Had the time to do a little bit of cold smoking last week. It was a good opportunity to restock my smoked canned salmon supply. I seem to go through this stuff pretty fast.
I used some wild caught salmon, mixed a cure of three parts brown sugar to one part canning salt.
cut slits into the salmon...careful to not go through the skin...
The slits help both the cure and smoke penetrate into the meat..
Rubbed the fish with the cure... getting down into the slits and covering the skin side...
covered the salmon well.... then let it cure in the fridge overnight.
Rinsed the cured salmon with cool water and let it dry on the kitchen counter...
Time to hang in the smokehouse...
I used a mixture of alder wood and apple wood.....kept the temperature of the smoke at 40 degrees F. The outside air temp was pretty cold. As long as I cold smoke the fish above freezing and below 85 degrees F, it works out fine.
The canning process intensifies the smoke flavor so I cold smoked the salmon for close to 3 hours...
The cold smoked salmon...
It's hard to see in the pics but the smoked salmon is a deep color and almost looks like candied salmon..
I then cut the salmon from the skin and it's ready to can...
I add a sliver of onion and 1 tsp of oil in each half pint jar...
I wipe the rims of the jars with a cloth dipped in white vinegar to cut through any oil on the rim..
then topped with hot lids...
Keep the lids warm but not boiling..
The jars ready for the pressure canner...
I pressure can the salmon at 12lbs of pressure for 100 minutes. Times and pressures will be different for different altitudes. Best to check your own canner instructions,
I let the jars cool on the counter overnight...
Had to give it a taste test!
Mixed up a smoked salmon, cream cheese spread...
I liked this a LOT. :)
I also made some smoked salmon deviled eggs, with scallions, red onions, mayo and bacon added...
I'll be making these more often!
All that work for a deviled egg. :) It was totally worth it!
The smoked salmon came out great. I smoked this batch a bit longer than the last one. I'll check another jar in a week or so and see if it made a difference.
Still think I need to move closer to the ocean, but right now I feel lucky to have a great seafood supplier here in the middle of nowhere.
Hope everyone recovered from the Super Bowl weekend. I don't watch football but made my usual snacks for the game. I'll probably post pics soon.
Thanks for stopping by!
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10 comments:
terrific work! looks beautiful. thanks for the tip about the vinegar on the jar rims.
Looks good! I do the opposite - I hot smoke mine, then freeze. Anything else in your smoked salmon spread besides cream cheese and scallions? That's all I use, but I've been debating whether it could use worcestershire sauce or not.
When is your cookbook coming out?
Young lady, you are nothing short of amazing.
Thanks for sharing.
Joe
Thank you Ohiofarmgirl!
I got a kick out of your Rooster Rehabilitation post. LOL It was perfect! :)
Hope you are keeping warm.
Steve that sounds tasty too!
I soften the cream cheese with a bit of milk and the liquid from the smoked salmon jar. Then add granulated garlic, onion powder, cayenne, minced scallions, mayo, the flaked salmon... I think that's all. I make this dip using crab meat and minced clams sometimes. When I make crab or clam dip, I add a small squeeze of lemon juice.
One of those dips where you don't measure, just add pinches of this and that to taste. :)
Thanks again Steve, hope you're having a great week!
Kevin, thanks!! I wish I had the know how it takes to make one. :)
Thanks so much Joe! (((HUGS))) from Oklahoma. :)
The white vinegar tip is a great idea Jeanie, thanks for that! Have you ever used any fresh dill with your canned Salmon? Just curious if it would overpower it.
One other question, would you use the same kind of cure, smoke & can process for a large whitefish fillet, such as bass?
Our ocean caught striped bass are @18lbs plus, so they are some nice thick fillets on them.
Wow Sam, those are some nice sized striped bass! I wish I could catch something that big out here. lol
I've not tried dill with the smoked salmon. It might work with regular, non smoked though. I bet a little would go a long way. When I use fresh dill in canned pickles, I put either 2 TBS of dill seed per quart jar OR two large heads of fresh dill. Just to give you an idea of how much to use per jar.
This cure should work with whitefish. Another option would be to use a salt brine. Either 4 cups of salt in one gallon of water for 15 minutes.. OR 1 1/2 cups of salt to one gallon of water overnight.
If you do use the brown sugar, salt cure, it needs to be rinsed off well before smoking. ( I know you already know that:))
I never seem to catch enough whitefish to experiment with canning. I always seem to fry my catfish and crappie. :)
I've canned carp in the past.. most people do not eat it because of the bones, but the canning process makes them soft (like store bought canned salmon bones).
Not sure if this helps you Sam, feel free to let me know if I didn't answer your question!
I was able to go rabbit hunting a couple of times this week and have been enjoying fresh cottontail. They are so tender and tasty, I hope to get a few more. :)
I'd love to hear how your fish turns out Sam! Please keep me posted if you get the time.
Thanks...and many (((HUGS))) headed your way. :)
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