Author Topic: Cold smoked salmon  (Read 2717 times)

dttorun

  • Guest
Cold smoked salmon
« on: April 27, 2012, 11:34:38 AM »
Hi,
Does anyone have a recipe/procedure about preparing cold smoked salmon? I am planning to add 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup pickling spice to 1 Gal of water but not sure about duration. I think I also need to add nitrite (pink salt). Any ideas?
Thanks,
Tan

dthelmers

  • Guest
Re: Cold smoked salmon
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2012, 01:09:02 PM »
Hi,
Does anyone have a recipe/procedure about preparing cold smoked salmon? I am planning to add 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup pickling spice to 1 Gal of water but not sure about duration. I think I also need to add nitrite (pink salt). Any ideas?
Thanks,
Tan
I dry cure mine usign a mix of 2 cups of kosher salt, 1 cup of brown sugar, and one ounce of Prague powder #1 (which is salt mixed with sodium nitrite at a rate of 6.25%). This is my standard dry cure with nitrite mix, and I sprinkle it onto the salmon filet at a rate of 1-1/2 tablespoons per pound of fish. I do two filets at a time, and I put some fresh dill between the two and wrap them up REALLY TIGHT with plastic wrap, then let them cure for several days, 3-5 depending on the thickness of the filet. Then cold smoke in something mild, like alder or silver maple. Hickory or cherry is too heavy a smoke flavor for my taste.

dttorun

  • Guest
Re: Cold smoked salmon
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2012, 01:19:14 PM »
Thanks for the reply. Are you rinsing the fillets after removing from the wrap or patting dry? Have you ever tried to add liquid smoke?
Tan

dthelmers

  • Guest
Re: Cold smoked salmon
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2012, 03:45:15 PM »
Yes, I rinse the filets and pat dry. otherwise there's too much salt on the surface. I let them sit until they form a pellicle, that sticky surface that helps in smoking. I have used liquid smoke, but it doesn't taste as good as real smoke; OK if you don't have a way to cold smoke, though.

knipknup

  • Guest
Re: Cold smoked salmon
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2012, 12:38:49 AM »
I'm curious (and, as you can tell, being pathetically lazy), what is cold smoking?  Are you speaking of what you do with cheese (low heat) or something else?  What are the benefits of cold smoking salmon versus 'standard' smoking - what I would call the process that results in cooked by around 4 hours for a 2lb filet?

dttorun

  • Guest
Re: Cold smoked salmon
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2012, 03:58:49 AM »
Yes, it is smoking the fish at low temperatures (80F max) to prevent cooking. Other than the taste, it is preserving the fish long term.
Tan