Super Simple Smoked Salmon

[TheLocNar]

Looks great! How long did you let the salmon sit after seasoning?

[SconnieQ]

Leah, I prefer hot smoked salmon that has been cured, and forms the pellicle. Sounds like you are really happy with your results. I did it the same way for over 10 years. Then I did a test, with some pieces cured first, and other pieces just seasoned and smoked. I have cured ever since. It seems counter-intuitive, but the cured one was more succulent. Even though you panic when you see all of that water that got sucked out of the salmon in the dish after curing, the pellicle that is formed seems to hold in the fat during smoking. Plus the pellicle helps the smoke stick. From what I've read, water in salmon is not what makes the end product moist. It is fat retention. Try your own experiment for your next salmon smoke doing part cured, and part uncured, and see what you think. Here is my simple cure recipe:

Salmon - Hot Smoked

Salmon Cure:
1 part Salt
4 parts Brown Sugar

Heavily pack the cure on all sides on the salmon in a glass or food-safe dish. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours. There will be a lot of liquid in the dish after curing. Thoroughly rinse cure off of salmon. Dry on a rack for about 3 hours to form a pellicle.

Set smoker to 170 degrees. Smoke until Salmon internal temp is 130-135 degrees. Many recipes say internal temp should be 145, by I think the salmon is not as soft and moist.

[DivotMaker]

Kari,

Unless you are introducing nitrites/nitrates, your process is brining, not curing.  Curing requires nitrites/nitrates, like with ham, bacon, etc.  You get the results you do with brining because of the great beauty of brining - the chemical reaction between the salt and protein molecules!    It works on any protein, not just our pork butts and such.  The salt expands the protein molecules near the surface of the meat, and traps the moisture inside; that's why you get more succulent results with the brined salmon.  Just can't beat the benefit of brining!

[SconnieQ]

Kari,

Unless you are introducing nitrites/nitrates, your process is brining, not curing.  Curing requires nitrites/nitrates, like with ham, bacon, etc.  You get the results you do with brining because of the great beauty of brining - the chemical reaction between the salt and protein molecules!    It works on any protein, not just our pork butts and such.  The salt expands the protein molecules near the surface of the meat, and traps the moisture inside; that's why you get more succulent results with the brined salmon.  Just can't beat the benefit of brining!

Tony, you are right. No nitrites in my hot smoked Salmon. The whole salmon terminology thing is complicated. It's inconsistent. I rarely see nitrites used in hot smoked salmon. It seems like if it is a dry brine, it is often referred to incorrectly as a "cure". And if it is a wet brine, it is a "brine". More accurately, I should have referred to my process and recipe as a "dry brine".

I do use nitrites in my cold smoked salmon (lox). In that case, it is "cured".

[DivotMaker]

Tony, you are right. No nitrites in my hot smoked Salmon. The whole salmon terminology thing is complicated. It's inconsistent. I rarely see nitrites used in hot smoked salmon. It seems like if it is a dry brine, it is often referred to incorrectly as a "cure". And if it is a wet brine, it is a "brine". More accurately, I should have referred to my process and recipe as a "dry brine".

I do use nitrites in my cold smoked salmon (lox). In that case, it is "cured".

You have it down!  Now Brian (Pork Belly) will tell you there is no such thing as a "dry brine."  While he is technically correct, we use the term loosely because adding the salt mixture to meat, and letting it liquefy, essentially turns it into a wet brine.  Splitting hairs, I guess!

[SconnieQ]

Tony, you are right. No nitrites in my hot smoked Salmon. The whole salmon terminology thing is complicated. It's inconsistent. I rarely see nitrites used in hot smoked salmon. It seems like if it is a dry brine, it is often referred to incorrectly as a "cure". And if it is a wet brine, it is a "brine". More accurately, I should have referred to my process and recipe as a "dry brine".

I do use nitrites in my cold smoked salmon (lox). In that case, it is "cured".

