First Salmon Smoke

[DDave]

Going to try smoking salmon for the first time. I'm using Bearcarver's brine recipe from this thread.

Brine:
Put 1/2 quart of apple juice in a pot on the stove, bringing to low boil & then down to simmer.
Add to this;
6 ounces of soy sauce
1/2 cup of non-iodized salt
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 tsp of Garlic powder
1/2 tsp of Onion powder
1/2 tsp of Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp of Dried Bay Leaf Flakes (or 2 or 3 fresh bay leaves)

Stir until salt is dissolved. Then add 1 1/2 quarts of water & ice to cool quickly.

Here are the ingredients.



And the dry stuff in a bowl for easy addition to the pot.



And the salmon waiting to be unpackaged.



Those spots look a bit funny to me but I've never done this before so I don't know.

I put 4 pieces each and split the brine amount in two gallon ziploc baggies, burped the air out and set them in a pot to catch any leakage.



And into the fridge they went.

Per Bear's recommendation, I'm planning on pulling them out at 6 hours. But that will require that I get up at 2 am. Poor planning on my part. If I leave them in longer will they get mushy? Any penalty for leaving them in for, say, 8 hours or so? I generally wake up a time or two in the middle of the night so I'm sure I'll be able to catch them at 2am or 4am if necessary.

More later.

Dave

[Fishawn]

IMO "mushy fish" may have as much to do with what type & quality of fish you are starting with, as well as the brine contents. I've wet brined for 12+ hours with a less concentrated brine than what you are using with good results..... Personally, I think you would be fine at going a little more than 6 hours..... Perhaps thin the brine a bit with water, brine a little longer & sleep a little longer? ..... Just thinking oot loud here.

[ALX]

[erain]

i figured the brine percents and the one you used has a 6.25% salt and 6.25 sugar content... didnt figure the salt from the soy or what may be in anything else...

the brine i use has 6.87% salt and 2.5% sugar, so seems salt about the same but my sugar lower, however i add brown sugar to the fish after the pellicle is formed and during the smoke i may add more. never measure just sprinkle on as i see fit... so the numbers could be pretty close.

but i leave mine in from 12, sometimes close to 24 hours... or if i have mixed sizes i will put the largest in first and keep adding til i have the smallest in last. reason i do this is so they all out from the swim same time. size, especilly thickness is what really matters when it comes to how long to soak... we get some of them lakers and they are chunks and a lil extra soaking time no hurt.

generally i go:
1/2" fillets 8 hpurs or so
3/4" fillets 12 hrs
1" fillets 16-18 hours
thicker fillets longer still, or i may decide to "steak" them out...
i do mostly lakers and whitefish, so the fat content may be higher. i believe the higher fat content needs a longer soak. i also do a fresh water soak after from the brine. nothing set in stone, but if i feel i want a less salty batch, or if i think i let them steep in the brine a little long may soak longer in freshwater

i do know this, trial and error til you get them where you like them best. lotta different taste preferences out there. yours being the most important... cannot wait to see finally Dave.

[DDave]

Well I put them on the smoker at about 3:45 am.



Running with no smoke for a couple of hours to dry them a bit then I'll add some alder chips and bump the temp up slightly.

I've got the smoker foil lined (per Rich's suggestion from another thread, I think ) to keep the lingering fish smell to a minimum.

Dave

[Bearcarver]

Sorry I'm a little late DDave, but the only thing I have found as to the length of time in my fish brine formula is that 6 hours seems just right for thick pieces, but a little long for thinner pieces. They never got mushy, but thinner pieces can get too salty. I noted that at a couple places in my Step by Step, when we noticed it.
That took me awhile to learn, because it was a long time before I had any "thin" pieces.


Bear

[DDave]

The SnP is rolling some thin blue Alder smoke.



My tuning plates are a bit out of position and I didn't "balance" them before I put the fish on the grates.. Temp was about 15° hotter at the stack end. I didn't want to mess around with moving the salmon so that I could get rack sections out to adjust the tuning plates so I just added an extra bit of insulation to the firebox end. Brought the end to end difference to within about 7°.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have an electric vertical for these lower temp smokes.

Dave

[Fishawn]

Looking good Dave. I can see an electric washing macine looking smoker in your near future. Lol

[Richtee]

I just added an extra bit of insulation to the firebox end. Brought the end to end difference to within about 7°.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have an electric vertical for these lower temp smokes.

Heh... nice balancing mod there, Dave

Yeah...I gotta say the gutted gasser with the hotplate sure comes in handy...

[DDave]

Looking good Dave. I can see an electric washing macine looking smoker in your near future. Lol

Just for the record, Ann said you're smoker looked like a washing machine, not me.

So . . . do I go with an MES or a Cookshack?

Dave

[Fishawn]

Just for the record, Ann said you're smoker looked like a washing machine, not me.

So . . . do I go with an MES or a Cookshack?

Dave

...... I know, I think it's funny, to Ann


I would suggest checking the prices new on the 2 brands for starters. That might decide it for you quickly Maybe start watching CL?

[Bearcarver]

Just for the record, Ann said you're smoker looked like a washing machine, not me.

So . . . do I go with an MES or a Cookshack?

Dave

Is this a open question, or only for Scott?

I'd go with the MES 40, but I'm a little partial.

Cookshacks are nice, but I think higher priced.

I like the Glass door, and the digital control, with remote control, so I can see what's going on in there without opening the door, and I can make changes in temps without leaving the game I'm watching on TV.

I love my MES 40.


Bear

[DDave]

I would suggest checking the prices new on the 2 brands for starters. That might decide it for you quickly Maybe start watching CL?

I may need some assistance in the area of justifying the acquisition of a fourth smoker.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Of course Mrs. DDave LOVES my Canadian Bacon so if I present it as Canadian Bacon Smoking Machine that may help.

Is this a open question, or only for Scott?

Anything I post in the general forum can be considered open. I'll use the PM feature if I want to keep it private.

I appreciate the input.

Dave

[Richtee]

Any decent cabinet and a hotplate, Dave... hell.. put a hotplate in yer drum... easy-peasy

[DDave]

Any decent cabinet and a hotplate, Dave... hell.. put a hotplate in yer drum... easy-peasy

Or maybe a home built wooden one with lots of shelves. I would just use it for lower temp stuff anyway. Most likely 200° and below.

But I like the idea of the thermostatic control Even with the propane one I'm having to really fiddle with the valve to get a steady temp.

But on another note . . . I don't usually use chips . . . but when I do . . . I find that they work quite well.



Using the cast iron chip box that I bought about 5 years ago. Working pretty well so far.

Dave