How to Prepare Hot Smoked Salmon
Brine your fish., Debone the salmon filet and cut it into chunks., Air dry the fish., Load the smoker with chips and get it heating up., If desired, cut the fish into thin strips., Arrange the fish on your smoker racks., Place the fish in the smoker...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Brine your fish.
Brining is the process of soaking meat or fish before cooking.
Each person who smokes fish has their own preferences for how to formulate a brine, but it almost always includes both a salty and a sweet flavor.
For beginners to smoking, a simple brine of kosher salt and brown sugar is a good point of departure.
How much you need depends on how much fish you have.
For each quart of water, add half a cup of kosher salt and half a cup of brown sugar.
Use a plastic or glass container, never use metal containers for brining. -
Step 2: Debone the salmon filet and cut it into chunks.
Place the chunks in the brine, cover, and soak for at least eight hours. , Remove it from the brine about an hour before you are ready to start smoking it, and place it on racks to dry.
Some prefer to pat the fish down with a paper towel as well.
After about an hour, the fish should have a noticeable sheen on it that will make it "glisten" slightly.
When you see that, it is ready to be smoked. , Alder imparts a delightful flavor to salmon, but any common smoker wood will work.
Each produces a different flavor, experiment till you find one you like. , It can be smoked in chunks but cutting it smaller at this stage will help it absorb more of the smoky flavors and will cook it more evenly.
Leaving it in larger chunks can produce a moister, more tender finished product, but it will not keep as long. , If you have cut it into strips you may find it easier to hang it from the racks rather than laying it out on top of them. , Keep refilling the smoker with fresh chips as they are consumed until active smoking has gone on for at an hour and a half to two hours. , (If you think that seems like a long time, traditional Native Alaskan methods can take three to four days, during which time the salmon must be constantly guarded lest a bear or other predator get into it.) , It is now ready to eat.
As smoking is a method of preservation it does not have to be refrigerated, but if you have a lot it will keep even longer if refrigerated. -
Step 3: Air dry the fish.
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Step 4: Load the smoker with chips and get it heating up.
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Step 5: If desired
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Step 6: cut the fish into thin strips.
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Step 7: Arrange the fish on your smoker racks.
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Step 8: Place the fish in the smoker once it is hot and producing smoke.
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Step 9: Leave the fish in the smoker (without adding more chips) at low heat for a further 12-14 hours.
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Step 10: Remove the fish from the smoker.
Detailed Guide
Brining is the process of soaking meat or fish before cooking.
Each person who smokes fish has their own preferences for how to formulate a brine, but it almost always includes both a salty and a sweet flavor.
For beginners to smoking, a simple brine of kosher salt and brown sugar is a good point of departure.
How much you need depends on how much fish you have.
For each quart of water, add half a cup of kosher salt and half a cup of brown sugar.
Use a plastic or glass container, never use metal containers for brining.
Place the chunks in the brine, cover, and soak for at least eight hours. , Remove it from the brine about an hour before you are ready to start smoking it, and place it on racks to dry.
Some prefer to pat the fish down with a paper towel as well.
After about an hour, the fish should have a noticeable sheen on it that will make it "glisten" slightly.
When you see that, it is ready to be smoked. , Alder imparts a delightful flavor to salmon, but any common smoker wood will work.
Each produces a different flavor, experiment till you find one you like. , It can be smoked in chunks but cutting it smaller at this stage will help it absorb more of the smoky flavors and will cook it more evenly.
Leaving it in larger chunks can produce a moister, more tender finished product, but it will not keep as long. , If you have cut it into strips you may find it easier to hang it from the racks rather than laying it out on top of them. , Keep refilling the smoker with fresh chips as they are consumed until active smoking has gone on for at an hour and a half to two hours. , (If you think that seems like a long time, traditional Native Alaskan methods can take three to four days, during which time the salmon must be constantly guarded lest a bear or other predator get into it.) , It is now ready to eat.
As smoking is a method of preservation it does not have to be refrigerated, but if you have a lot it will keep even longer if refrigerated.
About the Author
Kimberly Jenkins
Committed to making pet care accessible and understandable for everyone.
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