Home Cured Home Smoked Salmon

[joesan]

Just thought I'd check in with all you charcuteriers for guidance - I'm planning on home curing and home smoking some salmon for Christmas. I want to do a simple London style cure as I am using very nice quality fish and I don't want to mess about too much with the fish and hide it's natural qualities.

So basically the fish is just salted then smoked.

I plan on doing 4 or 5 largish fish. About 3-4 kilos each and I will home fillet them, skin on. I want a smoky, salty product that is quite chewy.

So here's my plan either

a. Soak all the fillets in a brine solution (15%) for about 2 hours. The figure that seems to come up most often is half an hour + half an hour per kilo after that. Presumably I can do the whole 15 -20 kilos of fish in the same brine for two hours. Is this correct? or

b. Cover in sea salt about 300g per kilo - this would work out much more expensive salt wise.

and then Oak smoke in Bradley for 8-10 hours. I'll rig the bradley so I can cold smoke it.

What do you think - anywhere I can make improvements? Any suggestions from people who have already done this?

PS On this occasion I'm not making Gravad Lax only simple Smoked Salmon

Edited December 3, 2008 by joesan (log)

[Ore]

My first thought is that if you want something chewy you dont want to brine it unless you give it a good amount of time uncovered in the fridge to form a pellicle (sticky surface of meat that smoke will adhere to).

My vote is for the slat directly onto the fish. Will you not add any other flavorings to the fish? A touch of sugar, black pepper?

Salt isn't that expensive - if you are already getting that qty. of fish, I think you could get the salt you need as well. You'll need 6 kg of salt max if you follow your 300g/kg ratio. The salt shouldn't cost you more then $15 US.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[Reignking]

I started some new gravlax last night, and the book reminded me that it isn't the amount of salt that's important, but the time in which the fish is cured. So, you could cut corners by limiting the amount of salt.

[Chris Hennes]

In Charcuterie Ruhlman and Polcyn use a dry salt coating, rather than a brine, so that's the only way I've done it. I glanced at the Gravlax recipe in Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, by the folks at the CIA, and they do the same. The ratio they use is 6oz salt to 3lb salmon (plus between 3 and 6 oz of sugar). Since the salt in contact with the salmon creates its own brine I'm not sure I'd be worried about the texture---you will need to let it air-dry before smoking either way to form the pellicle (whose exact purpose has recently been the subject of some debate).

Edited to add: this comes to something like 150g/kg, or half what you are suggesting above.

[scubadoo97]

I recently made a Nova style lox with a side of Atlantic salmon.

I looked for the fattiest side I could find. It was wet brined in a saturated solution of salt and a little sugar for 1hr/half inch of thickness. The side was allowed to dry and form a pellicle overnight in the fridge. It was cold smoked over apple and pecan pellets for about an hour which was plenty.

The results were spectacular. The flesh was creamy, not too salty and a hint of smoke.

Every time I do gravlax the flesh turns out gummy. Don't know if I use to much salt but I use a 50/50 ratio of salt and sugar and cover it good and weight it down. I usually only cure for 48hrs but it seems too much.

Anyway the wet brine was easier and took less time. This is now my preferred method of making lox

[joesan]

Guys thanks for the hints so far. I'm not sure about the brine. I like the simplicity of just placing the salmon in a the salt saturated solution but I, too, am worried about whether the brine will allow the salmon to dry out properly and achieve the right texture. For sure I will let it dry out to form the pellicule in the fridge though.

I know that the excess liquid drawn out from the salt method will produce a little brine but maybe the brine solution will affect the texture because of the amount of water in the solution?

I wasn't planning on adding anything extra to the cure but maybe I'll try one with some sugar and pepper.

[tim]

Hi,

In my experience you will do much better with a dry brine. A dry brine removes moisture while a wet brine adds moisture.

It has been shown that dry brining leeches moisture from flesh which is subsequently reabsorbed into the flesh with the salt. This reabsorption may not occur if you dry brine with a large quantity of salt.

It would be interesting to experiment with a three hour periods of dry brining with kosher salt followed by rinsing and drying and a second three hour dry brine. This would increase the drying process and add less salt to the flesh.

