The process shown is making gravlax first and then smoking. If you put two pieces of salmon inside a zip lock bag with the skin side out, instead of weighting it down in the fridge, you can just turn the bag over every half day or so. Using a zip lock bag also enables you to save the curing liquid. You can easily pour off the curing liquid from the bag every day or so. Boil that up, cool it down, and then use that curing liquid to pickle sliced onions. The pickled onions will go really well with the gravlax.
Thanks very much for your reply. I sometimes have made a salmon salad spread by mixing the pickled onions with sour cream and canned salmon. 1.5 pounds costs less than $4.
Grav Lax comes from Scandinavia and it means buried salmon. They actually buried it until the decomposition sets in, breaking down the meat, for a very tender and very flavorful salmon. I don't like it but some still do for the uniqueness of the experience.
Thank you for the video. I have cold smoked salmon this way twice and it came out great. Is there any reason we can't use the same process for Whitefish like cod haddock or Herring Etc. When I look up cold smoking white fish many articles say it's not cooked so you have to cook it until it gets to 140 Fahrenheit. I try that it was like shoe leather I think I could have eaten it once it got off the smoker. What are your thoughts?
be carefull ... salmon has a lot of fats and you cure it ... other fish has 2 choices - dry it or cook it. i prefer dry it , and again it could be dried at 140 F ... Herring i would pickle.
@@jett70710 That is hot smoking, he is cold smoking salmon. The brine cures the meat and the smoke is only to add flavor. Even for hot smoking salmon, I never go above 140° F.
Cold smoking means COLD, no heat, done best when outside temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Done properly the smoke generator 20 feet from the box containing the fish. They are connected with a 4 inch metal duct.
@@ReallySmoking thanks for such a quick reply. I just cured my first piece of salmon with table salt, sugar, and some other things, I wish I had found your video before I tried it. I know what to do now though! Thanks again!
no instacure for fish. Remember fish could be : cold smoked , hot smoked and cooked :) - different temp levels. This is cold smoked so temp should be about 50 F. and then i freeze it .
sorry ... i understood you was looking for ReallySmoking on ebay too :) or "Mark V1" www.ebay.com/itm/263501885153?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649 that's without pump.
@@ReallySmoking thanks. There are a lot of those in nearby waters this time of the year and I missed old "soviet" style skumbria. I will try it next weekend.
Great video but wrecked by the constant loud background music. Okay at the start but then it has to stop. Many cooking videos have this constant drone and it really pi$$es me off.
This is by far the lowest amount of salt I've seen, most guys are using 10%-15%, which is 8 teaspoons per lb., and why lox is generally very salty. I use the salt equalization method and only use 2% salt, which translates into 9 grams per lb.. I also add .025% prague powder because there are still nasty bacteria in the fish, even at higher salt levels than mine. Your method is using about 4% salt. Experts conclude 2% salt is the absolute minimum. That's why most salmon is cured then HOT smoked to 170 degrees to kill the bugs off. So hats off to you for using less salt, letting you know you can go lower, and adding a bit of celery powder or cure #1 salt will keep it safe. One of the many recipes I use is marinating it in salt, rum and maple syrup for two days, then pressing it under a weight for 2-3 days to dry it, run a fan over it to create a pellicle, then cold smoke it with one of those tiny smokers for indoors. Really easy, a few shots of smoke under foil and its done. My guests flip over it!.
Thank you for info. I usually freeze it after making for longer storage too. plus i do dry it for another 4-5 days after smoking. i know i loose a lot of weight - but i do it for myself, so it becomes firmer than store bought and you can cut it thin while it is frozen.
@@ReallySmoking I've seen many of your vids, lots to learn. Thanks much. Freezing to zero temp kills anything! :) You should mention wild caught salmon should not be cured without freezing first, it carries a lot of bad bugs, farm raised from Nordic or Ireland on the other hand can be eaten raw unfrozen. Very good farming practices. I don't dry further after smoking but vacuum sealing and letting it mellow for a week or more in the fridge really makes it much better. It's still kind of juicy but still keeps a month or more, and not as much like salmon jerky; Yes, drying further takes the water content down which inhibits bad bacteria. I like your vids so much I included two key pieces of info, first, I'm the only guy I've heard of who uses the salt equalization method for fish, which delivers a precise salt amount. You look to be doing the same, which is very cool. This is new age, the Neanderthals are still way over salting. Second, that maple syrup rum marinade is top secret, use 50%/50% and a good rum, just a few tbsp.!! One of the best things I ever ate. Sometimes I finish it with dill for it's week in the fridge mellowing out. Lots of respect to you. Now cheer up in your vids, you're not embalming the food, you're loving it. ;)
everything we eat is farmed including salmon. there are so very few wild salmon left..check out the wild salmon population on north Americas west coast..the numbers are falling like a rock..
