How does Brining salmon work?

[Rob]

Never done this before and looking to try it out. 
-What is in the brine mix?
-how long do you brine?
-Do you put anything on it after brining or just smoke it?

Thanks!

[Skyvalhunter]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,4388.msg2210194.html#msg2210194

[The Weazle]

The salt and sugar pull out the moisture and cures the meat.

My favorite brine is 2 cups dark brown sugar, 2 cups salt, 10 teaspoons garlic powder.  Mix it all up.  lay fish in a container and cover with brine, lay down another layer of fish, cover with brine, repeat.  cover, put in fridge for 24 hours.  Rinse off fish, let air dry.  put in smoker at about 150* until desired doneness. 

[jackelope]

I like 4 cups brown sugar and 1 cup sea salt but I don't like my smoked salmon to be too salty. A little garlic salt and some black pepper. Brine for 24, rinse it off real good, pat dry then air dry for 12 hours and smoke. Mm mm good.

[WSU]

3 parts dark brown sugar to one part sea salt. Put a layer on the bottom of a plastic or glass container. Place one layer of fish skin down. Repeat sugar/salt mix. Place fish meat down. Repeat sugar/salt. Repeat with skin to skin and meat to meat. Let sit a day or so while mixing to make sure everything contacts the brine.  Rinse and let air dry until tacky feeling. I add black pepper pepper before smoking. Experiment with garlic and other spaces.  Once you get the base cute down you really can't go wrong.

[Rob]

Excellent!  starting the brine tonight!

[Tjv28]

All of these brines will work. The most important part is the prep and cleaning. Make sure to rinse thoroughly before, brine for 4-12 hours (depending on thickness of fillets), rinse thoroughly again, pat dry, and let sit until you see a tacky skin develop. Good luck!

[GUHunter]

The standard recipe among my family for years has been to dissolve 3/4 cup salt in 1 quart water. Once dissolved, add 2 and 1/2 cups brown sugar and then brine fish for roughly 12 hours. Rinse fish in cold water and then pat dry with paper towels before smoking with alder until desired doneness is attained.

A couple years back, I ran into a situation where I had fish brining but was unavailable to smoke the fish for several days. I ended up leaving the fish brining for roughly 4 days in the refrigerator before completing the rest of the process as normal. It was one of the best batches I'd ever made. I typically brine multiple days now.

[Alchase]

Never done this before and looking to try it out. 
-What is in the brine mix?
-how long do you brine?
-Do you put anything on it after brining or just smoke it?

Thanks!

1. Sugar or salt are they main ingredients both will work, both wet and dry. All other ingredients are for flavor. One of my favorites is pure maple syrup and/or garlic added to the brine. Tons of combinations you can use. Usually 2/3 suger 1/3 salt to start, then add what you want for flavor.
2. Usually over night for a dry brine. Twenty four hours for a wet brine. Once the fish has "cooked" in the brine, anything longer is for taste and texture. The longer in the brine the stiffer the fish gets.
3. Depends on what you are making, usually you rinse the fish well after brine. If making Squaw candy, re-coat with brown sugar then put in smoker

[Alchase]

As GUhunter said, after rinsing the fish, ensure you pat dry!