Smoked salmon brown sugar/course salt ratio?
- Thread starter Osprey16
- Start date
Big_Shank
Member
What wolf said. This ratio also works $#it hot on lingcod and rockfish. Don't believe me? Try it out for your self! For rockfish, brine time is 12 to 14 hours max, for lings 16 hours max. It works great on fire grilled trout too, with 6 hours brine before going on the bbq you can not beat it! It also works just as good for beef jerky with the added seasonings of your liking. Smoke time 6 to ten hours. I've used this ratio now on over 100lbs of fish, and it never lasts long once its done, it's too damned tasty. Most people I know who try it, say its better than anything hardy boys, or any other store bought candy going...
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Reeltime
Well-Known Member
Just did up a bunch of hot smoke , when i cut in strips like pic bellow i give each layer of fish meat side up a chicken feed of salt and a grazing of sugar
that gives a good balance of just barely sweet and a good salt taste to bump the whole flavour up , not that overly salty taste , i rinse in cold water
after brining the next day or it will be overly salty ... that's for strips not big fillet
that gives a good balance of just barely sweet and a good salt taste to bump the whole flavour up , not that overly salty taste , i rinse in cold water
after brining the next day or it will be overly salty ... that's for strips not big fillet
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SpringVelocity
Crew Member
I use same as wolf except less salt. I use 1/2 cup.
eaglemaniac
Well-Known Member
I like your work Reeltime.
eman
emanshuswap outdoors
New Member
Started using a 7:1 sugar/salt ratio with no rinse. Been the best ratio I have used and the fish is never too salty. I also switched from just using dark brown sugar to adding some maple syrup and honey to my sugar part.
codfather
Crew Member
Osprey16 I have tried many different recipes over the last 30 years and feel I have it dialed in for me.
I use 1 bag which is 1 KG or 2.2 LBS of Demerara brown sugar to 1 cup coarse salt. That's it, no pinch of this a dribble of that or anything else. I know everyone has a secret brine with that stuff in it.
That makes it a 6 to 1 ratio. Because a cup of salt is way more dense than sugar.
I do not put any liquid in my mix. After I fillet and cut the salmon in about 4 inch pieces I put a layer skin side down in the bottom of a cooler (50 quart) and then put a couple of scoops of the mix on top of the flesh. 1/2 thick to cover fish.
Then lay another layer flesh down to make a brown sugar sandwich. Then repeat skin side down with the mix in between and flesh down to complete another layer.
When I'm done with a few layers I put a couple frozen ice jugs in the cooler for the night. Use ice jugs so you don't leak melting ice into the mix.
The next morning I take most of the fish out and mix any sugar/salt that is in the bottom up to make it all liquid. You only have to do that once.
My fish spends 4 days in the brine and 6 days if the are thicker pieces.
The key is it's a lower salt content as I don't like salty fish so it spends more time in the brine.
When it comes out ready to smoke it is firm and really red.
I don't wash it off or let it dry on the racks. It comes out of the cooler onto the racks and into a smoker that is already hot and smoking very well.
The first 2 hours my temperature is 120 F just smoking away with very little heat. Then up to 130 F for about another hour. My last step is 140 F to 150 F for an hour and it's done.
I take the thinner pieces out after 4 hours and give the thicker pieces another hour.
The fish comes out moist but cooked as I don't like it dried out.
I'll try and attach my recipe that I have at home as this one is from memory and that's fading.
Mike
I use 1 bag which is 1 KG or 2.2 LBS of Demerara brown sugar to 1 cup coarse salt. That's it, no pinch of this a dribble of that or anything else. I know everyone has a secret brine with that stuff in it.
That makes it a 6 to 1 ratio. Because a cup of salt is way more dense than sugar.
I do not put any liquid in my mix. After I fillet and cut the salmon in about 4 inch pieces I put a layer skin side down in the bottom of a cooler (50 quart) and then put a couple of scoops of the mix on top of the flesh. 1/2 thick to cover fish.
Then lay another layer flesh down to make a brown sugar sandwich. Then repeat skin side down with the mix in between and flesh down to complete another layer.
When I'm done with a few layers I put a couple frozen ice jugs in the cooler for the night. Use ice jugs so you don't leak melting ice into the mix.
The next morning I take most of the fish out and mix any sugar/salt that is in the bottom up to make it all liquid. You only have to do that once.
My fish spends 4 days in the brine and 6 days if the are thicker pieces.
The key is it's a lower salt content as I don't like salty fish so it spends more time in the brine.
When it comes out ready to smoke it is firm and really red.
I don't wash it off or let it dry on the racks. It comes out of the cooler onto the racks and into a smoker that is already hot and smoking very well.
The first 2 hours my temperature is 120 F just smoking away with very little heat. Then up to 130 F for about another hour. My last step is 140 F to 150 F for an hour and it's done.
I take the thinner pieces out after 4 hours and give the thicker pieces another hour.
The fish comes out moist but cooked as I don't like it dried out.
I'll try and attach my recipe that I have at home as this one is from memory and that's fading.
Mike
codfather
Crew Member
This was the one I had on my computer.
Here is my brine for smoked salmon:
Mix one bag of DEMERARA brown sugar. 1kg or 2.2lbs for you old timers.
One cup of course salt.
Mix these together in a big bowl dry.
That is the mix and then you decide how much fish you have to do, if you have a large batch then you might need to mix two or three bags. But the ratio does not change.
Put the filleted fish in a cooler skin side down until the bottom is full, lay about 1 inch of the mix on top. Now put another layer on top of the mix with the skin side up, it will sandwich the sugar between the meat of the salmon. And you would just repeat that again skin down, sugar, flesh until your fish is gone. Put a frozen jug of water in the cooler when your done ( I use a 2L milk jug) that way the liquid does not go into your brine.
You do not put any liquid in the fish; it will make its own.
If you start it in the morning, then the next day you take out most of the fish and in the bottom of the cooler you will find some of the mix is not dissolved yet. So you give it a good mixing with your hands, until it’s all liquid. It will be very, very cold and you will get an ice cream head ache. So I have a bucket of warm water beside so I can dip my hands in every couple of minutes.
After every thing is mixed, put the fish back in the cooler and the top layer should be pointed so the skin side is up. That way the meat is in the brine.
A couple of times a day I will mix the fish up, you do not have to remove any. You just reach in and give it a good stir with your hands so they all mix up. Make sure when your done the skin side is up again only on the top layer.
I leave my fish in for four days at least, sometimes six days if the pieces are thicker.
I then smoke the fish for only 4 hours so it is nice and moist, I don't like it dried out.
Here is my brine for smoked salmon:
Mix one bag of DEMERARA brown sugar. 1kg or 2.2lbs for you old timers.
One cup of course salt.
Mix these together in a big bowl dry.
That is the mix and then you decide how much fish you have to do, if you have a large batch then you might need to mix two or three bags. But the ratio does not change.
Put the filleted fish in a cooler skin side down until the bottom is full, lay about 1 inch of the mix on top. Now put another layer on top of the mix with the skin side up, it will sandwich the sugar between the meat of the salmon. And you would just repeat that again skin down, sugar, flesh until your fish is gone. Put a frozen jug of water in the cooler when your done ( I use a 2L milk jug) that way the liquid does not go into your brine.
You do not put any liquid in the fish; it will make its own.
If you start it in the morning, then the next day you take out most of the fish and in the bottom of the cooler you will find some of the mix is not dissolved yet. So you give it a good mixing with your hands, until it’s all liquid. It will be very, very cold and you will get an ice cream head ache. So I have a bucket of warm water beside so I can dip my hands in every couple of minutes.
After every thing is mixed, put the fish back in the cooler and the top layer should be pointed so the skin side is up. That way the meat is in the brine.
A couple of times a day I will mix the fish up, you do not have to remove any. You just reach in and give it a good stir with your hands so they all mix up. Make sure when your done the skin side is up again only on the top layer.
I leave my fish in for four days at least, sometimes six days if the pieces are thicker.
I then smoke the fish for only 4 hours so it is nice and moist, I don't like it dried out.
Steveo
Active Member
I always use Kosher salt. Less of a salt flavour. 3:1 sugar to salt bit or garlic. Brine 12 hours. Cold water rinse. Out on racks with a fan on them over night. Lightly brush with honey. Smoke. I have been experimenting with Sirracha or hot sauce in the honey. Some good reviews! Sometimes I Heavily pepper one side after honey goes on. They always get eaten first at parties.
dfrase
Active Member
are you taking the bones out? and if yes, do you do it before or after?
dfrase
Active Member
just did 3 springs in the bradley...
used the 6:1 ratio as mentioned above with a 1kg bag of Demerara and course salt. Deboned and took the skin off. Did half in strips and half in sizeable chunks. left in the brine for 30 hours and then dried for 12 hours on racks in fridge. I opted to NOT rinse just to see the difference. i usually do but read that others don't and wanted to see what that would be like.
smoked for 5-6 hours (took smaller pieces out first). Had smoke rolling for the first 1.5hrs. Managed to find a cool and breezy spot in the yards that kept the temp around 100-120 F. slowly pushed it up to 130-150 for the last hour. a little honey/maple syrup glaze on for the last few hours.
It turned out delicious but we did notice it much saltier than usual from the no rinse. i will go back to rinsing moving forward. Going to do another batch in next few days
will get pics for the next batch
used the 6:1 ratio as mentioned above with a 1kg bag of Demerara and course salt. Deboned and took the skin off. Did half in strips and half in sizeable chunks. left in the brine for 30 hours and then dried for 12 hours on racks in fridge. I opted to NOT rinse just to see the difference. i usually do but read that others don't and wanted to see what that would be like.
smoked for 5-6 hours (took smaller pieces out first). Had smoke rolling for the first 1.5hrs. Managed to find a cool and breezy spot in the yards that kept the temp around 100-120 F. slowly pushed it up to 130-150 for the last hour. a little honey/maple syrup glaze on for the last few hours.
It turned out delicious but we did notice it much saltier than usual from the no rinse. i will go back to rinsing moving forward. Going to do another batch in next few days
will get pics for the next batch
Sotally Tober
Well-Known Member
^^^^thanks for the info.
I have always rinsed my fish and saw posts of guys not rinsing, thought of trying it.
After reading your comments, I will continue to rinse the brine off.
I have always rinsed my fish and saw posts of guys not rinsing, thought of trying it.
After reading your comments, I will continue to rinse the brine off.
Corey_lax
Crew Member
I'm new to smoking. I've tried twice at the cabin so far in the Little Chief that is up there. The first time wasn't edible. This past weekend turned out much better, but it was a little too smokey for me as we had Hickory and Mesquite chips up there that seem to be more suited for beef or pork. I'll pick up some Alderwood for the next batch.
Quick question --> Clint's calls his brine a "dry brine" but the fish is clearly in a brown soupy mix. What constitutes a dry brine if that is not a wet brine? I thought dry brine would be just salt/sugar and no water.
Quick question --> Clint's calls his brine a "dry brine" but the fish is clearly in a brown soupy mix. What constitutes a dry brine if that is not a wet brine? I thought dry brine would be just salt/sugar and no water.
