Smoke fish (Salmon)

[caznik]

Hello,
I just bought me a new smoker this year and want to smoke some salmon this year. Can someone give me a good brine recipe and tell me what temp. I should have my smoker. Also I need to know about how long I should smoke the fish.

Thank you.
Rich

[2PawsRiver]

Hey Caz, just do a search for smoked fish and you will find several threads....also Flyfisher has a really good recipie that I have.....somewhere.

Easy one is gallon of water, cup of brown sugar, cup of pickling salt, soak 24 hrs, air dry till tacky, heavy smoke at 175 degrees for four hours.

A quick method is mix one cup of brown sugar, one cup pickling salt, put about layer in a pan, put fish on it, pour rest over fish. If you need more mix more. Let it stand for a couple hours, remove, brush off, smoke the same way.

Hickery is a strong smoke, misquite is a little milder with good flavor, apple is a little sweeter and mellow, maple is mellow.

Have a good time.

[WDGibby]

2pawsriver, try using apple juice instead of the water. And am still trying to get you the other receipt for pike. Should see the fellow this Sunday. If he doesn't forget.

Gibby:)

[schaaed1]

Martin1959 (AKA - Hickerbilly :lol: ) also has a unique brine recipe. Can't find it right now ... but I think it has equal parts salt & Brown sugar ... a little onion or garlic powder ... and the secret ingredient.... Steak Sauce!! He uses the 'store brand' for whatever store he is shopping in.

I have a lot of experience smoking meats ... hams & bacon (before I started making baby food ... don't ask) and 2paws is right-on with the woods and the smoke flavors. I might add that typically any of the fruit woods will give you a nice mellow flavor. Also, don't neglect the 'drying untill tacky'. Too wet and you will get a muddy color. Too dry and you will get a very pale color (you are probably more likely to have them too wet than too dry).

Gibby and 2Paws - Do you guys usually rinse the fish after taking them out of the brine?? I do not smoke a lot of fish, but when I do ... It typically ends up on the salty side.

Ed

[2PawsRiver]

Actually I have decided that Martin and I are Hartfordbillies :)

I don't rinse mine, but have had too much salt when I have soaked it over 24 hours or when I used some previous recipies that used more then a cup of salt.

Making baby food :confused:

[WDGibby]

Schaaed1, I don't rinse either, but only leave mine soak for 12 hours. You will need to check out the new gas smoker.

Gibby:)

[buckslayer_88]

I just smoked some Splake a few weeks ago. These we 5-8 lb. Splake so they were fairly big fillets. I have done it numerous times now and had to tweak the original recipe that I got from a book until I was happy with the results. Here is what I use:

10 cups water
3/4 cup canning/pickling salt (the book said 1 cup, but it was too salty)
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

I don't know if the spices make a difference or not, but the book said to add them so I did.

Put it in a plastic bowl (emphasize plastic, don't know why) and let soak for 18-24 hrs (I always do 24 hours). Make sure the brine covers the fish completely. I mix the fillets up after 12 hours, not sure you need to. Rinse the fish well with cold water, pat dry with paper towels, and place on a cookie rack. It is important to rinse it. I then place the racks in front of a fan for 1 hour. It helps dry it out as well as keeping our cats off the counter:lol: . Then I smoke it (using hickory wood chunks) for about 3 hrs. After it has cooled I use my Food Saver to pack it. The food saver makes it very moist. You can then freeze it or eat it right away but even if I am eating it right away I use the food saver. Don't let any friends try it or you end up giving it all away.:lol:

I am by no means a pro at this, but it turns out really well. I have used this recipe for Salmon, Splake, and Rainbow trout (the Splake is the best).

[Luke & Lace kennels]

How about a coka cola base. 1 liter coke, 2 cups brown suger, 1 fresh squeezed lemon, 2 tbp wishwiser, 2 cups salt,4 tbp of white vinger, 2 tbp hot spices smoke at 175 degres for 4-5 hours. then base with honey and spiced rum. Let the fish soak about 18-24 hours before smoking. Make sure you use a fruit wood with fish not a hard wood. soak the wood before you use it

[DangerDan]

As I'm reading and posting this I'm on my second batch of Skams I caught off the pier last weekend. I usually use a pretty simple brine solution as I think too much in the mix just buggers everything up and costs too much. The first batch that came out was Really Good I'm also trying a wicked wood blend this time. It sorta goes like this:

In a 5 gal bucket I put in 3 gal. water
2 cups Mortons Kosher Salt (3 if you like it saltier)
1 cup white sugar
2 cups brown sugar (3 if your using 3 cups salt)
1/4 cup Worchester Sauce
2 Tbls. Garlic Powder
1 lb. Honey
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix ingrediants in the water and soak the fish in the brine for about 9 to 12 hrs. take the fish out of the brine and rinse it off, patt it dry and leave it set a while. after you get the fish dried out a bit and it gets that translucent shiny look to it. Start smoker and get the coals or chips going. OKAY HERE"S THE KICKER. I went to walmart the other day and saw this bag of a blended wood mix for smoking It's in a red bag smokin somthing. Anyhow this stuff IS KILLER. I usually use apple and like to mix woods when I can but this time I used a bag of this wood blend. It consists of alder, mesquite apple and hickory, then I kept feeding the apple wood to keep the smoke going. I generally only smoke my fish for 2 to 3 hours at 150 to 180 deg F. (I got a fridge smoker and it kicks butt) Some do it different but thats how I do it. Seeing as your using a new smoker i'd do a lot of taste testing to see where that line is between too dry and too limp at the first batch. Try that wood blend though however you like your fish it'll really put the flavor zap on ya!!

[double trouble]

a buddies best recipe. one and one eighth cup kosher salt for each gallon of water, 1 cup brown sugar.soak in cool location 24 hours.rinse well. smoke in alder and apple mixture at 120-140 degrees till done (5-6 hours).most commercial smokers will not hold low temps like his.his is the moistest most flavorable i have ever had. thanks steve

alternative for brinkman smokers and the like.

1 cup each brown sugar and kosher salt for each gallon water.
brine for 12 hours
rinse well
use 20 bricks charcoal(not match lite) in pan with alder and apple wood mix
soak wood in water for one half hour
smoke at 175 degrees for 2.5-3 hours