It was ready for the smoker early this morning. Dry to the touch, "rubbery" and translucent:
So loaded it up and brought it back to the Hacienda:
Smoking a spell now, under rather low heat.
Be checking in on it soon...
Cheers,
Nog
It was ready for the smoker early this morning. Dry to the touch, "rubbery" and translucent:
So loaded it up and brought it back to the Hacienda:
Smoking a spell now, under rather low heat.
Be checking in on it soon...
Cheers,
Nog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNNhzkJ-UU&feature=related
Egotistical, Self Centered, Son of a Bitch Killer that Doesn't Play Well With Others.
Guess he got to Know me
Did you dry it in the backnof the truck?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNNhzkJ-UU&feature=related
Egotistical, Self Centered, Son of a Bitch Killer that Doesn't Play Well With Others.
Guess he got to Know me
I am going to give that another crack next year... I have a deep freeze on temp control... I will dry it in there with the door open a bit and a fan on.....
last time it was too warm to dry it in my garage and not enough air movement in the fridge....
The smoke is simply the "finish".
The long brine ensures the salmon is cured right through.
The long run on the fans dumps a huge amount of moisture, and forms the pellicle.
When they hit the smoker, they are already dry to the touch, and just a little "rubbery" inside.
I run the smoker at as close to 125 - 130 degrees that I can.
With all dampers wide open to keep airflow high.
Most runs that takes around 4 - 5 hours to produce what I am looking for.
This is closer to a cold smoke than hot.
The smoke simply adds flavor, and contributes some to the final consistency.
When it comes out of the smoker it should look translucent, with a hint of smoke around the edges, and be reasonably... well... gummy bear in consistency:
Got the last of it that I could rescue from the Lady & the neighbors bagged & tagged today. Even though no sunshine it stills kind of glows.
This run is indeed one of the better ones we have pulled off.
Consistency is bang on, starts with a smokey flavor, then you get a hint of salmon, followed by a maple / rum finish. No wonder I am jagged today!! LOL
As for being "too tired"? Nope...
And on it goes...
Cheers,
Nog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNNhzkJ-UU&feature=related
Egotistical, Self Centered, Son of a Bitch Killer that Doesn't Play Well With Others.
Guess he got to Know me
First run is now complete, and bagged & tagged.
86 bags of average 8 strips a bag = 688 strips.
Next run under the fans now.
Spent the entire day converting the final run into strips and dumping it into the brine.
Tired, with a bit of a bulging belly!
Cheers,
Nog
Last edited by IronNoggin; 01-24-2019 at 11:17 AM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNNhzkJ-UU&feature=related
Egotistical, Self Centered, Son of a Bitch Killer that Doesn't Play Well With Others.
Guess he got to Know me
2020 First Run in the brine!
Here we go again...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNNhzkJ-UU&feature=related
Egotistical, Self Centered, Son of a Bitch Killer that Doesn't Play Well With Others.
Guess he got to Know me
First load under the fans:
Second load under the knife today...
Nog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNNhzkJ-UU&feature=related
Egotistical, Self Centered, Son of a Bitch Killer that Doesn't Play Well With Others.
Guess he got to Know me
Day 2 under the fans, and the strips have begun to darken:
A closer inspection shows that the pellicle has formed on the top side, but has a ways to go yet on the bottom:
So... into the second night of chilly air circulation...
Interesting thing about this recipe, and one perhaps I was hesitant to share in the past. The finished product will be subjected to not one, but two pellicle forming experiences. I expect the entire works will have that magical skin on it when I check tomorrow. Pretty close to dry to the touch, and sealing in all that goodness. Time for the next step!!
Once they have dried enough, I hit them with a rum based glaze. This seals it up even more, yet still allows the smoke to transfer (albeit not overly deep - which is fine considering the strips are fairly skinny). Departs a rum "finish" along with the velvety flavors of apple and alder. Also helps contribute to the translucent look I am seeking with this stuff.
Next lot swimming, this one buzzarding the big smoker soon...
Cheers - Nog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNNhzkJ-UU&feature=related
Egotistical, Self Centered, Son of a Bitch Killer that Doesn't Play Well With Others.
Guess he got to Know me
Damn, that looks incredible