Simple Salmon

We did a 4 lb side of salmon with a modified version of this recipe.

Due Props

My rub variation consisted of:
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup splenda brown sugar substitute
1 Tbsp dill weed
1/2 Tbsp red pepper flakes.

I covered the salmon in this mixture for 3 hours in the refer. I then rinsed off the rub and let the salmon dry while I fired up the WSM and brought it up to temp.

Added one fist sized piece of Hickory and put the salmon on for 75 minutes.

Salmon came out mildly smoked juicy and SO! tasty.

This is definitely a recipe I will be using again and again.

P.S. Had leftover cold salmon and toast for breakfast yummy!

Joe D.

I've been doing salmon as follows, and lovin' it.

- Make enough dry brine for all the filets. The dry brine consists of 1 part course salt to 3-4 parts brown sugar. Also mince and/or puree garlic cloves to taste.

- Slice cubes into the salmon without going thru the skin. This allows the brine to penetrate the meat.

- Liberally apply brine to salmon filets and place them in a baking dish or similar. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-8 hours.
Note that the longer you brine them, the more salt they take on. Either reduce the amount of salt or the amount of time brining.

- Rinse filets to remove brine. No need to scrub, just rinse it off.

- Let the salmon dry for a few hours at room temperature. They will get a sticky texture to them. You can use a fan to speed up the process. The drying can take anywhere from 2-5 hours. The fan speeds it up though.

- Once dry, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if not yet ready to cook.

- Smoke at about 250 for an hour or until the meat flakes easily. I pulled my at 145-148 degrees. I've served mine with simply a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of dill.

Wonderful warm, and wonderful cold. And great for leftovers! I've turned into a salmon fiend, and I never used to like salmon cooked on the grill because it always smelled fishy.

Smoke salmon rocks!

Cheers.

The brine info came from the following source.

http://www.salmonuniversity.com/rs_htss01_index.html

Followed the brine amounts as listed by first poster, held for 1.5hrs, then rinsed well. Dried for 1.5hrs, smoked...

any idea on why it's so salty?

Thanks

Tim,

Depending on the thickness of your fillets, you may have not needed 1.5 hours of brining. The other factor is the rinsing; you obviously needed more. Next time you cook a brined meat; after rinsing, cook a very small portion in a frying pan before committing the entire piece to the smoker. That way you'll know if the meat is still too salty. If so, rinse again.

Paul

I made this recipe today. Easy as can be with great results. The in-laws actually like me now! Only thing I changed was subbed white sugar because I was out of light brown.

Making it again soon.

Keep smok'n.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tim L.:
Followed the brine amounts as listed by first poster, held for 1.5hrs, then rinsed well. Dried for 1.5hrs, smoked...

any idea on why it's so salty?

Thanks </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If the fish was previously frozen cut your brine time way back. Sometimes as little as ¼ of a fresh fillet.