Tag: main course
Alder Wood Hot Smoked Salmon
Alder Wood Hot Smoked Salmon
Smoked salmon is one of my absolute favorite foods, but it is god damn expensive for good quality. Now that I own a smoker, I can make smoked salmon for a fraction of the price. But what type of salmon do you want to smoke? Farm raised Norwegian Salmon is my favorite. It is rich and fatty and ideal for smoking. If you want to try something similar to Norwegian salmon but a little bit fancier, I would recommend using king salmon. Sockeye, coho, and keta salmon can also be smoked, but they have less fat content and tend to be a little dryer. That’s really up to what you are looking for.I purchased a whole side of salmon and cut it into 4-6 oz fillets. They will take less time to smoke this way instead of leaving the fillets whole. They got put into a basic brine of sea salt and brown sugar for 4 hours. After that, pat them dry with paper towels. They will need to dry out more in the refrigerator for another hour. If you want to have a specific flavor to the salmon other than plain, season them now. I seasoned half with gochugaru pepper and the other with minced garlic and cracked black pepper.Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Once smoking, throw in the salmon and turn down to 225 degrees. Using a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature, smoke until the fillets reach 150 degrees. This will take about 90 minutes. Pull the salmon from the smoker and let cool for 15 minutes before serving. The salmon will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week; 6 months in the freezer.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs farm raised salmon fillet cut into 4-6 oz fillets
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Gochugaru Smoked Salmon
- gochugaru pepper flakes
Garlic Pepper Smoked Salmon
- 1 head garlic minced
- cracked black pepper
Wood Chips
- alder wood chips
Instructions
- Mix the brine ingredients together.
- Place the salmon fillets in a gallon sized storage bag with the brine. Brine the salmon for 4 hours.
- After brining, pat the salmon dry with paper towels. To make gochugaru smoked salmon, season the fillets with gochugaru pepper. To make garlic pepper smoked salmon, spread a layer of minced garlic over the salmon fillets. Season with cracked black pepper. Let the salmon dry out more on a rack, in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Once hot and smoking, place the salmon in the smoker. Turn the smoker down to 225 degrees. Using a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature, smoke until the salmon reaches 150 degrees. This will take around 90 minutes.
Tips For Smoking Salmon
- Farm raised salmon works best for smoking.
- Cut a whole fillet into 4-6 oz portions to allow for faster smoking time.
- Brine salmon fillets for 4 hours, max.
- Pat dry fillets with paper towels. If adding additional seasoning, do so now. Allow to dry out more on a rack in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Alder wood, cedar, applewood, cherrywood, hickory, and peach wood are all great for smoking salmon.
- Maintain a smoking temp between 200-225 degrees.
- Using a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature, smoke until the salmon reaches 150 degrees.
- Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Smoked Bone In Chicken Breasts
Smoked Bone In Chicken Breast
For how nice and juicy this chicken is, you’d think that there was a lot of work that went into preparing it. Honestly, no. This is possibly one of the lowest maintenanced things to make in a smoker. The brine is basic. If you have smaller chicken breasts under 1lb, brine them for 3 hours. If they are larger, over 1lb, they will need to brine for 4 hours. Pat them dry. Let them rest at room temp for an hour. Smoke them in a preheated 250 degree smoker until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Let them rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 split chicken breasts
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
Wood Chips
- hickory wood chips
- applewood chips
Instructions
- Mix all of the brining ingredients together.
- Brine the chicken breasts in a gallon sized storage bag for 4 hours.
- Pat dry and let rest at room temp for an hour.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees according to the manufacturer’s directions. Smoke the chicken breasts for 2 hours. Using a probe thermometer, monitor the internal temperature until it reaches 160 degrees.
Tips For Smoking Bone In Chicken Breasts
- If using smaller chicken breasts under 1lb, brine them for 3 hours. If they are larger, over 1lb, they will need to brine for 4 hours.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and let rest at room temp for an hour. This will allow the smoke to stick to the chicken better.
- Hickory, applewood, cherrywood, oak, and alder are all great woods for smoking chicken.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees.
- Using a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature, smoke until the chicken reaches 160 degrees in the thickest part of the breast.
- Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Smoked Pork Shoulder (Dry Rubbed)
Tips For Smoking A Dry Rubbed Pork Shoulder Rub the pork shoulder in a thin layer of mustard. The mustard acts as a binder, allowing the dry rub to stick better to the pork shoulder. Marinate the shoulder overnight in the refrigerator. Use a bone …
Stir Fried Green Beans with Ground Pork
Stir Fried Green Beans with Ground Pork
This is another great dish that takes minimal effort to prepare and only 10 minutes to cook. Add all the marinade ingredients to the pork. Sauté it for 5 minutes. Add the green beans, bean paste and sugar and sauté for a few minutes more. Serve over steamed rice or noodles.
Ingredients
- 8 oz ground pork
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 8 oz green beans trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
- 2 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Season the ground pork with the cooking wine, soy sauces, and ginger.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the green onions for a minute.
- Add in the ground pork. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Addin the bean paste, sugar, and green beans. Sauté for a minute.
- Cover. Turn the heat down to medium low. Sauté for 3 minutes.
Pepper Encrusted Smoked Eye of Round Roast
Tips For Smoking Eye Of Round Roast Rub salt into the roast and let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This will help extract moisture and dry out the roast. Let the roast sit out at room temperature for an hour. Throwing a cold …