SMOKING SALMON THE PRO WAY

It has been a pleasure fishing salmon over the past 4 years. Most of the fishing has been in the water tributaries of Lake Ontario, primarily in the New Haven area. Once I had the opportunity to fish in the deep waters of the lake when my friends took me on a charter boat. Over these years I have probably caught around 30 fish and I have only smoked it once before.

The first time consisted of a very simple approach. I defrosted the fish, rinsed it off, seasoned it with salt and pepper and placed it into the smoker. It turned out pretty good but not even close to what it should be.

After my final fishing trip this year I decided to give it another try. So I spent an hour or so surfing the web, watching videos and reading up on the differences between cold smoke and hot smoke. Although cold smoke was intriguing I realized that I needed to buy additional equipment in order to make this process work. So I decided to go with the more traditional method, hot smoke.

I quickly learned that either method was fairly straight forward, and once again I was surprised I didn't try this earlier. At the start of this fishing season,  I brought my first catch to Junior's in Pulaski,  and they smoke 4 fillets for $50.

Last year Derek and I tried their smoked salmon for the first time and it was absolutely delicious. During of last year's fishing trips, while cleaning fish at the place, I had the opportunity to ask some questions about the smoking process and also got some good advice on ingredients. Unfortunately no one revealed their secret recipe but I recored the conversation on video and was able to replay the important info.

After surfing the web and listening to the video, I compiled different recipes together to make my very own.

Either fresh caught or store bought will work for this recipe. I may try store bought Atlantic salmon next time just to compare the cooking process and taste.

I had 4 fillets, about 15" long and so I cut them down into more manageable  sizes about 2-3" wide. Some recipes called for removing access bones with pliers but I found it very difficult to do and skipped that part. In retrospect it didn't make a big difference because the bones are large and easy to pick out when eating.

Cure Ingredients:
1 c           Brown sugar (dark better)
1/4 c        Kosher salt
1 TBSP    Black Pepper
1 TSP      Garlic powder

I had to double the ingredients for the amount that I had. It's also ok to have more cure, for better coverage.

After washing the fillets and patting them dry with paper towels, I layered the bottom of the aluminum pan with the cure. You can use glass pans as well. Continue to place fish and coat it well with the cure. Layering the fish works really well. Make sure to cover with plastic wrap. (One recipe called for a 2 layer cover with one directly on the fish). Then place in the refrigerator for 12 or more hours. The longer it cures, the more flavor it will have and the more moisture will be removed from the fish.

After curing for 12 hrs rinse the fish with cold water. Then pat dry with paper towels. Notice the firmness of the fish. 

For the next step, I used racks from the smoker. It made for easier transfer. Spray racks with non-stick cooking spray for easy removal later. Allow for the fish to dry on the racks for at least 2 hrs. Sometimes it may require 3-4 hrs depending on the thickness of the fish and the air humidity level. I used a fan to expedite the process. Dry the fish until a pellicle (film) forms-- a shiny, sticky surface.  If you have a good pellicle, smoke will adhere to the fish really well. 

Place in preheated smoker at 150 degrees F. For my electric smoker, I usually crank up the heat to as high as it would good for a good 30-45 minutes. Place the non-wet wood chips into the smoker pan and wait until they are beginning to smoke before putting the fish in. It is good to have the water pan already in the smoker so that it could reach smoker temperature as well. As soon as you put the fish in you will drop the temp anyways. 

Most recipes recommended a temperature range between 150-220 degrees F. I tried to keep the temp between 150-180 degrees F. Depending on the thickness of the fish and how well you can maintain a constant temperature, the fish will probably be done in at least 2-3 hrs, at most 4-5 hrs. 

Recommended wood: Hickory, Alder, and Apple. 

This time I tried a little apple on the bottom with 75% hickory. Apple burns more quickly and therefore it acts as a kindling for the hickory which burns longer. I had to refill the pan only once. 

Overall the fish came out looking really good. It tasted much better compared to last time.  In retrospect I would have added less salt (I adjusted the portion in the above ingredients already). I would have refilled the water pan more often. But it was delicious nevertheless.