Smoked Salmon

[Keytickler]

Though I have grilled salmon fillets and steaks many times over the years, this afternoon I smoked a fillet for the first time.  Of course, huge rolling papers are needed.  [rimshot]

The fish was farm raised Atlantic salmon from Norway that was purchased skinless.  I'm guessing it was ~2 lbs. or perhaps a little less.  I adapted a couple of Steven Raichlen's recipes to end up with my cook.

The ingredients are:

1 salmon fillet (I suppose you could use with or without the skin), 1.5-2 lbs.

1 cup dark rum

1 cup finely packed brown sugar

1/2 cup coarse salt (I used sea salt)

1 tablespoon black pepper freshly ground

Preparation:

1. Check for and remove any bones in the fillet, then rinse under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels.  Lay the salmon in an appropriately sized baking dish and pour the rum over it..  Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.  After it marinates, drain the salmon and blot dry with paper towels.  Wipe out the baking dish.

2.  Make the cure:  Combine the brown sugar, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and mix well with your fingers.  Spread 1/3 of the cure over the bottom of the baking dish.  Lay the salmon on top (skin side down if there is skin) and sprinkle the remaining cure on top of the fish.  Part the cure into the fish with your fingertips.  Cover the salmon with plastic wrap and let cure in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours.  (I did it for 24 hours).

3. Rinse the cure off the salmon with cold running water and blot dry with paper towels.  Liquid will accumulate in the baking dish during the curing process.  Discard the liquid.  Place the fish on a rack over a cooking sheet in the fridge for ~ 2 hours to let it dry and become a little tacky to the touch.

4  Set up the KK for indirect cooking and heat to 225 degrees F.  I used alder wood chunks for smoking in the US Pacific Northwest style.  Use a drip pan.  Oil the grate well and place the fish in the center of the grate over the drip pan.  Close the cover.  My fish took ~ 1 hour to smoke and reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

5. Transfer the salmon to a rack to cool.  When cool, wrap it well in aluminum foil and refrigerate until cold.  Serve cold or at room temperature.  The recipe says that smoked salmon will keep in the refrigerator covered for 3-5 days.  You can also freeze it to keep for much longer.

I plan to enjoy this tomorrow, but I did have a taste before wrapping it in foil.  It is delicious and has a lovely brownish red color.  Success!

Keytickler

 

[tinyfish]

Sounds very tasty.