I've been curing salmon for going on thirty years, using Russian recipes I've been given by new immigrants. It is insanely easy to do, and a fraction of the cost of buying smoked salmon in the store. (In fact, you don't even have to "smoke" it with smoke. A half oz of liquid smoke and a half oz of cheap scotch whisky poured over the fish after the initial patting dry and before applying the salt mixture does the trick quite nicely.) A few points I've learned over 30 years. NEVER, NEVER, EVER use table salt in the cure. It MUST be coarse, kosher (style) salt or you are going to wind up with a metallic tasting, impossibly salty, inedible mess! I did it once, never again. Next, Tom let the fish brine for 3 days. I used to do that too. It's a critical mistake. 3-4 days, you will have a hard, rubbery piece of fish. You can see his flattened chunk of fish before he smokes it, and not only does it feel like rigor mortise has set in, it's very, very salty. Brining for 24-36 hours is more than enough, and result in a perfectly flavored, non salty, soft fish. 12-24 hour of brining is fine if you are going to smoke it - the fish will be moister, and softer. Otherwise, thanks for the fennel tip! Sadly, I put up my latest batch of brining about two hours ago, so that has to wait. I encourage you to try it, what Tom has done is an incredibly forgiving recipe, as long as you do not use table salt, you cannot possibly ruin this recipe! Enjoy!
This is always an oldie and a goodie. I make this every holiday season thanks to you and Britt. I’ve actually started making filets for my neighbors as holiday gifts. Suffice to say no one says “no thanks.”
Thank you for how to do it when it is warmer out! It is now very early summer here in CT, and I want to do this. I am getting a cold smoking tube, and was really looking on how to do this now, and not in the colder months. Thank you, and God bless you Chef Tom :)
It was a pleasure meeting you in person after watching all of your vids for years, from Japan to New Mexico to Kansas to finally KC. Keep the recipes coming.
While I have all the proper gear, I still haven't cold-smoked salmon. When I do, I'll use your method. Your "how-to" video is the best I have seen on this subject. Thank you very much.
Man I’m so happy you guys did this! You guys and Mr. Reed are the two I trust the most! I made this with someone else’s recipe and it was wayyy salty. Can not wait to try this one! Thank you as always!
You all prolly dont care but does someone know of a tool to log back into an Instagram account..? I stupidly forgot my login password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me!
@Tucker Ezekiel I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im in the hacking process now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
I want to try this. My husband always smokes salmon for me, but it isn’t the cold smoke. The last smoked salmon he fixed was delicious-I love it with cottage cheese.
Just made this for Christmas Day brunch and it was incredibly delicious and tasty! Everyone loved it and now i am making it for New Year’s Day. Thank you for such great recipes!
@@Foxikaye0331 I used a salmon cheese ball recipe from Rachael Ray's website, it was excellent! I think it was the Everything Bagel one with the dill and lemon zest. Cheers!
Got it curing in the fridge .... first time trying this, but I am starting to learn about cured meats, fermented vegetables/ sauerkraut, cold smoking and how all of this can be applied to not only BBQ, but some really nice horderves or main dishes for parties etc.
Thank you Chef Tom! I have always wanted to make my own smoked salmon, now I know how! What would you do differently in a grill that does not have fans to blow the smoke from the cylinder smoker?
Chef Tom that is amazing. I wondered at first why I couldn’t see your breath lol. I’ve watched and learned from you for many years hope the appreciate how skilled you are! Nicely done. 🍻
Hi Tom! Do I have to use (compulsory) sashimi-grade salmon (previously flash-frozen) or I can take my fresh catch and proceed with the cure and cold smoke? Thanks!
Made this salmon, came out super delicious. Make sure you have a long and sharp knife to cut it properly. Some other recipes call for 10-12 hours smoking. I did about 6, and 4-5 probably more then enough. Question. Must salmon have a skin on? If I take a skinless salmon, will it get over salted?
Chef Tom, you've rekindled my passion for BBQ...so much so that I gave my son my propane grill and bought a Yoder with options and seasonings. QUESTION: do you have a recipe for smoked tuna? Similar to salmon? I fish the Sea of Cortez (Cabo) frequently and would love to smoke some tuna on my new grill. Keep the recipes coming!
