Cold smoked salmon (lox) in about 2 days

[Brett-EDH]

Brett:
Looks great and I want to give it a try.
Can you skip the smoke? If so, what stage is the recipe complete?
Thanks

Sure, you can skip the smoke. After the 24 hour brine and rinse, let the pellicle set and then you can slice the salmon. I’d venture to say you’d had a decent pellicle in around 1-2 hours of exposed cooling/drying while in the fridge. You could also pat the rinsed salmon with paper towel to remove moisture and the pellicle will set easily.

Let me know how this goes for you. I always smoke it as I like that flavor. But I have also sampled the tail section after just drying the salmon. It was good.

 

[Randy G]

what’s the difference between lox and nova?

 

[Brett-EDH]

what’s the difference between lox and nova?

Know Your Lox and Nova from Your Gravlax

Because you're not really a deli pro unless you can pick out your lox and nova from your gravlax.

www.bonappetit.com

 

[Randy G]

Is it good to eat without the smoking process?

 

[Brett-EDH]

Is it good to eat without the smoking process?

Yup. You sure can. The smoke just adds some nose to it. I have a nephew who doesn’t like smoke and he makes this recipe all the time. And he likes it.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

I think mine got lost in the mail!

 

[Joe Anshien]

Correct me if I am wrong but we only buy Wild Caught Salmon at Costco (After watching that documentary on Norwegian farm raised) and I am 99% sure it says "previously frozen" so there should be no problem with parasites or getting sick. I have made lox about a half dozen times using it and have not gotten sick.

 

[Richard Garcia]

Is it good to eat without the smoking process?

Yep!

 

[Brett-EDH]

Correct me if I am wrong but we only buy Wild Caught Salmon at Costco (After watching that documentary on Norwegian farm raised) and I am 99% sure it says "previously frozen" so there should be no problem with parasites or getting sick. I have made lox about a half dozen times using it and have not gotten sick.

Personally, I’d only eat wild salmon cooked, never raw.

Freezing any fish changes it’s texture. Lox (this Jewish style recipe), is made from fresh and not frozen salmon.

I can’t and won’t tell you what to eat or how to eat it as I’m not a food safety expert.

I can share that this recipe made with farm raised Atlantic salmon is really good as the salmon retains its natural oils and slices up really well.

It’s totally up to you which salmon you use and how you eat it.

For food safety and from many years experience, we only eat Costco farm raised Atlantic salmon raw, cured and partially cooked.

 

[Brett-EDH]

Yep!

Are those hot smoked? And are those brined?

 

[Brett-EDH]

I think mine got lost in the mail!

You need to change your latitude and zip code.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

You need to change your latitude and zip code.

I knew there’d be a catch!

 

[Randy G]

I’m giving it got using Brett’s recipe. Not sure whether the smoke will happen. I second the question…”any hacks?” Light 3-4 briquettes in a kettle?

 

[Brett-EDH]

I’m giving it got using Brett’s recipe. Not sure whether the smoke will happen. I second the question…”any hacks?” Light 3-4 briquettes in a kettle?

This cold smoke lox. DO NOT LIGHT OR USE ANY COALS.

Cold smoke is smoke at 85° and less

There are no hacks in making this recipe. The recipe has been refined over many years of work and experimenting. I’ve published a 100% traditional lox style recipe here.

 

[Randy G]

This cold smoke lox. DO NOT LIGHT OR USE ANY COALS.

Cold smoke is smoke at 85° and less

There are no hacks in making this recipe. The recipe has been refined over many years of work and experimenting. I’ve published a 100% traditional lox style recipe here.

Sounds like I need an Amazon delivery before tomorrow afternoon then!

 

[AndyK]

Oh my, that looks bangin.
I don’t much care for hot smoked salmon.
I think you might as well just cook it at that point.
I like mine on the raw side.
I will have to try the smoke tube at the end of my salmon brine.

I do a brine on my salmon with a dash of liquid smoke and no heat.
I’d put mine up against any store bought but I think this would be better.
I use a smoke tube when I do trout and it does add more than a cold smoke bit of heat to it but I shoot for that.
I can easily set that up for a lower temp for salmon to get that real smoke flavor.

Nicely done Brett.

 

[Randy G]

If you aren’t smoking the salmon after the cure, then do you need to let the pellicle develop?

 

[Brett-EDH]

If you aren’t smoking the salmon after the cure, then do you need to let the pellicle develop?

I would as this phase dries the salmon out some and makes for easier slicing.

You could dry it with paper towels but the exposed in the fridge part helps develop that desired “skin” on the salmon.

Please let us know which method you choose. Thanks.

 

[ChuckO]

One word continues to come to mind viewing your cooks Brett: WOW!

 

[Randy G]

I gave Brett’s method a go, and I was not disappointed. I did skip the smoke step but I will be adding it in when I get the smoke tube. I didn’t have fresh dry dill so I will be adding that too in my next go around. Wasnt totally sure about the non beached sugar vs regular white sugar. I passed on using turbinado and went with the white stuff.

The lox tasted amazing.

Overall, it was not difficult to make. I definitely need to work on my knife skills for slicing. I am a neophyte compared to Brett. I served the lox on a homemade bagel with cream cheese. The bagel was fun to make also and not very difficult.

I’ve made hundreds of BBQ recipes over the years. I was more impressed with a homemade bagel and homemade lox than I have been with most anything in a long time.

Brett - Thank you for the wonderful recipe and help on this site. Happy & Healthy New Year to you.