Do It Yourself Smoked Salmon Made Easy

Smoking your own fish is surprisingly easy and an ultimately satisfying activity. The one investment you will have to make is the purchase of a smoker, but keep in mind that this can be used for all sorts of other food preparations, thus it is worth getting. Other than that your only other expenses will go into purchasing the salmon, ingredients for preparing the brine, as well as the wood to use in the smoker. Aside from this you just need a little bit of patience and time to prepare your smoked salmon. Here are the tips that are the trick to smoking salmon.

The first step involves preparing the brine. A basic brine used for preparing fish includes 4 cups water, 1/4 cup kosher salt, and 1/4 cup brown sugar. For additional flavor you can add bay leaf, celery, fennel, onion, as well as garlic. Mix all these ingredients together and then place your fish in the mixture. Cover the container and let the fish cure in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. Depending on the thickness of the fish you will need to let it cure for more time. At this point you are on your way to achieving delicious smoked salmon.

But the trick to smoking salmon does not stop there. Many people forget the following step which involves air drying the fish. This step is important because it allows a thin layer to form on top of the fish, allowing the smoke to adhere and add more flavor to the fish. Let the brined fish rest on a rack and place it in a room at less than 65 degrees. You can turn a fan on low or simply choose a room that has decent air circulation for the best results. Let the fish rest as such for 2 to 3 hours.

From here the trick to smoking salmon involves actually placing it in the smoker. You'll need to select the type of wood you would like, keeping in mind that the various kinds such as alder, hickory, or oak all add a different flavor. When smoking fish the ideal temperature is about 140 degrees and can range from anywhere from 1 to 4 hours depending on the thickness of the fillet. Once the internal temperature of the fish has reached 140 degrees, your fish should be ready. From there you can eat it immediately, keep in the fridge for a little over a week, or freeze it up to 6 months. You'll see that the trick to smoking salmon is actually no trick at all!