Cold Smoked Salmon ?

Pork Puller

I need a little help here.
I'm beginning my first attempt at cold smoking on the egg.I'm using a guru with both probes wrapped together with foil,both settings on low.
I put a half dozen egg size pieces of lump in the bottom of a coffee can with several holes around the bottom.i got the lump burning clean and added alder and a little cherry.Everything seems to be working fine except the temp wants to rise to about 150 if I leave the guru running.
The guru doesn't shut off by itself with both settings on low,so I've been turning it on and off to keep the temp low.How hot can it get and still be considered "cold smoked"?
I had a good day fihing for Russian River Reds the other day so I decided to try smoking some.I filleted the fish then cut into 3/8 thich strips,brined them,now onto the egg.
I hope someone can help with the high temp problem.Could it be as simple as too much lump?Both top and bottom vents are barely open.
Thanks for your help.
Keith

stike

Pork Puller,
too much lump isn't the problem. more lump doesn't make it any hotter. more air does, though.[p]alas, i can't help, because i don't have a guru.[p]under 140 is the "cold smoke" cutoff, i think. hopefully a guru-er will chime in re that part of your question.[p]did you brine the salmon?

thirdeye

Pork Puller,[p]I believe too much air is getting in, hence the rising temp. Do you have the Guru in Ramp mode? Same question as stike, did you brine your fish?[p]~thirdeye~

Rollocks

Pork Puller,[p]I've used my guru to smoke at 165º-170º. It has done a fine job smoking mackerel, salmon, trout and blue fish at that temp on my XL egg. I've held it pretty constant for 4-5 hours.[p]I've never tried the guru for lower temps. I recall seeing a post where someone vented the smoke from the egg to another container containing a drying rack where the smoke was transferred using tubing. i don't what temps they were using.[p]I followed the brining recipes on a website called "Three Men with Nothing Better to Do." They had some great recipes for using the smoked fish too.[p]

Pork Puller

thirdeye,
I've tried it with the ramp on and off. Didn't seem to make any difference,it still ran constantly.
Yes, I did brine it for about 8 hrs. in a kosher salt,brown sugar,pepper, garlic powder, and wooster sauce mix, with a fresh grind of black pepper before going to the smoker.
The top vent is open about 1/8" and the guru is about half way between closed and the first mark.
Thanks for any advise.
Keith

thirdeye

PorkPuller,[p]First off, the fan running all the time puzzles me. Make sure the power lead is not plugged into "Fan Out". [p]Okay, for temps lower than 175° you have to be in Ramp mode, so let's make sure you are. Power the unit off. Next set your meat control to a temp, say 125° and set the pit control anywhere, say 200°. The meat temp overrides the pit temp. You said both probes are wrapped in foil. Now power the unit on. You should be in ramp mode. [p]Go ahead and shut the top vent for now.[p]Did any of this help?[p]~thirdeye~

stike

PorkPuller,
i'm still an idiot w/r/t the guru issue, but cool to hear that you brined it. let us know how you make out. very interested.[p]a note to the lurkers out there....
brining (essentially getting salt into the fish) and the smoke itself are what PRESERVE it. that's why it's safe to have the fish in an environment of under 140, or 'cold'smoked (remember the safety zone... stay OUT of 40-140?).[p]smoke and salt are preservatives, not flavorants. well, not primarily, in this case.[p]good luck!

Pork Puller

thirdeye,
thanks for your suggestions. shortly after I started this, some things came up and I had to leave the house for awhile and was not able to monitor this as I wanted to. after 7 hours I have just taken it off and it seems to have turned out okay. a little less salty than I wished and a little more smoky than I wished. I only experimented with one fish, so I'll try your ramp mode suggestion on the next batch. thanks for your help.
keith

