Salmon questions

Brauma

Brauma

somebody shut me the fark up.
Joined
May 4, 2005
Messages
6,508
Reaction score
1,208
Points
0
Age
58
Location
Coral Bay, USVI
I've read several threads about salmon and have a few questions:

  1. How do I wind up with that pretty red glaze at the end?
  2. Should I grill or smoke?
  3. Can I smoke on a plank?
  4. Rub?

Here's what I'm thinking and then you can steer me from here. I plan to brine in a simple water, salt & brown sugar bath for maybe 2 hours prior. Then marinate briefly in teriyaki before hitting the pit. Then make a glaze for the end.

I think I may be adding too many unnecessary steps or either I'm very close.

Thanks in advance.
 
I just season and smoke or plank, no brine or marinade. The red (pink) comes out naturally.
 
I've done salmon a lot. I generally get the best reviews the easiest way:
1. Season both sides with Lawry's, pepper, parsley -- not as much as steak as this
holds the seasoning more. You can vary this as you like of course. There's no end to the spice combos you can add, but you asked for simple.
2. Get the grill hot (>600) and toss it on. Cut the heat to 450-500 if you can.
3. Flip after 2-3 minutes
4. Take off after 2-3 minutes and serve.

Ideally, you want to break down the fat so that juice is flowing, but leave the interior pink to red, depending on your preference. It's really quite similar to cooking a steak. Outside should have a slight crust and be oily.

Again, this is easy and I always get rave reviews. I'm not a fan of marinades and sauces on salmon as I like the salmon flavor.
 
We just use EVOO, salt and pepper and grill it on foil. I've used cedar planks, but the foil works just as good as far as my bride is concerned. Skin side down on foil, flip after about 8-10 mins to other side of the foil and the skin will stick to the first side of the foil. Cook till it flakes, but not overdone. Fix asparagas at the same time with the evoo and s&p. good meal.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna keep it simple tomorrow. I'm doing some butts and baby backs as well. The wife requested salmon last minute.
 
I prefer EVOO, S&P, and lemon slices grilled. Another favorite is Dizzy Pig's "Ragin' River" rub...great on salmon. :cool:
 
JD McGee said:
I prefer EVOO, S&P, and lemon slices grilled. Another favorite is Dizzy Pig's "Ragin' River" rub...great on salmon. :cool:
Click to expand...


My favorite so far is the Ragin River ...... lotta good ways to do it well, follow the recipe on the dizzy pig website and you'll be happy. Planks work well too. Try to get fresh not farm raised!
 
The Dizzy Pig Ragin River stuff is out of this world, seriously a sprinkle of that on Salmon is world class fish.
 
I just finished wrapping up two Sockeye filets (minus the tails) with thirdeyes Salmon cure recipe.
http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1995/02/seafood-dry-cure-for-salmon-trout-or.html

We had the tail ends for dinner grilled on the gasser with Dizzy Pig Raging River.

I did an Alaskan King with a modified thirdeye version last weekend ( I didn't have Bay leaves or white pepper) but it was fantastic and it was the rave of the Easter brunch.

Brining has always been my preferred method for cold smoking and I've played around with Apple Juice, Soy sauce, Teriyaki etc. in some of the brines, but the cure has opened my eyes-and tastebuds!

Jim Minions Cardogs Salmon is another recipe worthy to try

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/salmon1.html
 
Now why didnt I think of going to Wayne's blog?? He's the man!

Ive done Jim's method before. The wife loved it but I wasnt crazy about it. Maybe I used too much brown sugar but it tasted like salmon candy.

I'm pretty sure Ive got all of Chris' (Dizzy Pigs) stuff. I'll going out to now to look for Raging River.

Thanks!!!
 
My favorite salmon.

Smoke salmon till almost done with salt pepper and a light sprinke of old bay.
While its smoking, sautee shallots and lots of garlic for a couple of min, then add 1-1 1/2 cups teriaki and let reduce to syrup consistancy. For the last 5 min, I crank up the heat on the traeger and start glazing. Serve with a Mango, Kiwi, and red onion relish on top. I call it river relish, cause its great with anything that comes out of the water and definitely better for you than tarter sauce.

