First attempt at Smoked Salmon

[Cliff]

First of all, thanks to all of you who responded to my lengthy Little Chief smoker post. I bought a new Little Chief and made my first attempt at smoking fish. It turned out way too salty so I am going to have to decrease the salt I used (or increase the sugar). The fish wasn't mine - a store bought small fillets. I did a mix of 3 parts dark brown sugar to one part pickling salt (some instructions I read said not to use table salt). I covered the bottoms/tops of the fillets in this mix and refrigerated for 24 hours, until the pyrex pan was full of liquid. I then washed the fillets off and air dried them for 1.5 hours under a fan. I then cut the fillets into smaller chunks and brushed lightly with warm honey, then put them in the preheated Little Chief with a pan of alder chunks. I smoked the fish for approximately 7 hours and used 6 pans of chips. The fish is edible and I will eat it, but it's too salty. Should I increase the mix to 4 parts sugar and 1 part salt? Should I not use pickling salt? And am I overdoing it on the time in the smoker and the amount of chips used?

Thanks
Cliff

 

[Jake Watrous]

Try less time in the mix.

In the past I'd do 4:1 brown sugar to salt, but never more than 3-4 hours for fillets less than 1" thick or 10 hours for fillets thicker than 1".

 

[Matt B]

First of all, thanks to all of you who responded to my lengthy Little Chief smoker post. I bought a new Little Chief and made my first attempt at smoking fish. It turned out way too salty so I am going to have to decrease the salt I used (or increase the sugar). The fish wasn't mine - a store bought small fillets. I did a mix of 3 parts dark brown sugar to one part pickling salt (some instructions I read said not to use table salt). I covered the bottoms/tops of the fillets in this mix and refrigerated for 24 hours, until the pyrex pan was full of liquid. I then washed the fillets off and air dried them for 1.5 hours under a fan. I then cut the fillets into smaller chunks and brushed lightly with warm honey, then put them in the preheated Little Chief with a pan of alder chunks. I smoked the fish for approximately 7 hours and used 6 pans of chips. The fish is edible and I will eat it, but it's too salty. Should I increase the mix to 4 parts sugar and 1 part salt? Should I not use pickling salt? And am I overdoing it on the time in the smoker and the amount of chips used?

Thanks
Cliff

I’ve always had success with kosher salt. Some internet sources I read have also said that kosher salt is the preferable salt for brining and drawing moisture out of meat. Since pickling salt is a lot finer grain than kosher salt, if you’re doing your ratio by volume as opposed to weight (which is also what I’ve always done, 3:1 by volume), then I suspect the pickling salt is a lot denser and makes the ratio fundamentally saltier.

 

[Cliff]

Jake & Matt, thank you very much for your suggestions.

 

[Wetswinger]

Overnight in the brine is long enough. Then a light rinse.

 

[CRO]

Depending on the thickness and size of the pieces I’m going to smoke dictates how long I leave it in the brine before I rinse and pat dry. Less salty fish is better than too salty. 1/2C salt, 1/2C browning sugar and 3C water. Usually no more than 6hrs in fridge.

 

[Divad]

Aside from the texture, most salt has an anti-caking agent in it, including Kosher salt. Canning/pickling salt does not have this additive.

Various camps of thought for smoking but both are used with success. I’m a fan of no additives in my salt.

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

Aside from the texture, most salt has an anti-caking agent in it, including Kosher salt. Canning/pickling salt does not have this additive.

Various camps of thought for smoking but both are used with success. I’m a fan of no additives in my salt.

I like Himalayan pink salt.

 

[Chucker]

And am I overdoing it on the time in the smoker and the amount of chips used?

It depends of what you like, but I would say probably yes. Last batch I did was smoked for 4 hours with 2 (very full) pans of chips.

My experience with dry brine is that it is just too inconsistent. Little variations in time curing or thickness of the cuts makes a big difference in the finished result. Using an actual brine with water is a lot more forgiving.

 

[mdunc8]

I’m interested to hear how the next couple batches turn out. A buddy just gave me his old smoker, which I plan to put to use ASAP.