Pork Puller

stike,

I prefer my smoked salmon to have a slightly salty taste - not sweet at all. This turned out a little less salty than I would have liked. Thankfully, I have a freezer full of fresh caught salmon to practice on.
My brine recipe was as follows:
2 Tblsp kosher salt
1 Tblsp sugar
1 Tblsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 Cups of water
This resulted in slightly sweet, not quite salty enough and a little too smoky salmon. Will try again soon.
Hopefully thirdeye's recommendation for ramp mode will fix my too high of heat problem.
Thanks for your input.
Keith

thirdeye

Pork Puller,[p]Brines are a delicate balance between type of fish, thickness, strength and time. In looking at your brine in the reply to stike, you have less than a 30% brine. Typically an 80% brine is used, but for much less time than you used. Smokiness is easy to adjust by reducing smoke time or simply using a lighter wood. Chances are if it was too smoky for you right off the Egg it may even be slightly bitter by the next day. I really enjoy smoked salmon for breakfast and prefer a lighter smoke flavor than I do when eating it for an appetizer, especially with cocktails or with stronger cheeses. Final saltiness can be adjusted by salting the fish before smoking. Seasoned salts are something to consider too.[p]Brines are only one way to cure fish. A combination of a dry cure followed by a brine is popular in the UK. I prefer using a dry cure only followed by rinsing and resting overnight. Each method will produce a different moisture and texture. Part of the fun in experimenting with processing fish is finding the technique that suits you, then producing your signature finished product.[p]~thirdeye~

Chef Arnoldi

i make lox many times - first cure for 3-4 days, then rinse, then brush with sugar/rum mix and let it form a layer of pellicle and smoke for 1 hour on a tray that has been encased in aluminum foil with the end open to allow the smoke to pass through
http://images1.snapfish.com/34%3A694%3B85%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2327%3D8%3A3%3D677%3DXROQDF%3E23235%3B547%3C35%3Aot1lsi

Pork Puller

thirdeye,
thanks for your reply. the product i'm trying to achieve is something we call "squaw candy".if you're not familiar with it,it is a thin,lengthwise strip of fish,dried to a jerky-like dryness.i like mine with a slightly salty/smokey taste with almost no moisture remaining.[p]i'm working on a smoking/drying rack that may interest you.it is a set of stackable racks[wooden sides that interlock with a grid in the bottom,about 3" apart] these racks will stand on legs above the egg.the bottom rack will have a solid bottom with an appropriate sized hole to connect it to the egg with flexable dryer vent pipe.i will be using the egg as a smoke ganerator only. about 2-3" above that will be another solid bottom with holes to diffuse the smoke. the top will be solid with a vent hole.using multiple racks in between will allow for whatever amount of fish i have.these racks will be sized so that after smoking,i can take the top off and place a window box fan on top and pull air through the fish until the desired degree of dryness is reached.i made one of these before and it worked quite well for drying.that was before i had an egg and the smoke generating part was the weak link,but the egg should fix that.after figuring out the brine/fish thickness ratio,this system should work well.i'll let you know.
thanks again for your help.
keith

thirdeye

Pork Puller,[p]Well, why didn't you say so in the first place. LOL Here is a recipe I have for Squaw Candy. [p]For 2.5 pounds of sliced salmon:
2.5 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup water[p]Brine overnight, quick rinse, dry on paper towels for 10 minutes. Move to a rack in the fridge until for 1 hour. coat slices with salad oil and lay out on parchment paper and set on a rack. Cold smoke at 160°, turning every 30 minutes. Once the slices begin to dry, the parchment can be discarded and you can finish on the rack. Total smoke time is 2 to 4 hours and you can ramp the temp up to 175° toward the end of the cook to get the texture right for you.[p]~thirdeye~[p]

thirdeye

And my point was ... the stuff I've had was sliced thinly before brining. How thick were your pieces?[p]~thirdeye~

Pork Puller

thirdeye,
about 3/8"

Pork Puller

thirdeye,
i'll give it a try.will probably bump up the salt a little though.
thanks,
keith

thirdeye

pork puller,[p]I like the sound of your dedication for this cook. Please keep us posted, photographs are welcome.[p]~thirdeye~