Black spots on smoked salmon

[slaydown]

Hey all,
I followed the dry brine method twice and both times the finished product developed some dark spots on the salmon. I cant figure out what it is, I dont think it could be mold. Here is the process I took
Frozen fillets left out to thaw, and cut and skinned still semi-frozen
Rinsed in a little cold water and left to drain (20 min)
Layered in dry brine (8 cups brown sugar to 1 cup course salt and some garlic and pepper flakes)
Placed in fridge over night
Rinsed next morning and straight in smoker at about 110-140C for 8 hrs
Final product placed in the fridge for 2 days and now these dots are starting to appear.
They look and taste perfect and I dont know how mold could appear they were cured and cold stored
Any input would be appreciated

 

[wolf]

I dont think it would be mold as you have smoked and salted it which preserves food, i may think its the brown caramized sugar coming out?? dont know.. try just putting just that that dark spot on the tip of your tounge if its sweet then its the sugar, if its bitter I really dont know.
keep us up to date

Good luck wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com

 

[Fish Assassin]

Did your smoker have any condensation in it caused during smoking? If my smoker gets to much condensation do to temp change it drips on my top 2 racks. I toss them peices in the trash. I have learned to crack my smoker open for the first couple of hours till the temp balances out.

 

[Islandgirl]

I agree with fa.123.. usually too much moisture and it drips from the top onto the fillets.. condensed smoke is dark brown/ black..therefore the black spots..I try only to smoke fish on days where it does not rain... Yeah >>>I know good luck living in a rainforest!

It is not mold.. although unappealling, it is safe to eat.

 

[slaydown]

I would like to thank all who replied. Both times this happened I put the fish in and fired it up, which would lead to condensation. Although I had the vent on the bradley wide open I think it still condensed quite a bit. Besides the fish tastes amazing (thanks the big guy)
Next time I am going to fire that puppy up for a while first.
Cheers

 

[tubber]

Do people clean/powerwash the inside of their smokers? Mine's pretty nasty, but seems to work fine.

 

[Fish Assassin]

I rub down any flakes and suck them up with my shopvac...As for the rest let if be. I think it ads to the flavor of the man behind the smoker.

 

[wolf]

COOL thats what I like about this forum get to learn new stuff everyday LOL

Wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com

 

[eastpoint]

Slaydown. After rinsing I Always let the fillets air dry and glaze in the fridge for 5+ hours. This lets the surface dry. I never have any drips in the smoker. Also smoking in damp conditions does not really work well. The whole point of brine and smoking is to take the water out. I had problems as you described in the past. Hope this helps

eastpoint

 

[TheBigGuy]

quote:Originally posted by slaydown

I would like to thank all who replied. Both times this happened I put the fish in and fired it up, which would lead to condensation. Although I had the vent on the bradley wide open I think it still condensed quite a bit. Besides the fish tastes amazing (thanks the big guy)
Next time I am going to fire that puppy up for a while first.
Cheers

You're very welcome slaydown, glad you liked the recipe.

As the others already said, best to smoke on the dry cool nights. If smoking in the rain can't be avoided, I make a cover for over the top layer of fish in the smoker out of tinfoil. That way any drops fall on the tin foil, not on the fish. Just make sure to make a bit of a "tent" so the foil doesn't touch the fish. Walla, problem solved.