Inaugural Smoked Salmon on SM025

All I have to say is, wow!! I used this brine:

http://forum.cookshack.com/eve...771068234#2771068234

And soaked the fish for 4 hours. I wasn't crazy about how the brine smelled, but the flavor it imparted to the finished product was outstanding.

I followed the ingredient list exactly, and my only departure from the recipe was heating the brine to make sure to dissolve everything. I mixed 2 cups of water with all the remaining ingredients and brought it to a boil. I put that in a large stock pot, then added the rest of the water, 1.5 quarts, in the form of ice water to cool the brine down completely. In went the fish, then 4 hours later they were ready for the rest of the process.

I didn't rinse the fish at all. I just pulled them out of the brine, patted them a little to remove the excess brine, then put them on a Pam sprayed rack to let dry for an hour or so.

Once I got the tacky surface, into the smoker they went along with 1 oz. of apple wood, set to 200 degrees and an internal temperature of 165. I cranked the temperature up to 250 to begin, and as soon as I saw smoke coming out, I reduced the temperature down to 200.

I was trying to mimic the smoked salmon I've been getting at Safeway the past few years. Nice and firm, but still moist and flavorful. And I hit the nail on its proverbial head. The fish came out perfectly.

After letting them cool for almost an hour, I set a couple of pieces out on a plate for my company to snack on. I had already eaten a piece all by myself. Cook's prerogative, you know. And the fish was pronounced better than what you can get at the store. The rest of the fish got vacuum packed and put in the freezer. I think I have enough for the next couple of months, or until I run into a batch of salmon that needs to be smoked.

I'm really impressed with the SM025 and how easy it is to get excellent results that rivals professionals!!