Asking for help with smoking salmon

[dubob]

I have just switched from a CC Woodwind pellet grill to a Pit Boss Vertical pellet smoker. I have a ton of experience with smoking fish in a Bradley smoker, but no experience with a vertical pellet smoker. I have a dozen or more vacuum sealed packages of 2 kokanee salmon filets each in dire need of being smoked and consumed. I would like to smoke several of the filets to give to my neighbors as Christmas gifts after I figure out a failsafe method to reliably produce smoked filets equal to or better than commercial products. Can you help a brother out?

Your experience at smoking fish/salmon on a VERTICAL SMOKER, or better yet, a PIT BOSS PRO SERIES 6 ELITE VERTICAL SMOKER (Lowes exclusive model) would be greatly appreciated.🥰

[John Henry]

dubob: Sorry, i have never used a pellet smoker of any kind, but can give you my thoughts after smoking dozens if salmon filets successfully.

1. VERY LIGHTLY salt the fish to dry brine, COVERED in the fridge. I like to brine overnight when possible, but have had good results with as little as 2hrs.

2. There are million rub choices, but imho Meathead’s “Marietta’s Fish Rub” is the champion of them all for smoking any seafood. The fact it is salt free allows me to dry brine, and then add the MFRub with no fear of oversalting delicate fish flesh. Recipe is here on AR.

3. Carefully limit your heat. We like our salmon just a skosh past medium rare. Any seafood is pretty delicate, in any case. I try to smoke fish between
212 and 225F. It has always worked well for me.

4. If you can have it/find it, wld suggest using parchment paper as your vessel on which to place the fish. Mebbe the AR pellet team will object due to possible fire pot problems in a pellet smoker, but i was never very happy with foil for my “feesh.” Kitchen parchment is usually rated at least up to 350F, so i never come close to any ignition problems with it.

5. Good luck, and most of all don’t sweat this subject too much—-if you can brine, then use the Marietta’s—-then watch your cooker temp carefully, you will do great.

[dubob]

My smoked salmon is not for dinner. It is a snack food to be enjoyed anytime. It will be just like the commercial versions that came vacuum sealed in a box.

[dubob]

Temps using my PID control Bradley were 120 degrees/2.5 hrs, 140 degrees/4.0 hrs, & 175 degrees/2.0 hrs. The Pit Boss lowest setting is 130 degrees. I'm thinking a similar approach will work in the Pit Boss with maybe 130/160/175 setting for slightly different time intervals.

[dubob]

Parchment paper wouldn't be a problem at the temps I'll be smoking at - hopefully. 😊

[John Henry]

PS: Appears you have WILD salmon to smoke.
If they are filets, and if you want the fish for table dining (not a jerky type use) they will smoke SUPER FAST, so watch that temp, and keep a close eye on them, and remove a little before your finishing temp, as they (like anything we smoke) will carry over.

[Spinaker]

This recipe from Meathead is my favorite. I love this stuff. So, so good. I think you should give it a try. It is the only way I smoke salmon. It all work great in the smoker.

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/seafood-recipes/schmancy-hot-smoked-salmon-recipe/

[dubob]

Again, these will not be a dinner item. Fully cooked (dryish) for snacking.

[Alan Brice]

I could be mistaken, but I am not seeing any pull temps,(internal). In my experience, I believe safe final temps to be 131 degrees F.
Use a quality thermometer and pull in the high 120's.
Pics please, tell use how things turned out.

[dubob]

These will be fully cooked and on the dryish side for snacking.

[cruiseplanner1]

I smoke a lot of salmon and trout but always in a stick burner. Did filets a couple of times but usually steaks with the skin on. Filets will cook a lot quicker and surely in an overhead barrel. One thing I always do is grab a paper grocery bag and line it with newspaper to let oils drain and keep in the refrigerator for a couple days before you vac seal any and freeze them. If not they do form some type of gas and blow up even the best sealed bag. As you I like mine on the drier side for eating plain as a snack. Took some smoked steelhead trout to a lunch gathering that was catered in by a friend and I put them on the table and so many ladies asked her where she got the smoked fish and how good it was. Good luck on your smoke

[dubob]

Today is the day. I got out 3 packages of 2 filets each and dry brined them with a 2/1 ratio of brown sugar/ course kosher salt. I let them sit in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Washed them and set them back in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then covered them with a dry rub consisting of smoked paprika, garlic & onion powder, black pepper, and brown sugar. These is what they looked like going into the smoker.



I put them into my new Lowes/Pit Boss Series 6 Elite vertical pellet smoker set at 130*F to start. At the 2 hour point, I bumped the temp up to 140*F and they have been there for about 2 hours. The IT of the filets is sitting at 139/140*F. I will let them go for another 2 hours before taste testing them. If needed, I will bump again to 170*F until the IT is at 145*F. Here is a picture of the Pit Boss app COOKING ANALYTICS:



The SET temps are holding very well and close to the set number as can be seen from the brown & blue lines. The ITs of a couple of the filets are very close to one another as seen with the green & yellow lines. I will post up a picture of the final result in a couple of hours from now.

Ta Da!



Yummy! 😁

[Oak Smoke]

Oh my! I’d be sitting there with some toast, sour cream, onion, and capers having one of my favorite snacks in the world. I could eat that all day!

[deancarlsen]

Cold smoke it. Make Lox. More work, but...

Oh my goodness. YUMMM!!!

[dubob]

Oak Smoke & deancarlsen, interesting suggestions for sure; thank you.

However, for me, I'll have to pass for two reasons. And those reasons would be I'm not a fan of either salty raw fish or bagels. I have nothing against either of you enjoying them, but they don't work for me at all. I prefer my fish smoked and having a sweet, tangy flavor I get from brown sugar and assorted spices used as a rub applied before smoking.

I occasionally like to consume the fish with some salmon flavored cream cheese applied. 😁