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Post by JDaveG on Jan 31, 2015 20:40:02 GMT
I might do that. Should I loosen the foil when we reheat it or leave it tight?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2015 21:26:01 GMT
I would "tent" it.
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Post by JDaveG on Feb 1, 2015 10:09:29 GMT
That's what I thought. Just wanted to be sure. Final question -- what temp and for how long? I'm worried about drying them out.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 14:10:33 GMT
Since it's already cooked, you just want to heat it through. 140-160° internal.
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Post by Ramen on Feb 1, 2015 17:26:06 GMT
I've cracked the code on smoked salmon. Will have pictures eventually, but for now here it is:
Dry Cure - easier to control salt content than a wet brine and can be left on for longer. Wet brines are risky because you can oversalt the fish. It's not bad, but it's not what I'm looking for.
1 cup kosher salt (course ground) 2 cups brown sugar (I prefer dark, but any kind works) 2 tsp ground ginger 2 teaspoons black pepper
Optional: 2 cloves of garlic (or equivalent garlic powder) 1/2 tsp pulverized bay leaf
Pack the cure onto the flesh side of the fish much like you would rub ribs with a dry rub. It's almost impossible to use too much because it will only be on there for 3-4 hours. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and refrigerate for 3-5 hours depending on size of fish.
Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure. You want to get as much off as you can - this isn't a rub, so it's important to rinse thoroughly.
Dry the fish with a paper towel and put back into fridge unwrapped. I just set mine on a plastic plate, but some people use a rack. This process lets the surface dry out and creates a tacky glaze on the fish called a pellicle. This is what the smokes sticks to, so a good pellicle is important. I leave mine in the fridge overnight. The longer the better, but probably not more than 18 hours or so.
Then smoke with alder, apple, cherry, or whatever kind of fruit wood you have. Some people use hickory, but that's a bit aggressive for me. Smoke at 150F for a few hours, then up the temperature to 160-170F to finish. This is important - you do not want the temperature too high. If the temperature is too high, it will dry the fish out and create that nasty white stuff on top called albumen. You'll have some of that, but too much means that the fish is cooking too quickly and the flesh is contracting too fast. Smoke until the internal temp of fish is around 140F.
Here are three options to try. I've tried all three and love them all. You might like or dislike some of them.
Option 1: Plain, just stick it in the smoker and go. It's great on its own.
Option 2: Brush a thin layer of olive oil on top of the fish before it goes into the smoker. Sprinkle an even amount of black pepper (and maybe a bit of garlic power) on top of the oil. Then smoke it.
Option 3: After about an hour of smoking, brush on a light coating of maple syrup or birch syrup. Repeat every hour. This will turn into a nice sweet glaze that cuts some of the saltiness of the smoked salmon. This is my personal favorite, but Option 2 is a very close second.
Pictures coming later today.
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Post by Ramen on Feb 1, 2015 17:40:33 GMT
Here's a pic of one I did last week.
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Post by Ramen on Feb 1, 2015 17:42:53 GMT
No idea why it turned the pic upside down. But here is one of them on the smoker now. And yes, I know that I need to clean the grates on my smoker. Nobody eats the skin on the salmon, so I didn't bother this time.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 18:19:45 GMT
Looks good! I appreciate the write up as well
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Post by Ramen on Feb 1, 2015 19:59:19 GMT
And now they're just resting. Got some goat cheese and crackers for the game tonight. Sorry for the crappy pics. I don't do photography as well as bossman RG.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 22:21:37 GMT
Pfffft! Looks great from where I'm sitting!
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Post by JDaveG on Feb 1, 2015 23:01:55 GMT
Since it's already cooked, you just want to heat it through. 140-160° internal. Good advice - it was really good. The bark was a little soft in places but firm for the most part.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2015 21:13:34 GMT
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Post by Guvmintcheeze on Feb 3, 2015 20:29:46 GMT
That ish looks good ya'll. I'm all high and hongry, and wanna fire up the smoker, but my precious stock of maple, apple, peach and hickory is almost gone. I have enough left if I mix it all up for maybe two smoking sessions. Kinda why I have not messed with it much this year, lack of wood (Insert jokes and dangly-bits here) I am NOT buying wood. I'm hoping to get rolling this spring when I can get to some abandoned orchards I remembered from long ago. Hopefully I can get some old dead apple and pear wood. If I run the river banks after the spring floods I may find some dead willow. Don't laff, it leaves a nice mellow flavor. I use it half and half with maple.
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Post by Ramen on Mar 8, 2015 17:29:18 GMT
Smoking mah brisket today.
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Post by JDaveG on Mar 9, 2015 12:42:59 GMT
We're in the middle of the Lenten fast right now, so no meat. I may grill some scrimps or something, but I'm basically waiting until April 12 to be able to eat meat again. I'm going to make some sausage balls on the egg for our Pascha "breakfast" (which occurs between 1:00 and 2:00 AM), but I need to plan a cook somehow for Pascha afternoon. We'll have a lunch after our Agape Vespers at noon on Sunday, and then we'll probably be home around 2:00 or 3:00 and pretty wiped out.
Right now, I'm honestly thinking of just doing burgers and dogs, or letting the parents do something on their electric smoker. Maybe some ribs or a butt (or both).
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