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Salmon gunk

Petunia
Petunia Posts: 110
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I cooked some pieces of salmon [Schwans] yesterday, at 375 indirect on a maple plank with Raging River. The salmon tasted great but didn't take any pics because it looked yucky. Is there any way to avoid the white gunk that oozes out all around the salmon?

Comments

  • I like my salmon cooked hot and fast, and I cook it only until it starts to flake. The center of the fillet will still be soft and juicy. Cooked this way, I almost never see white juices.

    IMG_4704.jpg
  • Morro Bay Rich
    Morro Bay Rich Posts: 2,227
    The "yucky" stuff is fat. The only way to avoid it is not to cook salmon. :(
  • You should only be cooking salmon to about 130 to 135 degrees. If you cook to those temps, your serum albumen :ermm: :lol: rendering will be minimal.

    Mark
  • We cooked salmon on cedar and alder at our store during a demo cook the other day. We cook it direct at high heat, around 475 deg. An important point is, thoroughly soak the planks (they could start to burn by the time the salmon is cooked). Also, we like to cook our salmon to exactly 130 deg. internal temperature, which is usually just when that white fat pops out of the Salmon. At that temperature the salmon is still moist but fully cooked. We used to use "flake test" but found that the salmon was always dry when we cooked it that long. Anyway, the boards will be burning and smoking when you take them off, but that great wood smoke just adds to the flavor and it's always delicious. We've used this method for all of our demo cooks, and the customers love it.

    SE
  • mukl
    mukl Posts: 66
    Some would argue the white stuff is what's good for you. It is from fat and omega 3 fatty acids are all the rage right now. It may not look appealing, but it doesn't really affect the taste either.

    A good rule of thumb is at 350, its about 20 minutes per inch of thickness of the piece of fish.

    I've grown up eating salmon, and I prefer it more done than not...but not overdone, either. If you don't have a thermapen or something like that, do the flake test, or at the very least, the minute the white stuff starts to show, get it off the egg...the white stuff coming through means its about done.
  • ASTegaCay
    ASTegaCay Posts: 97
    That is what I always go by, when the white stuff(fat) first shows it is done. Any more cooking at that point the salmon starts to dry out.
  • There is nothing wrong with the gunk. One of our members calls it "weeping".

    Here is one just as I was about to take it off the egg, the plank was smoking and black on the bottom.

    P5140227.jpg

    If you don't like the gunk, gently wipe it off before serving.

    Faith
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • According to my shows, that white gunk is actually proteins (serum albumen to be more precise) and not fat. The proteins rise to the surface and set, kind of like egg white.

    It's not fat.
  • you fidel, tryna keep his post count down? B)
  • Eh, he's not feeling so good.

    Too lazy to log in.
  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    Good advice below. Normally you won't encounter the gunk unless you overcook your salmon. You did not say how long you were cooking it, but if you are cooking a salmon filet for more than 30 minutes, you may as well slow smoke it. Slow smoking is a different story, and you'll often see that gunk stuff and it's no big deal. But it's a totally different product than what you were trying to achieve at 375.

    I vote for grilling direct. Brown it on both sides and take it off while it is still soft, moist and tender inside....and no gunk. You can get a great product in 15 minutes.

    Or if'n you like indirect, maybe try 500 like for pizza.

    Just thinkin. Cheers!
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • ignore stripsteak, or whatever name he is going by today. he's as big an idiot as that clown Fidel.
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    DSC09867aacopy.jpg

    The albumen is more obvious when you are hot smoking salmon,(like this cured fillet above) but like everyone has mentioned it's a sign that the fish is almost ready.

    When grilling salmon, your window of perfection is narrower, I watch for it to rise and them temp the fillet. You can blot it off with a paper towel before it sets up. If you wait for your fish to flake, it's most likley overdone.

    DSC09772a.jpg

    DSC09521a.jpg

    DSC04054a2.jpg

    Steelhead will often weep less albumen, so that's an alternate choice.

    DSC00005a.jpg

    DSC00007aaaa.jpg


    For some reason, smaller pieces will weep more...

    dsc03873aL-1.jpg
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
  • Petunia
    Petunia Posts: 110
    Thanks for all your suggestions. Next time I might try a whole fresh fillet instead of the frozen chunks. My husband says some people can make food look good but taste awful. Others make it taste good but it looks like s**t. Hopefully I am the second kind but I strive to be a little of each--looking good and tasting good.
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
    DSC07422a.jpg

    Camouflage it!! This is a pesto sauce, but there are a number of other options.


    0a48bf36.gif
    Happy St Patrick's Day
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery