IMPORTANT LINK, CLICK HERE!


Maybe because I've seen a few guys come in with gastroenteritis from eating thier own smoked salmon I've made some changes to the way I smoke fish. If you want to avoid a 3 am trip to the ER for IV rehydration I'd follow the instructions on the link. Especially if you give your smoked fish away. Do you really want to give the gift of vomiting and diarrhea?

I use a meat thermometer and my propane gas grill to complete the 30 minute, 160 degree cooking cycle. Its convienent to just take out the whole trays from the Big Chief and stick them right in the BBQ. Then they go back in the smoker for another hour or so afterwards. You need to do this to kill bacteria. 140 degree heat doesn't do the job, its almost incubation temperature. But don't start the smoking process with the high temp cooking cycle or you'll 'curdle' the fish. Its that funky curdled fat that develops on fish smoked at too high a heat, too fast.

Don't air dry your fish in the smoker, or outside the refrigerator. You'll definitely invite trouble. I air dry in the fridge for about 6-12 hours depending on the size of the cuts.

The only thing I havn't been doing , that I plan on incooperating into the regime, is adding absorbant toweling of some sort to one side of the bag as I vacumm wrap. Its supposed to prevent mold from forming. I want to find that stuff the butchers use to absorb the juice from steaks.

Lastly, in order to get a perfectly smoked piece of fish you have to babysit the dam smoker the last 2 hours. Some pieces will need to be removed before others are done. Different sizes smoke differently. Different parts of the smoker have higher temps, or better air circulation. Those all affect cooking times.

I smoked over 200 pounds of salmon last year. I made my own mistakes, learned alot too. What I give you is about 10% from my own experience, and 90% from books and the web.

Have fun and be safe.

Vince