I'll smoke a salmon fillet

I'm really craving smoked salmon. I'll have to use a smoker and I have no way to cold smoke it. I'm turning to you guys to help with a recipe, techniques and possibly a sauce. I'm thinking that creme fresh and rye bread will enter the equation. This will be for the family for holidays. Give me your best.

I'm thinking alder wood and a low flame on a smoker. I'll brine the fillet for a few hours and pat it dry. I'll try to keep the cooking temperature under 200F and cook the salmon for an unknown time.

I love smoked salmon, and my choice of wood when smoking this fish is apple. It imparts a nice flavor to the fish that I truly enjoy. You will want to soak the fish in a brine (kosher salt + h2o) overnight, and then let it dry for a few hours to form a pellicle prior to smoking. This is a sticky film that will form around the fish when air drying, and allows for the smoke to adhere and impart flavor on the salmon. I smoke around 175F until the fish hits 145F at the thickest part, and then pull it off.

Once smoked, you can add whatever sauce your taste buds are craving, from a creamy dill sauce to a tart dijon. Salmon is my favorite smoked fish, next to whitefish. We normally eat it plain, with no sauce. It is awesome on a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Cheers!

We used to smoke them in a home made aluminum foil tray in t pit. I like ash wood on the coals to gice a nice light side of medium smoke. Brining & drying a bit works even better. Then maybe melted garlic butter with lemon in it.

NTXBrauer said:

Once smoked, you can add whatever sauce your taste buds are craving, from a creamy dill sauce to a tart dijon. Salmon is my favorite smoked fish, next to whitefish. We normally eat it plain, with no sauce. It is awesome on a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Cheers!

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Try that smoked salmon with a bit of lingonberry preserves, or even a little spoonful of caviar, both very tasty!
Regards, GF.

My dad cooks his salmon on a cedar plank and says it's wonderful (i don't care for salmon).

Consider a technique like this link shows. Ive done adaptations of this depending what I've had on hand and they turn out great.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119317

NTXBrauer said:

I love smoked salmon, and my choice of wood when smoking this fish is apple. It imparts a nice flavor to the fish that I truly enjoy. You will want to soak the fish in a brine (kosher salt + h2o) overnight, and then let it dry for a few hours to form a pellicle prior to smoking. This is a sticky film that will form around the fish when air drying, and allows for the smoke to adhere and impart flavor on the salmon. I smoke around 175F until the fish hits 145F at the thickest part, and then pull it off.

Once smoked, you can add whatever sauce your taste buds are craving, from a creamy dill sauce to a tart dijon. Salmon is my favorite smoked fish, next to whitefish. We normally eat it plain, with no sauce. It is awesome on a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Cheers!

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this is the perfect method to do it, but the brine needs sugar as well.....Alton Brown has an episode on it

http://www.foodnetwork.com/altons-smoked-salmon/video/index.html

Great ideas and help here on this page for you...

If you have not decided on one of these recipes try this one...It is absolutely fabulous I promise you will thank me later.

First, get the freshest salmon one can buy...Like brewing, getting the freshest ingredients for cooking is imperative to great food.

Second, purchase quality teriyaki sauce (soy vay...veri veri teriyaki sauce) that's the brand name of the sauce. Its a must to get this kind of sauce, it makes a difference believe it or not. Get a bottle of liquid smoke, garlic salt, brown sugar, dried parsley flakes, and fresh cracked black....

Get salmon prepared and place in a glass baking dish for marinating. Mix the teriyaki sauce, 1 tbsp liquid smoke, a nice light coating of garlic salt, black pepper, and parsley flakes. Make sure the flesh is completely happy and covered in the magic marinade. Put flesh side down in dish to ensure the marinade is doing its job. leave in fridge for 24 hrs. Remove fish and let air dry on drying rack ( i use my rack from the smoker) for at least 8 hrs. This allows the marinade to dry and become tacky.... <---This step is probably the most important to this recipe. Just before you smoke the fish, add a nice light sprinkle of brown sugar to the fillet. Place flesh side down on smoke rack and smoke it at 180-200 for 45-60min depending on the mass of the fillet. I use hickory or mesquite.. you can try what ever blows your hair back. Enjoy

I love this dill sauce with salmon.

DILL SAUCE:
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
3/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Pepper to taste

Best to make it ahead of time and let it meld...goes good on other things as well.

Cheers...