Bourbon Smoked Salmon

Line a stainless steel hotel pan with plastic wrap. Sprinkle one third of the salt/sugar mixture on to the plastic wrap. Place one Salmon filet, skin side down onto the mixture. Cover the filet with half of the remaining mixture. Place the second filet skin side up on to the first filet then coat with the remaining salt/sugar mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and another hotel pan. Place about five pounds of weight on to the pan so that it presses down on the Salmon ( I use two six packs of beer for the weight). Refrigerate for twelve hours. After twelve hours, remove the top pan and flip the wrapped Salmon over. Cover, press and refrigerate another twelve hours. Remove the pan from the fridge, un-wrap the filets and rinse off any remaining salt/sugar mixture under cold water (it's OK to leave some of the imbedded peppercorns & dill on the fish!) . Place the filets skin side down on to oiled smoking racks and allow the filets to dry at room temperature for about two hours...a fan helps this process. While the filets are drying I fire up my smoker with a hot bed of Maple, Cherry & Hickory. Once I establish a nice bed of coals I add my water soaked Alder chips to the coals. Place the Salmon into the smoker and maintain temperatures between 145`f & 165`f. for about 4 - 6 hours or until the internal temp of the fish reaches 145`f. Let the coals die down and prepare the glaze.

Mix the J D with the molasses and brush the filets liberally. Allow the filets to rest in the smoker for an additional thirty minutes then remove and brush again. Allow the filets to air dry before wrapping. You will find that my glaze adds a beautiful rich color and shine to the Salmon ( removes any sooty particles) and the sweetness of the molasses will cut the saltiness.

Chef Stanley's Bourbon Glazed Smoked Salmon Mix Together

Chef Stanley's Bourbon Glazed Smoked Salmon
Mix Together