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Smoking salmon Don't know how to make a brine for smoking? OK, here it is: USE PICKLING SALT - NO IODINE! Use glass, ceramic, or stainless container. Make a basic brine mix: 36 oz. (4.5 cups) Pickling Salt (1120 ml) 12 oz. (1.5 cups) Sugar (white or brown) (370 ml) 128 oz. Water ( 4 l ) Add your own spices from this list or as you like: Bay leaf Pepper Mrs. Dash Mace Allspice Clove Juniper Berries Simmer the spices in the brine for 45 minues, and then strain the brine through a cloth. Throw the spent spices away. Cool the brine and keep it cool (50 degrees F or 10 degrees C) Brine your fish as follows (don't over-brine or it will taste too salty): Thickness Time 3/8 inches 12 minutes 1/2 inches 24 minutes 3/4 inches 50 minutes 1 inch 65 minutes 1.25 inches 1.5 hours 1.5 inches 2 hours 2 inches 3 hours 3 inches 5 hours Drain the fish before smoking. Keep a careful record of your process and time so you can adjust the next batch if needed. As for smoking it......... I just air dry it an hour or so (to form the pellicle), then stick on my Little Chef Smoker's rack (a little no stick PAM or somesuch helps the cleanup). Not elegant, but it works. In cold weather I put a box around my smoker to keep it warmer. I usually use just a couple of pans of chips - maybe an hour and a half of actual smoke, and leave the fish in the smoker 8-12 hours depending on how dry I want it. Keep refrigerated or frozen and enjoy! |