You have it down!  Now Brian (Pork Belly) will tell you there is no such thing as a "dry brine."  While he is technically correct, we use the term loosely because adding the salt mixture to meat, and letting it liquefy, essentially turns it into a wet brine.  Splitting hairs, I guess!

Figuring Brian (Pork Belly) might chime in and set me straight at some point. He the man when it comes to this stuff. Scandinavian gravlax does not use nitrites, but is still referred to as a "cure". In which case, "cure" refers to the removal of moisture by means of salt and sugar. Here is the Wikipedia definition of "cured" salmon, which does not include nitrites:

"The process of curing fish has been around for a significant amount of time as it has been used as a way to preserve fish from spoiling. The process usually involves an abundance of salt or sugar even sometimes both. A dry rub is mixed together using salt/sugar and an assortment of desired herbs. This is rubbed onto the surface of the salmon, which is then put aside for a number of hours or days. The salt/sugar "cooks" the fish by drawing a large amount of liquid out and replacing it with salt/sugar mixture. At the end of the process the result is cured salmon."

[DivotMaker]

Here is the Wikipedia definition of "cured" salmon, which does not include nitrites:

"The process of curing fish has been around for a significant amount of time as it has been used as a way to preserve fish from spoiling. The process usually involves an abundance of salt or sugar even sometimes both. A dry rub is mixed together using salt/sugar and an assortment of desired herbs. This is rubbed onto the surface of the salmon, which is then put aside for a number of hours or days. The salt/sugar "cooks" the fish by drawing a large amount of liquid out and replacing it with salt/sugar mixture. At the end of the process the result is cured salmon."

This may be right, in the fish world, but I'd recommend finding a better source than Wiki...highly unreliable information, since it is editable by users.  I would like to hear what our curing experts have to say about the use of "curing" without nitrites/nitrates.

[SconnieQ]

This may be right, in the fish world, but I'd recommend finding a better source than Wiki...highly unreliable information, since it is editable by users.  I would like to hear what our curing experts have to say about the use of "curing" without nitrites/nitrates.

Yeah, I was afraid to quote wiki, just for that reason, but then again, quoting from pretty much any website is just as unreliable. That's the world in which we live. Anyway, a better source would probably be Michael Ruhlman and his book "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking & Curing", which seems to be the the meat curing bible. He repeatedly refers to meats as "cured" using just salt, such as prosciutto, or salt and sugar such as salmon. He doesn't seem to require nitrites/nitrates to be present when referring to something as cured. Anyway, this all makes for a lively and interesting discussion about terminology!

[DivotMaker]

Anyway, this all makes for a lively and interesting discussion about terminology!

All included with the price of admission!    That's one of those things that I don't think we'll ever all agree on!  He says, in his own title - "Salting, Smoking and Curing."  So why wouldn't meat that is just salted be called salted?  Signed, Very Confused.

[SconnieQ]

All included with the price of admission!    That's one of those things that I don't think we'll ever all agree on!  He says, in his own title - "Salting, Smoking and Curing."  So why wouldn't meat that is just salted be called salted?  Signed, Very Confused.

Dunno, but you are making me want to really study the book now. He uses "curing" a lot. And then, what about ceviche, which is pretty much always referred to as fish or seafood "cured" in acid (no nitrites)? I'm going to say you can "cure" without nitrites or nitrates (ceviche, gravlax, prosciutto). We can agree to disagree. But I'm going to be more careful on this forum with my words, and the use of the word cure...until further notice. Where's Pork Belly when you need him?

[DivotMaker]

We can agree to disagree. But I'm going to be more careful on this forum with my words, and the use of the word cure...until further notice. Where's Pork Belly when you need him?

Not necessary at all!  I'm not saying either of us is right or wrong - it just raised a question that I would like to know the answer to!  Hopefully, you can educate me and straighten-out my understanding on it.

[TexasSMK]

Sounds simple and delicious.  Smoking shortly, Thank you Leah