MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part I - Caring for the Catch Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Fish begins to spoil the minute you land it. Enzymes and bacteria go to work immediately especially in the slime, gills and intestines. To reduce spoilage and maintain flavor you must bleed, clean and cool fish quickly. ~1- Remove the slime and scale [if applicable] as soon as possible. ~2- Cut the throat and remove the gills. The intestines can wait a few hours. -3- Remove the intestines. Save the liver, roe and milt. Remove the kidney, that dark streak along the backbone by cutting away the covering membrane on either side of the kidney, where it is attached to the flesh. Then scrape out the kidney. -4- The head may stay on but remove the head now if you have to save cooler space. Leave the lug bone, that boney plate behind the head if you are going to smoke the fish as the lug will support the handling cord. -5- Cool the fish to close to freezing with chipped ice. Make sure that there is a layer of ice between every layer of fish in the cooler. Careless handling can bruise fish. Use a net if possible; if gaffing, gaff the least valuable part- the stomach if possible. If using a fish club to kill quickly and prevent threshing, one sharp blow to the head is enough. Rigor Mortis: a dead fish will stiffen but in time will relax again unless it goes into accelerated rigor form being too warm. If you try to straighten out a fish in Rigor or the fish goes into heat induced Rigor, you will tear the flesh disturbing the appearance and allowing succulent juices to escape. Prevent Rigor damage with prompt cooling and filleting before or after the fish has passed through rigor but not during it. Cooling: Ice has a terrific ability to absorb heat when it melts as it took a tremendous amount of heat removal to freeze the water in the first place. 2 lb of ice melting will do the same job of cooling as 37 lb of block ice or extremely cold water. Chipped ice will melt faster and therefore chill fish quicker than block ice. Pack the belly cavity of cleaned fish and make sure there is a layer of ice between every layer of fish. To transport frozen fish you need dry ice or Eutectic ice, as melting ice would thaw frozen fish. Eutectic ice is a solution of 23% salt by weight and 77% water by weight, which freezes at 0 deg F. [-18 deg C.], in a breakproof plastic container. You can buy these or make your own. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Ii - Filleting And Boning Categories: Smoked, Info, Bbq, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file A very sharp knife [and a whet stone and a sharpening steel nearby] is essential. ~1- Skin on Fillets: Begin at the vent [anus] making a cut on either side of the anal fin just deep enough to reach the backbone. make these cuts all the way back to the tail. Start the next cut where the head has been removed on top of the backbone. Cut through the fish, from back to belly, lengthways right down to the tail. You will run into the belly bones which get tougher as the fish gets bigger. Here is where the *sharp* knife comes in; it must be able to cut through the belly bones easily. As you continue the cut from head to tail work the knife along the backbone with the cutting edge slightly slanted towards the bone. Remove the first fillet, turn the fish over and cut the second fillet. There should be very little meat left on the backbone. Now the belly bones can be removed without loosing any meat. this leaves you a boneless fillet except for the line of long, thin bones just above where the backbone used to be. You can feel their sharp ends with your fingertip. These last bones can be lifted out in a strip by making a cut on either side of the row _just_ to the skin. This final deboning will somewhat spoil the fillet in appearance and utility when making smoked products that are thinly sliced. A more finicky method is to remove these bones one at a time with small needle nose pliars. If the bones don't pull out of the flesh readily, you can do it after smoking. ~2- Easy Skinless Fillets: [This section by JW not the author.] Most smoke recipes call for skin on fillets but for sauteeing, frying, poaching and grilling fresh fish the easiest way to get a skinless fillet with just a little waste is as follows: Start with whole fish, uncleaned and head on. Make the first cut just below the gills done to the backbone at a slight angle. Turn the knife and cut along the backbone to the tail at a slight angle so as to "float" over the belly bones. Stop just short of the tail and peel back the skin-on fillet without tearing it away from where it is attached to the fish at the tail. Lay the