Have cold smoked salmon this way and it came out delicious! Is there any safety or health reason you can't use same process on cod, herring, haddock etc.? When I type in cold smoking cod, some articles warn that it must be further hot cooked to 140 F which I did, wound up with fish jerky. Appreciate any thoughts.
I'm making lox? I need to lower the salinity with a water bath after the brine process. If I cold smoke it for 4 hours Is pink salt cure necessary in the dry brine?
Is there any advice on the smoking part. I’ve used a smoking tube similar to the one in the video, but my salmon ended up cooked after just 3 hours. I was very confused since I didn’t think the smoke would completely cook it. I guess outside temps weren’t cold enough and a tray of ice would have fixed the problem?
I've make this a lot, its probably one of my favorite recipes. I just noticed on the filet I have today though that it's skinless. Will that make a significant impact or is it still fine?
Once it's smoked, how can it be kept -wrapped in the refrigerator? How should a big filet or half filet be kept so it can be eaten in different days? Thanks much?
Can any heat be used while smoking with my Yoder? Probably gonna be 10 or 20 degrees BELOW zero outside when mine is cured. I'm thinking my salmon might freeze before it's smoked!!
Another great recipe, I’m going to try this one out for sure. Not big into salmon fishing though, just wondering if anyone has tried this with a lean fresh water fish such as pike or walleye?
Both pike and walleye are too lean for this kind of curing/smoking. If you’re in the upper Midwest, maybe you can get some lake whitefish? It should smoke up well Ike this.
DukeTrout thanks for the reply. I have since looked into it a little more and it seems you’re right, any smoking of these lean fish tend to be hot smokes that actually cook the fish, kind of like the mackerel my mom used to buy when I was a kid. We do have whitefish here and there, i usually fish central Ontario up here in Canada, but I normally target pike, bass and walleye. So maybe I’ll have to pick up a salmon side from the store to cold smoke at home and keep my pike and walleye for shore lunches and hot smoking over the campfire.
Another question! I just finished slicing mine. I could not find anything that wasn’t farm raised other than sockeye. Maybe it doesn’t have the fat content that it needs. Mine came out more like jerky than the smoked salmon I’ve had. Fairly dry, super salty, but a good flavor. I followed your recipe exactly other than the type of salmon. Any suggestions for next time?
The burner in this video is from All Clad and is no longer available. We have switched to the Hestan Induction Burner - www.atbbq.com/accessories/housewares/cookware/hestan-cue-smart-countertop-induction-burner-cooktop.html. Thanks for watching.
In the Kamado Joe, I’d take out the charcoal basket and the ash tray and put the tube way down in the bottom. Light it through the bottom opening, leave the damper open and open the top vent. Put the salmon on a mesh rack and put that on the grill racks. Watch your temp so it doesn’t get too warm. I have not tried this but just might in the near a future!
Curtis Ross it is possible, but you really have to watch your temp. You can certainly light a few chunks of wood and do this, but put the salmon as far/high away from the heat source as possible, and make sure that it’s a really really cold day.
The smoke tube used in this video (www.atbbq.com/accessories/grill-accessories/smoke-boxes/a-maze-n-tube-smoker-smoke-generator.html) is made strictly for pellets. Most smoker boxes, like this one www.atbbq.com/accessories/grill-accessories/smoke-boxes/grillpro-stainless-smoker-box.html, call for wood chips.
Yes, don’t do so. The salt level is too high for reactive surfaces. Plastic containers are best. I make cold smoked salmon all the time. Also, this brine in this video is too long. 24 hours max or else you’ll have jerky salmon.
Ryan Ottaway all you need to do is have the smoke source below the fish. I use alder wood pellets in an amazn tube. I have a kamado joe classic. I have found that with alder wood pellets, 30-45 minutes smoking a fish that has no pelicle is perfect.