I have used Jacques Pepin's cold smoking recipe/techniques with excellent results. For 5 1/2 pounds of salmon filets, he uses a mixture of 3/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar. The fish are double wrapped and refrigerated 6 to 24 hours, turning once or twice. (The shorter brine was my preference.)

The fish is then rinsed, dried and smoked below 80 degrees. To achieve this in a Bradley, you will have to use a remote source of smoke or a remote chamber for the smoking.

Good luck,

Tim

Edited December 3, 2008 by tim (log)

[Nayan Gowda]

Every time I do gravlax the flesh turns out gummy.  Don't know if I use to much salt but I use a 50/50 ratio of salt and sugar and cover it good and weight it down.  I usually only cure for 48hrs but it seems too much.

←

Actually sounds like you are using too much sugar. I've never really measured when I make it, but I reckon I do a 4:1 ratio and it works very well.

[joesan]

Hi,

In my experience you will do much better with a dry brine.  A dry brine removes moisture while a wet brine adds moisture.

It has been shown that dry brining leeches moisture from flesh which is subsequently reabsorbed into the flesh with the salt.  This reabsorption may not occur if you dry brine with a large quantity of salt.

It would be interesting to experiment with a three hour periods of dry brining with kosher salt followed by rinsing and drying and a second three hour dry brine.  This would increase the drying process and add less salt to the flesh.

I have used Jacques Pepin's cold smoking recipe/techniques with excellent results.  For 5 1/2 pounds of salmon filets, he uses a mixture of 3/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar.  The fish are double wrapped and refrigerated 6 to 24 hours, turning once or twice.  (The shorter brine was my preference.)

The fish is then rinsed, dried and smoked below 80 degrees.  To achieve this in a Bradley, you will have to use a remote source of smoke or a remote chamber for the smoking.

Good luck,

Tim

←

Tim - this sounds like the closest to what I am trying to achieve. I think i will try one without sugar also. So do you salt the fish for only 6 hours? And how long do you smoke? I want a dry, almost chewy result with a deep smoke. I am familiar with the techniques to produce cold smoke in the Bradley, I am planning on using a box with the smoke piped through some vent pipe to get cold smoke.

[ElsieD]

Hi,

In my experience you will do much better with a dry brine. A dry brine removes moisture while a wet brine adds moisture.

It has been shown that dry brining leeches moisture from flesh which is subsequently reabsorbed into the flesh with the salt. This reabsorption may not occur if you dry brine with a large quantity of salt.

It would be interesting to experiment with a three hour periods of dry brining with kosher salt followed by rinsing and drying and a second three hour dry brine. This would increase the drying process and add less salt to the flesh.

I have used Jacques Pepin's cold smoking recipe/techniques with excellent results. For 5 1/2 pounds of salmon filets, he uses a mixture of 3/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar. The fish are double wrapped and refrigerated 6 to 24 hours, turning once or twice. (The shorter brine was my preference.)

The fish is then rinsed, dried and smoked below 80 degrees. To achieve this in a Bradley, you will have to use a remote source of smoke or a remote chamber for the smoking.

Good luck,

Tim

Tim, you should post that link on this board. It's pure genius, and I will try it.

Thanks,

Elsie

[jackal10]

I've just cold smoked some. I built a cold smoker in the garden from an old oil drum, some blocks, a couple of paving slabs and a length of drainpipe. Seems to work.

I wet brined for 1 hour. 1 cup salt plus 1/2 cup sugar to a gallon of water

Brined in a plastic bag, then let dry overnight in the fridge to form a pellicule. Cold smoked over oak and cherry for 12 hours.

Its easy to make salmon too salty or smoky, then it's inedible raw.

I think you should be able to taste its salmon.

Its not red herring or stockfish, and you are salting and smoking for flavour, not to preserve it until summer.

Made the trimmings into salmon pate: 4:1 Salmon:unsalted butter, for example 200g salmon trimmings, no skin or bones, and 50g unsalted butter. Pepper, a squeeze of lemon, and whizz the lot together in a food processor. Have rye crackers or hot toast ready.

The skin can be descaled, cut into small squares and crisped, but you have to be pretty desperate.

