Smoked Salmon.....

It was time to do some more smoking on the bullet. This time I chose to use salmon and although you can practically smoke anything, I want to first start playing with ingredients which are difficult to mess up. After all who wants to throw whole fillets in the trash? not me. 

My brine for the fish was 2 cups dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup Kosher salt with a handful squashed garlic cloves, mix these together. Slice the fillet into 3-4 inch servings and then score those individual pieces to let the brine get into the heart of the fish. Cover both sides of the fish with the brine and place in a non metallic dish. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours, I brined for 24 to get as much flavor as possible.

Give the fish a good rinse under cold water and then leave out to for another 6 hours to dry. Now it's time to get the smoker ready, place the fish on the grill and leave it for 6 hours. The hard part is trying to keep the temperature as low as 110 degrees. I used mesquite wood for the smoke and the smell was amazing, as I was reading a bedtime story to my daughter she started sniffing my shirt, I apologised but she told me, "No Daddy, It's a good smell".

The salmon tastes very good for my first time at fish smoking, chewy and smoky but not overpowering and that was just with a basic brine. The numerous additions that could be added are endless and if anyone has some out of the box suggestions, leave a comment and the lucky one which is chosen for my next smoke will receive a sample of the finished product. 

The fish after being rinsed and ready to be dried.

After 6 hours in the smoker.