Cold smoking is a process that uses smoke to flavor food, but it doesn’t heat the food above room temperature.
This makes cold smoking ideal for preserving delicate ingredients like fish and cheese.
Cold-smoked salmon is traditionally made with raw or smoked salmon and then dried in a smokehouse or oven.
The drying process allows the fish to keep longer without refrigeration, while imparting its own unique flavor profile onto your creation!
There are many types of electric smokers available on Amazon ranging from $100-$400 dollars depending on what features you’re looking for: size, temperature control, remote control etc…
What You Need to Cold Smoke Salmon
To cold smoke salmon, you’ll need:
- An electric smoker. The best electric smokers are those with a temperature control and an adjustable thermostat.
- Wood chips or chunks that have been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before use. You can also use hardwood sawdust if you don’t have any wood chips handy!
- Salmon fillets (you’ll want to get about 1 lb per person). If your fillet is very thick, cut it into two pieces so that both sides will cook evenly during the smoking process; this will also help prevent overcooking on one side while undercooking on another side due to uneven heat distribution inside your smoker’s chamber.
Preparing the Salmon
The first step is to cure your salmon. This will ensure that it’s safe to eat, and it will also make the meat more tender.
You can use either salt or sugar (or a combination of both) for this step; just remember that if you’re using sugar, you’ll need to soak your fish in water overnight before smoking it so that all of the excess moisture can be removed.
To season your fish:
- Season both sides of each piece with sea salt and pepper, then place them on wire racks inside an electric smoker set at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours 15 minutes.*
Setting Up the Electric Smoker
- Fill the water bowl with about 1/4 inch of water.
- Add wood chips to the wood chip tray and place it on top of the smoker.
- Set your temperature to 150 degrees F (65 C) or lower, if possible.
- Preheat your electric smoker for 15 minutes before placing salmon in it, then let it sit for another 10 minutes after that before smoking your fish
Smoking the Salmon
Place the salmon in the smoker, and monitor the temperature. Add wood chips as needed to keep it around 100 degrees F.
If you don’t have a thermometer on hand, this is about the same temperature as an oven set at 350 degrees F.
Monitoring the Salmon
It’s important to monitor the internal temperature of your salmon as it smokes. When you’re ready to check, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the fish and wait for it to register a reading.
The USDA recommends cooking salmon until it reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 C), but if you prefer your fish more or less done than this, simply adjust your timing accordingly.
The color of your salmon should also be monitored as it cooks you want a nice golden brown hue on all sides while still retaining some translucency in areas where meat remains uncooked.
This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how cold-smoked you want your finished product (and how big/thickly sliced) so keep an eye out!
Finally: make sure that there is steady smoke coming out of both vents in addition to monitoring internal temperatures carefully throughout this process.
If either stops working properly during cooking time then remove immediately from heat source before continuing with another method such as pan frying or baking at 350 degrees F (177 C).
Cleaning Up the Electric Smoker
Once the salmon has finished smoking, remove it from the smoker and let it cool. Then, you can clean up your electric smoker.
Empty out any ash from its tray and wipe down all surfaces with a damp cloth or sponge. Cleaning up will help keep your smoker in good condition for future use!
Storing the Cold Smoked Salmon
To store the cold smoked salmon, you can either refrigerate it or freeze it.
If you’re going to keep it in the refrigerator for a few days, make sure that you wrap each piece of fish tightly with plastic wrap before storing.
This will prevent any moisture from getting into your meat and causing spoilage.
If you want to keep your salmon longer than a few days (or if there’s just too much of it), freezing is another option.
To do this successfully, vacuum seal each piece individually using an electric vacuum sealer like this one or this one depending on what kind of budget you have available!
Serving the Cold Smoked Salmon
To serve the cold smoked salmon, you can either slice it and serve on a platter or in individual portions. The salmon will be drier than normal smoked salmon so it’s best to use a knife that has a sharp blade.
If you don’t have one, try using a serrated bread knife instead.
To store any leftovers, place them in an airtight container with some wax paper between each layer of fish so they don’t stick together when refrigerated or frozen (this also helps prevent freezer burn).
Conclusion
You’ve learned how to cold smoke salmon in an electric smoker. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Place the salmon on a rack and place it in your electric smoker.
- Set the temperature at 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius).
- Add wood chips or chunks to your smoker, following the manufacturer’s instructions on how much is needed for your particular model of smoker.
- Close all doors and vents until smoke starts coming out of them, then open them slightly until you get a good amount of smoke flowing through them without having too much heat escape from inside your unit.
Once you’ve finished these steps, wait about 2 hours until your fish has reached an internal temperature of 140 degrees F (60 C), then remove from heat immediately so as not to overcook it!