Holy Smoke these are tasty! I am not a fish eater, but I concede that the Fall 2013 smoked sockeye turned out perfect! I can’t take the credit for it, except perhaps for the nagging over the years, “too salty” and “cut down the salt”. Well he did. My handy husband made the loveliest smoked salmon at the end of the summer. It was the last hot day, because had we warm days left I would have insisted that he smokes another salmon. But that's it for the good weather and the following day we had seasonal temperatures and smoking was over.
One more pretty left from our glorious fall, two weeks ago our granddaughter brought in a mum twig. I was reluctant to put it in a vase and then one by one the flowers popped open. It’s still lovely, but soon it will be replaced by a tiny Christmas tree! How time flies.
Using Little Chief Home Electric Smokehouse
Ingredients Needed:
SMOKED SOCKEYE
About 5 lbs whole frozen salmon
Brine Ingredients:
4 quarts [16 cups] of cold water
1 cup of non iodinated salt
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp lemons concentrate
1 cup of brown sugar
• Outside temperature has to be high twenties/ low thirties [in Celsius].
• Thaw the salmon overnight.
• Fillet and cut the salmon into twelve pieces.
• Combine brine ingredients in a large bowl.
• Place the fish pieces in the brine and cover.
• Soak the fish in the brine for 3-1/2 hours [could be up to four hours].
• Rinse the fish very lightly and let it drain on wire racks for about half an hour.
• Spray the racks with PAM to prevent the fish from sticking.
• Fill the smoker bowel to the brim with large hickory chips.
• Smoke for seven hours.
• Ready when the fish flakes.
• Let it cool, vacuum pack and freeze.
