bufo55
New member
There's a secret lake in the Sierras where I catch Golden-Rainbow hybrids. They get FATTY and RED from gorging on Copepods (crustaceans kind of related to krill - if you know any cartoon-watching kids, they might know that Plankton, one of Spongebob Squarepants' friends, is a copepod of a salt-water variety). When you clean them they are full of gobs of orange fat - fattier than most ocean-caught wild salmon. Twelve mile hike, 3,000 ft elevation gain, 6 miles of it cross-country and up a cliff. Then hike back with them packed in snow.
I smoked the big one, and threw in some salmon bellies from the local fishmonger. Used an equilibrium brine, supplemented with soy, fresh ginger, garlic cloves and sugar for that teriyaki taste. The equilibrium brine worked great on the trout, but those fatty salmon bellies actually need a dry rub-which I will do next time. I often get interrupted, so the time flexibility of the equilibrium brine is great. I left it in at least 8 hours longer than I planned with no ill effects. Used sugar maple and some cherry, split down about french-fry size to make sure they would smoke at a 140F smoker temp. Put the Maverick probe in a salmon belly and pulled at 140F. Trout was juicy, fatty, just the right amount of smoke, salt and flavoring. Salmon bellies - need some major adjustments.
I smoked the big one, and threw in some salmon bellies from the local fishmonger. Used an equilibrium brine, supplemented with soy, fresh ginger, garlic cloves and sugar for that teriyaki taste. The equilibrium brine worked great on the trout, but those fatty salmon bellies actually need a dry rub-which I will do next time. I often get interrupted, so the time flexibility of the equilibrium brine is great. I left it in at least 8 hours longer than I planned with no ill effects. Used sugar maple and some cherry, split down about french-fry size to make sure they would smoke at a 140F smoker temp. Put the Maverick probe in a salmon belly and pulled at 140F. Trout was juicy, fatty, just the right amount of smoke, salt and flavoring. Salmon bellies - need some major adjustments.
