Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => The Fish Kitchen => Topic started by: Kever on October 16, 2015, 09:22:24 PM
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How long do you normally brine your salmon? Would it ruin the salmon to freeze it after brining and washing? Not sure I have time to smoke it but I already have my chum in the dry brine.
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I usually brine them overnight.
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5 percent brine for 1 hr or equals amounts of white sugar and kosher salt with cracked coriander,zest of lemons and limes light dusted for 12 hrs .
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if it's been brined it may not freeze or it may require very low temperature to freeze as the flesh will have absorbed salt & that will lower the freezing temp. Most people freeze the fish first then thaw brine and smoke.
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Got this recipe from a staff member at Sea Run years back and it's all I use now. Still experiment with random brines from time to time as it's cheap and easy and tastes great!
1 cup regular brown sugar (the light brown stuff)
1 cup demerara suagr (dark like molasses)
1/2 pickling salt (not iodized table salt!!!)
This is about enough for 3-4 average size fillets. Make more of less mix and jst kep same ratios.
I keep the skin on but you can remove it. You can leave the fillets whole or cut in strips. Marinate fillets for 18-24 hours. The mix will go on dry and turn to a snotty liquid as the salt pulls water out of the meat. This is normal. After time is up take fish out and pat dry with paper towel. DON'T rinse with water.
Lay fish out on cookie sheet(s). Brush with maple syrup and crack black pepper over fish. Let sit ANOTHER 18-24 hours. Put saran over fish or you could use a container that seals.
Now put the fish on your smoking racks. You can smoke it up right now but I like to dry the fish out a bit. So I have a fan blowing on the racks in the smoker for 6-8 hours. I try to get up early like 6am or so, get the fish drying, then get it smoking after lunch.
I do 3-4 pans of chips usually a mix of cherry, alder, etc. I wouldn't recommend hickory or mesquite but that's just my preference.
3-4 pans takes my L-chief about 3 hours. From there I just leave it until it's how I like it, about another 3-5 hours.
This time of year I find the L-chief doesn't heat up worth a crap. I built a box that goes over it with a removable lid to adjust the heat. If you have a cheap smoker like mine you will likely have to rig something up or you will more or less be doing a cold smoke.
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I put a box over top of my smoker to keep the heat in. Also have a insulation blanket for hotwater tank that will go on the box if it gets colder. It also helps to keep the smoke in the smoker just a bit longer.
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Freeze it, before you smoke it, that’s imported.
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Why is that? I have been told this by one buddy who freezes his fish before smoking to kill the parasites or something like that.
I figure salmon is regularly eaten RAW without issue, I myself have probably eaten a truckload of sashimi over the years without a single incident of anal urgency. Also the fish has the crap brined out of it then smoked until quite dry. I suppouse the smoker does not get hot enough to kill whatever crawlies might be in the meat but...I'm calling bs on this one. I've smoked probably 50 salmon over the last 10 or so years I've been smoking fish without a single issue.
Now I HAVE gotten sick from undercooked wings at a restaurant in the last year. That was nasty! :o
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Why is that? I have been told this by one buddy who freezes his fish before smoking to kill the parasites or something like that.
I was told it facilitates the fish absorbing the brine.
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i have been doing just a dry brine with good success !
really have been cutting back on the salt!
just brown sugar or demura. soya sauce , bit of kosher sea salt and a tad of hot sauce and pepper !
soak in brine for 24 hrs, dry on racks til ready and smoke !
doesnt last long around here
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I was told it facilitates the fish absorbing the brine.
Interesting. I've never heard that. I'll do a bit more online research on this later in the day. I have brined + smoked fish that was previously frozen, and fish that was caught fresh that day. Honestly never noticed a difference in taste. I imagine in theory previously frozen fish will soak in brine better, but I say if you have a nice fresh fish that you want to smoke just got ahead and brine the damn thing and smoke it up!!
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Freezing fish in a regular freezer ruins the texture of the fish because of the size of the ice crystals. Commercial company have hi tech flash freezers. The faster the process the smaller the crystal, the better the texture will be.Most home cook would notice the difference but it's a huser difference when I come to play in a professional kitchen. Brine smoke freeze. Brining add flavour,changes the texture and moisture via osmosis and if vacuum seal it will maintain a good over all texture . This method has been tested by Harold mcgee who is the top food scientist in the world ,he also works with the worlds top Michelin chefs to help them perfect cooking techniques.
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Freezing fish in a regular freezer ruins the texture of the fish because of the size of the ice crystals. Commercial company have hi tech flash freezers. The faster the process the smaller the crystal, the better the texture will be.Most home cook would notice the difference but it's a huser difference when I come to play in a professional kitchen. Brine smoke freeze. Brining add flavour,changes the texture and moisture via osmosis and if vacuum seal it will maintain a good over all texture . This method has been tested by Harold mcgee who is the top food scientist in the world ,he also works with the worlds top Michelin chefs to help them perfect cooking techniques.
