Hot smoking salmon is no harder than cold smoking, it just needs a different approach and some basic knowledge.
When
hot smoking salmon, it is considered best to leave the sides on whole
or to halve them which gives you a nice tail and head to work with.
Remember that the larger the
pieces of salmon are, the longer they will take to brine and smoke, so
make allowances for this if you are cooking large pieces for dinner!
The
quickest way to hot smoke your salmon is to slice up the fillets into
two inch wide pieces as they will brine more quickly and take in a
great deal more flavor as there is more surface area available for the
smoke to infuse.
You
will find the right size of salmon pieces that suit you according to
the time taken to cook, the amount of smokiness in the meat, as well as
having the opportunity to reduce the amount of salmon pieces that you
have to mess around with.
It's just a matter of personal preference and the time you have available.
Making a brine for the salmon
You will need a brine solution for the salmon, as with all smoked fish.
Take
a cup and mix together 1 and a half cups of salt, 1 and a half cups of
soft brown sugar into a full gallon of cold water which will give you
roughly an 80 percent concentration of brining solution to use.
You
can test the concentration of the brine by placing an egg into it and
see if it floats. If it doesn't, add a little salt at a time, stir, and
wait until the egg starts to float.
As a guide, you will find that a gallon of brine is good for around four pounds of salmon.
Now
that you have your brine, you can add flavor to it if you wish. Garlic,
worcestershire sauce, herbs and spices all work well. You can find some
brine recipes in our BBQ smoker marinades section.
Brining the Salmon
Prick
the skin in its thickest areas using the tines of a fork (making sure
that it is clean first), and this will allow the brine to penetrate the
salmons flesh.
Leave the brine in for around an hour per inch of thickness of the salmon.
Use
the first time you use your brine as a benchmark for the next. If you
want the salmon to have a little more saltiness or flavor, increase the
amount of salt and/or worcestershire sauce, garlic etc. If you want it
less flavorsome, then do the opposite.
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The Pellicle
Prior
to hot smoking the salmon, it is vital that the Pellicle forms on the
outer surface of the salmon. The Pellicle is a coating that will form
on the fish after it has been air-dried (vital), caused by the
broken-down proteins that follow as a result of the brining process.
To
start the pellicle-forming process, all you need to do is remove the
salmon from the brine solution and give the pieces a quick rinse in
cold water. Once the fish has been rinsed, place the pieces onto a rack
with the skin facing downwards, and allow it to dry.
A domestic
cooling fan is an invaluable aid for speeding up the process of
air-drying the salmon, or any other fish that is to be hot smoked.
Leave
the salmon to dry, and wait until the surface is barely sticky to the
touch. At this point the Pellicle has formed, and the fish is ready to
be put into the hot smoker.
Hot Smoking the Salmon
The
time it will take to cook the fish depends largely on how thick the
pieces of fish are, and of course, the temperature of the hot smoker.
As
a rule of thumb, allow one hour per inch of thickness of salmon,
starting when the smokers temperature hits 180f, continuing to smoking
it until the salmon reaches 160f or until the fish flakes easily.
