By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com
Smoked salmon completed
I bought my FEC-100 smoker a while back with full intentions on smoking fish but never got around to it. Tired of the waiting, I bought a side of salmon from Sam’s Club and went to work.
The first step to smoking fish is to brine it. Brine is nothing more than a salty solution with herbs, spices, and sometimes sugar in it.
When you smoke protein (meat or fish) it cooks the fat or water. If the protein runs out of fat or water, it dries out. Since fish has very little fat, and you do not want it to dry out while smoking, you have to infuse it with water. The best way to infuse it with water is to put it in brine.
For the brine
- 3/4 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 4 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 3 quarts water
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 6 cups light brown sugar
- 12 bay leaves
Combine the ingredients, except for the bay leaves, in a large roasting pan and use an immersion blender to ensure they are mixed completely. Once completely blended, add in the bay leaves and the salmon (one whole side, about 6 pounds). Cover the pan and let it sit for 24 hours in a refrigerator.
Smoked salmon brining
Once 24 hours have passed, remove the fish from the brine and wash it completely. I rinsed mine for a few minutes. Let the fish dry, put it on top of a drain pan, and set it back in the refrigerator for four hours.
This step helps the fish form a pellicle, or sheen which helps smoke adhere to it. This layer also keeps the fat from oozing to the surface while smoking.
Start your smoker with apple wood and bring it to 180 degrees F. Put the fish in a pan, filled with holes, or directly on the rack if the fish has skin on one side (put it in skin side down.)
Close the smoker and let it smoke until the thickest part of the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. Mine took about 6 hours.
While it was smoking, about 4 hours in, I sprinkled my “secret” bbq mix over the top and glazed it with honey. This added an extra layer of flavor and was worth it. 🙂
Pull it from the smoker and enjoy!
It is really good with crackers, in a salad, with pasta, or served plain with rice. I served the side I made as an appetizer for my birthday and it was eaten quickly. 🙂
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