Homemade Lox

[SheikYerbuti]

I'm thinking about trying to make lox from scratch. It's so expensive at the store (usually $15/pound whereas salmon is $6/pound), and I'm always looking for excuses to play with my smoker. I've just spent the last hour looking at recipes online, and it's everything from less than an hour up to a 4 day process.

 

I think I'm going to do something like:

 

1. Take a salmon fillet and cut it into thin slices.

2. Brine in a dry pack of kosher salt and brown sugar, refrigerate overnight.

3. Rinse off brine, air dry a few hours.

4. Smoke for an hour or two.

 

Sounds like about a day's work start to finish.

 

So, anyone have any experience/tips?

[Thunder Chicken]

Alton Brown did an episode of geed eats just on Smoking salmon. "Where there's smoke, there's fish" He cured it over night with some kind dry rub/cure. I forget how long the smoke time was. I also don't know if there is something special that goes into making lox.

[SheikYerbuti]

Alton Brown did an episode of geed eats just on Smoking salmon. "Where there's smoke, there's fish" He cured it over night with some kind dry rub/cure. I forget how long the smoke time was. I also don't know if there is something special that goes into making lox.

 

Yeah, saw it. He did an entire side of a fish and the end result looked kinda flakey. I'm looking for an end result that's more like a fish cold-cut.

[Puddy]

I'm always looking for excuses to play with my smoker.

 

Because it's there.

[Kid Cid]

I haven't done salmon before (it's on the list) but I have done rainbow trout. That only took about 1 hour on the smoker. I brined in a beer and vinegar brine over night. I think that your basic procedure is in the right ball park. Just make sure that you have an exceptionally sharp knife to slice it thin enough. I would also be very careful about your smoke wood. Try apple or cherry.

 

I do have a question though, with the meat being sliced very thin, wouldn't a cold smoker be better?

[SheikYerbuti]

I haven't done salmon before (it's on the list) but I have done rainbow trout. That only took about 1 hour on the smoker. I brined in a beer and vinegar brine over night. I think that your basic procedure is in the right ball park. Just make sure that you have an exceptionally sharp knife to slice it thin enough. I would also be very careful about your smoke wood. Try apple or cherry.

 

I do have a question though, with the meat being sliced very thin, wouldn't a cold smoker be better?

 

One of the online recipes I saw was very specific about keeping the lox under 90 degrees. The author went so far as to say it would be RUINED if it gets over 90. So. . . how does one cold smoke something?

[Kid Cid]

One of the online recipes I saw was very specific about keeping the lox under 90 degrees. The author went so far as to say it would be RUINED if it gets over 90. So. . . how does one cold smoke something?

Essentially, you need to separate the smoke production chamber from the smoke reception chamber by enough distance that the smoke cools before coming in contacat with the meat. I've seen pictures of a metal hat for the smoker (assuming a water smoker or other chimney shaper device) with about 10'-12' flex tubing connected at the top and the other end connected to a cardboard box that made up the smoke reception chamber. A water bath over a section of the flex tubing would help tak eout some of the heat as well. I'm no engineer but something like that shouldn't be terribly difficult to make. You'd have to experiment with different lengths of tubing and volume of water bath to determine what would generate the correct temps in the smoking chamber.

[SheikYerbuti]

Essentially, you need to separate the smoke production chamber from the smoke reception chamber by enough distance that the smoke cools before coming in contacat with the meat. I've seen pictures of a metal hat for the smoker (assuming a water smoker or other chimney shaper device) with about 10'-12' flex tubing connected at the top and the other end connected to a cardboard box that made up the smoke reception chamber. A water bath over a section of the flex tubing would help tak eout some of the heat as well. I'm no engineer but something like that shouldn't be terribly difficult to make. You'd have to experiment with different lengths of tubing and volume of water bath to determine what would generate the correct temps in the smoking chamber.

 

Suddenly $15/pound doesn't sound like such a rip off. . .