fillet on the table skin side down and start a cut at the tail. Cut down to but not through the skin and turn the blade sideways. Cut the fillet away from the skin and continue back up the fillet to the other end. Turn over the fish and repeat. Be careful throughout not to puncture the intestines, bladder or stomach. You should now have two skinless fillets with the guts still attached to the carcass. This way you do not have to scale or clean and you loose only a small amount of meat and belly skin. This works best on larger fish say 4 lb and up. -JW ~3- Defatting Fat Fish: Salmon and trout are fat fish and you *may* want to defat them for various reasons- to adhere to a low fat diet or remove contaminants that may be concentrated in the fat tissues of fish from certain waters. To do this, when you fillet, leave plenty of meat on the backbone where the meat is especially fat. Cut off the belly portion. Skin the fillet leaving about 1/8" meat on the skin. Make cuts on either side of the lateral line, lift it out and discard it. ~4- Boning Small Trout: French Presentation I - Through the back with the belly uncut. Start by snipping the fins off with scissors. With a small knife cut the gills loose at the throat. With your fingers pull the gills loose along with most of the intestines. Make a cut along one side of the backbone, working the meat loose from the bone and all the way to the belly without cutting the belly skin. Repeat on the other side. with scissors snip the backbone as close to the tail as possible and then again at the head. Now you can finish cleaning the belly cavity with your fingers and the fish with head and tail on is ready for smoking or cooking. French Presentation II- Boning through the belly. After cleaning, start by making a cut from the vent, along each side of the backbone to the tail. Then work the meat loose from the ribcage and along the backbone to but not through the skin of the back. Then snip off the backbone close to the tail. Pull the bone free up to the head and snip off. Scissor off the fins. Ready for smoking or cooking. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Iii - Smoking Fish Categories: Smoked, Info, Trout, Canadian, Salmon Yield: 1 text file There are several methods that fall into two overall categories: Hot smoked [cooked] methods include barbequed, kippered, smoked-canned and small whole fish and Cold Smoked [below 85 deg F] include Scotch/ Irish/Norwegian/Nova Scotian style, Lox, Indian or hard smoked, pickled-smoked, Seelachs and smoked roes & livers. Cold smoked products are still raw, deeply colored, with a texture like cured ham and can be thinly sliced without crumbling. Hot smoked products are colored on the outside only and will flake like other styles of cooked fish. Barbecued: or smoke-cooked fish is made in a pre-heated covered barbecue or a box-and-hotplate smoker. The fish is cooked in a smoky atmosphere without preliminary cold smoking or prior conditioning. Kippered: fish are conditioned before hot smoking by first drying the fish in barely warm air, then bringing it up to cooking temperature gradually to improve its appearance and quality. Canning: fish is first lightly smoked by putting it into a pre- heated smoker. High temperatures are used to draw the oil out to the surface. The smoking is light as the flavor will intensify during the pressure cooking stage. The fish should also be further dried before canning. Cold smoked: is known variously as Scotch, Irish, Norwegian or nova Scotian smoked and is appreciated by gourmets more than any other method. The fish are salted before smoking and is still raw although it is cured when finished. Lox: or Lachs [German] can mean many things- traditionally fresh fish lightly salted and mildly smoke cured [therefore still needing refrigeration and is perishable], recently frozen fish thawed, salt-sugar cured and lightly smoked [Nova Lax] and even salt-sugar cured and unsmoked. Hard smoked: jerky like and so dehydrated that it does not need refrigeration; based on traditional Native Indian preparations of cutting fillets into thin strips. These strips are partially dried by wind on sunny days or by fan in a dehydrator or a force draft smoker and smoked for only a portion of the drying time. Pickle-smoked: fish are pickled before smoking. This is a good way to enhance the taste of lean fish that do not otherwise smoke well. Seelachs: or ersatz salmon are salted, sliced thin, then dyed and smoked white fish. The Smoking Process: When fish is smoked it is also dried which improves the keeping qualities and improves the texture. Hot smoking also cooks the fish. The steps are filleting, cutting, salting, curing, smoking and final preservation. Filleting