Smoked Salmon

How to make delicious smoked salmon that we think is better than any pre-packaged variety. Easy, fun and wonderful to have on hand, smoked salmon is an ingredient that will add an elegant touch to a wide array of recipes.

Smoked salmon is a delicious, healthy and elegant food you can very easily make at home. Serve smoked salmon as a fancy appetizer or simply with cream cheese and gf crackers. Smoked salmon will dress up any pasta dish, cold or hot. Try smoked salmon in omelets or in salads for a special taste experience.

Selecting fresh salmon

The first test for freshness is to smell the salmon. Fresh salmon should have a mild odor but should not smell fishy.

The second test is the condition of the skin. Fresh salmon will have a sheen to the skin. As the fish deteriorates, the skin dulls. The scales should have a silver cast and shimmer in the light. If you are buying a whole fish, the eyes should protrude and be clear. Flat or sunken eyes with a cloudy appearance are signs of deterioration.

Finally, the flesh should be firm and somewhat buoyant when pressed. The surface should not be slimy.

Making a brine

The first step to making perfect smoked salmon is to soak it several hours in a liquid called a brine. The main ingredients in our brine are salt, sugar and water.

For brine:

• 1 cup salt
• 1-1/4 cups gf brown sugar
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 quarts water

Combine all ingredients in a large glass baking dish and stir until salt and sugar have dissolved.

Rinse the salmon fillets (up to 6 pounds) and remove any bones with kitchen pliers. Place the fillets in the brine and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.

After the salmon has marinated in the brine for the appropriate period of time, remove it from the brine and rinse with cold water. Set the salmon on a rack to dry.

Salmon and the brown paper bag

This is a great method to cook the salmon and to remove the skin after cooking.

Get a large brown paper bag and cut the bottom out, so that the paper will lie flat.

Take each drying fillet and lay them, skin side down, onto the paper. The still wet fish will leave exact impressions of their shapes on the paper. Transfer the fillets back to the rack to finish drying. The total drying time should be about 1 hour.

Cut out each fillet shape with scissors. The paper will be used by placing each fillet directly on the paper and then directly onto the rack in the smoker.

All about smokers and BBQ’s

There are many different types of smokers and BBQ’s that are appropriate to smoke salmon or other fish and meats. We are going to address two types, the large barrel type smoker and the common round Weber BBQ.

Either of these will produce great smoked salmon and each have their own advantages.

Barrel Smoker: The large barrel smoker can be purchased or can be homemade using a steel drum cut in half lengthwise. The smoker pictured has a separate compartment that offers flexibility by providing an additional grilling or smoking area, or it can be used as the heat source. If used as the heat source, the larger food area can remain closed throughout the cooking process which will assist in maintaining a consistent temperature. With the Weber, it will be necessary to open the lid frequently to add hot coals, which will impact the temperature. The advantage of a Weber is that it does not take as many coals or as long to heat to desired temperature.

To begin:

Light a chimney. Chimneys are the best way to heat briquettes for smoking, grilling or for barbecuing. They are readily available at most stores that sell BBQ supplies. A chimney will enable you to keep coals hot and the have an on-going supply of hot coals to add to your smoker or BBQ. The added benefit is that there is no need for lighter fluid and therefore you avoid adding lighter fluid flavor to your food.

To light a chimney, place crumpled newspaper in the bottom of the chimney under the grate. Place the chimney on top of the grill of a second BBQ, or on something that will not burn and that will hold the ash. Fill the chimney about half full with briquettes. Light the newspaper and the chimney will do the rest. The coals will heat up perfectly. As you place coals, 5-10 at a time, in your smoker or BBQ, replace with fresh briquettes in the chimney. When the coals are hot, remove them with tongs quickly into the smoker or BBQ. If you are using a barrel smoker, place about 10 coals on a lower rack in the small section of the smoker. Place a thermometer in the hole of the lid of the larger cooking area and add coals until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.

Make a small bowl or dish out of foil and fill it halfway with water. Place this dish of water directly under the area the fish will cook.

If you are using a Weber, place 5-6 coals on one side of the lower grill and the water dish on the opposite side. The fish will sit directly over the water dish and opposite from the coals. The upper rack has two handles on opposite ends. Make sure one of the handles is positioned directly over the area where the coals will be. This will make it easy to add coals through the gap near the handle and allow you to add coals while lifting the lid a little as possible.

Smoking: Slow & Low

Smoking is a method of cooking that uses indirect heat. The combination of low, indirect heat and a long cooking time is the key to great smoked fish or meat. For smoked salmon, the desired internal temperature of the smoker or BBQ is 170 degrees F. It is very important to maintain this temperature throughout the entire cooking process. Once the 170 degree F temperature has been reached, place the fillets onto the paper cutouts, skin side down, and then onto the rack in the smoker, paper side down. Close the lid immediately and smoke for 7-10 hours depending on the thickness of the fish.

Wood chips: Wood chips are what add the smoke flavor to smoked foods. You can use hickory, apple, cherry, mesquite, or other hardwoods. To prepare the wood, soak chips in a bucket of water for at least 30 minutes before using.

Several times throughout the cooking time, remove a handful of chips, drain, and add right on top of the hot coals. This will produce smoke almost immediately.

Removing the skin and paper

To remove the skin and paper from the fish, simply grab an end of the paper and gently pull away from the fish. The skin will stick to the paper and come away easily.

Your smoked salmon is now ready to eat. Enjoy!

- Glutenfreeda