Everything about curing, smoking, and processing fish.

Time 2020-11-19 15:05:14

Web Name: Everything about curing, smoking, and processing fish.

WebSite: http://www.smokethefish.com

ID:120918

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curing,about,Everything,

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SmokeTheFish.com All About Curing, Smoking, and Processing Fish A lot of times people want to know how to make the perfect brine for cold or hot smoked fish.The truth is that there is absolute or exact formula for getting the perfect brine. It takes a lot of trial error and a deep understanding of how the particular fish works and how salt interacts with the brine. For this article we ll specifically talk about a fillet of salmon for cold smoking.For Cold Smoked Salmon there could be a few variables; number one, does the fish have skin on it? If it does it would need a stronger brine than that of a fish without the skin on it. And, depending on the size of the fillet it would need a stronger or weaker brine, and if it is fresh or frozen is another factor. As you can see, there are many variables, and there are many things that will affect the degree of the brine.Now there are a few things you need in order to measure the intensity of the brine but before we get into that we ll talk about what a brine is. A brine (otherwise known as cure) for this article is a mixture of salt and water to a certain salt degree in relation to the water. Consider it like a ratio of salt to water and that is what makes the brine. Now, there are other kinds of brines but we ll get into that at a later date.First things first, you need a Salometer or Hydrometer. (Recommended: Salt Brine (% by saturation) Shatterproof Polycarbonate Plain Form Hydrometer) A Salometer measures the degree of salt to the amount of water from zero to hundred. This is probably the most important tool you ll need when measuring brines. It isn t just a pinch of this, and a handful of that to get it going. This is fish and it s a science of sorts. You ll also need a holding container to fill up with salt water to measure with the salometer. We recommend purchasing a cheap one, as the main expense is for the actual salometer.  Vintage Shop PW-COIA-QACH Hydrometer 12 Test Jar with Removable Base However, it is important to stress that the salometer is extremely important for making a proper brine.So now you have the tools. Now what? To see if it s working properly you need to create a fully saturated solution. To test if it is working you need to take a handful of salt, and put about a cup of water and mix it until the salt is fully dissolved into the water. Then, add another handful of salt without adding any more water. At that point, you can fill up the holding container with the brine and put in the salometer. If it shoots up to 100 degrees than you ll know it s working properly. If it reaches 90 degrees or above than just add more water until it reaches 100. If after a few more handfuls in the same cup of water fully mixed doesn t reach 100 degrees then it s time to throw away the salometer and buy a new one.So now, let s assume you are working with a working salometer and decide to purchase a fresh 4 pound salmon fillet with the skin on. In order to properly brine a fillet that size through the flesh you ll need to put it in a larger container (with enough space to fully immerse the fillet without folding or bending) and add the brine to the container. You should be aiming for approximately 25 degrees of salt to water content. Keep in mind that the fillet should be fully immersed in the brine and be kept face down, or skin side up, to make sure that the fillet gets properly salted.Now, every day you should mix up the fillet and the brine to create uniformity in salt for the fillet. Keep doing this for 3 or 4 days total and it should be fully brined and is ready to be smoked. Now, depending on how much salt you like, we always recommend washing the fillet in fresh water or running water for approximately an hour to again, create uniformity for the salt content.Fresh Salmon Fillet (4 pounds) in liquid brine:Now, according to the size you need to add more salt and more time in brine.For a 2 lb fillet put 25 degrees for 24 hoursFor a 3 lb fillet put 20 degrees for 48 hoursFor a 4 lb fillet put 25 degrees for 72 hoursfor a 5 lb fillet put 20 degrees for 96 hoursfor a 6 lb fillet put 40 degrees for 48 hoursfor a 7 lb fillet put 40 degrees for 60 hoursWe don t recommend brining fillets that are over 7 lb s. As it is hard to maintain uniformity and consistency for cold smoking.So, get your brine on! And send us your photos of brines! Hey All,A lot of people are always curious what the market rate for salmon is and how much it can cost to get started. Everyone knows salmon, and other kinds of fish could get expensive when buying by the pound so where to get it and how to get it?Of course you can always go to your local grocer, supermarket, or fish counter, but that s one way to get ripped off. When it comes to salmon, there is pretty much only one place we recommend going to Costco. The reason for this is, when smoking and processing fish you need to be extremely careful. There are a lot of ways your product can get contaminated, and depending on weather you are hot smoking or cold smoking the fish the product will be in the temperature danger zone for quite some time.That being said, how do you limit that time? Of course you go to the most highly regulated supermarket in the United States. Costco! You can almost guarantee that the source of the fish is from an FDA approved source, applies with all HACCP plans, and standard health and safety codes.With fish it is super important to have that in mind. Now, when smoking a fish like salmon, you can rest assured that you ll be buying a premium, high quality fillet at a very competitive price. And, if you don t like the fish, you can always return it! Can t beat a policy like that!With fish, you can t go wrong by purchasing Norwegian Salmon. Fish from Norway is typically more red, more fatty, and easier to work with. There is also less bacteria in it, and is farmed sustainably which is amazing for the environment. Also, Norway isn t suffering from an Algae bloom like its Chilean counterparts from the southern part of the world.In 2016, the best place for salmon is in Norway, although you can also purchase salmon from different parts of the world such as Scotland, Canada, Chile, Faroe Islands, Alaska and more. But, keep in mind that when dealing with fish from certain parts of the world you should be aware of their farming techniques, how they feed the fish, and their catching methods.For example, there is no such thing as farmed Alaskan salmon, as it is considered to be illegal by the state of Alaska. But, wild Alaskan salmon from before its spawn cycle is definitely one of the tastiest kinds of fish available. If you re just getting into the smoking game and want to do it right, you need to work with the right tools, and for that, you need a premium side of a trim E (type of grade) fish from Norway and you just won t go wrong.

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