exposes more flesh to salt and smoke and allows faster drying. Whole fish unless small take a long unpredictable time to do. Small whole fish benefit from having the skin slit to allow penetration. Large sides of fish salt and smoke easier if the fillet is chunked into pieces according to thickness. Individual pieces can then be salted, smoked and dried for varying times according to the thickness of each piece. Thick pieces can be used for lox and Scotch smoked that are later thinly sliced crosswise for presentation and thin pieces hot or hard smoked, kippered, canned for serving whole. Salt: is necessary for flavor, relasing moisture from the fish thereby drying ut and for modifying [firming up] the flesh so that it can be thin sliced when serving. N.B. Use only PURE pickling salt not rock salt of unknown purity or table salt that contains additives. Curing: is the process of draining off the brine and partially drying the fish. The flavor develops fully during this waiting time [ of up to 24 hours] before actually smoking. Smoking: is generally done today in forced draft units to get a uniform amount of smoke onto all the fish. Natural draft smokers are unpredictable, variable and have no natural updraft in hot waether unless the smoker is set over 85 deg which results in poor quality and cooked fish. Final preservation is important because smoked fish, except for hard smoked, is still perishable. We salt and smoke lightly for [mild] flavor and not for preservation. Therefore refrigerate [up to three weeks max], freeze or can promptly. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Iv - Scotch Smoking Prepara Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file This method is first as it is the most well known and the best; it is also the most complex. Scotch smoking can be done to a whole side, that is a large skin-on fillet or to several pieces cut according to thickness which is easier. Don't brine a whole side as the thinner parts- the tail and belly get too much salt. Dry salt instead- this allows you to place a specific amount of salt on each part of the side according to its thickness. Let the developing brine drain off. With pieces you can brine for varying times according to thickness. For dry salting use plain pickling salt not a mixture to condition the flesh so it can be thinly sliced for serving. Other flavors can be added after. When brining pieces sugar and spices can be added to the brine if you want. Dry salting whole sides: Cut thick [over 4"] fillets into two slices OR inject brine into the thickest portion with a pumping needle. Injection brine should be made up in the ratio of 1 1/4 c salt per quart water, cooled to 60 deg F and injected before applying the dry salt. Score or cut just through the skin into the fatty tissues beneath [slashes] in several places with a sharp knife or a razor blade to promote salt penetration and apply the salt. Rub salt into the scores, lay the fillet down on a 1/4" bed of salt in a tray and palce salt on the top of the fillet- from a 1/2" on the thickest part to just a sprinkling on the tail. Slant the tray so that the brine that develops flows away from the thin belly meat. Fatty fish take longer to salt as they contain proportionately less water. DRY SALT TIMES :Fillet Thickness Fat Fish Lean Fish : 3/4" 9 hrs 5 hrs : 1" 12 hrs 7 hrs : 1 1/4" 15 hrs 8.5 hrs : 1 1/2" 18 hrs 10 hrs : 2" 24 hrs 13 hrs : 2 1/2" 30 hrs 17 hrs : 3" 36 hrs 20 hrs With experience you can tell by feel; a moderately fat fish will loose 10% of its weight. When touched with a fore finger the flesh should feel firm and spring back when pressed. After salting you can use a special Scotch sugar-rum cure or a finishing brine. Scotch sugar-rum cure: rince the dry salt off the side. Drain and cure it in a cool place for 6 hours. Rub it with vegetable oil [olive or peanut preferred] and let it stand another 6 hours in a cool place. Rub off the oil with a rum soaked cloth. Cover the side with brown sugar just as you did the dry salt and let it stand another 6 hours. Then wipe off the sugar, coat it with oil again and let stand 6 hours. Wipe off the oil again with a rum soaked cloth and proceed to smoke. Finishing brine: If not using the scotch sugar-rum cure, use a finishing brine to take away some of the hardness caused by the dry salt and finish distributing the salt through the fish. Make finishing brine in the ratio of 11 oz salt to 4 qt water and leave the side in the brine for 20 min for a 3/4" fillet up to 90 min for a 2" thick fillet. Drain the side skin side down making sure the brine can drain away so there are no salt deposits on the fish. A salt gloss will form and the flesh will cure. Allow to cure overnight 12 hours or even more. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part V - Scotch Smoking Prep Con Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Wet brining pieces for Scotch smoking: You can use a plain brine or a sugar-spice-salt brine. Plain brine: prepare in the same ratio as injection brine above. Cool brine to below 50 F and keep the fish and brine cool throughout the process. PLAIN SALT BRINING TIMES :Piece thickness Fat fish Lean fish : 3/4" 2 hrs 1 1/3 hrs : 1" 3 hrs 2 hrs : 1 1/4" 4 hrs 2 2/3 hrs : 1 1/2" 5 hrs 3 1/3 hrs : 1 3/4" 6 hrs 4 hrs : 2" 8 hrs 5 1/3 hrs : 2 1/2" * 10 hrs 6 2/3 hrs : 3" * 12 hrs 8 hrs * These thicker pieces will benefit from brine injection with a needle. Salt-sugar-spice brine: ratio 4 1/2 c pickling salt and 1 1/2 c white or brown sugar to 4 qt water. Add, adjusting to taste, 50 bay leaves or 2 tb mace or 8 tsp peeper or 5 tb juniper berries. simmer the spices in brine 45 min. Strain brine through a cloth, discard spices and cool the brine. SUGAR-SPICE-SALT BRINING TIMES :Piece thickness Fat fish Lean fish : 3/4" 2 1/2 hrs 1 1/2 hrs : 1" 3 1/2 hrs 2 1/2 hrs : 1 1/4" 4 3/4 hrs 3 1/4 hrs : 1 1/2" 6 hrs 4 hrs : 1 3/4" 7 1/4 hrs 4 3/4 hrs : 2" 9 1/2 hrs 6 1/2 hrs : 2 1/2" 12 hrs 8 hrs : 3" 14 1/4 hrs 9 1/2 hrs These times are just a guide; each fish is different. When done the flesh will be firm enough for slicing and feel like the lean part of a slab of bacon when pressed between the thumb and forefinger. After brining, place the fish pieces skin side down so they can drain. Tilt the drain trays so that the brine runs off the fish to prevent salt deposit build up on the fish. cure 12 hrs at a temp below 70 F Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Vi - Scotch Smoking Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file How to Scotch smoke: the properly salted and cured salmon now needs smoke color and flavor and sufficient drying for good taste and texture. Often the fish needs more drying time than smoking time to avoid aan overly smoky flavor. In smokers with suppementary heat drying can continue after smoking at the same temp -85 deg F. In smokers without supplementary heat use a small clear fire with as little smoke as possible. The amount of color depends not on the amount of smoke deposited but the temp. Smoking Sequence: -Smoke for sufficient color. -Dry further without smoke to firm up if neccessary. -Give the fish a polished look. ~Sweat the fish to firm up. -Refrigerate for further firming. Smoking:- In a forced draft smoker, smoke temp at 85 F, time 10-12 hrs, smoke density medium. in a natural draft smoker, 85 deg, up to 24 hrs depending on the weather [you get stronger updrafts at 85 deg on cool days- if the ambient temp is 85 or more the smoker will have NO updraft!], smoke density light to medium. Drying: Forced- 1-3 hrs at 85 without smoke. Natural-up to 24 hours at 85 with as clear a flame as possible so as not to oversmoke. Polish: Give the fish a moderate burst of heat [100 deg f] for 15 min to bring the oil to the surface. Weight Loss: From salting and smoking/drying should run around 18% for fatty fish up to 25% for lean. Sweating: For fish that are still not firm enough, sweat the fish by leaving in a cool place 24 hrs. Moisture will come to the surface. Then continue drying in the smower. Refrigerate: Difficult fish improve by letting the fish condition a few days in the refrigerator unwrapped before slicing. Storage: Cool the fish before wrapping. Even at 85 the fish will sweat if wrapped before cooling and spoil quickly. Freeze any surplus as Scotch smoked fish is still perishable. Serving: Slice very thinly. Serve with rye or pumpernickel bread and unsalted butter or cream cheese. Pass around lemon wedges and the pepper grinder. Garnish with sliced or grated hard cooked egg, paper thin onion slices and capers, country ham slices and home made flavored mayonnaises. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Vii- Kippering And Barbecui Categories: Smoked, Info, Bbq, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file These are different processes from Scotch smoking which is cold smoking- the fish remains raw. Kippering and barbecuing are hot smoke processes where the fish is cooked. In barbecuing you have no control over the heat; the smoke is hot only. The fish is placed in a pre-heated smoke oven and kept there until cooked. The only control is smoke on or off during prolonged cooking. In kippering you gradually bring up the heat to condition the fish before final hot smoking and cooking. The salting procedures are the same for both cooking methods. You can kipper or barbecue whole sides for special occasions but pieces of fillets cut according to