I just got a smokette and did some salmon in it last night. I have made this before in my brinkmann, so I have a fair bit of experience in smoking fish. The Brinkmann would get too hot and the fish would be dry if smoked too long. I tried smoking for 2 hrs at about 165 and then raised the temp to 225 for about 45 minutes. The salmon flaked. When I tried it today it was a bit on the mushy side. Still edible, but a little mushy. Should I have smoked longer or hotter?


Thanks for the help.

Pete

Pete, I remember reading somewhere else here, that the best way is to brine the salmon then smoke. But I made some by just brushing with olive oil and rubbing with salt and pepper, smoke at 250 until 130 degrees. I believe it was Andi that said anything more is over cooked.
dave

The internal temp of the filet is what will let you gauge what texture you will end up with. 140 to 145� will be softer that 155 to 155�. At 160 to 165� it starts to get fairly dry (drier than I care for).
You using a dry cure or brine before smoking?
Jim

It was brined before I smoked it. I didn't measure the internal temperature. I think I'll have to get a Poldar(sp?) thermometer. My previous experience is with a Brinkmann, which is pretty primitive. Thanks for the guidelines on the temp. Actually I like my salmon fairly dry.


Pete

Jim is the MAN for Fish, so listen when his gills start working.

I've converted my wife who didn't like warm salmon, after we started using Jim's ideas about fish.

I use a dry brine, rinse and then air dry to form a pellicle.

Another thing is the CS will keep the humidity up, so if it's dry, it's probably pulled at a higher temp.

Jim,
What are the internal temps you like to smoke various fish to?

Smokin'

psilvers - that seems like a bit too long if you're not using huge fish. I do salmon fillets for around an hour at 180F and they're plenty done.

It looks like you're set with smoker and internal temps.
I like to brine my salmon (I often use the packaged Hi Mountain brand) & let it air dry. I then season with coarse salt & fresh ground pepper, and then brush it with pure maple syrup just before smoking. It gets rave reviews every time.

Thanks for all the help. I am going to try again this weekend. I bought a thermometer so I can get the internal temperature; I think I'll run the smoker at a higher temp.

Thanks again.


Pete