Post by: Wea300mag on January 27, 2008, 06:33:22 PM
Brine:
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup salt
½ cup soy sauce
3 cups water
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
1 cup red wine (most say use white, I like red, it adds good color too)
2 tbsp tabasco sauce
2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
Note: Most recipes call for way too much salt, the brown sugar makes the brine, not the salt.
Mix all ingredients together and let set for an hour to allow brine to saturate, stir thoroughly. Soak fish in brine for 12-20 hours depending on thinkness. (I don’t rinse after brining like many instructions say.) Place on smoker racks with thickest pieces at the bottom and thickest side orientated to the sides. Sprinkle fresh gound pepper and brown sugar on each piece of fish. I use a simple Big Chief smoker and start with 3 pans of alder chips over the first 3 hours. After a total of 6-8 hours(depending on thickness) the fish is done. I use the original box as an insulation blanket around the smoker. Here are the before and after pics. I smoked this batch today and am eating this piece right now (It's the BOM).
Post by: tmike on January 27, 2008, 07:05:04 PM
Post by: FISHBOY on January 27, 2008, 07:09:01 PM
Post by: Wea300mag on January 27, 2008, 07:25:29 PM
Please post the procedure/ingredients for the dry brine. I've never tried the dry version and would like to try one that has been refined already. I, like you, have tried many different brines and finally tweaked one to fit how I like it. Yes, fresh fish is always best but when you run out of the smoked fish in the middle of the winter it works good on the frozen fillets too. I have made lots of salmon dip with the cream cheese (never used liquid smoke, until now :chuckle:) I usually save the dryer pieces for that. Finally, it is even better with a beer or mixed drink of your choice.
FISHBOY,
I have never measured the temp in the smoker, but using the original box as an insulator I would estimate the temp at 150-160ish. It's no where near 200-225.
Post by: tmike on January 27, 2008, 08:02:50 PM
I don't think I've refined anything. I always think there is a better way, except for the favorite beverage part before , during , and after. I have that part down.I think the key to a dry brine is also timing. Mortons sugar cure is good, it comes in a blue 1lb bag. Rub that on your fillets for no more than 1 1/2 hours, then rinse it well, let dry, put in smoker, sprinkle brown sugar, drink, smoke, eat. Very easy and good.
Lately I've mixed 2 parts brown sugar, to 1 part salt. Layered the fish and brine and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. It will turn to liquid. Rinse lightly, drink more, dry, smoke , eat.
Here's one that's not really a dry brine but can be done quickly.I learned from an old Italian to just use a 100% brine. Drop a potato in a pot of water, heat, and start adding salt. When the potato floats it's 100%. Lay your fish in a cooler and poor the cooled brine over the top. Leave for 15-30 minutes max. Lay the fillets on an angle and let them drain for a few hours. Drink, smoke, eat. Fresh is the key to this one and I guess I've been spoiled having access to great fish. For all I know the brines suck, but if you have fresh fish, which isn't always an option, and add beverages you can't go wrong. I like to keep it simple.
Now if you want to pickle some. I can hook you up with a killer recipe that's pretty easy too! :brew:
Post by: Bearhunter on January 27, 2008, 08:12:14 PM
Post by: M_ray on January 27, 2008, 08:12:38 PM
Post by: tmike on January 27, 2008, 08:18:54 PM
Post by: washingtonmuley on January 27, 2008, 08:25:42 PM
I use a dry brine and I get many compliments after years of perfecting. I use a mixture of brown sugar 3 cups to 1 cup of salt,red pepper flakes,garlic salt or powder, and a little of an other seasoning you might like. I then lay the fillets in a glass container face up and rub the mixture into the fillets and then the nextlayer will be face down and then rotate each layer. I will let them brine over night in the fridge and then I will rinse the fillets thoroughly the next morning. Then I will lay them on the racks to dry for about three hours. Once they have dried I sprinkle brown sugar on the fillets and then put them on the smoker at about 160-180 for 6-8hrs depending on the size of fillet. I like lower heat for my fish.
Good luck
Post by: tmike on January 27, 2008, 08:52:38 PM
Post by: WDFW Hates ME!!! on January 27, 2008, 09:29:30 PM
Post by: washingtonmuley on January 27, 2008, 10:19:38 PM
It is pretty easy and painless. The biggest mistake I see people do is too much salt. I usually go 3 to 1 brown sugar to salt and sometimes even 4 to 1. I do not like salty. Make sure you let the fish dry until it is nice and tacky.