 

[Cliff]

Thanks again, guys. mdunc8, I will make another post on the results of my next smokings. I did smoke some already processed store-bought bacon with hickory chips and it gave the bacon a really great flavor. It's getting noticeably cooler so I bought a windshield solar panel to make a wrap/cozy for the smoker so it will stay warm in the cooler temps coming. I should be able to smoke into the fall months.

 

[Tom Butler]

In my experience, when I get it too salty, I've let it sit too long in the brine. I do stocked trout for my wife, and the standard fish take a few hours, jumbos and steelhead I may do over night (8hr,). Even Chinook usually only go 12 hours. I use the little chief "delux" brine quite a bit (the one with white wine) .
Maybe to long with the rub on?

 

[Cliff]

In my experience, when I get it to salty, I've let it sit too long in the brine. I do stocked trout for my wife, and the standard fish take a few hours, jumbos and steelhead I may do over night.
Maybe to long with the rub on?

Gotta be. Yup, next time will be shorter in the rub. And maybe kosher salt instead.

 

[Shad]

4:1 brown sugar to kosher salt. You can leave it in there for a day or two if you have to without it getting too salty.

The salt thing: pickling and kosher salt are essentially just salt without additives (besides the anti-caking stuff). They are interchangeable in most recipes. If you use table salt for pickling, it can discolor your brine. Not sure what it does to smoked fish, but I'll never find out, because I always have kosher salt in my kitchen.

 

[Paige]

I do a dry brine of 2 parts BS to 1 part kosher salt, brined for 6-8 hrs, rinse and dry overnight, smoke til done!

 

[Wetswinger]

I have found that after 2-3hrs of plentiful smoking, I don't need anymore smoke and just let them dehydrate. Especially with meats/chicken there can be too much smoke, which I feel distracts from the flavors.

 

[et64]

Please be aware that Diamond and Morton Kosher salt are very different due to the way each is made. Morton is denser that Diamond. Most recipes that call for Kosher are usually referring to Diamond Crystal Kosher and not Morton Kosher. I found out the hard way . . .

It’s Just Salt, Right? Nope.

Did you know the kind of kosher salt you use can have a dramatic effect on your recipes? Here’s the brand that we prefer—and why

www.177milkstreet.com

 

[DimeBrite]

Make 2" slices into your salmon fillets (but not all the way through the skin) prior to brining. This speeds up the process and makes bite sized sections once smoking is complete.

Rinse the salmon pieces under cool tap water after brining is completed. This is important to forming the perfect pellicle prior to smoking. It also reduces excess salty flavor and icky white curd formation during smoking.

Now, lay out the salmon pieces on trays to dry a bit, and form a sticky pellicle surface on the fish. The pellicle takes several hours to form. I usually do this in the refrigerator, but sometimes on the Little Chief racks with a fan going. The pellicle formation is critical to achieving the best smoked salmon.

Now you are ready to smoke the salmon. Thick pieces are placed on the bottom racks near the heating element of the Little Chief. Thinner pieces go on the upper racks. I place several Peterson Pucks into the pan (Applewood, alder, cherry) for smoking. Length of smoking depends on outdoor temperature, humidity, wind, thickness of fish pieces, and total amount of fish being smoked. Check the racks periodically to make sure you don't smoke too long. Rotate racks if necessary for even smoking.

Once fully smoked, place the fish pieces into a preheated oven at 225F and cook 20 minutes (covered in foil). This makes sure you killed any nasty parasites.

Let the fish cool at room temperature. I vacuum seal the smoked salmon, then place it into the refrigerator or freezer. Some is eaten right after it comes out of the oven of course, delicious!

 

[Chucker]

Thick pieces are placed on the bottom racks near the heating element of the Little Chief. Thinner pieces go on the upper racks.

I always used to do that, on the theory that it would be hotter near the heating element, but then I did some experimenting with temperature probes. The temperature was actually highest right at the top of the smoker, and lowest at the center of the bottom rack (heat rises and all that). The difference was only a handful of degrees though, so now I don’t care which pieces go where.

 

[Cliff]

Man, this is just fantastic advice, thanks again guys. I do appreciate it (Paige, that salmon looks fantastic). Yesterday I shot two pheasants during the early season "Geezer" pheasant hunt (65 and older). I'm going to smoke these rooster breasts, also, but I'll go shorter periods with less smoke than the salmon. Thank you.