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Nice Day to Cold Smoke 10lbs of Salmon!

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HendersonTRKing
HendersonTRKing Posts: 1,803
in EggHead Forum
Time to replenish my dwindling supply of Mailbox Lox!  My outdoor kitchen/patio/Covid-19 project is almost done and we may get a tight finish at The Masters — can’t ask for much more on this April SundayFunday. Thx for looking and have a great day all!

 







It's a 302 thing . . .
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Comments

  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,943
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    I love the repurposed mailbox for this.  It makes a lot of sense to me.

    How long do you smoke them for, typically?  
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
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  • Wooderson
    Wooderson Posts: 354
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    Watching this thread for future reference
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  • GIG_Smoker
    GIG_Smoker Posts: 17
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    Interesting way to cold smoke.  May be trying this in the future. 
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  • HendersonTRKing
    HendersonTRKing Posts: 1,803
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    GIG_Smoker said:
    Interesting way to cold smoke.  May be trying this in the future. 
    Why use something simple and convenient when you can over-engineer a home-brewed solution to a problem that may or not exist outside your own imagination?
    It's a 302 thing . . .
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,332
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    That is a cook of beauty with great results, at least the last time.  Always enjoyable when you roll this process out.  Congrats.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,746
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    That is awesome!
    Stillwater, MN
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  • RyanStl
    RyanStl Posts: 1,050
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    My question is when you reinstall the mailbox does your mail smell like fish afterwards?
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  • HendersonTRKing
    HendersonTRKing Posts: 1,803
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    lousubcap said:
    That is a cook of beauty with great results, at least the last time.  Always enjoyable when you roll this process out.  Congrats.  
    I’m kind of a one trick pony these days, as I’ve temporarily cut out the good stuff as “study” for a medical test in a few weeks. No red meat, no chx, no pork, limited salt.  That means lots of seafood on the menu here in The 302. And veggies. And beans. So. Many. Beans. 

    After the cold smoking, I cranked up the fire to plank some sides of Alaskan-sourced line caught that I had marinated in TJ’s (vegan) pesto. Unfortunately, the fillets were pretty thin and I ended up hammering them til they were way over cooked, but it should work just fine for salmon salad. I think. 


    It's a 302 thing . . .
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  • dbCooper
    dbCooper Posts: 2,079
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    Always enjoy your "Mailbox" posts, that setup is just plain cool and looks to deliver good food.  Thanks for sharing.

    LBGE, LBGE-PTR, 22" Weber, Coleman 413G
    Great Plains, USA
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    So much awesome! 

    I've made lox a couple of times, and we love it. Yet to try smoking it. 

    Could you share your cure/process ?

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,765
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    so wide is that bad boy mailbox?
    very interesting smoke!
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009
    XL 2021 (sold 8/24/23)
    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
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  • HendersonTRKing
    HendersonTRKing Posts: 1,803
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    caliking said:
    So much awesome! 

    I've made lox a couple of times, and we love it. Yet to try smoking it. 

    Could you share your cure/process ?
    Here's a link to how I built the thing from easily-findable parts at my local hardware store:

    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1199408/homemade-bge-cold-smoker-unit-in-the-style-of-macgyver#latest

    The cure comes straight from Ruhlman's book, scaled up for the weight of the salmon.  Over time and on occasion, I've mixed in a few things -- some dill or some TJ's everything bagel seasoning.  Curing is 18-24 hours, fridge sit to form a pellicle is another 12-24 hours and smoking is 3-4 hours, depending.  Then a week in butcher paper to "gas off."  Not difficult, but lots of steps.  Well worth it if you like lox!
    It's a 302 thing . . .
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  • Yno
    Yno Posts: 529
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    I hate to be a Debbie downer, but has anyone ever read Meathead Goldwyn's article on cold smoking on AmazingRibs.com? Pretty much turned me off to cold smoking salmon and sausage. I will still do cheese, but that is about it.
    XL BGE in San Jose, CA. Also a Pit Barrel Cooker, a Cal Flame P4 gasser, and lots of toys including the first ever Flame Boss 300 in the wild. And a new Flame Boss 500.
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  • fiber_induced_deuce
    fiber_induced_deuce Posts: 270
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    Yno said:
    I hate to be a Debbie downer, but has anyone ever read Meathead Goldwyn's article on cold smoking on AmazingRibs.com? Pretty much turned me off to cold smoking salmon and sausage. I will still do cheese, but that is about it.
    Meathead is a Debbie Downer.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    HendersonTRKing said:
    Gracias! 

    Ruhlman has a heavy hand with the salt, sometimes. Have you had to adjust it? 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • TheToast
    TheToast Posts: 376
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    Amazing. Was trying to work out what the smoker was before realising it’s a Mail box
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  • HendersonTRKing
    HendersonTRKing Posts: 1,803
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    caliking said:
    HendersonTRKing said:
    Gracias! 

    Ruhlman has a heavy hand with the salt, sometimes. Have you had to adjust it? 
    Agree about Ruhlman and salt — for this recipe, I rinse and soak the cured fillets much longer than he suggests. Lox can be pretty salty at baseline and I’ve found the extra time rinsing and soaking helps. Pat dry and expect some extra time in the fridge to form the pellicle. 
    It's a 302 thing . . .
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,467
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    I hope you smoked with "post" oak.

    I'll see myself out.  
    _____________

    Remember when teachers used to say 'You won't have a calculator everywhere you go'?  Well, we showed them.


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  • HendersonTRKing
    HendersonTRKing Posts: 1,803
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    Yno said:
    I hate to be a Debbie downer, but has anyone ever read Meathead Goldwyn's article on cold smoking on AmazingRibs.com? Pretty much turned me off to cold smoking salmon and sausage. I will still do cheese, but that is about it.
    Read it multiple times before embarking on the project (and bacon, which I also cold smoke in the mailbox). No question — he says a home smoker shouldn’t even attempt it. And, because he’s so clear, one ever will collect damages from him as a consequence of screwing up his recipe and getting people sick (or worse). I’m very careful, but I’d be lying if I said reading his take on it didn’t give me pause. So far so good tho!
    It's a 302 thing . . .
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    edited April 2021
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    eff meathead's paranoid take on it.  People have been cold smoking fish for millennia.  Drying meat by putting it on tree branches. 

    I read that a long time ago.  I concur that you need to be well informed and probably eat some of whatever you do and wait a few days before you share it if you're worried.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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