Cold Smoked Salmon -- "Mailbox Lox"

HendersonTRKing

Got after it again. 5.25 lbs organic scottish salmon in 3 pieces. 36 hrs in da cure, 24 hrs nekkid in da fridge and 3.5 hrs in da box at +/- 65 degrees with apple chunks and chips. Aiming for a more delicate flavor profile than last time, but subtlety isn't really my thing.  It'll rest a bit in butcher paper in the fridge before slicing and packaging next weekend. 

This *should* yield 3 or so lbs thinly sliced, plus wings, ends and bits and bobs for lox cream cheese, deviled eggs and other goodies. Nice to have for T'giving appies (surprise!!  We're hosting!!!) and holiday gifts, assuming any is left by then, which isn't that likely. The huge bottle of Bulleit didn't last either, but that's another story. Or maybe it's a variant of the same story. 

Pix out of order, as always. 

HendersonTRKing

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Woodchunk

Nice set up and you are smoking the fish, not cooking it. How long is the vent pipe and if it were shorter would the heat be too much?

HendersonTRKing

Woodchunk said:

Nice set up and you are smoking the fish, not cooking it. How long is the vent pipe and if it were shorter would the heat be too much?

Yep -- cold smoking; it's cured (so cooked) and the cold smoke adds smoke.

I think vent is 8', which prob is too long (note the dip, which is where I get some condensate).  Ambient temp is a factor in keeping the cold smoke cold (needs to stay < 90 degrees); on cooler days, I can keep the egg closer to the box.  Vice versa on hotter days.  It's kind of fun messing around with positioning to get the temp right.  I'm not ignoring the fact that this is far more complicated a set up than the project demands.  People swear by the amazin pellet tray, and for good reason I'm sure.     

bluebird66

This is something that I have never ate, but looks so good!

TKoot

HendersonTRKing said:

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Could I get some more info on this setup? How hot is the BGE? How long does the hose need to be? I'm really curious and wanting to try this

HendersonTRKing

TKoot said:

HendersonTRKing said:

Oops. This one didn't initially load.

Could I get some more info on this setup? How hot is the BGE? How long does the hose need to be? I'm really curious and wanting to try this

The goal is to keep the cold smoke under 90 degrees when it gets into the chamber.  This Rube Goldberg contraption is the result of some trial and error, but the concept is simple:  distance between the heat source (the egg) and the smoke container (the mailbox) ensures that the cured protein (pork belly for bacon, salmon for lox) takes on only the cold smoke (that doesn’t cook it further) and not so much heat (which at temps over 90 will cook the protein). 

Depending on outdoor conditions, ambient temp, sun rays beating down on the black mailbox), wind, etc., I increase or decrease the distance between the heat source and the chamber to ensure that the temp inside the mailbox holds in the 60’s. I use cookie cooling racks as shelves — the protein sits on the racks and the racks act as shelves that sit on screws I drove into both sides of the box so it’s just a matter of lifting/sliding the shelves in and resting them on the screws for as long as I want to smoke the protein. 3-6 hours does the trick. And then I usually let the protein sit in the fridge wrapped in butcher paper to mellow a bit — when it first comes out, the smoke can be a little harsh or acrid. 

Here are some pix of the initial build. With tin snips, some duct connectors and some shiny-metal (?) coated duct tape, it wasn’t at all hard to do. 

Duct positioning is maybe the biggest variable. Because it’s usually not too cold here, even with a small fire in the heat source (indirect set up at 250 or less with plenty of wood chunks), I’ve got to extend the duct pretty far to keep the temp in the box under 90 degrees — learned the hard way that if the heat spikes and holds for any appreciable length of time, the fish will cook and it’s ruined). I’ve taken to taping 2 accordion ducts together and that gives me plenty of flexibility. I get a bunch of condensate in the low part of the duct, and that can make a bit of a mess. It’s been suggested that I add a weep hole or drain to the duct, but I just keep an eye on it (especially when dismantling) and that seems to work well enough. 

Anyway, that’s the long story. I use this to make a lot of cold smoked salmon (nova lox) and bacon. The food comes out great and no one has gotten sick, so that’s a plus. You have to be very careful and be sure to properly cure the protein, but it’s been a great way to stay out of trouble and extend the use of the egg along the way. 

YukonRon

My man! Very cool set up and cook. Never surprised with your work and it always looks just as fun as it is delicious.

Stay safe and stay well, and keep your head down.

alaskanassasin

Very creative set up. I wonder if you could use a damper on the pipe at the top of the egg to control temperature better?