Edited December 3, 2008 by jackal10 (log)

[joesan]

Interesting Jack. I don't want too salty or too smoky but I do want salty and smoky otherwise I'd just leave the salmon as is. Did you find the texture of the salmon was okay in the brine I.e. Not too wet? Also sugar - do I need it - many recipes seem to call for it but the purist in me asks if it is necessary?

[jackal10]

The finished salmon was not too wet but I like my salmon moist and slghtly oily, which this was, and definately seasoned and smoked. It started out as straight supermarket farmed salmon- nothing fancy. Leave the pin bones in until after smoking btw, as the flesh tears less.

I also forgot to add wrap it or vacuum pack it after smoking and leave in the fridge for a day or two for the flavours to penetrate and even out from the furface to the inside

The sugar in the cure tenderises and keeps the fish moist, and counteracts excess salt. If you like it saltier brine for a couple of hours..

[tim]

Hi,

The length of the dry brine should really depend on the size of the filet. A thin filet dictates shorter brining. I have brined fish for periods ranging from 6 to 18 hours and think the flavor of the fish was best with that short brining.

Frankly, the longer brine yielded a drier fish that was somewhat salty. That is why I suggested the concept of two shorter successive dry brines.

Pepin's method for smoking is to introduce fairly heavy smoke (I use white oak or alder) to the chamber for about 10 minutes and then leaving the chamber closed for an hour. This is repeated twice for a total of 3 hours of smoking.

Pepin uses wood chips in a flower pot with an electric bbq starter to create the smoke. This is piped into an empty refrigerator. (I use a heating duct running into a garbage can.) The technique allows for smoking at ambient temperature.

Sorry, I do not have a link. You may get the full recipe from two of his books, Jacques Pepin's Techniques or Jacques Pepin Celebrates. Visit your local library.

Tim

[zeph74]

At work I dry cure and cold smoke salmon at least once a week. The recipe I use is fairly simple...salt, sugar, dill.

To get your chewy texture, I'd recommend using a dry cure, something like the Ruhlman recipe. Weigh down the fish while curing to squeeze out moisture. A few non-reactive/coated cookie sheets do the trick...as long as the moisture doesn't overflow.

Cure at least 24 hours and rinse off the cure, dry very well and refrigerate uncovered for 8-12 hours.

I'd also recommend using some kind of fruit wood with fish. Cherry works well, apple is good also.

Have fun!

Edited December 3, 2008 by zeph74 (log)

[joesan]

Great stuff guys - now I've got a range of cure times from one hour to twenty four...hmmmm. What to do, what to do?

Seems like each of you got results you were well pleased with so I guess I'll be okay no matter what.

I think I will try a dry cure with a small amount of sugar for a couple of hours.

Tim - do you think that the 10 minute active smoking then waiting one hour would achievable with the Bradley system. Seems like it would be very economical with pucks. I would like a strong smoke flavour.

[tim]

Joe,

I'd suggest you look at that Ruhlman recipe and follow his lead.

The 10 minute smoke every hour only works with a well sealed chanber and I have no experience with the Bradley.

Good luck,

Tim

[RobertCollins]

This is a great thread. We should thank a bunch of people starting with R+P. They have taught many of us a basic way and then we have wonderful discussions like this thread, thanks to all the above.

I am really ancious to see which of you has the perfect answer. Then which of you has the more perfecter and then...

Thank you all for your contributions. I am so learning from you, how cool.

edit; the dumie kant spell

Edited December 4, 2008 by RobertCollins (log)

[dougal]

Great stuff guys - now I've got a range of cure times from one hour to twenty four...hmmmm. What to do, what to do?

...

Tim - do you think that the 10 minute active smoking then waiting one hour would achievable with the Bradley system. Seems like it would be very economical with pucks. I would like a strong smoke flavour.

←

Proper COLD smoking involves temperatures less than about 85F (about 30C).

Not normal territory for a Bradley, but possible by de-mounting the smoke generator (I gather) and definitely easier in cold weather.

The Bradley has the reputation of generating lots of smoke, so the actual 'firing time' might well be fairly short.

Normally cold smoking is done with a rather light smoke for a long time. You can simulate that with intermittent heavier smoke.