I've been curing salmon for going on thirty years, using Russian recipes I've been given by new immigrants. It is insanely easy to do, and a fraction of the cost of buying smoked salmon in the store. (In fact, you don't even have to "smoke" it with smoke. A half oz of liquid smoke and a half oz of cheap scotch whisky poured over the fish after the initial patting dry and before applying the salt mixture does the trick quite nicely.) A few points I've learned over 30 years. NEVER, NEVER, EVER use table salt in the cure. It MUST be coarse, kosher (style) salt or you are going to wind up with a metallic tasting, impossibly salty, inedible mess! I did it once, never again. Next, Tom let the fish brine for 3 days. I used to do that too. It's a critical mistake. 3-4 days, you will have a hard, rubbery piece of fish. You can see his flattened chunk of fish before he smokes it, and not only does it feel like rigor mortise has set in, it's very, very salty. Brining for 24-36 hours is more than enough, and result in a perfectly flavored, non salty, soft fish. 12-24 hour of brining is fine if you are going to smoke it - the fish will be moister, and softer. Otherwise, thanks for the fennel tip! Sadly, I put up my latest batch of brining about two hours ago, so that has to wait. I encourage you to try it, what Tom has done is an incredibly forgiving recipe, as long as you do not use table salt, you cannot possibly ruin this recipe! Enjoy!
Is is possible to do in an airfyer? What temp should it be to make sure there's no worms?
This is always an oldie and a goodie. I make this every holiday season thanks to you and Britt. I’ve actually started making filets for my neighbors as holiday gifts. Suffice to say no one says “no thanks.”
This pops up while I'm eating a smoked salmon cream cheese bagel! Great way to start my day
Lucky you. My favorite style bagel.
OMG I can't get enough of these. Keep them coming.
Thank you for how to do it when it is warmer out! It is now very early summer here in CT, and I want to do this. I am getting a cold smoking tube, and was really looking on how to do this now, and not in the colder months. Thank you, and God bless you Chef Tom :)
It was a pleasure meeting you in person after watching all of your vids for years, from Japan to New Mexico to Kansas to finally KC. Keep the recipes coming.
While I have all the proper gear, I still haven't cold-smoked salmon. When I do, I'll use your method. Your "how-to" video is the best I have seen on this subject. Thank you very much.
I have absolutely no desire to make this or eat this but I had to watch all the way thru because your videos are so 5 star. I was not disappointed 👍🏻
Man I like smoked salmon, going to have try that recipe. Thanks Tom.
adding capers gives it that nice acidic taste that plays off of the smoke beautifully....good recipe....
Guy Vincent yassss
Awesome thanks
I've been waiting for this video, I cannot wait to try it on my Yoder 640! Thanks for making it!
Man I’m so happy you guys did this! You guys and Mr. Reed are the two I trust the most! I made this with someone else’s recipe and it was wayyy salty. Can not wait to try this one! Thank you as always!
You all prolly dont care but does someone know of a tool to log back into an Instagram account..?
I stupidly forgot my login password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me!
@Wilson Grey instablaster :)
@Tucker Ezekiel I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im in the hacking process now.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Tucker Ezekiel it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much you saved my account :D
@Wilson Grey Glad I could help xD
I want to try this. My husband always smokes salmon for me, but it isn’t the cold smoke. The last smoked salmon he fixed was delicious-I love it with cottage cheese.
Just made this for Christmas Day brunch and it was incredibly delicious and tasty! Everyone loved it and now i am making it for New Year’s Day. Thank you for such great recipes!
I also made it for New Year’s Day :)
I made a smoked salmon cheese ball during the holidays using this, so good!!
How did you make it? Sounds good
@@Foxikaye0331 I used a salmon cheese ball recipe from Rachael Ray's website, it was excellent! I think it was the Everything Bagel one with the dill and lemon zest. Cheers!
my god you beautiful cooking man. You always make everything look so good
Really nice job on that Salmon. Beautifully smoked. I’d probably substitute dill for fennel but that’s down to taste. Great video
Great Video and instructions... thanks so much!!
Beautiful recipe Chef. I cold Smoked some cheese lat week and have been wanting to try salmon. I appreciate what you do for the community. 🍻
Got it curing in the fridge .... first time trying this, but I am starting to learn about cured meats, fermented vegetables/ sauerkraut, cold smoking and how all of this can be applied to not only BBQ, but some really nice horderves or main dishes for parties etc.
I made cold smoked salmon every year, but the next time I will do it in your style 👍👍👍
There's a cool little bistro in Sacramento where we used to go on the weekends. One of my favorites was there gravlax and bagels.
Thank you Chef Tom! I have always wanted to make my own smoked salmon, now I know how! What would you do differently in a grill that does not have fans to blow the smoke from the cylinder smoker?
Your grilling & smoking techniques are like a play-by-play football commentator!