Dan
 
WineMaster said:
My favorite salmon.

Smoke salmon till almost done with salt pepper and a light sprinke of old bay.
While its smoking, sautee shallots and lots of garlic for a couple of min, then add 1-1 1/2 cups teriaki and let reduce to syrup consistancy. For the last 5 min, I crank up the heat on the traeger and start glazing. Serve with a Mango, Kiwi, and red onion relish on top. I call it river relish, cause its great with anything that comes out of the water and definitely better for you than tarter sauce.

Dan
Click to expand...

Oh that sounds so good! :clap2:

The first salmon I did I used a salt brine overnight, rinsed it off and smoked with Mesquite about 4 hours. I'm a fan of the Kiss principal.

I also tried a Mahi Mahi the same way but added evoo and a mild citrus rub. Boy that was good. :thumb:
 
I bought one fillet of sockeye. $20 and it was totally worth it. I had so many other things going on today that I never did the brine. I just moistened the fillet with lemon juice, rubbed with Dizzy Pig's Ragin River, grilled on the Egg at 500* skin-side down for 5 min, flipped and grilled for another 5. Plattered and drizzled again with lemon.

Awesome!
 
Brauma said:
I've read several threads about salmon and have a few questions:

  1. How do I wind up with that pretty red glaze at the end?
  2. Should I grill or smoke?
  3. Can I smoke on a plank?
  4. Rub?
Here's what I'm thinking and then you can steer me from here. I plan to brine in a simple water, salt & brown sugar bath for maybe 2 hours prior. Then marinate briefly in teriyaki before hitting the pit. Then make a glaze for the end.

I think I may be adding too many unnecessary steps or either I'm very close.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

fe687265.jpg


One way to get a red glaze is to cure, then let the fish dry in the fridge before smoking. I like a dry cure over a brine, but that's just me. The one above was smoked for at least 3 hours and finished with cherry, which really adds to the color.


DSC09521a.jpg


If you don't want cured fish, still dry your fish before adding your rub (and Dizzy Pig Raging River or Tsunami spin is a good place to start), then cook over a medium hot fire. The natural oils will sweat to the surface. I never turn salmon.​


dsc01345aL.jpg


For planking, the same holds true if you are going natural, with no added glaze.​


DSC07422a.jpg


And if you want to add a sauce, like this pesto, I add it at the beginning. But if you were using a nice shiny sauce like a sweet cherry I would wait until the fish sets up a little.​

I'm not a big fan of adding tamari or Teriyaki sauce during the cook, but having some to drizzle on at the table works for me.​


DSC09087b.jpg


The best tip is just don't overcook it. Don't wait for it to be flaky on the cooker or it will be overdone. The other thing to consider is to decide if you like it hot or chilled. For me....grilled and planked salmon is better hot, and the cured smoked salmon is better when chilled overnight.​
 
Good stuff Wayne. I have a question about the pesto pic. looks like a flame coming out of the bottom left side of the fish. Ss that an optical illustion, or a secret way to cook it?
 
Incredible. Thanks Wayne. I'm seeing some more fish cooking in my immediate future.
 
beerguy said:
Good stuff Wayne. I have a question about the pesto pic. looks like a flame coming out of the bottom left side of the fish. Ss that an optical illustion, or a secret way to cook it?
Click to expand...

Heheee. I see what you mean. What actually happened was I had the lid up on the cooker a little too long when taking pictures. My camera has a burst setting where it will snap 3 in a row when the shutter button is pressed. The last picture of that series showed the woosh of flame. It died immediately when I closed the come, but it looked pretty scary through the viewfinder.

DSC07423a.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

N
Cedar-smoked salmon last night. Not bad. Questions
Replies
9
Views
541
Big George's BBQ
Big George's BBQ
cayenne
Can you smoke a store bought ham (Spiral or otherwise) ?
2 3
Replies
42
Views
2K
thirdeye
thirdeye
S
Buckboard ham
2
Replies
24
Views
721
stickman
S
B
Q: Anyone done sweet potatoes on the griddle?
Replies
9
Views
734
SmokinAussie
SmokinAussie
N
Oh snap 10 lb ham coming next week
Replies
5
Views
413
Negolien
N
Back
Top