Another Salmon Question

Doug

Need a little help....I'm planning to do salmon early next week. Our guests love salmon so I want it to be perfect. What should dome be and what seems to work well for a cooking time? I do want a little smoke. Also, how about rubs, etc. Any help would be appreciated. Oh, I do have the fish grate but am wondering about putting bricks or a drip pan under the fish grate or do I just set the grate directly on the grill with no bricks. Thanks a bunch!!

djm5x9

Doug:[p]I like filets skin on. I find the skin does not stick to the grill and keeps the fish from falling apart. I brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Lawry's seasoning salt and refrigerate overnight. You could add some crushed garlic when brushing with oil if you like. Cook at 275*-300* for about 20 minutes or your preferred doneness. I add fresh lemon after the cook. Smoke? Guava, Grapevine, or Adler if they are available to you. Go light on the Guava if you use it, it can be strong.

Fritz

Doug,[p]Classic smoked salmon is done with alder wood chips and a dill based rub. (There is a nice reccipe in SMOKE AND SPICE--email me if you want the recipe.) Dome temp should be low, around 200*-220* and cook it for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the thickness of the filet. Place the salmon directly on the grill, no drip pan or een fish grate needed for this piece of fish.[p]We cook salmon about once a week here using the above method, have never grown tired of it.[p]Fritz

Frozen Chosen

Doug, Heres a third perspective: Here in Alaska, we can, grill and smoke a LOT of salmon each year; probably 200+lbs, mostly king and sockeye; species with a lot of fat in them. I also like filleted fish, and try to cut them so their thickness is as uniform as possible for even cooking. Salt and pepper, then grill at 400-500F (I've gone hotter), skin up, for about 4-5 minutes, depending on thickness and temp. Don't worry, its not really as critical as it sounds. This gives good char and grill marks. Then (carefully) flip them for about a minute (again, depending on desired doneness; you should not cook them completely to dryness). Test with a fork for raw-colored insides. Add a dollop of tarragon-garlic butter. If you want some smoke flavor, add chips to the hot fire. IMHO, smoked salmon is another beast; for appetizers rather than dinner, and requires wet or dry brine, curing, and long smoke at low temps which cannot be done unless you hook up some kind of extension smoker to the BGE, or go with "hot smoking". Good luck with whatever way you go! Better still, try them all and file a report.

Unknown

Doug,[p]I have yet another twist. I mix together some soy sauce, a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, some lemon juice and some Tabasco. I skin the salmon and soak it in the mix for an hour or more. I remove the fish and shake off the marinade then smoke it directly on the grate with alder wood with the temp around 250 degrees.[p]I have used both low sodium and regular soy and I like a mix of both. The mix prevents the fish from being too salty, but it also depends on the brand of soy. I generally put the fish in a Food Saver canister and use the vacuum sealer to remove the air. Food Saver claims that you can marinade things in shorter time and I think it does work. Using the Food Saver I can generally soak for around 30 minutes.[p]Be careful not to let the fish sit on one side too long as the sugar in the marinade will burn and result in a nasty taste. I generally flip the fish several times during the cook. I have prepared the salmon in both the large and mini Egg and both work well; however, you must flip the fish more often in the mini because the coals are much closer.[p]Larry

Gretl

Doug,
I did a side of salmon at the EggFest which turned out pretty well (translate: it was gone quickly); I slathered it with dijon mustard, brown sugar and bourbon, then laid fresh dill over it. I had it on a rack over a drip pan with some water. Temp was about 350-400 for about an hour and a half. But this is a very forgiving recipe. I've prepared it lower and longer with some alder chips, and in a hurry I've kicked up the temp resulting in a darker glaze on top. Give it a try.
Cheers,
Gretl

Nature Boy

Gretl,
Ahhhh yes, another excellent dish I missed out on! Will do your recipe next.[p]Sounds like Doug has gotten some great ideas! Not to throw a curve into it, but another way yet is Mary's recipe she does on a plank. See recipe section. I have used her marinade recipe several times, and cooked hot and fast like Frozen Chosen mentioned. (don't have a plank yet) I like it with a nice sear, and medium rare inside.[p]As you can see, salmon is wonderfully flexible, and a perfect candidate for egging![p]Have fun, Doug, and please let us know what you did.
NB

djm5x9

Larry:[p]Try teriaki instead of soy sauce next time . . . Nice flavor, yet not as much salt or as strong.[p]