Hot Smoking or Kippering Salmon

   1. Begin with either fresh or frozen salmon. Frozen is actually easier because some of the moisture is lost during freezing and thawing process and that is what you are trying to accomplish during the smoking process.
   2. If the fish is not already filleted, do it now and cut the fish into even sized pieces. I like 2x4 inches. How to fillet salmon.
   3. Now you must make a brine of salt and brown sugar. If you like specific spices - go ahead and add them to the brine. I like to mix the brine 2:1 salt to brown sugar but if you like a sweeter finished product, adjust it to your taste. For 5 gallons of water you will need to mix 14 cups of salt and 7 cups of brown sugar. This is enough brine for 20 pounds of salmon or halibut. One way to tell if you have enough salt is to float an egg. If it floats, you have enough salt. It's about 80%. You must mix enough brine to completely immerse your fish in the solution.
   4. A white five gallon bucket works well for brining fish. Go ahead and place your fish into the brine. Place the bucket into refrigeration and leave it for two hours.
   5. Remove the fish from the brine and rinse it quickly under cold running water.
   6. Place the fish on a rack. Space it so that the smoke can filter around the fish from all sides.
   7. Now you must place the fish in a refrigerator to let it cure for at least 12 hours.
   8. After you have cured the fish, you are ready to smoke it. Start out as cool as you can and gradually increase your temperature to an internal temperature of 150 F for 30 minutes.
   9. Remove from the smoker and cool your finished product.
  10. Now the fish is either ready for eating or vacuum sealing. Remember that vacuum- sealed fish products must be kept frozen or refrigerated until you're ready to use it.
  11. Make sure you clean and sanitize all your equipment before putting it away or before the next load.