I made the brine with
iodine free salt. That's very important since the iodine, I'm told, will make the meat mushy. The solution should so salty that a potato will float. That is about one pound per gallon of water. I used warm water to dissolve so much salt and allowed it to cool back down to room temp. I also added a ratio of brown sugar. It give the meat an interesting texture once the process is complete. It doesn't add any sweetness to the fish. None that I can detect at least.
The fish was brined for 10-15 minutes. Too long, in such a heavily brined solution, and the fish is too salty. No worries, just soak it in fresh water to correct it.
The fish was hung in the smokehouse, a 4'x4'x8' structure, for 24 hours, or more if you like, to allow the fish slime and moisture to run off the meat and allow it to dry while it hangs. This is the curing process.
I used alder to apply the smoke to the fish. I don't know that it really matters what hard wood you use, apple or cherry or whatever.... It's just that alder is all over the place here and grows like weeds, so it's the obvious choice.
The fish was cold smoked for 5 days. Cold because there's not much heat that isn't absorbed by the cold weather here. It was in the 40's while I was doing this, this time. Some years it's colder outside, but not so cold the fish would freeze before I was done.
After the fifth day, I brought it in and ran it through a dehydrator at 140*f for eight hours. Otherwise it would have to hang for a much longer time.
It's a week long process and there was about 100 pounds of cleaned fish I caught all summer.
I think cutting into strips is a good idea. The best way to do this is to freeze the filet and use a large thin and very sharp knife to cut the strips while the meat is still partially frozen. It gives you good control to manage the thickness of the meat.
If you ever want to come to Alaska for a fishing trip, let me know since I run a nice little vacation rental that is right in the middle of all the fishing fun. I would be happy to accommodate a fellow brewer. Look me up at
http://www.cabinbaleen.com
Lastly, don't ever discard the salmon bellies. Dry brine those and hot smoke them. They're great to eat with shots of vodka and hard cheese.
They are so oily and delicious it's crazy to throw them away.