So I have a salmon question, help me out here please.

[fingerlickin']

I was tasked with smoking up some BBQ to give to my wife's grandparents as a Christmas gift. They are getting older and cooking isn't something they really enjoy doing anymore. The plan is to package meal size portions into food saver bags that they can pull out of the freezer and reheat whenever they want an easy meal. So I started with pulled pork, ribs, and some turkey necks for grandpop, since they are his favorite. That was the easy part.

Salmon is next on the list. Now I don't eat fish so I'm not too experienced when it comes to cooking it. I just bought the last of what they had at BJ's which was 1-2lb salmon filet and 1-1.5lb steelhead filet. Since I got back from the store and started researching methods of cooking these things I found out two things.

#1 is that steelhead isn't even salmon it's rainbow trout that looks like salmon, but can be cooked in a similar fashion.

#2 is that when reviewing Gore's So-I-don't-forget(-again) salmon recipe, which was how I was originally planning on preparing it, I realized that this method is prepared to be eaten cold the next day.

I think what I was looking for was to be able to hot, or warm smoke some salmon that they could reheat and eat warm when the time came. Will I be able to do that with Gore's method or do I not need to cure the salmon at all? I was hoping that by curing it, it would help kind of hold it together better for a reheat since I know salmon has a tendency to flake and fall apart easily.

What do you think is my best option to achieve my goal?

My original plan was this:

I was going to start the cure around 9pm tonight and planned on cooking it on the egg tomorrow night at around the same time. If I indeed keep this plan and 24 hrs seem too long to cure it, then I can take it out of the cure in the morning around 8am before I leave for work and let it air dry all day if need be.

I know that's a lot of typing for a simple question, but that seems to be my thing, sorry about that. :-D

 

[IamMadMan]

I was tasked with smoking up some BBQ to give to my wife's grandparents as a Christmas gift. They are getting older and cooking isn't something they really enjoy doing anymore. The plan is to package meal size portions into food saver bags that they can pull out of the freezer and reheat whenever they want an easy meal. So I started with pulled pork, ribs, and some turkey necks for grandpop, since they are his favorite. That was the easy part.

Salmon is next on the list. Now I don't eat fish so I'm not too experienced when it comes to cooking it. I just bought the last of what they had at BJ's which was 1-2lb salmon filet and 1-1.5lb steelhead filet. Since I got back from the store and started researching methods of cooking these things I found out two things.

#1 is that steelhead isn't even salmon it's rainbow trout that looks like salmon, but can be cooked in a similar fashion.

#2 is that when reviewing Gore's So-I-don't-forget(-again) salmon recipe, which was how I was originally planning on preparing it, I realized that this method is prepared to be eaten cold the next day.

I think what I was looking for was to be able to hot, or warm smoke some salmon that they could reheat and eat warm when the time came. Will I be able to do that with Gore's method or do I not need to cure the salmon at all? I was hoping that by curing it, it would help kind of hold it together better for a reheat since I know salmon has a tendency to flake and fall apart easily.

What do you think is my best option to achieve my goal?

My original plan was this:

I was going to start the cure around 9pm tonight and planned on cooking it on the egg tomorrow night at around the same time. If I indeed keep this plan and 24 hrs seem too long to cure it, then I can take it out of the cure in the morning around 8am before I leave for work and let it air dry all day if need be.

I know that's a lot of typing for a simple question, but that seems to be my thing, sorry about that. :-D

You do not need to cure hot smoked, grilled, or cedar planked salmon. It's cooked fresh and cooked hot, just cook, cool, and seal.

Just to parallel, ham is cured fresh pork, the difference is between the two products are vast. The same is true with cured salmon for cold smoking.

 

[BrianS]

If it were me I would do some plank grilled salmon with perhaps a few shrimp and mushrooms. How does this look? :-D

 

[Murray in N.Z.]

No quantities or times here but 40 yrs experience.....
Brine mix, 50/50 salt and brown sugar, enough in the bucket of water so that you can really taste the salt but its not repulsive and sugar so that you can just taste the sweetness starting to appear.
I create my majic in a cooler left in the shade of the shed.... coz the missus gets a bit upset when I fill the fridge with a big cooler...
Mix enough to allow your fish to swim in it so that you dont have to spend ages turning the fillets over to get good coverage.
Once the fish is in top up the bucket with ice cubes. This will slowly melt and dilute the brew the longer it is left so as not to overpower the fish. When you pick the fish out there should still be ice cubes in the water, so keep them topped up if'n you are leaving it for a while.
I generally do it over night andsmoke next evening...

