Salmon questions

[Sarowe]

I have a 3D and want to smoke some salmon

Should I use small chips and start at low temp for a few hours and then ramp up?  Or just use chunks in foil boats and simply set the Auber to 170-180 and run til my internal temp is where I want. 

Also how long will the salmon keep if vacuum packed in fridge and in freezer

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[SconnieQ]

Here's my hot smoked salmon:
Salmon - Hot Smoked

Basic Salmon Cure:
1 part Salt
4 parts Brown Sugar

Make enough cure to thickly pack around salmon.

Cut Salmon filet into pieces approximately 3-4 inches wide. Skin-on and skin-off both work, and are good. I prefer skin-off on my hot-smoked salmon, because I get more surface area for the pellicle. A lot of people prefer skin-on.

Heavily pack the cure all around the salmon in a glass or food-safe dish, cover with plastic wrap, and cure for 8 hours or overnight. There will be a lot of liquid in the dish after curing. Thoroughly rinse cure off of salmon. Blot with paper towels. Dry on rack for about 3 hours to form a pellicle. If drying for more than 3 hours, then dry for 4-8 hours on a rack in the refrigerator.

Set smoker to 170 degrees. Smoke until Salmon internal temp is 135 degrees. Many recipes say internal temp should be 145, but I think the salmon gets too firm/dry. I usually use 2-3 oz chips or thin strips/shards.

I put in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap for 24 hours to mellow. Then vacuum seal and freeze. I don't know how long it keeps in the freezer, because mine doesn't last very long. But I would think it would last a 6 months to a year in the freezer vac sealed, possibly longer.

[Libohunden]

Chips or chunks, either way are good. Use what you have but ramp up for sure. I usually smoke salmon at 175 and about 3 oz of my favorite wood(of that day).

I always brine the salmon overnight with 1 cup sugar, I cup kosher salt and a gallon of water.  I also slice the salmon filet (I get the big ones from Costco or sams) into 3 in wide pieces to approximate 1serving. An hour or two before smoking, I remove from brine, dry and then slather in maple syrup. I probe the thickest slice of salmon. Then smoke till I hit an internal temp,of 145.

Beware that once you serve this salmon, you will be forced to smoke it almost every week for a long time and then every 2 weeks!

[Sarowe]

After the pellicle is formed, can I wrap and put in the smoker the next day?

[SconnieQ]

After the pellicle is formed, can I wrap and put in the smoker the next day?

I don't see a problem with that. You probably don't even need to wrap. The pellicle will preserve the salmon until the next day. You can probably rinse, pat dry with paper towels, put on a rack and directly into the fridge until the next day. The extra dry time should not hurt. Since the refrigerator is a fairly moist environment, it is often difficult to get a good pellicle in the refrigerator, so the extra time might even be an advantage. I suppose the only disadvantage is picking up off-flavors from the refrigerator, but I'd try it anyway. If you have a good pellicle in advance, then go ahead and wrap.