Pierre wrote:
> On May 2, 12:40 pm, Janet Wilder > wrote:
>> I bought a whole frozen Alaskan (wild) pink salmon that weighs 2 ½
>> pounds on sale for a little over $5. It's in the fridge defrosting now.
>>
>> Though I usually plank a side of salmon on cedar, using the gas grill, I
>> thought I'd try using the smoker to make this salmon.
>>
>> I went to the BBQ FAQ and a few other places and the majority of smoker
>> recipes call for brining in huge amounts of sugar. A couple of
>> tablespoons of sugar is fine by me, but brining it in cups full is not.
>> DH is diabetic and I don't need to add extra carbs to his food.
>>
>> Does anyone have any suggestions how I can smoke this salmon without a
>> load of sugar? Also, I'd really like to stuff it with herbs or someting
>> and do it whole, but every recipe I read is for steaks or fillets. Can I
>> smoke a whole salmon? The Native Americans in the PNW do?
>>
>> TIA
>> --
>> Janet Wilder
>
>
> Janet: Here's what I do, and it works for me, and should work for
> smoking a 2-1/2 pound salmon whole:
> Brine in a salt solution, 2 hours max. It shouldn't be any saltier
> tasting than ocean water. Less salty is better.
> That translates into 3/4 cup kosher salt per gallon.
> Add 1/4 cup sugar, just for body and depth.
> Add to the brine; herbs of your chosing, whatever's very fresh and
> inoffensive will work fine. A handful.
> Some peppercorns of any variety you have. Crush them if you want.

That sounds much better than the sugary stuff.

> Once the salmon is brined:
> Janet, you mentioned stuffing. Sounds great, If the stuffing has
> meat content such as bacon, just make sure the stuffing is cooked
> before hand. If it's crab, or shrimp, ditto there as well.
> Take the fish from the brine, rinse it well and dry it off.
> Insert stuffing.

I was thinking of putting a couple of slices of lemon and some rosemary
and other leafy herbs from the herb garden inside the fish. I wasn't
planning on "dressing" kind of stuffing.

> With a pastry brush, paint the skin with real maple syrup; a bit of
> olive oil, give it a few grinds of pepper (no more salt), some crushed
> red pepper flakes, and gently rub some herbs on top. I like dill.

My garden dill is still in the baby stage, but I have some dried dill, I
could revitalize in some olive oil. I've done salmon with maple glaze
before but not on the outside. That sounds interesting. It would impart
a hint of flavor from what passes through the skin. Hmmmm.

> Bring your smoker comes up to temperature,. 180° to 200° pit temp.
> will do fine.
> Smoking woods: Any wood is a good addition to your lump, except for
> mesquite unless you're addicted to it. Milder woods such as those
> from fruit and nut trees, grape vines, maple, if there's any in Tejas;
> would all work well.

I have hickory chunks. Nothing grows here except Mesquite, Ash and Ebony.
> Smoke away. It's only 2-1/2 pounds, so there's no need to turn it
> around, flip it, or do any kind of gymnastics with it. Moving it
> around, just will give you additional opportunities to have it
> disintegrate in your pit. (If you have one of those smoking baskets
> that fits into your pit, you might want to use it for this. Be sure
> and oil it. Problem is, that they usually have long handles which
> will make it necessary to keep the door ajar. . .)

I have one of those grates with holes in it. It would fit.

> It's done when it begins to flake but is still slighly translucent.
> Just be careful not to overcook it.
> Let us know what you did, and how the salmon tasted.

Merci, Pierre.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.