Smoking a whole side of salmon may seem like a lot of effort, but it is worth it, especially if you are having more than eight people for brunch. Not only is the salmon better tasting than many commercial products available, it is also about 80 percent less expensive. Smoked salmon is cold smoked. In other words, it is not smoked in a hot smoker; the smoke does not cook the fish. The fish is cooked through the brining process. Cold smoke imparts a subtle smoky flavor. With practice, you can develop your own levels of curing and smoke. This is an ancient way of preserving food, and there are myriad subtleties to achieve. Smoked salmon keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The process of curing and smoking salmon takes a couple of days. You need a refrigerator with enough room to let the salmon sit inside, unobstructed. The process involves curing, rinsing, crusting, smoking, and saturating in oil. Bubby’s uses a combination of maple syrup, sugar, and kosher salt to cure salmon. Besides these ingredients, you’ll also need a vented tin can, a piece of charcoal, apple wood chips, a barbecue grill large enough to hold a whole salmon fillet, and 4 quarts of canola oil.

　　

Ingredients

serves 15 to 20

　　4 cups kosher salt

　　2 cups sugar

　　2 cups maple syrup

　　One 4 1/2- to 6-pound whole side of salmon fillet (big bones and feather bones removed, skin intact)

　　4 quarts canola oil

　　

Step 1

Line a rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap.

　　

Step 2

Stir together the salt, sugar, and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Measure and pour about 1 cup of this mixture, called the cure, onto the prepared baking sheet.

　　

Step 3

Arrange the salmon skin side down on top of the cure. Pour the remainder of the cure over the flesh of the salmon, wrap the salmon in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 8 to 12 hours. How long it sits depends on how salty you prefer your salmon. If you like it very, very salty, you could leave it in the cure, refrigerated, for 24 to 36 hours. Your taste for this will develop with experience.

　　

Step 4

Remove the salmon after curing and gently place it in a bowl big enough to hold the fish and fit in your sink. It doesn’t have to lie flat, but be gentle with it so as not to break the fillet. Fill the bowl with cold water and set it aside for 10 minutes. Change the water and set it aside for an additional 10 minutes. Remove salmon from the bowl and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.

　　

Step 5

Place the salmon on a large platter in the refrigerator. If possible, make sure the salmon is right in front of the refrigerator fan. This will help the cure to form a crust on the salmon. Allow the salmon to sit in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, depending upon how salty you like your smoked salmon to be. At Bubby’s, we cure for 24 hours.

　　

Step 6

The next step is cold smoking. With two hands, gently place the salmon on the grill rack of your slow-cooking barbecue smoker. Make a smoking can from a 16- to 30-ounce can. Carefully punch three 1-inch holes into the sides near the bottom of the can. You can use a hammer and some nails to do this. The holes will facilitate the smoking process by bringing oxygen to the hot charcoal. Then, hold one piece of charcoal in a pair of tongs and place it over a flaming burner until it is white-hot. With the white-hot charcoal in the tongs, carefully place the charcoal into the vented can.

　　

Step 7

Place the smoking can open side up below and off to one side of the salmon. Do not place it directly under the salmon or the salmon will begin to cook from the heat given off when you add the wood chips. Carefully place 1/4 cup apple wood chips in the can on top of the charcoal so it begins to smoke.

　　

Step 8

Close the barbecue grill and let the salmon sit in the “cold smoke” for 45 to 90 minutes, depending on how you like your smoked salmon to taste, without opening the smoker.

　　

Step 9

Remove the salmon from the grill and place it in a deep pan. Slowly pour the canola oil over the salmon until the salmon is completely covered. Allow the salmon to sit, refrigerated, in the oil overnight (10 to 12 hours). This oil replaces the moisture that was lost during the curing process, giving the salmon the oily texture associated with smoked salmon.

　　

Step 10

Remove the salmon from the oil. Brush off any excess oil. Wrap the salmon very well in plastic wrap, and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to slice it.

　　

Step 11

To slice the salmon: Chill the salmon in the freezer for 1 hour before slicing. Then, lay it flat on a cutting board and, holding a sharp, thin-bladed slicing knife nearly parallel to the surface, begin cutting off slices as thin as you can. Place the slices on a plate as you go, carefully laying them out so they can be easily peeled up. Or place a layer of wax paper or parchment between the slices, as you prefer. As you cut, make the slices as paper thin as possible and with as much surface as possible, angling slightly down toward the skin. Practice makes perfect.

　　Bubby’s Brunch Cookbook by Ron Silver and Rosemary Black. Copyright © 2009 by Ron Silver and Rosemary Black. Published by Ballantine Books. All Rights Reserved.