Smoked Salmon Cure too Salty

[2MANY]

3 brown sugar to 1 salt.
Meat to meat and skin to skin.

[lokidog]

I don't add any salt, although I brine not rub.  Half and half water/soy, 1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar for each cup of liquid, and spices.  IMO, rubs are for things like jerky or smoked red meat that you want to pull some moisture out of.  I don't want dry fish.

That's interesting.

I've never had a problem with producing smoked fish at the moisture level I prefer.  You need to pull some moisture out of it in order to achieve the longevity in shelf-life.  A brine generally is used to add moisture to meat, like a turkey before a long roast that would otherwise dry it out... 

I guess this is just a preference thing.

I don't want to add moisture to the fish - wouldn't the result have a very short shelf life (equivalent of baked fish) and prevent the pellicle from forming to hold the smoke?

I adjusted my recipe to reduce the ratio of salt and the result was much closer to what I'm looking for.  Still need to put in some work to dial it in but that was the solution I was looking for! (pun intended).

Actually, any brine that is saltier than the meat will pull moisture out, that's chemistry.  It might not pull as much moisture out as a rub, since the salt concentration is much higher in the rub, but it still pulls moisture out while putting salt and flavor in. As far as the pellicle goes, it forms one just fine and I just leave in the smoker until it is as dry as I want it.  I don't like "wet" smoked salmon and the fridge "shelf life" seems just fine... at least two weeks  before it gets moldy (this just reminded me I pulled some out of the freezer two weeks or so ago, yep just fine, yum). If you want to make salmon jerky that will keep outside of a fridge or freezer that's a different story.

[wildweeds]

1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup table salt, 1 gallon water, soak 12 hours. Light rinse,dry,hang smoke. I cut my fish in strips like pepperoni and hang it in the house to smoke.

[h20hunter]

Looks good!

Like others have said...3 to 1 and you are good to go.

[wildweeds]

I hang mine overnight on a rack with a fan drying it, after I blot off the lions share of the water from rinsing. My method is stolen directly from Bristol Bay natives, my dad spent 20 plus summers up there.

[sockeye66]

1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup table salt, 1 gallon water, soak 12 hours. Light rinse,dry,hang smoke. I cut my fish in strips like pepperoni and hang it in the house to smoke.

looks like the squaw candy we make up north. how long do you smoke it? looks really good

[wildweeds]

Sockeye, it takes a long time to smoke, the strips in the picture was 12 hours, I did some river silvers this morning they were thinner, done in 8. I go slow and no hotter than 125 degrees, the majority of the time the house is 115,as it cooks the house temp climbs, I ramp up to 150 for an hour at the end. And I have a freind from the bay up there ,and she says it's just the way her native momma/aunts made it. I have it dialed in, but it wasn't always that way,plenty of uh oh    batches went to the cream cheese spread.

[sockeye66]

have helped on many batches, sometimes doing as many as 90 kings at once. usually 6 or 7 people involved.all day project just to get prepared to go in the smoker. the people i know usually take a week to 10 days at least. all cold smoke. have to get together someday and talk about the good ol' days

[finnman]

I brine mine in a water mix. 3/4 cup kosher salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 quarts water, 1 tablespoon hickory smoke. Mix till all ingredients are dissolved, then pour over the salmon pieces, usually cut into cubes about 1 1/2 inches square. Soak for 24 hours. Place on smoker at 130 degrees for 2 hours, remove, let cool, then peel skin, place in canning jars, then can in pressure canner.
The best!!!!