Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

FISH, OCTOPUS, PRAWNS, SCOLLOPS, CRAB, LOBSTER & CRAYFISH
urbangriller
Posts: 9453
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:46 pm
Location: Perth WA

Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by urbangriller »

I've had a lot of people asking about Cold Smoked Salmon lately.

Here is a dead simple method:

I wrote this up as an article I wrote for Storyque, this is a cut down recipe from that article.

Mix equal quantities of salt and sugar, place a layer of the mixture in a non-reactive container, place the salmon on top, sprinkle the rest of the mixture over the salmon, and put the container in the refrigerator uncovered.

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After 24–36 hours, remove the container from the refrigerator and wash the sugar and salt mixture off the salmon; you will notice the salmon is now quite firm. After that, I wash mine in a splash of gin (whiskey, bourbon, and rum also work well), which removes the surface water. I place it on a rack, still glistening with gin, and put it uncovered into the fridge to dry overnight.
In the morning, the surface of the fish has a shiny, almost sticky finish; this is the pellicle, a thin outer layer of proteins that help the smoke stick.

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Place the salmon in the kettle; I’m using Teflon-coated mesh to stop the salmon sticking to the cooking grill. I can’t resist doing some cheese at the same time!

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I’ve put a cup of local red gum pellets in my prototype smoke mug; you could use a smoke tube or tray. I use a gas torch to light just the top few pellets. Red gum is a heavy smoke flavor similar to hickory, but you can use something lighter like a fruit wood.

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Place the lid on the Kettle and let the magic begin. I have the top vent set to half and the lower vent set to fully open.

The cup of pellets will provide a dense smoke for roughly two hours—plenty to get a nice flavour going.

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Remove the salmon from the smoker. You’ll see the smoke has turned the pellicle a dull color. I dribble a thimblefull of gin over the fish and place it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a day to mature—two days is even better.

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Home-smoked salmon leaves the storebought stuff for dead! You could sprinkle it with dill an hour or so before serving, but I like it just the way it is.

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Cheers
Chris
Common Sense is so rare these days it should be a Super Power!
StoneX
Posts: 240
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Location: Mornington Peninsula

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by StoneX »

Looks great. Thanks Chris :)
magste
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Location: Perth, WA
Contact:

Post by magste »

Great stuff. What temp range do you want to keep when smoking?
Magnus
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A Q, a Keg & a Kettle
urbangriller
Posts: 9453
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:46 pm
Location: Perth WA

Re:

Post by urbangriller »

magste wrote:Great stuff. What temp range do you want to keep when smoking?
As low as you can get, winter is the perfect time!
The smoking pellets will increase the heat in the kettle, this one got to 35C (but it was spring).

Cheers
Chris
Common Sense is so rare these days it should be a Super Power!
2browndogs
Posts: 403
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:42 pm
Location: Melbourne - Bayside

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by 2browndogs »

Looks great. Thanks Chris. Must. Try.

Is there a max temp in the pit that would spoil the fish ?
urbangriller
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Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:46 pm
Location: Perth WA

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by urbangriller »

The fish won't spoil, but after 45C (ish) you start to cook the salmon and it becomes Hot Smoked, which is a different product, but equally as good.

Cheers
Chris
Common Sense is so rare these days it should be a Super Power!
flyonline
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2013 5:58 pm

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by flyonline »

First, catch yourself a trout..... :wink:

Thanks for the recipe, been on the to-do list for a while now.
skuzy
Posts: 631
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2009 9:15 pm

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by skuzy »

thanks so much for sharing UG

one question.... given that work cold smoking.. fish in particular.

do we need nitrites? i know theres alot of discussion over use of nitrites when curing meats for example..
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urbangriller
Posts: 9453
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:46 pm
Location: Perth WA

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by urbangriller »

skuzy wrote:thanks so much for sharing UG

one question.... given that work cold smoking.. fish in particular.

do we need nitrites? i know theres alot of discussion over use of nitrites when curing meats for example..
Nitrates are a chemical preservative. In meats they combine with the protein Myoglobin (the red colour in muscle) to form a pink (Ham) colour in the meat. In fish it will still act as a preservative.

I don't use nitrates, I prefer no chemicals, I just eat it all before it goes off! :D

Chris
Common Sense is so rare these days it should be a Super Power!
beachbums
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Location: Smokefireandfood.com

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by beachbums »

urbangriller wrote:
skuzy wrote:thanks so much for sharing UG

one question.... given that work cold smoking.. fish in particular.

do we need nitrites? i know theres alot of discussion over use of nitrites when curing meats for example..
Nitrates are a chemical preservative. In meats they combine with the protein Myoglobin (the red colour in muscle) to form a pink (Ham) colour in the meat. In fish it will still act as a preservative.

I don't use nitrates, I prefer no chemicals, I just eat it all before it goes off! :D

Chris


Great recipe Chris, I might nick it for the Fruitwood comp 8) How long will it keep in the fridge after smoking it and would it freeze ok?

Cheers, Wayne
urbangriller
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Location: Perth WA

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by urbangriller »

It freezes fine, and I've kept it two weeks in the fridge.

Chris
Common Sense is so rare these days it should be a Super Power!
SilentBoB
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Location: Perth

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by SilentBoB »

NIce! I'm not the biggest fan of smoked salmon but the girlfriend is and my brother has been asking me if I plan on cooking any up as he's a bit of a fan... Guessing it could still be done in the barrel of the Hark?
urbangriller
Posts: 9453
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:46 pm
Location: Perth WA

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by urbangriller »

SilentBoB wrote:NIce! I'm not the biggest fan of smoked salmon but the girlfriend is and my brother has been asking me if I plan on cooking any up as he's a bit of a fan... Guessing it could still be done in the barrel of the Hark?
Yep, in the barrel would be fine!

I'm not big on smoked salmon either, but this I like!

Chris
Common Sense is so rare these days it should be a Super Power!
SilentBoB
Posts: 138
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:27 pm
Location: Perth

Re: Easy Cold Smoked Salmon

Post by SilentBoB »

I shall give this a try a then! Will have to make up some bagels to with it too!
skuzy
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Post by skuzy »

BTW do u cook to time or to temp with this one?
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