Salmon Help

Hi JW....I've smoked lots of whole salmon filets but never salmon steaks so my advice may not be good advice. This week I did two whole filets from Costco, (skinless filets because I hate the fishy-oily taste that the skin imparts on the finished product). Just prior to putting them in the smoker I cut them crosswise into three large sections. I cut them on the seafood rack so they appeared just like a whole filet. I intended to give them to some friends that like my salmon so that was the reason for cutting them. I don't know whether you are using steaks cut vertically through the backbone or boneless steaks cut from a filet. How thick are they and are they skinless or skin on?(yuck!)If they are 1" or more thick I would cut back on the wood because of the additional surface area exposed to smoke. On a filet I use 2 oz. hickory and 2 oz. of apple. The 140 D. internal temp. sounds OK I guess. I don't use a themo probe on fish, I use my finger and eyes to test for doneness. I have tried several different recipes for smoked salmon including Cardogs but keep coming back to Andi's method (seafood archives) especially her "dry brine". Follow her method to the letter and you won't be disappointed. Typically I use a temp. setting of 155D. for 4 hrs.
As to the question of farm raised versus "wild" salmon, two weeks ago I did a test. Costco had wild Copper River salmon filets as well as their normal farm raised salmon so I bought one of each. They appeared identical and the texture was the same except the wild salmon had less color. I prepared them both the same way, smoked them together at the same time and I couldn't tell the finished product apart...and I make my living cooking. Nor could my friends tell the difference. My guess is the smoke masks any subtle difference between wild and farmed. If you are concerned about chemicals, you should probably stop eating farm raised meat too and I recently read that the mercury level in west coast ocean fish is reaching critical levels...so what are we supposed to do in this age of genetic engineering, not eat?
Hope this helps a little.
CB

CB
Thanks for the advice. I ended up getting some wild salmon filets (not steaks). Yes - they have skin..(oh well).. They are about the same thickness as the costco filets. I will take a look at Andi's Method.. The mercury is kind of scary.. no more caned tuna for me!

JW

JW...Not to worry...you've probably been eating mercury contaminated seafood all your life but didn't know it. It just wasn't an issue in years past because no one thought to measure it, or wanted to. When I lived in Manhattan Beach many years ago we used to refer to the waste outlet at the end of Rosecrans Blvd.and PCH as "poo poo lagoon" but it didn't stop anyone from body surfing or beach vollyball or fishing Hope your salmon turns out great!
CB

Not to bust anyones bubble, but the skin on salmon is no what imparts the strong fishy taste. Even on a fillet the fishy taste will remain, cause with a store bought fillet all they have done is cut off the skin.

It�s that layer of dark meat just under the skin that is so nasty. Next time put your skinned fillet (whole) in the freezer for a half hour to an hour, then take your filleting knife and shave (and I mean just SHAVE) off that dark meat.

You will be pleasantly surprised in the difference in taste.

T REX -- Thanks for the HELP... I will give it a try next time..

CB - Thanks for the Help too.... Why would you move away from the beach?