smoking salmon
- Thread starter firecrest
- Start date
This tutorial is for mackerel but i imagine salmon is the same I was asking stjon about home made smockers at the ayrshire meet, he mentioned using a biscuit tin as well, there is a link in this url describeing how to do it also. I may give it a go soon myself with some trout.
http://www.boat-angling.co.uk/Hints_and_Tips/Howtoguidehotsmokingfish.htm
Stoo
http://www.boat-angling.co.uk/Hints_and_Tips/Howtoguidehotsmokingfish.htm
Stoo
Smoked salmon is cold smoked. Much smoked mackerel is hot smoked.
Hot smoking is cooking in heated smoke filled air. Cold smoking imparts a flavour and does not cook.
It is vitally important to note that cold smoking alone does not preserve food. Drying (jerky), salt curing (types of ham) or refrigeration are also required to preserve the flesh.
Some cold smoked food is subesequently cooked - this can both remove salt if the item is salt cured and make food more palatable (e.g. certain salt cured hams were cooked, others not)
Smoked smalmon is salt cured, partially dried then cold smoked. It niormally requires chilling
Red
Hot smoking is cooking in heated smoke filled air. Cold smoking imparts a flavour and does not cook.
It is vitally important to note that cold smoking alone does not preserve food. Drying (jerky), salt curing (types of ham) or refrigeration are also required to preserve the flesh.
Some cold smoked food is subesequently cooked - this can both remove salt if the item is salt cured and make food more palatable (e.g. certain salt cured hams were cooked, others not)
Smoked smalmon is salt cured, partially dried then cold smoked. It niormally requires chilling
Red
I've always wanted a smoker and I plan to build a cold smoker with a used whisky barrel, it might impart an interesting flavour!
Went to a local boot sale at the weekend and I couldn't believe my luck, a hot smoker, probably about 20 years old but brand new in the box still with the wrapping on for a fiver!
I had some local salmon at home so you can guess what happend to that on saturday night. I used the wood chips that came with the box and what an absolutley delicious meal. The hot smoking process cooked and smoked at the same time and imparted a wonderful flavour whilst being very succulent, yum, yum.
Quite often I use salmon for creating Gravad Lax. which is a traditional Scandanavian dish. You need an old box, preferably wooden, I use an old french wine box (6 bottle size). I have cut down the lid so it fits inside the box.
First obtain the salmon, I usually do a whole side, cut into 2 halves.
The ingrediants for the cure are:-
100g castor sugar (golden)
75g coarse salt (crystals or flakes)
15g coarsley ground black pepper
1 large bunch of dill finely chopped with the coarse stalks removed.
Mix this all together and then lay some inside the box. Next put in half the salmon, skin side down. More cure over this and then lay the other half of the salmon on top, skin facing up and then put more cure over it.
Put the lid on and then weight down with heavy weights.
My box then sits in a tupperware tray to catch the juices.
Place in fridge or cold place for ideally 5-7 days (3 absolute minimum).
Never use metal containers for this or any salt based cure!
To serve finely slice the salmon, serve on a bed of salad with spuds or brown bread or your own preferance.
The traditional sauce for this is:-
4 t spoons english mustard
4 t spoons golden castor or light brown sugar
2 t spoons white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons creme fraiche
2-4 tablespoons chopped dill
To make, mix the mustard, sugar and vinegar untill well bended, then add the creme fraiche followed by the dill.
ENJOY!
Good luck with your smoking!
Went to a local boot sale at the weekend and I couldn't believe my luck, a hot smoker, probably about 20 years old but brand new in the box still with the wrapping on for a fiver!
I had some local salmon at home so you can guess what happend to that on saturday night. I used the wood chips that came with the box and what an absolutley delicious meal. The hot smoking process cooked and smoked at the same time and imparted a wonderful flavour whilst being very succulent, yum, yum.
Quite often I use salmon for creating Gravad Lax. which is a traditional Scandanavian dish. You need an old box, preferably wooden, I use an old french wine box (6 bottle size). I have cut down the lid so it fits inside the box.
First obtain the salmon, I usually do a whole side, cut into 2 halves.
The ingrediants for the cure are:-
100g castor sugar (golden)
75g coarse salt (crystals or flakes)
15g coarsley ground black pepper
1 large bunch of dill finely chopped with the coarse stalks removed.
Mix this all together and then lay some inside the box. Next put in half the salmon, skin side down. More cure over this and then lay the other half of the salmon on top, skin facing up and then put more cure over it.
Put the lid on and then weight down with heavy weights.
My box then sits in a tupperware tray to catch the juices.
Place in fridge or cold place for ideally 5-7 days (3 absolute minimum).
