Smoker

About 15 years ago my brother, Gerry, and his wife, Linda, were in OR for a visit.  It was August and the salmon were running in the Columbia River so I took Gerry fishing.  He caught an 18 pound salmon.  I caught squat.  As usual.  Gerry was justifiably proud, biggest fish he ever caught.

We had a fine salmon dinner that night but, of course, we only cooked a small portion of the fish.  I wanted G and L to take the rest home but they really couldn't, wouldn't be home for 4-5 days.  So I said to Gerry, 'Let's smoke it; then you can take it home, no problem.'  We drove to the nearest sporting goods store, bought an electric smoker and put it to immediate use.  The smoked salmon was delicious!

Last Sunday's local paper had an Albertson's grocery ad for fresh whole wild salmon on sale for $2.77/pound, about 1/3 the usual price.  I rushed down first thing Monday morning, bought 3 salmon, and had them cut up and soaking in brine within an hour of my return.  Brining takes 8 hours, and smoking takes another 8, both times dependent on thickness of the fish chunks.

The food is placed on the 4 removable racks and set inside the smoker box.  The little pan is filled with 2 cups of chips and inserted into the bottom of the smoker.  Plug it in and you're good to go.  Bags of chips come in hickory, mesquite, apple and alder but I can't tell the difference, taste-wise.

Smoked salmon is one of my favorite things - same for Trish - and it's expensive as hell, so it's well worth the 2-3 hours of effort it takes to smoke up a batch.  We're also fond of smoke-flavored chicken and game hens; the taste and delightful aroma is a real treat.  A grill just can't duplicate the smoky flavor and aroma of a real smoker, despite what the cookbooks say; the results are pathetic.