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Can anyone please help!
I have justfitted a Bradley Smoke Generating machine and tried smoking 2 large salmon fillets NOT REALISING I HAD TO CURE IT FIRST

Could anyone tell me how I would cure a whole salmon ( the two whole fillets taken off) before dry smoke it and also for how long? I plan to use the briquettes for flavour.

Any help and recipe would be most appreciated

Welcome to the forum fluff! How did the unsalted smoked salmon taste?

Here are some recipes that I have used for smoked salmon in the Bradley. Try to use fresh salmon as defrosted salmon loses some texture.

Prepare a dry cure of 3 parts salt to 4 parts brown sugar. In a plastic/glass container, long enough to lay out the fillets,spread a 1-2cm layer of the mixture, then the fillets, then another 1-2cm layer of the mixture. You can add further layers if required. Place in 'fridge for 7-12 hours (I prefer around eight).

While that is going on mix up a brine solution of around 14 cups salt to a bucket (not metal) of 5 gallons water (enough to float an egg. You may also add any other spices, herbs you like, eg, black pepper, fennel, garlic, etc, etc but I'm not sure it affects the final outcome that much)

After the alloted time, remove the fillets from the salt, rinse quickly and dispose of the remaining syrupy mess.

Place the fillets in the brine, making sure they are completely covered (use a plate to help sink them, if needed) and leave for a further 7 to 9 hours.

Remove fillets and rinse in fresh water by putting a gentle trickle from a hose into the bucket for about half an hour. You can taste a little after this and leave the fillets longer if it is still too salty.

Pat fillets dry. Some people now paint on various syrups to form a thin layer...could be brown sugar, or maple syrup or some sort of alcohol/ sugar syrup and let them dry for half an hour or so. Now lay them in the smoker, skin side down and smoke for 1 to 3 hours depending on taste using oak or, my preference some sort of fruit wood or alder. You must keep the temperature down to below 75 fahrenheit (This opens up another area for discussion!) Either use snow/ice in the pan at the bottom with no extra heat...only smoke in the winter...or my preference... cold smoke by slotting the smoke generator into a largish cardboard box and lead the cooler smoke via some sort of tubing into the elevated smoker cabinet.

Remove the pin bones, etc, pack and freeze

Sorry this is so long and I hope it is of use to you.

Good luck...you're going to enjoy those smoked salmon sandwiches even more when you know you made the main ingredient!

Hi there.

I use a very simple brine solution for salmon.

I 2/3rds fill a large plastic buscket with water and put a small clean, unskinned potato in it.

Then I add my favourite herbs, chopped fresh rosemary and bay and leave them to infuse into the water for about an hour.

I then add cooking salt that I buy wholesale for about �6 per 25kg and stir until the small potato floats. This gives me an 80% brine solution.

I then add about 2-3kg of mixed brouwn sugars and dissolve them.

I put the salmon into a large flat dish about 6 inches deep and cover the fillets with the brine/sugar solution.

For large fillets, around 2.5kg each, I leave them covered in brine for 50minutes.

Then I take them out, rinse them quickly and then dry them for 24 hours in my fridge.

Then I cold smoke them keeping the temperature BELOW 90 F for about 4 days.

If you are using farmed salmon, as I do, be careful about hanging the fillets from hooks. Very often, farmed salmon skins are not as strong as their wild cousins and the hook can pull out. I managed to scrounge a milk cage from my local Somerfileld store. This handy gadget has 5 shelves and is what the milk is stored on in the store. You just need a friendly store manager.

I personally find this method better than dry curing, where one just uses a salt/sugar cure and rub it in. It certainly takes less time.

My wife is Russian so we do make a salted salmon using dry cure and I also make Gravallax, which is salmon dry cured with salt and dill.

If I can be of any more help feel free to mail me.

Best wishes
Steve, Ventnor Isle of Wight

Hi

Has anyone made gravallax with a herb other than dill, which I find very difficult to get hold of this time of year. I do have a recipe which uses cold tea of the earl grey type.

Cheers WW

WW - I find that fresh dill freezes very well (as do most fresh herbs) - so stock up in the summer

WW Dried dill is not as bad as you think on a gravadlax if you're really stuck.

Thanks for the info Spuddy and Aris

Re dried Dill does anyone have a quantity that should be used to the Lb

Cheers WW

welsh wizard wrote:... Has anyone made gravallax with a herb other than dill, which I find very difficult to get hold of this time of year.

I have used sugar, salt, crushed Jumiper and a drop of Gin... which was rather nice, but I'm not claiming it was Gravadlax...

welsh wizard wrote: Re dried Dill does anyone have a quantity that should be used to the Lb

A standard cookery rule of thumb would be to use less than half the quantity when using dried herbs. (The fresher the dried herb, the less you need!)

I have many variations of gravardlax and my favourite has to be using brandy.

There is also a world of difference between using cheap cooking brandy and a nice XO cognac.

When curing the fish in your salt and sugar mix (I use about 60/40 mix) I build up a parcel of fillets on clingfilm with the mix, adding any dill if you have it (if so put dill on the fish first), then before wrapping tightly add a few good tablespoons of the cognac, then wrap tightly, place in a dish and put in the fridge witha weight on top. You can leave it like this for anywhere from 12 hours to 4 days. With some dramatic results. I prefer a 2 day cure, then served up with some dill mustard - beautiful!