H

Smoked Salmon by Judy Nugent

Any amount of fish
Brown sugar
Soy sauce
Spices

Fillet the fish and cut into 3 inch chunks or larger. Make the brine. Before smoking fish it is important to marinate them in brine for at least 12 hours. I usually put them in the brine over night in the refrigerator. To make the brine, start with about 1 cup of brown sugar. Add enough soy sauce to make it the consistency of glue. Then add whatever spices you like. I use a solid amount of black pepper and some garlic powder. You could add barbecue sauce, thyme, or whatever you'd like to try.

After it has sat in the brine for several hours, remove the chunks and rinse thoroughly with water. Place the chunks on paper towel and allow to dry for an hour. When it is tacky it is ready for loading.

I use an electric smoker. For this is need to place the fish on the racks, load the pan with wood chips, and plug it in. It usually stays in the smoker 8 hours.

The real key to good smoked fish is control of heat and smoke. Too hot a fire will cook your fish rather than smoke it. Too cold a fire and it will take all day. Try to keep your temperature around 180-190 degrees.