Smoked Salmon Brine with Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar

By nekmor

Easy, Tasty brine!

Ingredients

• For eight pounds of salmon, trout, sturgeon or other fish
• ◾8 pounds fillets, skin on, rinsed, patted dry, cut into small pieces (a good size is about 3″ x 6″, but smaller or slightly larger is fine)
• ◾8 cups water
• ◾2 cups soy sauce (Kikkoman is our favorite)
• ◾1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• ◾1/2 cup sea salt or kosher salt
• ◾1 1/2 tbsp granulated garlic
• ◾1 tbsp ginger

Preparation

Step 1

1.Arrange salmon fillets in glass baking dishes or similar non-reactive containers.
2.Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
3.Pour mixture over fillets, making sure they are covered, or until they float.
4.Cover containers and marinate for about 8 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator.
5.Remove fillets from brine, pat dry with paper towels, and arrange on racks to dry in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight)
6.Smoke fish according to your smoker’s directions ( I typically keep it around 235-250F and have used alder wood, mesquite, fruit tree or hickory chips. Check frequently, keeping in mind that air temperature will influence smoking time. Typical smoking times range from 3 to 6 hours. A slightly wet product is best suited for many of the recipes we enjoy. For straight snacking, a drier product may be preferred.