Cowgirl Inspired Smoked & Canned Steelhead ~ One More Off The Bucket List

[thirdeye]

I can about 45 (1/2 pint) jars of fresh trout, steelhead or salmon each year and some time ago after Cowgirl posted about canning cold smoked salmon I was all over the idea. Problem was, I hadn't pulled it off until a week or so ago. Her recipe is in several posts here and it's on her blog site as well. I used my dry brine for about 4 hours, rinsed and rested the fillets overnight and cold smoked the steelhead for 3 hours (it never got above 40° internal), so it was similar to lox.

My canner holds 14 jars when double decked so I got 8 jars of the regular recipe and 6 jars of the smoked. Seasoning was jalapeno rings, black pepper, toasted garlic powder, and red onion slices. I do vary from the USDA rules by adding olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of water, and process fish for 100 minutes @ 13psi. USDA recommends adding additional quart of water to the canner and 110 minutes for processing 'smoked' fish, but their RULES are based on pint jars. So basically I'm following rules for fresh fish canning.

The results were great, the smoked fish has a texture similar to my hot smoked fish, really nice color, very moist and a subtle smokey flavor. I have a couple of tweaks in mind for my next batch, but they are minor.

 

[Stingerhook]

That looks really good.

 

[creek bottom]

Looks fantastic!!! :thumb:

 

[BillN]

Oh yeah! that looks delicious.

 

[Smoking Piney]

Fantastic, thirdeye. :thumb:

I would crush a plate of it. :-D

 

[frankenfab]

I had a tin of smoked oysters on saltines for lunch today. Your stuff just put me in a frenzy!

 

[Garyclaw]

That's a beautiful treat!

 

[Big George's BBQ]

WOW That sounds and looks amazing Wayne Thanks

 

[lastmajordude]

Awesome Miss J.....love me some fish. Son brought some fresh spec trout filets from the gulf this week. Ended up blackened on griddle with my first home made romelade sauce.....the best meal I’ve cooked in a LOOOOONG time. Love me some fish!!

 

[mcyork28]

I absolutely love steelhead fishing. Will have try canning some, looks great.

 

[cowgirl]

Glad to hear it worked out for you!

I put up a couple cases a year. It's nice to have on hand.

For anyone interested in cold smoking and canning, here's a couple of links.

https://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2018/03/cold-smoking-and-canning-salmon-picture.html

https://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2013/09/cold-smoking-and-canning-salmon-for.html

I use the smoked salmon for a variety of dishes, most get canned as is, a few get canned with sliced jalapeno.

I cold smoke in my smokehouse and do not keep track of the internal temperature of the cured fish.... I monitor the temperature of the smoke and keep it under 75F, and above freezing.

I use vegetable oil for moisture. It's flavorless.

Clean the rims of the jars with white vinegar before adding hot lids.
A few with jalapeno...

This pressure canner holds 24 1/2 pints.

smoked salmon lasagna might be one of my favorite meals...

Canning times and pressures are different for each location. Be sure to check for your altitude.

It's a bit of work for one day, but you get to enjoy the smoked salmon the rest of the year. :-D

 

[thirdeye]

Good point on using vegetable oil. One friend that was gifted a jar liked it so much he's planning on canning 7 or 8 cold smoked trout this weekend. And I'm sure I'll do another run this month too.

 

[darita]

Geez...you guys are killing me! Salmon is one of my favorites, raw, smoked, on a bagel, any way I can get it!

 

[chambersuac]

Fantastic. Thanks

 

[SmokinAussie]

Strewth!