"huser difference"?
"Michelin chefs"?
Are we taking about the same thing here? I don't want to brine my tires...although...that may soften them up and they'll grip better on snow and ice?
I think I'll just kep doing what I have been doing for 10+ years with fish smokin. If it's a fresh fish and I want to get it smoked, I'm not going to arse around with freezing, thawing, etc. I'm just going to brine and smoke it. If smoking it right away is not an option, I'll freeze it until I'm ready.
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i have been doing just a dry brine with good success !
really have been cutting back on the salt!
just brown sugar or demura. soya sauce , bit of kosher sea salt and a tad of hot sauce and pepper !
soak in brine for 24 hrs, dry on racks til ready and smoke !
doesnt last long around here
Soya sauce is also very high in sodium which will help cure the fish.
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How long are you all smoking your fish for? Been experimenting with different smoke times, from 6h to 9h. I'm running a Little Chief with a homemade insulation blanket and it seems around 8-9h is ideal.
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How long are you all smoking your fish for? Been experimenting with different smoke times, from 6h to 9h. I'm running a Little Chief with a homemade insulation blanket and it seems around 8-9h is ideal.
Depends on the thickness of your fish. The thicker the longer.
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Fair enough. After a 6h smoke yesterday the coho was cooked perfectly, most of the chum was good, and some chum was raw.
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i have a bradley and i smoke with the pucks for 1 and half hours
thats for pinks and coho i have been doin this year
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I have worked in the meat and fish departments for about 45 years. I have spoken to a number of people that smoke all types of meat and fish for a living.to fish, they said that freezing the fish first is very inportant because the freezing process bursts the water cells in the flesh of the fish and when you brine the fish it sucks up the brine like a sponge. Then the brine penetrates farther in the flesh. You then get a better brine. All I ever use is brown sugar and coarse salt. You can layer to fillets as high as you wish, The most important part is to keep the fish and brine cold. I always put the product in the fridge overnight. In the morning there will be a lot of liquid in the container that you are using. I then rinse the fish with cold water, I then lay out the fish on a old clean towel and pat dry with paper towels. Then I brush on which ever flavour I wish and I leave the fish at room temperature. I often just use Soy sause and then springel on brown sugar, but you can put on any flour that you wish, any flavor works just fine. Unless the weather is hot-I always leave my little chief smoker in the box, this way the smoker better because it is protected somewhat from the cold and especially the wind. The wind is your worst enemy, the wind keeps the smoker from getting hot. Enjoy. I am more than willing to do a taste test on your finished product. HO HO HO.
PS.- Be sure that the container is large enough so the fluid that comes out of the fish does not overflow and mess up your fridge.
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I have worked in the meat and fish departments for about 45 years. I have spoken to a number of people that smoke all types of meat and fish for a living.to fish, they said that freezing the fish first is very inportant because the freezing process bursts the water cells in the flesh of the fish and when you brine the fish it sucks up the brine like a sponge. Then the brine penetrates farther in the flesh. You then get a better brine. All I ever use is brown sugar and coarse salt. You can layer to fillets as high as you wish, The most important part is to keep the fish and brine cold. I always put the product in the fridge overnight. In the morning there will be a lot of liquid in the container that you are using. I then rinse the fish with cold water, I then lay out the fish on a old clean towel and pat dry with paper towels. Then I brush on which ever flavour I wish and I leave the fish at room temperature. I often just use Soy sause and then springel on brown sugar, but you can put on any flour that you wish, any flavor works just fine. Unless the weather is hot-I always leave my little chief smoker in the box, this way the smoker better because it is protected somewhat from the cold and especially the wind. The wind is your worst enemy, the wind keeps the smoker from getting hot. Enjoy. I am more than willing to do a taste test on your finished product. HO HO HO.
PS.- Be sure that the container is large enough so the fluid that comes out of the fish does not overflow and mess up your fridge.
Sandy, I have some white spring vacuum sealed in the deep freeze, I'll try smoking that soon as per your recommendation. Thanks.
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Sandy, I have some white spring vacuum sealed in the deep freeze, I'll try smoking that soon as per your recommendation. Thanks.
Please let me know how it works for you. Thanks
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Fair enough. After a 6h smoke yesterday the coho was cooked perfectly, most of the chum was good, and some chum was raw.
I wonder if the raw chum after smoking was due to the quality of the fish.
Last fall, I bonked a very clean coho from the C/V in mid Oct. Upon filleting the fish for smoking, I found the flesh of the fish to be very soft. Quite unexpected for a mid Oct bright fish.
I wondered if brining and smoking would firm it up, but the end product after smoking was still mushy fish pieces.
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I wonder if this has to do with whether you froze the fish before, after, or during rigor mortis?
I have no idea, but am curious about it. I've gotten coho out of the Vedder that, while I wouldn't say was mushy, was not the greatest. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will pipe in.
I've had the same experience with a couple of pinks as you Clarkii. Blehhhh..