thickness is easier to salt and smoke cook. You can dry salt, plain or mixed, whole sides and wet brine, plain or mixed, pieces. Thick sides are hard to dry salt so either slice into two thinner fillets or inject brine. Plain salt:Score the skins as for dry salting before Scotch curing and place the salt the same way. The time required is 1/3 as much as for Scotch smoking and 1/6 if brine is injected. This is because Scotch smoked fish must be thoroughly conditioned so as to be able to slice it thinly but here we are just adding enough salt for flavor. Also Scotch smoked fish is an appetizer, a tid-bit and can be salty to the taste but kippered and barbecued fish is a main course. After dry salting, simply rinse off the salt and drain before cooking. Salt mixes: add 3/4 cup white or brown sugar to each 2 1/4 c pickling salt and optionally add up to 50 bay leaves, 8 tsp pepper, 2 tb mace, 7 tsp allspice, 2 1/4 tb cloves, or 2 tb juniper berries. Prepare the side for salting as for dry salting for Scotch smoking and place the salt as for Scotch smoked fish. The time required is 1/2 as much as for Scotch smoked fish or 1/4 if brine is injected. Plain Brine: Prepare brine [2 1/2 c salt to 2 qt water] and cool to 50 deg. Keep fish and brine cool at all times. Stir pieces from time to time. The time required is about 3/8 as much as for plain brining for Scotch smoking. Drain fish coming out of the brine before smoking/cooking. Sugar-Spice Brine: Prepare brine as for Scotch smoked sugar spice brine. Time: 3/8 as much as Scotch smoked method. Drain fish coming out of the brine before smoking/cooking. Reusing brines: Because the fish has absorbed sugar and salt and released water, you must bring the brine back up to strength by adding more salt or mix. Use a salinometer to be accurate and bring back up to 90deg salinity. Smoking Kippered Salmon: Drying- is improtant for appearance and flavor. During drying the salt soluble protein protein from the fish forms a skin on the surface called a pellicle which combines with the smoke for a pleasant appearance and most of the smoke flavor. Methods of drying include hanging under building eaves in a breeze out of the sun, with a fan, a forced draft smoker and a small clear fire in a natural draft smoker. Dry at 100 deg with maximum draft for 1 1/2 hr [forced draft] or 3-4 hours [natural draft]. First smoking- 1 hr, medium density at 100 deg. Tempering- is gradual as opposed to sudden heating and is important for appearance and quality, so soluble protein juice does not pool on the surface and form curds or the flesh dry unevenly and crack. Gradually raise the temp to 175 with medium smoke over an hour. Second Smoking- 1 hr at max. smoke at 175. Take thinner pieces out of the smoker now and give the thick pieces 1 more hour. Barbecued fish: after salting or brining, place in a hot pre-heated smoker and cook until fish flakes readily. Storage: of kippered or barbecued fish. Cool as quickly as possible. Do not wrap before it has cooled or it will spoil. Freeze the surplus promptly. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Viii - Making Lox Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file There are three products called Lox: old fashioned Lox, Nova Lox and Lox Salmon [ plus a whole lot of other smoked and pickled products using the name but bearing little resemblance to any of these]. Old fashioned Lox: Freshen mild-salted fish [salting instructions follow in a later chapter] by soaking in several changes of water. Thin pieces will require less time than thick pieces that may take up to 24 hours. Test by tasting, remembering that the subsequent smoking will dry the fish and concentrate the saltiness. Drain the freshened fish on the smoking racks. Smoke at 85 deg F with medium density smoke for 6-8 hrs [forced draft] or 12-16 hrs [natural draft]. Cool the fish before wrapping and freeze any surplus. Lox is perishable. Nova Lox and Lox Salmon: Fish may be either fresh or frozen. Frozen is actually better as the freezing and thawing removes some of the moisture. If the fish are frozen whole, fillet them when they are half thawed. Cut into pieces according to thickness. Use the thick portions for Lox and the thin ones in kippering, drying, canning or eating fresh. Make a dry salt-sugar mix of equal parts sugar and pickling salt. Dry salt by placing the pieces in a container of mix. Cover each piece but do not rub it into the flesh. Sprinkle some mix into a container and lay the salt mix dredged pieces on it skin side down. Sprinkle each layer with more mix and add another layer etc. Times for salting according to thickness are the same as for Scotch smoked dry salting above. Remove the pieces from the mix, rince and drain. Now brine the pieces in 90 deg sal brine [2 1/2 c salt per 2 qts water] with optional bay leaves included. Keep brine and fish cool throughout the process. Then freshen the fish under running water more or less to taste; the table is just an appoximation. BRINING AND FRESHENING TIMES Thickness Brining Time Freshening Time 3/4" 9 hrs 45 min 1" 12 hrs 1 hr 1 1/2" 18 hrs 1 1/2 hrs 2" 24 hrs 2 hrs At this point decide whether you want smoked Nova Lox or unsmoked Lox Salmon. For Nova Lox smoke as for old fashioned Lox. For Lox Salmon the pieces must be dried without heat until firm enough for slicing. A frost free refrigerator will dry uncovered Lox enough to firm it. