How to Smoke and Can Salmon

Now that I've recovered from fishing, I've spent the past cpouple of days cleaning gear, preparing fish, and doing other odd chores.  Previously in this blog I talked briefly of my smoking and canning process.  Today, I'll attempt to add more detail of the way I put away salmon for use throughout the year.  The process begins of course, by taking good care of your fish.  Once caught, the fish should be killed by poking a knife into the brain and then bled by slicing its gills.  Keep the fish on a stringer in the water or on ice in a cooler before filleting.  When filleting avoid getting the fillets dirty and also try not to rinse in river water if possible due to bacteria and other bad stuff that may be present in the fishing area.  As soon as possible, get the fish on ice, or flash freeze for transport.  Freezing and thawing once, has no impact on the quality of the fish if you smoke or smoke and can. 

When you get the fish home, you can rinse the fillets briefly in cool water to get off the gurry (snottystuff) on the skin side of the fillet and any grit that may be in or on the meat side.  Trim off any large rib bones, fins, and blood from the fillet.  Cut each fillet into three chunks....tail, middle, and top.  Place chunks, meat side down, in a stainless or plastic container and store in the refrigerator until you mix your brine.  I use a simple brine of soy sauce, brown sugar, and a few spices (Mrs. Dash, cayenne pepper or cajun spice, and garlic powder).  I add no extra salt as the soy sauce has plenty for my taste.  You'll need to experiment a bit to get the right proportions of brown sugar and soy, depending on how sweet or salty you want the brine.  For approximately eight fillets I use about two cups of soy to 1 cup brown sugar.  Mix the soy, brown sugar, and spices in a container before pouring over the fillets.  Add cold water to the fillet/brine mixture until all fillets are imersed in the brine.  Mix the concoction with clean hands, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

While waiting for the fish, prepare your smoker by cleaning the racks and spraying them with a light coating of PAM or cooking oil.  This will prevent the fish from sticking later.  After 24 hours remove the fish from the brine, allow each piece to drain, but do not rinse.  Place the chunks of fish on the smoker racks skin side down.  I usually do this over newspaper to help with clean-up.  Place a large fan behind the racks of fish and turn it on to low or medium speed.  Allow the fish to slightly dry and develop a glaze for approximately two hours.  If you want to add a little maple syrup or other "dressing" to the chunks, do it about half-way through the glazing process after some of the moisture has disappeared.  I like to "baste" my fillets with a little syrup or a mango habanero sauce sometimes available at Costco.

After the fish develop a nice glaze, fill up your smoker pan with your favorite smoking chips.  I like alder or a combination of alder and apple wood.  I sometimes use hickory and mesquite, also.  I don't particularly care for cherry wood, but you might like it.  Place the fillet filled racks in your smoker.  Put the smoker pan on the heating element and plug in the unit.  You'll start getting smoke in about and hour.  I add chips to my pans every two hours.  Smoke the fish for 8 to 10 hours depending on outside temperature.  The cooler it is outside to slower the process.  You might want to pull off a piece after six or seven hours to check on penetration of smoke and doneness.

Once the fish is done to your liking, place the pieces on a cookie sheet to cool.  Once cool you can decide whether you'd like to vacuum pack and freeze or go on to canning.  If you decide to can, things get more complicated, but the final product will keep indefinitely, and you will find more uses for your fish.

Canning requires the proper equipment, careful handling, and alot of extra time.  You can can the smoked fish in mason jars or aluminum cans.  Mason jars are the easiest and least expensive over time.  Cans currently cost about a dollar each for the size I use.  Regardless of the choice you make, all jars, cans, and lids should be washed in hot soapy water and sterilized in boiling water before use.  You will also need a large pressure canner for this process.  They are not cheap, but required. DO NOT TRY TO CAN SALMON OR ANY MEAT WITHOUT A PRESSURE CANNER....IT CAN MAKE YOU VERY ILL  OR KILL YOU!  I fill my cans with the meat of the salmon, after peeling it away from the skin.  The skins go to a dog mushing friend of ours for doggie treats.  Fill up each can or jar, but leave headspace at the top, so the container will seal.  Add one tablespoon of canola oil to each can, and anything else you would like.  In addition to the oil, I usually put in a couple of small slices of jalapeno and a squirt of catsup.  These ingredients add a little kick and provide moisture, so the final product isn't too dry.  Place the containers in a hot water bath until the temperature of the ingredients is about 175 degrees.  Immediately, seal the jars or cans and place in your pressure cooker.  Make sure you have plenty of water in your cooker, so it covers the ars or cans.  In my cooker, I can do 24 small cans or a dozen pint sized jars.  Lock the lid of the pressure cooker and bring pressure up to 12 to 15 pounds.  Cook at pressure for 90 minutes.  Once done, take the cooker off the burner, let cool, and release pressure.  Be very careful not to burn yourself when releasing pressure.  It is best to have someone who knows the pressure canning process help you through the first time.  Remove the cans or jars from the cooker and let cool on a wire rack until completely cool and sealed.  Avoid messing with the containers until they are cool to the touch, so you don't break the seal.

So that's basically how I process our smoked fish for the table.  If you should decide to try this, please research carefully, and get advice from your local cooperative extension service regarding proper smoking and canning technique. 

Smoked salmon and smoked/canned salmon can be used many ways.  A simple crowd pleaser is salmon spread made from 1 small can of smoked salmon and a couple of bricks of cream cheese.  Pour the entire contents of the canned salmon into a bowl, crush the salmon with a fork, and blend with softened cream cheese.  Add milk or beer to make the mix smoother and slather on your favorite crackers.  If you use smoked vacuum packed salmon, remove all bones before mixing.  The canned salmon will not have evident bones as the pressure cooking takes care of that. 

It's alot of work from catching to eating, but it is worth it.  Enjoy!