Here's the magic:
First make the Brine:
1/3 cup brown sugar1/4 cup non-iodized salt2 cup soy sauce1 cup water1/2 tsp. onion powder1/2 tsp. pepper1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce1 cup dry white wine
I was a little more generous with the pepper and tabasco. I didn't have any onion powder and didn't feel like going to the store, so I replaced it with garlic powder. Here's the site where I got the recipe.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,161,151162-247206,00.html
OK, now for the real business:
DAY ONE:
-Make the brine. You'll need a large bowl or preferrably a large pan with a lid. Mix all ingredients well. To test if you have enough salt, use the egg trick. If it floats, you're good to go (Make sure you take the egg out).
-Cut the salmon into chunks or fillets, however you prefer. My fillets were each one pound. Leave the skin on. The skin stays on throughout the smoking process.
-Submerge the fillets in the brine. You'll need to put something (like a plate) in the pan to keep the fish from floating to the top of the brine. They must be fully submerged.
-Then cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cure for at least 8 hours. I let mine cure for almost 24 hrs. last time.
DAY TWO:
-Go to BBQ's Galore to get wood chunks for your fire. http://www.bbqgalore.com/ The reason I suggest this place is because it is the only place I have actually found wood chunks, NOT wood chips. If you know another place, more power to you, but most grocery stores and other places sell wood chips. DO NOT USE WOOD CHIPS!!! They are to small, do not hold enough water, and they burn up to quickly. Salmon suggests using Alder wood, but I used Mesquite last time.
-You'll want to soak the wood chunks in water for at least 8 hrs. Mine soaked for 48 hrs. only because I did not know this process would take so long and I had already put them in the water. Some people just store their wood chunks in a barrel of water until they need them. Note, you will want the wood chunks to sit and dry for at least 2 hrs before using them in the fire. If they are to wet, they will cool the fire to much.
-Take your fish and brine concoction out of the fridge.
-Remove the fillets from the brine and briefly rinse them with water to remove the salt. The fillets should be have a brown tint to them at this point.
-Place them onto a surface that you will use to put into the fridge for drying. Preferrably you'll want to use a wire oven rack to put them on. I used a large bowl shaped strainer that I put into a large pan that it could drip into.
-Cover with aluminum foil and place in the fridge overnight to dry. You'll want to allow at least overnight time to dry, preferrably 24 hrs.
DAY THREE:
-GET TOTALLY PSYCHED UP!!! The fun is near.
-Get your smoker ready. Here's the one I have: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100327576
-Place enough coals in the firebox (lower offset area of the smoker) to burn for about 3-4 hrs. You can always add to the fire later if need be. Note, do not put the wood chunks in yet, but they should be out of the water and drying by now.
-I like to let the coals burn for about 20-30 minutes before I begin cooking allow the fire to stabilize and the fire is not too hot.
-You will also want to place a pan of water on the firebox grill above the fire. Just make sure it does not block to much heat from the fire. I used just a regular stove top cooking skillet/pan.
-Try to get the cooking area to about 140 degrees. This smoker does not come with a tempurature gauge, but it does have a cut-out for one. Generally the center of the grilling area is best. After the lid has been closed allowing it to heat-up, I place my hand on the lid. If I can hold it there for 2-3 seconds, the tempurature is about right. Note, the end near the smoke stack is usually cooler than the end near the firebox.
-Now you're ready to smoke. Put a sheet of aluminum foil large enough for your fillets on the cooking grill of the smoker (larger cooking area of smoker), then place the fillets on the foil. You want the placement to be in an area of the cooking area where you think the temp is around 140 degrees.
-Now after placing the salmon on the grill, close the lid and start adding the wood chunks directly into the fire. Note: Do this after you place the salmon on the grill. If you want smoke in your eyes, put the wood on the fire first, then the salmon on the grill... it's up to you. The only way to do this is by opening the door on the side of the fire box and using tongs to place them into the fire. Start out by only putting 2-3 chunks in. Smoke will start coming out of the smoke stack. When it starts to die down, add 1-2 more chunks at a time trying to keep the smoke coming out fo the stack consistant. You DO NOT too much smoke
-Smoke the salmon for about 2-3 hours periodically checking to make sure it is still soft. Periodically check the water pan above fire. It may boil completely out and you will need to add more water. Watch your eyes when openning any lids on the smoker.
-Note: It is impossible to under smoke salmon, as salmon can be eaten raw. Who knows, there may be others that prefer letting it smoke for only a minute. Just don't smoke it so long that the fish gets tough. It's hard to do, but it people still manage to mess it up, but not me. Mine is 100% perfect... 60% of the time.
-Once cooked, you can immediatly enjoy the magic straight from the grill. Smoked salmon needs little of no time at all to cool because it never gets that hot in the first place.
-Have an orgasm
