Hot Smoked Salmon on the BBQ

Finished off some hot smoked salmon earlier. The final product is without the best salmon I ever tasted.

The quality of the salmon is important. This particular one came from The Catch in Cornelscourt. 
Pricey but great quality. It works out well with a side of salmon from the supermarket. I got the skin removed but this is not really necessary.

The previous day, prepare the cure. It consists of  200g of a nice brown sugar and 200g of table salt. Give it a good mix.

Sprinkle some on the base of the vessel you are using with the cure  Place the fish on top, one piece at a time. Cover the first piece of fish with the cure. cure the bottom of the second piece with the cure and place the cured side on top of the first piece. cover with the remaining cure. The green colour is just a shadow.

Loosely wrap the container in cling film to prevent any smells cross contaminating anything.

I used a smaller lid to cover the salmon and placed a number of tins on top to press down on the fish. Pop it the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. I left it there for about 15 hours.

The next day, wash all the cure off the fish and dry it with kitchen towels. Put the fish on a rack and let it thoroughly dry for about 6 hours. This forms a pellicle which is a thin layer of protein which allows the smoke to better adhere the surface of the meat during the smoking process.

Time to start the BBQ. Unless you are a very strange person and cleans you BBQ grills every time you use it, put it on full to burn off the old crud and brush it off when it is carbonized. Reduce the heat. I heated the left side of the BBQ and waited for the temperature of the BBQ to be about 150C (300F).

I got some Mesquite chips in Newlands Garden Centre, when I was there recently. Any type of BBQ wood chips would do. Only hardwood though because softwood produces a tar which would be nasty and some other ones can be toxic.

I had one of these BBQ Smoker Boxes. They can be purchased in B&Q, I believe. Also from the usual online fellas, such as the A guy.

 I soaked the chips for about an hour in water then put it on the BBQ and waited for about 30 mins for the smoke to start. You need to have the wood smoking before you put the fish in.

Another thing you will need is a temperature probe. One with a long cable so you can have the display outside the BBQ.

Make sure it has a Centigrade option and an alarm, so you are notified when t reaches the required temperature. There are wireless ones available, which would be nice. A second one that measures the temperature of the grill base, would be useful but not required.

Here we go......

  

When it reaches 75C (160F), it is done. This is the completed product. Looks nice.

 

Tastes really nice. No, better then nice. Fecking delicious.Best salmon ever.

Insanity Chilli Sauce

This is my latest chilli sauce which has been called "Insanity Chilli Sauce" by people that were fortunate or unfortunate enough to taste it. I suspect the name is based on the Simpsons episode about the Guatemalan Insanity Pepper.

It is very hot, the way I like it. To paraphrase from that Simpsons episode, I am not the Pope of Chilitown, I just like hot sauces. I think the result is pretty good and does not have any hallucinating properties.

The recipe is fairly simple, as is the method.

Ingredients:

20G Cumin Seeds

20G Coriander Seeds

100G Extra Hot Chilli Powder

4 Tins Chopped Tomatoes

2 Tbs Salt

3 Tbl Suger

120 ml of Malt Vinegar

1 Bulb of Garlic

I use Extra Hot Chilli Powder because it is consistently hot. Fresh chilllies vary in strength, so don't really add much to the final product. 

In relation to the garlic, I like to use one of the big bulbs. When they are fresh, the cloves are nice and juicy and also hot.

Method:

Add the tomatoes to the pot and bring to the boil. 

Grind the coriander and cumin. Add to the pot.

Add the chilli powder.

This makes the liquid fairly thick. Turn down low and put a lid on the pot. Cook for about 30 minutes to let the powders loose their grainy texture.

Get your jars and lids sterilized with boiling water.

Add the vinegar.

When it is boiling again, turn it off. You don't want the Acetic Acid in the vinegar to evaporate. 

Wait for a couple of minutes and crush in the garlic. Again, you don't want the aromatic oils in the garlic to evaporate.

Decant to molten lava into the jars and seal immediately. 

I like to leave it for a day or two the let the ingredients get to know each other.

The end.......

The sauce is great with almost everything. My favorites are burgers or chickens and of course, the noble spud.  

It also makes a superb salad dressing. No fat, so virtually no calories.

Enjoy.

Here are a few little jars that I propose to give to some deserving people.