoking. Is this normal when freezing/thawing before smoking a fish? Also, has anybody else smoked walleye? How'd it turn out? (Mine is good, but still has the strong 'saginaw river $#!+ty taste' as an after-taste. I also had to microwave it, as it wasn't done when I took it off the grill.)


Anybody have any advice about smokers? I'm thinking about getting one, as I really like the smoked fish, but hate the hassle of doing it on a grill. My brother has a charcoal grill, but says he goes through about 10 pounds of charcoal to smoke something- seems like a bit much to me. I've seen electric ones, but don't know how they work, or how well they work. I'm looking to get a fairly inexpensive one that I can get good results with, but not screw around with a lot when smoking.

[Salmonsmoker]

Ruler,

I started out (30 years ago) with a "Little Chief" smoker ... used it for several years until the heating element burned out. A lot of good smoked food came out of that unit. One problem: no temperature control.

After going through two of them (over several years) I discovered that it is very easy to make a smoker from such items as an old gas oven, an old metal-body refrigerator, cement blocks, even wood. With all of the home-made models, I set up two burner areas (gas, electric, or charcoal - charcaol gives the best flavor), one for a smoke generator several feet away from the smoker (allowing the smoke to cool, thus giving the ability to cold smoke) and one inside the smoker (for heat when hot smoking).

With this flexibility, I generally cold-smoke items for at least 4 hours, then add heat inside the smoker to get the desired cooking temperature.

The reeason that charcoal gives the best flavor: either gas or electric (but particularly electric) will allow a reduction environment to occure where the smoke is being generated without sufficient oxygen to support combustion (a smouldering fire). The smoke that is generated often has the flavor of smoldering leaves.

In a charcoal smoker, there has to be sufficient oxygen to keep the coals going. Thus, the wood chips or sawdust that are being used to create the smoke, actually burns (rather than smouldering) which oxidizes the essential oils in the wood thus releasing their unique flavor.

If you run a search for smokers or smoked foods you will find a lot of discussion on this subject from the past three years - even several plans on how to make a smoker.

Hope this helps.

Salmonsmoker

[Banditto]

Ruler, define "mushy?" Salmon shouldn't be mushy. One thing to consider is if you are smoking outdoors when the outside temp is cool like it is now, that thermometer on the smoker doesn't give a good idea of the actual temp. This time of year I would set the thing on high and give it ample wood to sustain a 3 hour smoke, then check it.

I smoke kings/lakers/steelhead to dry jerky consistancy (25lbs a couple times a year). I start with frozen fillets, cure them over night, marinate the next night, then smoke them. The first 1/2 of the batch goes in early in the morning 8AM. I use an electric smoker H2O smoker. At lunch I check how everything looks. By 3PM some of it is done--dark very dry ends, kings are still pink in the middle but very flakey. Then I fill in the last 1/2 of the batch and by 11PM when I get off work it is done.

Then it all goes in the fridge over night to soak up the smoke and sweat out any residual moisture.

In the morning I take it out, and pack it tight in a brown paper bag, then put in zip locks and back in the fridge or freezer. I don't use a lot of nitrates on my dried meat so it will spoil if I leave it out too long.

Smoking fish this way (I think) will make ANY fish taste good.

[Salmonsmoker]

Making Current

[Ruler]

Originally posted by Salmonsmoker
Making Current

I hear walleye really like current... ;)

[Walligator]

Ruler, sounds like it came out great. I smoke fish on a gas grill and that works well too. I just have to watch it closely and have an oven thermometer in there as well. I've seen many people are saying the electric smokers are great, I may have to invest in one or wait and put it on the Xmas list! I've used the gas grill so far and it's always worked, so I guess I can wait.
There's a thread in the past few days somewhere on here about smokers, if you can find it. Some good info. on there, from the experienced.

[Ruler]

Heh, yeah- it was in Sound Off. (I started it.) :)