As I mentioned in my first thread here, pretty much everything I've learned about grilling and smoking has been by trial and error. I've never used any internet resources before now, so it's interesting to find out what I've been doing "wrong" in some areas. That said, friends and family have raved about my smoking prior to the purchase of the WSM 22.5 in late December, so I guess I've done *something* right. 
One thing that I've always loved and that others have said I do particularly well is smoked salmon. And in my reading here and at some other sights, this is definitely something that I've done differently from the mainstream methods, so I thought a little "test" might be in order. Therefore, I bought two, exactly the same size (2.68 pounds), and held my own "smoke-off." One was cooked the "old way", the other using a simple brine recipe I found online. (I've never used a brine for salmon before.)
OLD WAY
1. Smother in lemon juice
2. Moderately sprinkle with sea salt
3. Moderately cover with Old Bay seasoning.
4. Let sit 15-30 minutes in fridge.
5. Smoke it.
NEW RECIPE
1. Brine
2. Rinse & Dry
3. Let dry in fridge
4. Lightly salt
5. Smoke it.
So, on to pics.
Pre-preparation, both looked like this:
Here's the one done "my way" immediately after initial lemon juice, salt, and old bay:
Here are both of them after brining/drying the "new" way (left) and letting the old way one sit:
Fired 'er up with fully lit coals and six chunks of alder:
Used cut-away tinfoil:
I used the MAV ET732 for the first time on this cook, and it was showing 260-290 as the cooking temp, the WSM was showing in the 220-240 range. I tend to believe the ET732, because after a little over 30 minutes, the salmon was ready to roll at 135. Also, in my first cooks for boston butt and pork tenderloin, the meat was done faster than what I would have expected from reading here.
Anyway, here's how they looked after those 30ish minutes of cooking:
My wife said she thought the "old" one looked more appetizing. I thought just the opposite. Go figure.
..and a little of each on my plate:
All in all, we both thought they were very close. My wife thinks she'll like the new one a hair better if I don't do any seasoning post-brine. (I'd agree that it probably didn't need any more salt.) The flavor on both was magnificent, and much easier to do on the WSM than on any of my previous cookers. All in all, I was very pleased with this cook, despite the temperature discrepancy. (Any thoughts on that?)
One thing that I've always loved and that others have said I do particularly well is smoked salmon. And in my reading here and at some other sights, this is definitely something that I've done differently from the mainstream methods, so I thought a little "test" might be in order. Therefore, I bought two, exactly the same size (2.68 pounds), and held my own "smoke-off." One was cooked the "old way", the other using a simple brine recipe I found online. (I've never used a brine for salmon before.)
OLD WAY
1. Smother in lemon juice
2. Moderately sprinkle with sea salt
3. Moderately cover with Old Bay seasoning.
4. Let sit 15-30 minutes in fridge.
5. Smoke it.
NEW RECIPE
1. Brine
2. Rinse & Dry
3. Let dry in fridge
4. Lightly salt
5. Smoke it.
So, on to pics.
Pre-preparation, both looked like this:
Here's the one done "my way" immediately after initial lemon juice, salt, and old bay:
Here are both of them after brining/drying the "new" way (left) and letting the old way one sit:
Fired 'er up with fully lit coals and six chunks of alder:
Used cut-away tinfoil:
I used the MAV ET732 for the first time on this cook, and it was showing 260-290 as the cooking temp, the WSM was showing in the 220-240 range. I tend to believe the ET732, because after a little over 30 minutes, the salmon was ready to roll at 135. Also, in my first cooks for boston butt and pork tenderloin, the meat was done faster than what I would have expected from reading here.
Anyway, here's how they looked after those 30ish minutes of cooking:
My wife said she thought the "old" one looked more appetizing. I thought just the opposite. Go figure.
..and a little of each on my plate:
All in all, we both thought they were very close. My wife thinks she'll like the new one a hair better if I don't do any seasoning post-brine. (I'd agree that it probably didn't need any more salt.) The flavor on both was magnificent, and much easier to do on the WSM than on any of my previous cookers. All in all, I was very pleased with this cook, despite the temperature discrepancy. (Any thoughts on that?)
