Salmon Jerky

trout16 · September 2004

I have near perfected smoking salmon and am very happy w/ my results. I wanted to try Chef Arnoldi's lox method next until this morning. I got some salmon jerky from Alaska and thats what I want to start making on the egg for my next challenge. The sockeye jerky was especially tasty. Any ideas, methods or suggestions folk? Thanks!

Borders · September 2004

trout16,
One of my favorite subjects. I really would like to perfect this with the egg. I've had some of the top notch Alaskan Salmon jerky you're talking about and its something to strive for. There are a few main issues. Fat content of the salmon(just like beef), cooking vs smoking, and preservation. The best book I've found on the subject is called "jerky" by AD Livingston, but it still leaves me scatching my head on a lot of things. Bottom line though, it is recommended that you smoke the fish at 140 degrees til dry.[p]First of all, I don't think you can make "true jerky" of any kind with just one egg. Jerky is made by drying meat, not cooking it. In the amount of time it takes to truly dry out a piece of meat or salmon, my egg reaches dome temps of 225+ degrees. Once the grid temp reaches 160, you're cooking, not making jerky. For this reason, I have been smoking my jerky for a while and then putting it in a dehydrator to finish it. My dehydrator operates at 145 degrees. If anybody can keep their grid temps below 160 for 6-8 hours without the fire going out, tell us the secret.[p]An alternative is to use 2 eggs, like some have shown on here before(PLEASE POST A PIC OF THIS IF YOU CAN) and build a fire in one, and smoke the meat in the other. This to me looks like a good way to do real salmon jerky and I'm going to try this when Tampa is no longer 95 degrees with 95% humidity, like October or November.[p]Here's a link that has 3 recipes. I have not tried them. Also, if you havent tried Gravalox, you should give it a try, and there are some recipes w/the link below.[p]Here's a link to a recipe for "Squaw Candy" which I have tried and was excellent. I'm still unsure about the preservation safety issues. I did some posts on an Alaskan Fisherman forum, and some gentleman gave me a grave warning about uncooked salmon and parasites. This was after I made the squaw candy. http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Departments/Recipes/Canning/salmonjerky.html[p]I'd like to see others in this brain trust get radar lock on this subject and master:
Picking salmon for jerky
Cold smoking
Making and presrving salmon jerky that won't kill you or your pals.[p]Scott

[ul][li]Salmon recipes[/ul]

fishlessman · September 2004

Borders, below 30 degrees out, it is easy to keep the dome temp below 160. i cant do it with the daisy, but with a piece of sheet metal and a brick on top. i dont know where i saw it, but with one egg with a piece of dryer hose on the top, about 6 feet long, attached to a makeshift aluminum chamber (tin foil and wood) you can construct a miny smoke house for drying in the warmer months.

Borders · September 2004

fishlessman, I saw that post, a recent one by Chef Wil I think. Have you had success with jerky in those low temperatures?

fishlessman · September 2004

Borders, i have only done beef jerky and i strive for 160 dome temp. the grill temp is probably lower and it works good. the tinfoil contraption is something im thinking about for sausage. ive been catching alot of lake trout lately, do you think that it would be too oily for a jerky. it takes on terryaki flavors well.

Borders · September 2004

fishlessman, sadly, I'm not familiar w/lake trout meat. But I'm glad you've been getting 'em. That having been said, I would not hesitate to try. At the very worst, you could have a very tasty treat with a very short shelf life. The best commercial Salmon jerky that I've had was fairly oily in the package. I also think there's a distinction between "fat" and "oil" in fish. with fat being the negative one for jerky. I could be wrong on this and would like to hear opinions.[p]Brining is also recommended in the salmon recipes in the Jerky book, and it seems that might help with the oil factor. To make the most of this, you should allow the strips to air dry til you see a thin coat of crystals on the surface before smoking. [p]I'd really like to hear about your experience with lake trout.[p]Scott

trout16 · September 2004

Borders,
thank you, very informative post! I will do this somehow, someway. The dehydrator sounds like it will make my life alot easier. I have found a new crusade lol!

Borders · September 2004

trout16, you're welcome. FYI, I'm on my 2nd "cheap" dehydrator and have been pretty happy with them. They cost around 30 bucks at Wal Mart and have 3-5 plastic racks. Definitely a good way to start.[p]I've been making jerky much much longer than I have owned an egg. I love the stuff. But, the idea of cold smoking jerky with the help of the egg just has an allure. [p]Let us hear about your success.

jrterrier · September 2004

fishlessman, I don't find trout as oily as salmon. Go for it. What do you have to loose? I have had smoked trout that was pretty dry... my brother in law's. Darn tasty!

Salmon Jerky

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