Chef Tom that is amazing. I wondered at first why I couldn’t see your breath lol. I’ve watched and learned from you for many years hope the appreciate how skilled you are! Nicely done. 🍻
My man! I am so doing this when I get back from deployment, that’s my go breakfast meal! I can’t wait to try it for myself.
great quality of vedeio and smoking salmon possession. I like it.
Çok basit ve çok güzel tarifler paylaşıyor
Hi Tom! Do I have to use (compulsory) sashimi-grade salmon (previously flash-frozen) or I can take my fresh catch and proceed with the cure and cold smoke? Thanks!
Made this salmon, came out super delicious. Make sure you have a long and sharp knife to cut it properly. Some other recipes call for 10-12 hours smoking. I did about 6, and 4-5 probably more then enough. Question. Must salmon have a skin on? If I take a skinless salmon, will it get over salted?
Chef Tom, you've rekindled my passion for BBQ...so much so that I gave my son my propane grill and bought a Yoder with options and seasonings. QUESTION: do you have a recipe for smoked tuna? Similar to salmon? I fish the Sea of Cortez (Cabo) frequently and would love to smoke some tuna on my new grill. Keep the recipes coming!
Looking good 👍. I'm going to try this out.
That looks great. Could you do this without the skin on the Salmon or do you need it to hold the fish together?? Thanks
I do it without the skin, it turns out very tasty.
Simply delicious chef thank you for sharing this one with me.
I love me some cold smoked salmon!
I didn't know they allowed Tom inside.
What does that even mean???
Lmaooooo
Have cold smoked salmon this way and it came out delicious! Is there any safety or health reason you can't use same process on cod, herring, haddock etc.? When I type in cold smoking cod, some articles warn that it must be further hot cooked to 140 F which I did, wound up with fish jerky. Appreciate any thoughts.
this looks so delicious!
Great looking product, a lot of time and effort.👍🏼
I too want to know what that hot plate is. Great video as usual!
Any suggestions for making sure you are buying a quality piece of salmon to minimize risk?
I'm making lox? I need to lower the salinity with a water bath after the brine process. If I cold smoke it for 4 hours Is pink salt cure necessary in the dry brine?
@3.57 the salmon fillet is diff as in its a belly fillet....after 3 days it turns into a tail side fillet !!!!....lol
Great video Brother.
Is there any advice on the smoking part. I’ve used a smoking tube similar to the one in the video, but my salmon ended up cooked after just 3 hours. I was very confused since I didn’t think the smoke would completely cook it. I guess outside temps weren’t cold enough and a tray of ice would have fixed the problem?
I need that bagel right now!
What brand and model is the induction hot plate?
Awesome as usual!
Hi, brilliant video, can I use softwood pellets? Thanks
I would never use softwood pellets for anything... especially smoking.
Awesome video, as always very informative. Thank you
id love to see you make some polish kielbasa
Great video! Can I do this on any pellet smoker?
You sure can. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the idea, especially about putting a bowl of ice in. I didn't know you could just leave the Yoder on with the fan running like that.
how long can i keep this for? Can I make this a few days beforehand? Should I refrigerate it sliced or keep it whole and slice the day of?
I've make this a lot, its probably one of my favorite recipes. I just noticed on the filet I have today though that it's skinless. Will that make a significant impact or is it still fine?
Once it's smoked, how can it be kept -wrapped in the refrigerator? How should a big filet or half filet be kept so it can be eaten in different days? Thanks much?
Awesome video! Thanks man!!!
Great job my friend
Très très bon Chef Tom!!!!
Can’t wait to try! How long does this hold in the fridge? Can you vac seal and freeze batches of this?
e10ization curious to know as well
Can any heat be used while smoking with my Yoder? Probably gonna be 10 or 20 degrees BELOW zero outside when mine is cured. I'm thinking my salmon might freeze before it's smoked!!
Another great video!
Skin crisped in toaster oven over crunched foil is omg delish, my dog taught me that.
HI! Thanks for the awesome video. In your printed recipe, it states to toast the anise, but in the video you do not. Which method is correct?
Got any info that you can share on the induction burner you used to toast the spices?
Bueller... Bueller...
I have that same measuring cup set :D
Another great recipe, I’m going to try this one out for sure.
Not big into salmon fishing though, just wondering if anyone has tried this with a lean fresh water fish such as pike or walleye?
Both pike and walleye are too lean for this kind of curing/smoking. If you’re in the upper Midwest, maybe you can get some lake whitefish? It should smoke up well Ike this.
