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Looks great, I'm going to cure some salmon today with some lemon, orange rind, cracked black pepper and fennel. But I am going to to use 2.5% sugar and 4.5% salt which is much saltier than your version. I'll see how it turns out.

I'd also be curious to hear how the orange rind effects the finished flavor. That sounds intriguing.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Definitely. I'd like to hear how it turns out, too. It sounds great.

Hopefully, you will be starting with some good, fatty, wild fish because the more I do this, the more I've come to think that is -- by far -- the single biggest factor in the quality of the finished product.

Good luck!

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

My wife and I cured about 2 lbs of Faroe Island Salmon (from The Fish Guy) over the weekend (we did not smoke it). We tried a little of the salmon raw before we cured it and it was among the best I can remember.

I don't recall the full ingredient list for the cure (we made it up on the spot, with a little inspiration from Charcuterie), but it did include brown sugar, white sugar, salt, pernod, orange rind, a little grapefruit rind, and a variety of toasted spices. The orange and grapefruit rind gave it really nice citrus essence to the finished product.

Any suggestions on where you get your fish?

Locally, I've had reasonable success year-round at Burhops in Wilmette (definitely not Glenview) and at Foodstuffs, specifically during Copper River season. As for Foodstuffs, I used the Evanston store but I suspect that their Glencoe location would be equally accomodating.

Last time out (in mid-December '08), I was making it for a large party and sourced it via the internet from Pure Food Fish Market at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA. The wild Alaskan King salmon I got from them produced excellent results -- possibly my best ever. If you're making it for an occasion and you have some leadtime, I highly recommend them.

=R=

Burhop's - Wilmette
1515 Sheridan Rd
Wilmette, IL 60091
(847) 256-6400

Foodstuffs - Evanston
2106 Central St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-7704

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

The Fish Guy
4423 N. Elston Ave. Chicago, IL 60630.
Phone: 773-283-7400
http://fishguy.com/

I made some lox a couple weeks ago. It turned out great, but I had forgotten that I don't really care for lox!

I guess that makes you a very dedicated chef. I still can't get the vegetarian in our office to cook me a steak, though.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I made a cold smoker which I modified suggestions from here

First I took a cardboard box and cut an opening in the front and a round hole in the side. I bolted a dryer vent fitting into the round hole on the side.

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On the other side I cut a round hole and bolted a computer fan that I got at Fry's

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I replaced the opening on my WSM with a piece of cardboard that I bolted the other end of the dryer vent fitting.

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I put a hot plate into the box and put a piece of aluminum foil on top of the hot plate. I laid the hard wood directly on top of the foil and closed the box up and turned on the fan. My first attempt was homemade andouille sausage, which I brought to the cajun exchange at Jen's yesterday.

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And it was delicious...great smoke flavor (but still subtle) --I was cursing you later though because I definitely ate a few pieces too many considering how much other food I wanted to try

Loved the chicken and dumplings too by the way (going to be my lunch today as well!!)

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

Awesome, Lou! I love that Weber Bullet modification and may just have to try it out myself. Thanks, for the inspirational post.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

This method was actually quite easy. It cost about $35 and took maybe 2 hours once I had the parts.

What I really liked was finding these dryer vent couplers. One end attaches to the dryer vent and one end bolts to the box. Then, all you need to do is twist on and twist off the dryer vent. The web site suggests using 2 different dryer vent tubes and putting the fan directly into the vent. I saw no reason to do that.

This method also allows you to have the food in the WSM rather than the cardboard box where you have more options for places to put the food. Also if you need it very cold, you can put ice in bowl of the WSM where you normally put water.