Never use metal containers for this or any salt based cure!
To serve finely slice the salmon, serve on a bed of salad with spuds or brown bread or your own preferance.
The traditional sauce for this is:-
4 t spoons english mustard
4 t spoons golden castor or light brown sugar
2 t spoons white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons creme fraiche
2-4 tablespoons chopped dill
To make, mix the mustard, sugar and vinegar untill well bended, then add the creme fraiche followed by the dill.
ENJOY!
Good luck with your smoking!
Nothing much to add to the original question - I think British Red has said everything I was going to. However, if it's not too off topic:
I was bought some Jack Daniels wood chips as a present (from Waitrose I think) a year or so ago. These are chips made out of old JD barrels. I thought it would be a gimmick, but actually the flavour really comes through. In fact, it's so strong that it could easily overpower something like fish.
I guess it would be less pronounced in your home made barrel solution as it's not the barrel itself that's providing the smoke - but my guess is that you'd certainly taste it the first few times. Maybe over time the flavour would wear off - I'd love to hear how you get on with that. Really interesting project!
I was bought some Jack Daniels wood chips as a present (from Waitrose I think) a year or so ago. These are chips made out of old JD barrels. I thought it would be a gimmick, but actually the flavour really comes through. In fact, it's so strong that it could easily overpower something like fish.
I guess it would be less pronounced in your home made barrel solution as it's not the barrel itself that's providing the smoke - but my guess is that you'd certainly taste it the first few times. Maybe over time the flavour would wear off - I'd love to hear how you get on with that. Really interesting project!
You're right about the flavour, the barrels have a lovely aroma to them! Due to where I live there is no shortage of barrels and you can buy the staves as fire wood, so that may be a source of chippings!
I have been meaning to build the barrel smoker for a couple of years, just never seem to get the time, too many other interests/projects and diversions!
I just need to get a barrel, about a tenner locally, and have a look around the garden/house/workshop/neighbours/tip to find the other bits, flue, firebox etc; I always try to use what i've got rather than purchase.
Maybe this will give me the umph to bring it further forward in the 'to do list', I will keep you posted on any developments!
I have been meaning to build the barrel smoker for a couple of years, just never seem to get the time, too many other interests/projects and diversions!
I just need to get a barrel, about a tenner locally, and have a look around the garden/house/workshop/neighbours/tip to find the other bits, flue, firebox etc; I always try to use what i've got rather than purchase.
Maybe this will give me the umph to bring it further forward in the 'to do list', I will keep you posted on any developments!
Here's a 'how to' for cold smoked salmon you might find helpful. I've never tried it, but it all sounds about right to me...
My ex-brother in law (who is German) made a hot smoker from an old wood fired water heater. The flue went up through the centre of the water tank with the fire lit below, basically a massive kelly kettle! He chopped the bottom and top off, removed the flue from the centre section of the tank which left him with a cylinder open at both ends. The steel was quite thick, almost a centimetre. He tagged some metal round the top edge so that the original top of the tank could be placed on and seal up, created a simple rack inside the tank and welded a butterfly valve to the top of the tank lid.
He'd start a small fire in the grate with the tank on top but no lid, get it up to heat which was easy to know as he left the temperature gauge on the main body of the tank, and then he'd let the fire die down to embers. Once it dropped to a certain temperature he would put the fish in that he had soaked in his special salt water mix for a number of hours and then he'd chuck the lid on. Then it got tricky, he'd bang loads of chippings with Juniper berries in onto the embers and close the butterfly valve at the top. He had to keep an eye on the chippings though, not enough air and the embers would die out and the smoke stopped. Too much air and the chippings ignited and you have flames again! By adding more chippings you can smother the flames though.
At the end, the fish came out cooked and very tasty. He normally hung the fish in a warm dry place for a while and they kept quite well. The outside would dry out but the inside stayed moist. One day, I will make one myself!
He'd start a small fire in the grate with the tank on top but no lid, get it up to heat which was easy to know as he left the temperature gauge on the main body of the tank, and then he'd let the fire die down to embers. Once it dropped to a certain temperature he would put the fish in that he had soaked in his special salt water mix for a number of hours and then he'd chuck the lid on. Then it got tricky, he'd bang loads of chippings with Juniper berries in onto the embers and close the butterfly valve at the top. He had to keep an eye on the chippings though, not enough air and the embers would die out and the smoke stopped. Too much air and the chippings ignited and you have flames again! By adding more chippings you can smother the flames though.
At the end, the fish came out cooked and very tasty. He normally hung the fish in a warm dry place for a while and they kept quite well. The outside would dry out but the inside stayed moist. One day, I will make one myself!