DukeTrout thanks for the reply. I have since looked into it a little more and it seems you’re right, any smoking of these lean fish tend to be hot smokes that actually cook the fish, kind of like the mackerel my mom used to buy when I was a kid.
We do have whitefish here and there, i usually fish central Ontario up here in Canada, but I normally target pike, bass and walleye.
So maybe I’ll have to pick up a salmon side from the store to cold smoke at home and keep my pike and walleye for shore lunches and hot smoking over the campfire.
Another question! I just finished slicing mine. I could not find anything that wasn’t farm raised other than sockeye. Maybe it doesn’t have the fat content that it needs. Mine came out more like jerky than the smoked salmon I’ve had. Fairly dry, super salty, but a good flavor. I followed your recipe exactly other than the type of salmon. Any suggestions for next time?
What happens if you take the skin off the salmon before the curing and smoking process?
You should do a 60 day aged brisket I want to see what your opinion on it :)
Why do you use white sugar in addition to brown sugar? And can you substitute white sugar for brown sugar? Thx
Can you do this on a charcoal grille and can you use wood instead of pellets?
is there a way to do his on an offset smoker or a Weber grill?
ooooooh, nice tease on that smoked salmon chowder
looks so yummy and legit :)
When you add brown sugar to the cure does it make it sweet in the end product?
Super nice video. Thanks
Wow that looks amazing..!
I have a question. Can we use any salmon or does it need to be sashimi grade for this recipe? I was wondering since we aren't really cooking it.
Do you lose all the great oils of the aromatics in the cloth as you crush them?
Is there a way to replice this in an air fryer?
Can you do this only using salt?
Looks delicious 😋
What burner are you using for your cast iron?
The burner in this video is from All Clad and is no longer available. We have switched to the Hestan Induction Burner - www.atbbq.com/accessories/housewares/cookware/hestan-cue-smart-countertop-induction-burner-cooktop.html. Thanks for watching.
Coffee/spice grinder to get them peppercorns opened up along with the rest of them spices...🙂👍
Great video! Thanks
Nice! How would you do this in a Kamado? Just light the tube with pellets in the base and open top and bottom vents fully?
I'd like to know this one too please.
In the Kamado Joe, I’d take out the charcoal basket and the ash tray and put the tube way down in the bottom. Light it through the bottom opening, leave the damper open and open the top vent. Put the salmon on a mesh rack and put that on the grill racks. Watch your temp so it doesn’t get too warm. I have not tried this but just might in the near a future!
What do you use for a hot plate?
Those fennel seeds look a lot like caraway. Caraway is very popular in Germany, where it is known as "Kümmel".
My exact words to my wife "Tell me we don't need a pellet smoker after this."
So this isn't possible on an offset smoker?
Curtis Ross it is possible, but you really have to watch your temp. You can certainly light a few chunks of wood and do this, but put the salmon as far/high away from the heat source as possible, and make sure that it’s a really really cold day.
I do have a question for you. In comparison salmon technique. Curing your salmon versus just smoking your salmon. Why do we need to cure salmon?
Can you use charcoal in a smoke tube?
The smoke tube used in this video (www.atbbq.com/accessories/grill-accessories/smoke-boxes/a-maze-n-tube-smoker-smoke-generator.html) is made strictly for pellets. Most smoker boxes, like this one www.atbbq.com/accessories/grill-accessories/smoke-boxes/grillpro-stainless-smoker-box.html, call for wood chips.
any thoughts on curing in a metal container ?
Yes, don’t do so. The salt level is too high for reactive surfaces. Plastic containers are best. I make cold smoked salmon all the time. Also, this brine in this video is too long. 24 hours max or else you’ll have jerky salmon.
@@muzaaaaak
this entire video was aromatic
How could make this recipe on a traditional offset smoker?
Ryan Ottaway all you need to do is have the smoke source below the fish. I use alder wood pellets in an amazn tube. I have a kamado joe classic. I have found that with alder wood pellets, 30-45 minutes smoking a fish that has no pelicle is perfect.
appleiphone69
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll have to try it out. I have a Yoder Loaded Wichita.
Amazing!
Is it the curing process that kills the bacteria? I love salmon, but have always had it cooked.
The heat coming off Chef Tom's breath has him looking like a bowling alley vaper.
I like this guy