by Fallow Buck » Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:43 pm
Hi All,
I was using a 2-4hr dry salt/sugar cure followed by 15-18hrs brining before hanging to dry and smoking. THen when I spoke to a freind that used to run a smoke house in Scottyland, he told me not to brine salmon. I just did a batch using 2 thirds salt and 1 third un refined caster sugar. Fillets were cured in the fridges for 11hrs dried then smoked. The result was very different indeed. A much firmer and easier to carve bit of fish that holds together better when cut.
I think the downside to this is that if selling by the weight you drwa a lot more out of the fish by dry curing. I was told that the aim is a 15% reduction in weight after smoking from the raw product.
To be honest I would probably use either method in the future depending on what way the wind was blowing...
Rgds,
FB
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