How To Smoke Salmon

When sharing smoked salmon with others I am often asked what's my secret. I usually respond by saying that there is no secret. If you start with good fish you'll end with a good product (conversely, garbage in is garbage out). There is no one right way to smoke salmon but there are certain steps that should be followed to do it right.



First of all, you need to catch a salmon. What happens next is important. Make sure that the salmon is properly bled and the fish is kept cool prior to filleting. After filleting, keep the skin on and cut into desired chunks. I usually cut strips that are a couple of inches wide and five or six inches long. Shrinkage occurs during the smoking process so you don't want to cut your chunks too small. If you cut the chunks too large you won't have enough surface area for the brine to work in to the meat.



The next part of the equation is your brine. This is where differences occur depending upon taste. I use what Jane describes as generic brine that won't offend any taste buds. Here it is:



Kenai Keith's Famous Salmon Brine

3 quarts of cold water

1 1/2 cups of non iodized salt

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

3/4 tsp lemon pepper

9 tsp of lemon juice

9 bay leaves

Brine should be thoroughly mixed in a glass or plastic bowl (aluminum or wood should not be used). The brine should be kept as cool as possible and if you plan to reuse it make sure to refrigerate. Brine can be used 2-3 times and should not be kept for more than 1 week. Place your salmon chunks in the brine. How long you soak your fillets depends upon how thick they are. In general, I place red and silver salmon in the brine for 3 hours; king salmon for 6 hours.

After you remove your fillets from the brine, lightly rinse with cold water and place on paper towels or newspapers to air dry. This is an IMPORTANT part of the smoking process to air dry and allow a "pellicle" to form on the outside of the fillet (glossy look). Air drying should take at least an hour but depending on the humidity it could take longer. Your fillets will never be completely dry during this stage but most of the moisture needs to evaporate .



While your fillets are are drying it's time to get your smoker started. Whether you have an electric "Little Chief" smoker, a Dick Miller Super Delux, or whether you've made your own you need to preheat the smoker prior to placing the fillets in. Your smoker temperature should be between 145-175 degrees and the smoker wood chips should be smoking before putting your fillets in. I have found the best wood chips to use for fish are alder. It's mild and seems to impart the perfect amount of smoke flavor.



After the air drying is complete and your smoker is at the proper temperature and your smoker is smoking, it's time to place your fillets in. During the first couple of hours you'll want to check the temperature and refill the wood chip pan at least two times. How long it will take to fully smoke your salmon will depend on humidity and air temperature. Some times it has taken me six hours and some times a full day. How you can tell when your smoking is done is by looking at the color (deep red/golden brown) of the fillet inside and out. This is a good time to try a sample. If you've never had hot smoked salmon right out of the smoker about the only thing that equals it would be chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven Mmmmmm, mmmmm good! The top photo is what a finished product should look like.



Let your smoked salmon cool down before vacuum sealing or placing in an airtight container. I wouldn't recommend freezing your smoked salmon because when it's thawed out its mushy. At that point it's only good for making into a dip.



That's it. Pretty simple stuff. If you have other recipes such as a cajun or teriyaki brine, feel free to post them on the comment section of this post.