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Ix - Indian or Hard Smoked Categories: Smoked, Info, Trout, Native, Salmon Yield: 1 text file Info file Low-fat fish make the longest keeping hard smoked fish as it is the fat that causes rancidity. Very fat hard smoked fish should be frozen or salted until just before eating. Medium fat fish will last a week unrefrigerated before starting to go slightly rancid. And lean fish will keep indefinately unrefrigerated. Hard smoked fish can be made from fresh, frozen or hard salted fish [instructions for hard salting follow in a later chapter]. Hard salted fish should be freshened before smoking. Depending on the hardness of the salting, your taste and the thickness of the pieces to be smoked this may take 24 to 48 hours with water changes every 3 to 6 hours. There should be no salty taste left as the drying will concentrate any saltiness remaining. Other products retain 50 to 75% of their original moistur but hard smoked fish only 6% Fresh fish and thawed frozen fish should be very lightly brined if at all. Brining draws out moisture and cuts drying time but salt also speeds fat rancidity in the finished product. Make a 90 deg sal brine and soak pieces no more than: BRINING TIMES : Thickness Time : 1/4" 2 min : 1/2" 4 min : 3/4" 7 min : 1" 10 min : 1 1/2" 15 min : 2" 20 min Smoking directions: Smoke for only a portion of the total drying period according to taste. Dry at 85 deg F for 30 hrs with a forced draft smoker and up to 3 weeks with a natural draft depending on the weather or until the fish is completely dry and hard. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part X - Smoking Small Trout Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Unboned: Make an 80 deg sal brine with 8.5 oz salt per quart water, score skin and brine 1 hr. Spit them through the eyes with a heavy wire [a welding rod works well here]and hold the belly open with small match stick sized sticks. Dry at 90 deg F for 30 min [forced draft] or 1 hr or more [natural draft]. Then smoke at 160 deg F for 1 1/2 hrs [forced] or 3 hrs or more [natural]. Boned: Make an 80 deg sal brine and brine 8 min stirring often. Depending on the shape desired and the boning method used, spit through the eyes and prop open with match stick sized wood, or hang over a dowell, or rolled and skewered. Drying and smoking temps and times are the same as for unboned. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Xi - Pickle Smoked Fish Categories: Smoked, Info, Pickles, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Pickle smoked: fish are pickled before smoking. This is a good way to enhance the taste of lean fish that do not otherwise smoke well. Prepare and defat skinless fillets: To do this, when you fillet, leave plenty of meat on the backbone where the meat is especially fat. Cut off the belly portion. Skin the fillet leaving about 1/8" meat on the skin. Make cuts on either side of the lateral line, lift it out and discard it. Divide the filletinto pieces of different thickness. The pickling procedure is similar to corning meats. The flavored suagr-salt brine is weaker than normally used and the fish brined longer to achieve a cured taste. prepare brine in the following proprotions: 4 tb mixed pickling spice, 3 cups salt and 2 cups brown suagr per 4 qts water. Keep the brine and fish below 45 deg F at all times. Use a slainometer and maintain salinity at 60 deg minimum at all times adding more salt periodically if needed. Don't overpickle; remove the thinner pieces as they become cured. PICKLING TIMES :Fillet thickness Fat Fish Lean Fish : 1/2" 30 hrs 20 hrs : 3/4" 40 hrs 30 hrs : 1" 2 1/2 days 40 hrs : 1 1/4" 3 days 2 days : 1 1/2" 3 1/2 days 2 1/2 days : 1 3/4" 4 days 3 days : 2" 5 days 3 1/2 days : 2 1/2" 6 days 4 1/4 days : 3" 7 days 5 days Overhaul [stir and move around] the pieces daily to ensure even pickling. When ready rince off the pieces and let water drain off. Cold smoke at medium density 7 to 10 hours depending on thickness or 30 to 48 hours natural draft depending on thickness and weather. Continue until the flesh is firm enough for slicing. Cool the finished product almost onto freezing before wrapping to prevent sweating and spoilage. Freeze the surplus. Serve as for Lox and Scotch smoked. