Bev’s Kippered Salmon for a Big Chief Smoker
Ingredients:
- 4 to 5 red or silver filets about ½ to ¾ in. thick
- ½ cup of rock salt
- ¾ cup of dark brown sugar
- Cap full or two of liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions:
- Cut the bellies wide off the filet and smoke them also. Done sooner and so yummy.
- For the brine, dissolve the rock salt, dark brown sugar, and liquid smoke (optional) in a container (I use the square plastic dish pan filled half way with cold water).
- Brine the filets and bellies overnight, around 8 hours.
- I place my container in a cooler with ice or ice packs.
- Next morning, take the filets out of the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
- Spray racks with PAM or wipe with oil.
- Put fish on racks, cover with a bug net, and air dry for 8 hours. I also like to put a fan on mine. If it’s rainy, do it on a airy porch with a fan.
- Put in smoker, thick pieces on bottom. Use three to four pans of wood chips through the process of 8 to 12 hours of smoking.
TIP: I brine all night starting around 9 or 10 p.m. The next morning, start air drying around 7 a.m. Air dry til around 3 p.m; smoke from 3 p.m. until done. I check the pieces, pull the ones that are done, and continue the smoking process until all the pieces are done. If some don’t feel quite done, I put them aside for salmon chowder or finish them in the oven.
*This is a 2-part conversation. Tune in next week to see how Bev uses her kippered salmon for chowder.