1st Smoked Salmon Cook - Gone Bad? . . .

DobieDad

A few days ago I posted a request for recipes for smoking salmon, and I thank all of you who responded.[p]Today I tried smoking salmon for the first time, and since it was my initial attempt, I chose the simplest recipe, the one that Rooster Roaster has posted in the 'submitted recipe' section.[p]Using Sockeye fillets just under 2# each, I brined and dried. The problem came when I put them in the Egg. I set up for indirect and stabilized the temp at 190*, then put in soaked apple and hickory chips and closed the Egg. The Guru kept the temp at 190* and the salmon temp climbed to 140* within 30 minutes![p]All the recipes say to pull the salmon at 140*, which they said would take 3 - 4 hours for fillets of 3 or 4#.[p]I know I am dealing with lighter fillets, but to be at temp after 30 min. seems like I'm doing something wrong.[p]Any comments from the Pros?[p]Many thanks,[p]DD

Unknown

DobieDad,[p]Try - good & simple:[p]- 1 # filets
- 350 degrees
- smoke with Alder (no soaking needed)
- about 15 minutes[p]Best,[p]CTB

Bordello

DobieDad,
I'm not big on eating fish but have been trying to expand my taste. Here is a recipe that I and everyone I have served it to enjoy. Ya might want to give it a try. Oh, I have never used a thermometer on my salmon. Cook till if flakes or if you like it a little dryer go a little longer.[p]Good Luck,
New Bob
[ul][li]Salmon with Dijon Bourbon Glaze/Submitted by: Gretl [/ul]

DobieDad

Thank you both.[p]I cook salmon as a dinner dish very well, and both your suggestions are within my history. None the less I thank you for responding.[p]I'm trying to smoke/preserve salmon. It's a little different. Sort of like what the native peoples of Alaska and the NorthWest did. It's a special technique, and yields a very special flavor.[p]Don't know that I reached it today, but the vermouth and bourbon flavor are a kick.[p]In future cooks, I'll make certain more goes into the cook than on the fish.[p]Think it might work that way just fine [p]DD

RRP

Rodger,
Remember back when you and I first started emailing about wood working tools which were OT for the BGE board? About then you asked me about a setup you saw in somebody's profile where a small BGE's dome was attached by a hose to the bottom vent of a large BGE and you asked me what that was all about? As I said I recall that pix and thread from a few years back that was that egger's set up for smoking (and perserving) salmon the way "native Americans" did it. Perhaps a run through the profiles might show that pix again - as I recall it was near the begining - and you can email him. HTH

Seattle Todd

DobieDad,[p]Just a hunch but it may have been the sockeye filets that ended up in the very short smoking time. I just grilled a sockeye filet last night and it was done FAST. Next time look for some king filets and try to get those cut from nearer the head. They are much, much thicker and would probably smoke around the time you were expecting.[p]Todd

thirdeye

DobieDad,[p]Was the flavor and texture what you expected? Normally with barbecue, one of the toughest things to overcome is letting the smoke settle down for a nice long cook. Cold & Hot smoking salmon is an exception since the temps are below barbecue temps and you want a rolling smoke.[p]With fillets less than 2#, you do need to adjust the curing or brining time as well as the cook temp/time to the lower end of the technique you choose to use. I agree, 30 minutes does seem fast........ [p]Was the 190* a grate temp or a dome temp? (170* dome or lower would be the target temp for a 2# fillet).

Were the fillets skinless? (skinless fillets would shorten the cook time).[p]If things are going too fast, don't be afraid to shut down the vent & damper and let the salmon dwell for awhile. There is no need to rush things.[p]If you want to use the Guru for this kind of cook, you can couple both probes with foil & place on the grate. Set the meat probe at 120* to 150*. The Guru is tricked into obeying the lower temp setting set by the meat probe.[p]Hopefully your next smoke will be more to your liking.[p]~thirdeye~[p][p][p]

Borders

DobieDad, Smoking and preserving salmon like our forefathers is a goal of mine too. I just did something new you may want to try. We bought some salmon "jerky" from Canada that really wasn't jerky, but we liked it. I not only reproduced it, but I think I improved it as follows. [p]I brined 2 fat sockeye filets for 12 hours. I rinsed well and dried w/a paper towel and put in the fridge uncovered for 3 hours to "dry". I then, skinned and cut the filet into 1 inch strips, so they were about 1x1x6". I started smoking them at 100 degrees dome with alder, and let that climb to 200 degrees. This took about 6 hours and most of that time was under 150. Once cooled, the pieces were firm and even chewy.[p]These salmon "sticks" have lasted 2 weeks in the fridge, only because we have been out of town! This stuff can't be left out like beef jerky for a couple of reasons, but it is a longer lasting product than basic smoked salmon and a jerky like texture.[p]True salmon jerky is another story, that I have not mastered or even figured out, But this is a nice start. Please email me if you have questions or a better idea.[p]Scott

fishlessman

<p />DobieDad,
ive made squaw candy a few times. i use GFW's river city beef jerkey recipe and add more brown sugar and lots of real maple syrup. scott borders gave me a recipe that is called marylins squaw candy that shows the process, but i like the one with all the maple syrup.ive been making it with flavorless landlock broodstock salmon so im sure a good piece of sockeye would be better.

[ul][li]squaw candy[/ul]

thirdeye

DobieDad,[p]One more thought. Did you air dry the salmon for a couple of hours (or refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours) to get a nice pelicle formed before moving to the smoker?[p]~thirdeye~

Ed

DobieDad,[p]The different kinds of Salmon have different fat contents. A lot of people in the Northwest like to smoke pink and grill kings. Probably because the kings have a hight fat content and thus more flavor. Maybe the fat content affects cooking time??[p] King Sockeye Silver Pink Chum
Calories 200 180 160 130 130
Protein (g) 21 23 23 22 22
Fat (g) 11.5 9 7 4 4
Carbohydrate (g) 0 0 0 0 0
Sodium (mg) 50 50 50 75 50
Potassium (mg) 360 410 470 350 450
Cholesterol (mg) 70 60 40 55 80

DobieDad

thirdeye,[p]Hmmm. Can't email you directly and I'm late in responding, so I hope you see this.[p]Thanks for your hints. Yes, I did dry, and the fillets had a nice surface tack.[p]The internal temp seemed to plateau at 150*, and I just decided to pull the fish after 1hr 45 min.[p]It was actually quite good, eventhough it wasn't what I anticipated. Wife loved it. Gave half a fillet to a good neighbor and got an early morning call of exhuberant thanks. So I'm encouraged to try again. [p]DD

DobieDad

Ed,[p]Thanks. I do think you've hit on the right answer.[p]DD

thirdeye

<p />DobieDad,[p]You are right, keep trying, you will find a combination that you will like... Here is a picture of one of my fillets I've posted often (it just happened to come out really nice). This one is about 1-1/2 lbs and smoked with red, green & black peppercorns not capers. I just monitored it until it was done and called it good. At least your salmon was not a total flop..... Heck part of the fun of any cook is fine tuning your method.[p]As much as I enjoy the Egg, I do own 3 Big Chiefs that are used mostly for salmon. During the summer months, they can run at 175* without any problem and they hold about 25# each. But when I do two or three fillets in the LGE, I think the finished product is moister and has a better color. In winter, the Egg is my only option.[p][p]When the new forum became public, I broke tradition (for myself) and registered over there, so I believe my email addy is available to other registered users.[p]~thirdeye~[p]