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Xii - Making Seelachs Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Seelachs: or ersatz salmon are salted, sliced thin, then dyed and smoked white fish. they can be made from fresh, frozen or salted white fish. Fillet the fish skin on. For ling keeping, hard salt the fillets. For immediate use dry salt. Then freshen the fish. Slice the fish as thin as possible. Dye the slices using a solution of 5 oz water, 30 drops red food color dye and 45 drops yellow food dye. Dying time varies from 15 min to an hour. Test by cutting a slice to check penetration every 15 min. Drain the pieces well. Cold smoke 30 to 60 min or 1 to 2 hrs natural draft. Pack the slices on olive or any vegetable oil. Refrigerate. It will last up to one month if fairly salty. Completely freshened fish is more perishable. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Xiii - Smoking for Canning Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Because the fish is hot smoked and inclined to crumble, cut the side into canned sized pieces before smoking. Use a 80 deg sal brine: 5 cups salt per 4 qt water. BRINING TIMES : Piece thickness Time : 1/2" 10 min : 3/4" 20 min : 1" 30 min : 1 1/2" 40 min : 2" 1 hr Smoking must be minimized to avoid harsh flavor in the finished product, but drying is important for quality. For forced draft smokers with hot plates, smoke 2 1/2 hrs at 110 deg F, and sry two more hours without smoke. Fro narural draft smokers, smoke 7 hours low smoke or 3 1/2 hrs medium smoke and finish drying two hours in a very low oven with the door ajar. Skin the pieces while still warm. Pack jars or cans as full as possible finishing with small strips. Process. N.B. IMPROPERLY CANNED FISH OR ANY OTHER FOOD CAN CARRY BOTULISM - A DEADLY POISON! Always process in a pressure cooker. Meat and fish are particually susceptible to botulism. If you have any doubts about a canned product- do not taste it. Always boil home canned products at least 10 minutes before consuming. Never use any canned foods that show any sign of spoilage. Bulging can ends and jar lids usually indicate spoilage. When you open containers, check for off odours, froth, foam or mold. How to control botulism: Botulism type E bacteria are found in fish intestines, gills and in mud from the sea. They thrive in the absence of oxygen in low acid environments. 5% salt retards growth but smoked salmon runs 1 to 4% only. Prompt removal of guts and gills followed by thorough washing of the belly cavity reduces contamination by as much as 90%. Bacteria can grow, albiet slowly, in temps as low as 5 deg C so immediate icing of fish and dropping the temp below 4 deg and maintaining until eaten will keep them safe. When pressure cooking, the heat must penetrate into the centre of the can. Every last bit of food must reach 240 deg F [118 deg C] to be safe. Test your guage for accuracy periodically. Use pint jars or smaller. Or you can use small enamel lined 1/2 lb or 1 lb tin cans. Process 2 hours at 10 lb pressure. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Xiv - Smoking Roes & Livers Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Roes that are immature are best for smoking as they are easier to handle and less likely to rupture. Hard [Female] Roe: Fresh, frozen or salted roes may be used for smoking. Salted hard roes must be freshened in several changes of water for up to 24 hours. Frozen roes must be thawed before salting for smoking. Fresh and frozen-thawed roe must be brined first. Use 70 deg sal brine [2 cups salt to 2 qts water.] Brining time varies from 5 minutes for small roes to 30 minutes for 1 lb roes. Drain. Smoke at 90 deg F at medium density for 2 to 6 hours according to size [4 to 12 hours for natural draft]. Soft [Male] Roe or Milt: Becuse they are soft, they benefit from conditioning before smoking. Large soft roes around 1/2 lb need about 30 min in a 70 deg salbrine before conditioning. Small ones do not. Conditioning consists of simmering them in salted water untio they are firm enough to handle. Drain before smoking. smoke as for hard roes. Smoking livers: Remove the gall bladder carefully without breaking by slicing off the portion of the liver it is attached to. Condition them by dropping them into boiling salted water until they change color and get firmer. Brine larger livers in 70 deg sal brine for 10 to 45 min. Drain. they will still be sticky so oil them so they don't stick to the smoking trays. Smoke at 90 deg with dense smoke for 1 to 3 hrs [or 2 to 5 hrs for natural draft]. