was thinking of doing some thing different to the fish....anybody out there cold smoke thier catch,and if so how?
thnaks

that is a tricky one with a little cheif and big cheif.I have experimented with stacking the box on top as in there booklet.Could not keep the smoke under 100 degrees.Realy I believe that diverting the smoke away from the heat source is the only way.good luck

If you are thinking of something like gravalox, try this:

Filet one medium sized salmon. Pull out the pin bones with tweezers. Leave the skin on.

Mix
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup vodka
4 tbs of caraway seeds slightly roasted

Lay one salmon filet in a large glass pan. cover with the mix. Then cover that with a generous amount of fresh dill, not dried stuff. Then put the other filet on top of that so you make a "sandwich" with the mixture touching the meat and the skin-side out on top and bottom.

Weigh it down with something like several plates.

Put in refrigerator for 12 hours. Gently take the filet sandwich out of the pan and wrap it in plastic wrap. Clean out the pan. Then flip the sandwich over, re-apply the weight, and put back in the frig for 12 hours.

Flip every 12 hrs for total of 3 days.

When complete, brush off the mix of stuff -- dont rinse with water.

Put the filets in your smoker and run one pan of chips thru. Total smoke time less than 1 hour. and as cool of conditions as possible, (out side and at nite?), so the smoker doesnt get hot.

Slice real thin and you now have some of the best tasting cold smoked salmon Ive ever had!!!

Ive been using this recipe for years and to me the key is the "fresh" dill and the caraway seeds. I particularly like this recipe because it DOESNT use heavy spices which to me tend to overpower the taste of the fish. These subtle flavors with just a hint of smoke flavor, enhance the taste of the fish, not replace it.

Hope you like it.

ps. BTW this is a slight variation of a Martha Stewart recipe for lox. -- She may be going to jail, but she sure is a great crook....er I mean cook!

One more thing -- How to make great hors d-oerves with the above smoked salmon.

Ingredients:
wheat thins or other thin cracker.
cucumber
Fresh chives
cream cheese
cold smoked salmon sliced very thin (from above recipe)


Makes great finger food as follows;

Serrate the outside of the cucumber, then cut into very thin slices. Place cucumber slice on top of cracker.

Next take a small dab (teapsoon size) of cream cheese and wrap it with the salmon slice.
You can hold the slice together with a toothpick id you like. Place the tube of salmon/cheese on top of the cucumber.

Garnish with two or three 2 inch long spears of chives stuck into the cream cheese.

Very simple to make but has a wonderful taste and rich presentation appearance. Your guests will rave, guaranteed, especially when you tell them that you caught and smoked the salmon yourself!!!

When I was up in Smithers, BC last year, the German guy that ran the place I was staying gave me a big chunk of cold-smoked coho salmon. It was FANTASTIC. Sliced paper thin and served on a cracker with some cream cheese.......I couldn't stop myself and ate it all in one sitting.

He had a two-chamber smoker and would put the fish on one side...........wood on the other and the smoke was diverted via a chimney pipe.

You figure out a good way to make cold-smoked fish and you might not go back to hot-smoked.