Post by: tmike on January 27, 2008, 10:38:36 PM
Post by: Wea300mag on January 28, 2008, 05:56:19 PM
Post by: robb92 on January 28, 2008, 11:37:02 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on December 18, 2014, 07:41:34 PM
Post by: 3nails on December 18, 2014, 07:51:04 PM
Post by: quadrafire on December 18, 2014, 08:07:42 PM
Looks pretty good to me
Post by: GUscottie on December 18, 2014, 08:12:22 PM
:fishin: :fishin: :fishin: :fishin: :EAT: :EAT:
Post by: 7mmfan on December 19, 2014, 08:47:37 AM
Post by: boneaddict on December 19, 2014, 08:50:57 AM
Post by: Huntin4Ever on December 19, 2014, 09:11:48 AM
Thanks for posting ;)
Post by: Huntin4Ever on December 19, 2014, 09:17:16 AM
Out of the brine and tacking up real quick before it heads for the smoker. Smells amazing. Will get a nice dollop of brown sugar on each piece before it goes in.What type of smoker do you have? How long do you leave them in for and at what temps? Firing mine up this weekend.
Post by: Huntin4Ever on December 19, 2014, 09:39:35 AM
Close to the recipe I use. Smoked a big batch of salmon and halibut yesterday. Surprised to see the earlier post that says the halibut didn't turn out. Smoked halibut is spectacular. I always eat that before the salmon.Do you leave the halibut in as long as the salmon?
Post by: Hawgdawg on December 19, 2014, 09:54:10 AM
From the pictures it looks like 300 has his down too. I'll try to refine my dry with your method. That doesn't sound like to much work. Thanks
Tmike, I don't live far from you in the Claw. I just finished smoked elk and deer pepperoni, summer S. and kielbasa if you want to trade some pickled fish!
Post by: Encore 280 on December 19, 2014, 10:24:51 AM
Post by: Huntin4Ever on December 19, 2014, 11:10:59 AM
Close to the recipe I use. Smoked a big batch of salmon and halibut yesterday. Surprised to see the earlier post that says the halibut didn't turn out. Smoked halibut is spectacular. I always eat that before the salmon.Do you leave the halibut in as long as the salmon?
Halibut is really mild and takes on the flavor of the brine easily. If I have two like size pieces of salmon and halibut, I would remove the halibut earlier than the salmon. I skin my halibut and it will also cook faster so I watch it fairly close towards the end. With a brown sugar rub recipe it is really good. I tried one piece of black rockfish with this batch. It was terrible.
Thanks JKEEN33, I don't have any black rockfish so no worries there ;) What temps are you running on the smoker?
Post by: zike on December 19, 2014, 12:58:46 PM
Post by: Badhabit on December 19, 2014, 01:30:16 PM
Had a Buddy ask about my latest Candy Recipe. Here's a new one I tried with great success recently:
Cut Salmon into appropriate sizes chunks, then introduce to brine. (can be regular smoking size, doesn’t have to be the thin strips)
Brine:
1 gallon of White Cranberry Juice
1/2 cup Lemon juice
1/4 Cup Vanilla Extract
3 cups Demerara Sugar
1 cup Coarse Salt
I bag Dry Mustard (he says it’s about a 3”x 3” or 4”x 4” bad)
Garlic to your taste
Brine 24 hours, rinse and pat dry. Place on racks under the fans to dry.
Glazing:
Once dry to touch, glaze (standard squirter bottle works well), dry, repeat, dry and repeat 3rd time. Takes ~ 18 - 24 hours.
Glaze mixture:
1/3 vanilla Extract
1/3 Real maple Syrup
1/3 Rum
Smoking:
Smoke on medium heat (again 1/2 Alder, 1/2 Apple Chips) until close, then glaze a final time and finish. Very sweet tasting product that is also rather eye-appealing:
Cheers,
Nog
Post by: Black Ghost on December 19, 2014, 02:08:22 PM
Post by: Rich_S on December 19, 2014, 02:11:32 PM
Salmon University has a good brine recipe on their site. :tup:
I've used this one for years and it's darn near perfect. I think the secret is in how he cuts his fish into smaller bits, while leaving them on the skin. Hard to describe, but easy when you see the pictures.
http://www.salmonuniversity.com/rs_htss01_index.html (http://www.salmonuniversity.com/rs_htss01_index.html)
Go easy on the salt and I use Costco minced garlic. Easy-Peasy.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi256.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fhh171%2FClark_Savage_Jr%2FMisc%2F12-11-2010SmokedSalmon_zps88332308.jpg&hash=2c8a4309d616c9e4fd392047e74b07974ba3d8ee) (http://s256.photobucket.com/user/Clark_Savage_Jr/media/Misc/12-11-2010SmokedSalmon_zps88332308.jpg.html)
Post by: 7mmfan on December 21, 2014, 03:36:07 PM
I ended up smoking them for about 4 hours at 110 degrees or so, and then 2 hours at 140 and then finished with enough time at 175 to bring them to a 155 I.T. Overall the finished product is very good, I ate a substantial amount of it before I got it all packaged up :) Some of the larger pieces that didn't soak up the brine are a little on the dry/chalky side. I am planning on another batch next week probably that I will make sure get a much longer soak in the brine to see what kind of difference that makes.
Post by: The Weazle on December 22, 2014, 01:47:57 PM
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Post by: 7mmfan on January 07, 2015, 08:35:15 AM
Trying to get pictures up but they won't save... working on it.