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Xv - Salting Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Use only pure pickling salt as it has no impurities or additives to toughen or discolor fish. Mild salting still requires refrigeration; hard salting does not. Salted fish will require freshening before eating. Mild Salting: Clean the fish and ice them if you can't salt right away. Fillet them. Cut the fillets into chunks according to thickness. Score the skin. Caseharden the fish by soaking in a cold deblooding bath of 65 deg sal brine [2 2/3 c salt to 100 oz water] for 1 hr. to stop fat fish from oozing oil. [press out any blood in this bath with your fingers.] Weigh fish and have ready 1 lb salt for every 10 lb fish. To salt the fish, spread the required salt in a pan or tray. Lay each piece of fish, skin side down on the salt ans scoop salt over it; don't rub it in- just cover it. Pick up the piece with as much salt as will adhere to it and place skin side down in the curing container. when a layer is completed sprinkle it lightly with salt and pack successive layers, skin side down until the top layer- pack it skin side up. Fill the packed container with saturated brine- 100 deg sal[ 4 1/2 cups salt per 100 oz water.] Weight the fish down to submerge completely in the brine. Cover. Store at 35 to 40 deg,-normal refrigerator temp and let cure two weeks. Will keep up to one year. Hard Salting: Follow as above except increase salt to 2 1/2 lb per 10 lb fish. Will keep one year if kept in a cool place. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Xvi - Caviar Categories: Smoked, Info, Caviar, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Salmon caviar is second only to sturgeon in quality. To make red caviar you need a piece of 1/4" to 1/2" mesh screen at least one foot square,depending on the egg size. first choice is plastic or stainless steel but plain steel can be coated with vegetable oil and galvanized can be coated with resin. Separate the eggs from the membrane by gently rubbing the skein of eggs over the screen. Discard the membrane and blood vessels remaining on the screen after most of the eggs have passed through. Make an 80 deg sal brine [ 1 cup + 2tbs salt to 1 qt water]. Gently stir the eggs in the cooled brine from 15 to 30 min. The uptake of salt will depend on the maturity of the eggs; they should become opalescent. Do not over salt. drain for 8 hours. Keep cool but above 40 deg so the eggs do not congeal. Pack into jars. Refrigerate between 34 and 36 deg. up to a year. Over 40 deg it will have a very short life. N.B. Once sealed in jars it MUST be kept refrigerated at all times to prevent possible BOTULISM. some caviars can be pasteurized with minimal loss of flavor and color but not salmon. Rely on good refrigeration instead. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05 Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Xvii - Freezing Fish Categories: Fish, Smoked, Info, Salmon, Trout Yield: 1 text file Home freezers are good for storing frozen fish but not _freezing_ fish. Fish should be quick frozen- in under 2 hours. However freezing water throws off a lot of heat which must be removed by the system. Home freezers do not generally have circulating fans to carry this heat to the refrigeration coils. 5 lbs of wet fish will raise the temp of 100 lb of already stored frozen fish by 14 deg. The already frozen fish act as a heat sink for the freezing wet fish until the system can carry away the excess heat. Also as water begins to freeze inside the fish at 30 deg the minerals and salt in the fish concentrate in the remaining water causing an antifreeze effect until the temp drops to 23 deg F. Slow freezing allows large ice crystals to develop which damage the connective tissues of the fish and there is excessive moisture loss upon thawing. How to improve home freezing: ~1- Never freeze more than 5% of capacity at any one time. ~2- Place wet fish as close as possibe to the cooling coils. ~3- Freeze fish in the freezer compartment of the fridge which does have a circulating fan and use the deep freezer only for storing already frozen product. ~4- Make a heat sink of containers of eutectic ice which freezes and thaws at 0 deg F. That way the freezing wet fish will drop to 0 quickly and the other already frozen products will not rise above 0 as the fresh fish freeze. ~5- Put the fish to be frozen in poly bags and add both the fish and the eutectic containers in a container of brine. The water in the brine transfers heat faster than air. Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller MMMMM Cheers, YK Jim