EDIT ADDED -- I recall hearing long ago about someone getting some 'blank' Bradley pucks made up (from metal), so that by interleaving them with real pucks, he could do unattended intermittent smoking with the thing... /EDIT

ANYWAY, the point is to avoid cooking the food, at all. (And even keeping it at "room temperature" for long enough to spoil, despite the preservative actions of smoke and salt. (Heavy salt and heavy smoke with a bit of drying does preserve well (once you've got there) - but 'preserved' is not necessarily palatable without preparation for eating (soaking or whatever).

You don't want to be cold smoking chilled fish so that you get condensation on the fish. (Its supposed to be a drying process...) Watch out for that if you park part-smoked fish overnight in the fridge. But, the overnight rest, (and deciding in the morning if it needs more smoke), is a good idea.

As its not about cooking, but cumulative exposure to smoke with time for equilibration, you can easily smoke intermittently. (Also helping keep the temperature down.)

Intermittent action gives the flavour time to permeate.

And allows you to 'taste as you go' - as with other forms of 'cooking'.

Just don't eat it ALL during cooks tastings...

Give it a go, and do take notes so that next time you'll know what you'd like to change, for your personal tastes. And once you've homed in on the house style, you'll have the confidence to apply the method and times to a bigger batch.

Its pretty hard to screw up so badly that it isn't good to eat.

Which accounts for the variation in advice.

Just do it, and vary it next time to go from good to excellent to great!

Edited December 4, 2008 by dougal (log)

[joesan]

Some good advice Dougal. I plan on doing this outdoors and the Bradley will be demounted. I reckon the ambient temperature should be about 7-8c so I should be fine. I think I will need to fabricate a smoking chamber out of something. I wonder if a cardboard box would be okay?

I have decided to go with Tim's double salt process for a couple of hours, I will use a little sugar. I like the idea of smoking intermittently for 3 hours. I'll let it rest up overnight in the fridge and re-taste per your instructions and possibly re-smoke. Lastly I will vacpack the fillets per Jack's advice to let the flavours equalise through the fish.

I am buying the fish on Saturday so expect some pictures in the middle of the week...

[Kerry Beal]

Just to add more confusion to the mix - here is the recipe for Indian Candy that the native woman who lived with my granny used. I've made great salmon with it many times - addictive stuff.

Smoked Salmon

Recipe By : minnie

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Misc Main dishes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 quart water

1/2 cup coarse salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

Soak 10 hours. Let pellicle form. Smoke for about 5 hours, using 3 pans of hickory smoke.

[joesan]

Thanks Kerry - that recipe sounds interesting but I think it might be a little too sweet for what I am looking to achieve this time...

[jackal10]

I think you will need more than 3 hours of smoke, more like in the range 12-24 hours for salmon, unless you want a very light "london" cure.

BTW The orginal (regular not Nova) LOX is just heavily salted, not smoked. You would not want to eat it on its own, without the diluting schmeer of cream cheese and the bulk of the bagel.

Edited December 4, 2008 by jackal10 (log)

[Reignking]

Ironically, I realized that I used way too much salt (although still proportionally correct with the sugar) in the cure I'm doing right now. I checked it this morning -- 36 hours -- and it still needed more time. I'll go the 48 hours; I'm hoping that Ruhlman is correct that time is more important than quantity.

I've accidentally gone too long before, and the result was too salty.

[dougal]

... I plan on doing this outdoors and the Bradley will be demounted. I reckon the ambient temperature should be about 7-8c so I should be fine. I think I will need to fabricate a smoking chamber out of something. I wonder if a cardboard box would be okay? ...

←

Some aluminium ducting between the generator and Bradley 'cupboard' should do the trick. The standard internet wisdom is to include a cardboard box half way along. That'll increase the residence time, but frankly I can't see it making a major difference to the temperature of the delivered smoke.

Personally, I have used a cardboard box as a smoker cabinet, and generated cool thin smoke from a contraption based on a couple of scrap tin cans, a stainless pot scourer, a silicone bundt mould and an aquarium air pump!

Curing. If you've got solid undissolved salt, adding more is going to make precious little difference. With excess (ie undissolved) salt, its a matter of time (not quantity) variation to control how much makes its way into the fish.