Why has my cold smoking stopped working?
I bought a cold smoke generator for a small meat smoker last year and the first go with 3 dry brined mackerel worked GREAT! But the next 4 attempts have FAILED. The meat has come out translucent and oily like lox, and tough. Not opaque and whiteish like the cold smoked mackerel I buy from my Polish baker. (I think he gets his from Canada) I thought perhaps the first batch I did succeeded because they were smaller but my last batch I fileted and got the same result. I dry brine OVER 24 hours in 1 part brown sugar and 3 parts kosher salt. Completely covered. I even tried brining TWICE on the last 2 batches.
The fish have been very fresh in all cases and my temperatures have been below 60 F in all attempts but the 2nd.
Please help. I wouldn't be so distraught if it hadn't worked PERFECTLY once, before I knew what details to pay attention to.
Best Answer
It sounds like you may be over-curing the fish. The salt and sugar draw water out of the fish, the longer it's applied the more is lost, and you can go too far. When I cold smoke a side of salmon it's only cured overnight, say 8-10 hours, not for a whole day. I imagine there wouldn't be much left after that.
Try reducing your dry brining time to 4 hours, then rinse, pat dry and let them dry out overnight in the refrigerator.
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Does cold smoking take longer?
2. Cold Smoking. \u201cCold Smoking\u201d is done over a much longer period of time, e.g. 12-24 hours, over a smoldering fire (below 85\xb0F). Since foods are held in the temperature danger zone, rapid microbial growth (40-140\xb0F) could occur.What is the best temperature for cold smoking?
As the name suggests, cold-smoking is done at temperatures no higher than 100 degrees, and more often between 65 and 85 degrees. The smoking time can be only a few minutes in duration, as in the case of smoked mozzarella, or several days (or even weeks or months) in the case of hams.How long will cold smoke meat last?
Smoked meat can be kept for four days, as long as it was refrigerated within two hours of being removed from the smoker. If you properly wrap and freeze your smoked meat, it can last up to three months. The longer answer depends on what method you used for smoking your meat.How long should you cold smoke cheese?
Smoke your cheese for 2 to 4 hours. Maintain light, constant smoke. Use a smoking device, or add pellets or wood chips at regular intervals to maintain a steady stream of smoke.How I quit smoking: David’s story | Ohio State Medical Center
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