Mind sharing your brine recipe and technique?
Brine:
1.5 gallons of water
1 cup of coarse salt
4 cups Demerra (brown cane) Sugar
1/3 jar Garlic Plus (ClubHouse One-Step Seasonings)
I full jar Southern Barbecue Spice (Clubhouse)
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1/2 jar Smoking Stamped Beer & Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
50 grams Dry Mustard
1 package dehydrated chopped onion
Pre-mix the brine and allow it to sit for a couple of hours. This lets all the ingredients/flavors blend. Add either chunked or whole fillets (as in my case) to the brine, and let sit in the fridge for ~ 24 - 48 hours. Remove salmon from the brine, and wash well in cold running water. Barbecue Pam (spray on oil) works well for the grills to prevent product from sticking. Lay salmon out on grills, and set up on a counter/table surface. Run a fan such that air circulates well both top and bottom surfaces of the salmon. Dry under the fans until the salmon is no longer moist to the touch, and forms a nice sheen. Following smoke duration is dependent upon volume and salmon thickness.
Each side must be carefully washed, pat-dried, and racked to form that beautiful glazed finish under the fans.
Air-drying has two purposes: During the smoking/drying process, a large amount of moisture is shed along with excess smoke and heat. The less the heat and smoke have to carry in the way of moisture, the more efficient is their process. The finish air drying creates is nice and glossy, and has the benefits of allowing smoke through, but partially slowing the moisture loss. That allows longer, slower smoking (which I greatly prefer), or a flash "cook" if necessary. This also reduces the amount of yellowish fat that leaches through to the surface of the product (starting off with a cooler smoker temperature like ~ 100-125 then gradually increasing that also helps in this regard).
I run two household fans over grilled full sides to speed that process. Depending on how thick/heavy the fillets are, it can take up to 10 hours or more to achieve the desired result (I do this overnight). Rotate the grills, obviously. With chunks as opposed to sides, your time would be reduced somewhat. You'll recognize when - the surface will be chiefly dry to the touch, smooth and glossy.
The smoking process length of course varies with the amount of fish, ambient air temperature etc. I run my smoker at 125 - 150 degrees, but it is large, and the larger ones require more heat. Smaller smokers require the temp to be lower. To check it, you have to have a look. Not recommended to do too often. Look for the color your wanting, then check consistency. Outside should have a nice smokey finish (OK if the edges turn a tad dark... YUM!). Upon touch, the product should have a reasonably resistant outer shell, but the inside reasonably moist, almost rubbery.
Cheers