Pull out, give it a bit of a rinse under fresh water if a sample slice tastes too salty and rack dry, small lots can be patted dry with towel, I use electric fan to get breeze moving over them, once dry n starting to shine its into the smoker, you cant really muck it up, if it gets white puffy circles on it you just did it with them a bit wet and its the steam bubble on the surface. Dont worry its all good.

Smoke temp.... I just use my handometer.. if I can leave it on the smoker and not notice it its too cold, if I have to pull it off quickly its too hot, you are aiming for a noticible yet comfortable temp.
Leave them in for about 2.5-3 hrs... thin pieces less, most of our fillets are 1.5 - 2 inches thick, if thicker than that I slide off a layer and that chefs treat raw fish YUM YUM! On really big sized fillets I leave them and just smoke for longer. Just check the edges, if the skinny bits are starting to dry out and go firm/hard the thick stuff will be great.

Some of my mates used fancy tea leaves mixed into the fire are the end to give a different flavour, fish with a hint of lemon, orange, herbs or even peppermint has been tasted.... but I aint that sort of guy.

Cool aand freeze, I dont have a vac bagger so eventually it all get freezer burn, When fresh its great for as is... when older I use it in smoked fish pies. no wastage. never lasts more than 2 months, probably would but its all ate by then no matter how much I do, damn .... off fishing again!

Over in N.Z. trout is called mudfish by us sea fishermen, it has a real delicate (bland) flavour and enjoys some smoke. The only ones worth commenting on are over 10lb, great fun to catch and OK eats,

Good luck
Muzza
Git R dun.

 

[Meat Meets Meat]

I usually just grill my salmon. I mix Dijon, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and a little olive oil and s&p then baste it while I grill. It's real easy and comes out great. I've never sealed and froze salmon but I recommend removing the skin since it would likely be soft and limp once reheated. And treat the steelhead the same as the salmon, basically the same thing.

 

[Gore]

Hi Jason, there's no easy answer. When you cure salmon, you're drawing out a lot of the moisture. You're absolutely correct that it is stiffer and will hold together. The problem is that if it is going to be reheated and served warm, it's going to be dry. I'm don't think this is what you're going for. If you're set on them eating this warm, then I would not cure it, but that is my preference. I have had people reheat the cured salmon and love it, at least that's what they told me. Without curing it, you can smoke or grill -- I find most prefer grilled like a steak. I'm not sure how this would freeze as this tends to be a juicier product. I don't think I answered your question, but maybe given you some food for thought.

 

[fingerlickin']

OK thank you for your thoughts everyone. New question...what temperature should I grill or smoke the uncured salmon to? We still talking 140*?

 

[Gore]

I personally prefer grilling fairly hot, like 500. I only cook between 2-3 minutes per side, so it is still pretty pink in the middle. I don't measure temp, but I'm guessing it's around 125* in the center. The hot temp makes breaks down the fat on the outside and makes it very juicy. I cook salmon a lot and do different techniques and most seem to prefer it this way. Other methods are also good, like a slower smoke to a higher temperature. I don't know if the hot grill is the best for your purpose. Imagine cooking a medium rare, juicy steak, then putting it in the freezer and reheating it later. I'm thinking slow smoked might be better for this purpose. Again, there is no right or wrong way, just different preferences, and there are lots with salmon.

 

[WineMaster]

When the white stuff starts oozing out. Its done.

Here is a better explaination of the white stuff

When Is It Done? - When the fish reaches about 120° internal, the fish will firm up and you might some white stuff start to ooze from the flesh. Relax, that's the serum albumen, a protein that is part of the blood. It will set up and congeal just like the albumen in egg whites. This is a signal that you need to watch the fish for doneness. (You can blot this off later with a paper towel after the fish has rested a few minutes). To avoid the albumen rising to the surface, keep your smoker temp 170° or below for the first 3 or 4 hours of the cook, ramping up the temp to 190° to 200° to get the fish to a finish temp.


All due respect to all the salmon cookers out there. This guy in my opinion is the authority.

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1995/02/seafood-dry-cure-for-salmon-trout-or.html

 

[Murray in N.Z.]

Well shoot me, is that what the white stuff is..... one lives and learns eh! :clap: