Smoked Salmon, Glazed with Birch or Maple Syrup

By Jan_C

Ingredients

• 5 pounds salmon, trout or char
• 1 quart cool water
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup birch syrup or maple syrup
• More birch or maple syrup for basting

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 1440mins
Cooking time 1800mins
Adapted from honest-food.net

Preparation

Step 1

Mix together all the brine ingredients and place your fish in a non-reactive container (plastic or glass), cover and put in the refrigerator. This curing process eliminates some of the moisture from the inside of the fish while at the same time infusing it with salt, which will help preserve the salmon. You will need to cure your salmon at least 8 hours, even for thin fillets from trout or pink salmon. In my experience, large trout or char, as well as pink, sockeye and silver salmon need 24-30 hours. A really thick piece of king salmon might need as much as 30-36 hours in the brine. Never go more than 48 hours, however, or your fish will be too salty.Take your fish out of the brine and pat it dry. Sit the fillets on your cooling rack, skin side down. Ideally you’d do this right under a ceiling fan set on high, or outside in a cool, breezy place. By “cool” I mean 60 degrees or cooler. Let the fish dry for 2-4 hours. You want the surface of the fish to develop a shiny skin called a pellicle.This is one step many beginning smokers fail to do, but drying your cured, brined fish in a cool, breezy place is vital to properly smoking it. The pellicle, which is a thin, lacquer-like layer on top of the fish, seals it and offers a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to. Don’t worry, the salt in the brine will protect your fish from spoilage.

Now you are ready to smoke your fish. Even though this is hot smoking, you still do not want high temperatures. Start with a small fire and work your way up as you go. I can control my heat with the Bradley smoker, so I start the process at 100°F for 2 hours. Then I step up the heat to 140°F for another 2 hours, then finish at 175°F for a final two hours.

Baste with the birch or maple syrup every hour.

Even if you can’t control your temperature this precisely, you get the general idea. You goal should be an internal temperature of about 140-145°F.

Once your fish is smoked, let it rest on the cooling rack for an hour before you put it in the fridge. Once refrigerated and wrapped in plastic, smoked fish will keep for 10 days. If you vacuum-seal it, the fish will keep for up to 3 weeks. Or freeze your fish for up to 6 months.