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Cold-smoked salmon from the kamado with a cold smoke generator
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Cold weather is smoking weather, says Mark from marksBBQbike. Cold smoking is the oldest way to preserve fish: Scandinavian and Scottish fishermen salted their salmon and hung it for days in the smoke of smouldering wood, without the fish ever getting warm. The salt draws moisture out of the flesh and firms it up, the smoke adds flavour and colour. That gives you those silky, glossy slices you know from the breakfast buffet, but homemade and with far more character.
Cold smoking on the kamado with a cold smoke generator
The difference with hot smoking is the temperature. Hot smoking cooks the fish, cold smoking keeps everything below 25 degrees so the salmon stays raw and tender. That is why winter is the season: the kamado stays cool by itself. Mark lights no charcoal but puts a cold smoke generator in the kamado: a spiral of fine wood dust that you light at one end and that smoulders slowly for hours. The thick ceramic walls hold the smoke and keep the temperature stable. The whole process takes three days, so Mark does it properly: six kilos of salmon in one go, vacuum-packed and long-lasting.
For4pers.
Ingredients
- 2kgfresh salmon fillet with skin, boneless
- 400gcoarse sea salt (2/3 of the cure)
- 200gsugar (1/3 of the cure)
- wood dust, for example beech or oak
Requirements
- Cold smoke generator (smoke spiral)
- Wood dust
- Blowtorch or tea light
- Stainless steel trays
- Vacuum sealer
Steps
Make the cure
Mix the salt and sugar in a ratio of 2/3 salt to 1/3 sugar. Smoking more salmon? Keep the same ratio: Mark smokes 6 kilos in one go.
Cure the salmon
Spread a layer of cure in a stainless steel tray, lay the salmon on it skin side down and cover the flesh completely with the rest of the mix. Cover and leave in the fridge for 12 hours.
Rinse and dry
Rinse the salt off the salmon thoroughly and pat it dry. Leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight so a slightly tacky layer forms on the flesh for the smoke to cling to.
Fill the cold smoke generator
Fill the smoke spiral with wood dust and press it down lightly. Light one end with a blowtorch or tea light until the dust smoulders evenly, without a flame.
Cold smoke in the kamado
Place the cold smoke generator in the bottom of the cold kamado, without charcoal. Lay the salmon on the grate, close the lid and set the vents slightly open. Smoke until the spiral has burned out and keep the temperature below 25 degrees. This works best on a cold day.
Repeat
Put the salmon back in the fridge between smoking sessions and repeat the smoking over three days, until it has the colour and smoky flavour you want.
Vacuum-pack
Let the salmon rest in the fridge for another night so the smoke settles evenly. Cut it into portions or slices and vacuum-pack them. That way the salmon keeps for a long time in the fridge or freezer.
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