Naked Whiz and Russell's Smoked Salmon

Canugghead

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/smokedsalmon.htm

My go-to low n slow smoked salmon recipe/technique, with these mods/specifics ... cut down soy sauce by 50% (we're not big salt fans), soaked 12 hours, rinsed well before drying in fridge, handful of alder and cherry chips mixed with leftover lump in a large perforated coffee can (halfway through the cook there was half can of lump left, so I topped it up, finished with 1/4 can left), pizza stone on leg-down spider, salmon pieces on top of AR, stoker controlled 170F for 10 hours. We love it best when it's warm and fresh off the egg, much better than refrigerated or previously frozen. 

NDG

Wow the color on the smoked fish looks great - nice cook - thanks for posting! 

I am a curious mind . . so I have two questions:

1) what kind of salmon do you recommend?

2) have you ever done a salmon cure (w/ pink salt) & then smoke?  If so, how does it compare to your brine method?

Canugghead

Thanks @NDG, the colour comes from the cherry chips.

1) I used Atlantic salmon (probably farm raised), it's the most common and cheapest in my neck of the woods,

2) sorry never tried with cure.

Brisket_Fanatic

Dang that looks good!

radamo

That salmon looks awesome.  Locking in below 200 is reason enough for a controller investment.  Been thinking about doing some low temp smokes like this.  Thanks for posting. 

Canugghead

Brisket_Fanatic  

Thanks @radamo , don't let lack of controller stop you, it's an easy and forgiving cook, I've done it at 180-200 before and it was still good, had to rotate and smoked for shorter time of course.

radamo

Good to know @Canugghead! Thanks...

tksmoke

Wow!!!  That looks really great!!!  May need to try that.

Salmonegg

Un-lurking for a sec to add that we're still in Pacific salmon season and that's all I smoke. (Salmon-wise, at least. Sablefish is also great on the egg.) Fresh, wild sockeye is as low as $9.99 a pound here in Georgia and it's better for you and the environment. I think Alaskan king's running $12.99 this weekend, too, but I like smoking sockeye a little better.

If you're getting farm-raised Atlantic because it's cheap, you're not getting the good Loch Duart stuff. It's pink because it's been fed dye and it's likely to have been grown half a world away, frozen, shipped to China, thawed, cut into filets, re-frozen, and shipped back.

matt121966

good thread, going to do this soon.

caliking

That looks good! I have trouble getting the texture of salmon the way I like it. What IT is the fish at after the smoke?

Also, did you place foil under each piece to prevent sticking to the rack?

Canugghead

Like the recipe author, we also like it dry to get rid of the 'sliminess' if there's such a thing, never bothered with IT. Yes you're right about the foil.  It's great even after freezing but we like it best when it's fresh off the egg.  10 hours @170F may scare some folks, you can pull them at different intervals and see what you like!  

Edit: at Niagara eggfest last year, the Jewish egghead friend who taught me about smoked butter 'approved' my fresh egg baked mini bagels and previously frozen smoked salmon. 

">