Looking for a good Cold Smoke Recipe

[jdowning8]

I am looking for a good cold smoke recipe for fish. I love cold smoked salmon, and have heard that there are some recipes out there applicable to other types of fish. I just started researching this. Any recipes you have will be appreciated. JD

 

[LadyFish]

Re: Looking for a good Cold Smoke Recipe

I found this one.<br /><br />For 5-10 lb salmon, clean and split. Make slash cuts 1/4-1/2" deep on the bias in the skin sides. Weigh out pickling salt (non-iodized) equal to 15% of the fish weight and divide it into two proportionate piles. Rub the salt well into the upper 2/3s of each side but none on the lower 1/3 tail section.<br /><br />Run a stout cord or dowel through the shoulders of each side and hang in a well ventilated, cool, dry place for 2-3 hours. Rinse well under running water to remove all salt.<br /><br />At this point, seasonings may be added in a powder form or in a flavored alcohol mixture. Some seasonings used are garlic, onion, mustard seed, bay leaf, coriander, cardamon, cloves, mace, alspice, fennel, dill, etc. Vodka & optional seasonings may be rubbed on to the fish prior to smoking and after the salt has been removed.<br /><br />The fish is hung again in the well ventilated, cool, dry place, until a shiny surface is formed.<br /><br />Next the fish is exposed to a rather dense smoke of oak, hickory, apple, (some europeans even use use a little juniper) at temperatures not exceeding 90 degrees. The smoking should continue for at least 36 hours and may, in Finland where it may kept for several months) be smoked up to 3 weeks.<br /><br />Smoking need not be continuous during the whole period, but a 70-90 temperature should be maintained. Fish prepared this way should have a firm yet flexible flesh that can be cut on the bias in sections thin enough to read through. It will keep in the 'fridge for months, but it never lasts that long. Good to seal in plastic bags. Evacuat all the air. But that is a waste of time. It all gets eaten very quickly.<br /><br />This must be done in a smoker. If you don't have a smoker, you can convert a 30 cu. foot, upright freezer into a smoker. The racks are stainless steel. Supply the smoke through 3" conduit from a brick smoke pit 20 ft. away. Mount a thermometer through the front door.

 

[LadyFish]

Re: Looking for a good Cold Smoke Recipe

Here's another......<br /><br />Cold Smoking or Nova Lox<br /><br />Cold smoking is very hard to do at home because you need to have a smoker capable of keeping the temperature to 80 F or less. One way to do this is to have your heat source (smoke generator) far enough away that the smoke cools before<br />it reaches your smoker. A good smoker is an old refrigerator with a small wood<br />stove to generate the smoke. All you have to do is add more stove pipe to move the wood stove away from the refrigerator. You can also use wet wood to keep the heat down. Place a long-stem thermometer in the refrigerator to keep track of the temperature.<br /><br />1. Begin with either fresh or frozen salmon. Frozen is actually easier because some of the moisture is lost during freezing and thawing and that is what you are going to accomplish during the smoking process anyway.<br />2. If the fish isn’t already filleted, do it now and cut into even sized pieces. I like 2x4 inches.<br />3. Now you must make a brine of salt and brown sugar and if you like a specific spice - go ahead and add it to the brine. I like to mix the brine 2:1 salt to brown sugar, but if you like a sweeter finished product, adjust it to your taste by adding more brown sugar. You must mix enough brine to completely immerse your fish in the solution. One way to tell if you have enough salt is to float an egg. If it floats, you have enough salt. It’s about 100%.<br />4. A white five gallon bucket works well for brining fish. Place your fish into the brine and place the bucket into refrigeration. Leave it there for 12 hours for thinner fillets and 24 hours for thicker fillets. Before removing from the brine, slice one of the pieces of fish to see if the brine has completely saturated the flesh. If not, leave it in the brine longer. Previously frozen fish takes less time than freshly caught product.<br />5. Remove fish from the brine and rinse under the cold running water for 1 hour for thinner fillets and 2 hours for thicker fillets.<br />6. Remove from the rinse, rack, and place it under refrigeration to cure for at least 12 more hours.<br />7. Place in a smoker and set the temperature to 70 F. Smoke until the fish has a glazed look to it. It should take about 12-16 hours if you have good air circulation.<br />8. Take the fish out of the smoker and cool it down before vacuum sealing.<br />9. After packaging. If the fish wasn’t previously frozen, be sure to freeze it for a couple of days for parasite control.<br /><br />That is about all there is to smoking fish. It’s a lot of trial and error and record keeping. Being in the smoking business, I have tried everyone’s smoking recipes and not two have been alike. So be inventive and try to make your own favorite smoked salmon recipe.<br /><br />Link to Site

 

[lakeman1999]

Re: Looking for a good Cold Smoke Recipe

sounds to me like you are eating raw fish. Ttiissccccchhh!!