103° F + Alaskan Sockeye = Salmon Jerky! What do you do when you have a freezer full of Alaskan sockeye salmon and you have a 103 F degree day? Make Alder smoked salmon jerky! After the salmon is thawed get your ingredients lined up and ready to go. Next make your brine, combine all these ingredients in a large bowl. Remember this is a dry brine there is no liquid involved here. 2 cups brown sugar 1/3 cup salt 1 tbsp onion salt 1 tbsp garlic salt 1 tbsp celery salt 1 tbsp black pepper 1 tbsp white pepper 1 tbsp dried hot mustard 1 tbsp dried lemon peel 1 tbsp dill weed Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Stack your fish meat to meat with packed brine inbetween. Place in the fridge for at least 24 hours. If you leave the fish in the brine longer they will turn into fish candy! I have left in brine up to 36 hours, it is best to try different lengths of time to see what you like best. In 12 hours or so the brine will turn to a liquid so make sure you baste and/or rotate your pieces of fish so they all get the same soaking time. Your dry brine will soon turn to liquid. When you are done soaking remove the fish from the brine and place on your smoking racks... DO NOT RINSE! Let stand for an hour or so until the fish becomes tacky. Place in the smoker and smoke. Take your fish out 1 hour before you normally do and place on cookie sheets. It is a good idea to coat the cookie sheets with some kind of non-stick spray before hand. Now generously coat the fish with honey... goop it on real thick! I finished off the last 3 hours basting with a jalapeno jelly glaze right in the smoker. I flipped the pieces, so the jalapeno jelly was brushed on all sides of the salmon. You will notice the four pieces on the top left front of the rack do not have the glaze, because my wife did not want the jalapeno jelly glaze on a few pieces . I should have taken out more than one package, because it's about all gone.!
Quig, you need to make a trip up here in early August, one of these years... I have a Subsistence Red Salmon Permit on Neva Creek/Neva Lake, which is right near where I live. I can take 40 Reds, and 150 Pinks, every year, and if you showed up, with the Jerky Makens, I would split it with you, 50/50..... Mmmmm, That looks really Good.... ......
Surprises me too, although, I think this is the first time I've see it! I'm doing this cause Sockeye is relatively inexpensive compared to other species of salmon. Wonder how the Chinook run is going this year at home....