Smoked Salmon with Coriander-Pepper Rub
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
2¾ hours, plus 30 minutes standing and 2 hours soaking
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Spice Rub (Makes 1 cup; will need 1 1/2 tablespoons)
¼ cup fennel seed ¼ cup coriander seed (crushed)¼ cup white peppercorns 10 whole cloves 6 star aniseSalmon
6 salmon fillets (6 ounces each), center-cut½ teaspoon table saltBefore You Begin
Maintain a temperature as close as possible to 225 degrees. If the temperature stabilizes above 250 degrees, partly close the grill’s vent beneath the charcoal, leaving a crack for air circulation. Open it again gradually as the temperature drops. (Watch the stream of smoke coming through the top vent. If the smoke dies out before the food is cooked, start with more wood next time, adding one or two extra chunks on the edge of the charcoal.) You can also drop wood chips into the fire through the top grate any other time the lid is off, but because of the heat loss, we don’t advise removing the cover for that purpose alone, unless the smoke stream has disappeared. Note that each time you take the lid off the grill, it will add ten minutes or more to your total cooking time.
Instructions
- Toast fennel, coriander, and peppercorns over medium heat in small skillet, shaking occasionally to prevent burning, until first wisps of smoke appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, then mix with remaining ingredients.
- Grind to powder in spice grinder or with mortar and pestle.
- Rub each salmon fillet with 3/4 teaspoon spice rub, then sprinkle with salt. Let rubbed salmon stand, loosely covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight if fish is very fresh.)
- Two hours or more before you plan to start cooking, place four wood chunks and a handful of wood chips in a pan of water to soak. About forty-five minutes before you plan to start cooking, remove the top grate from the grill and heat twenty-five charcoal briquettes in a chimney starter (sold at outdoor supply stores) until all the coals are covered with white ash. Alternatively, stack the briquettes on one side of the bottom grate and heat them there. Line a standard-size loaf pan with aluminum foil, fill it two-thirds full of water, and place it on the bottom grate opposite the charcoal.
- Close all except one of the vents underneath the grill and use long-handled tongs to spread the heated briquettes in a single layer on the bottom grate, concentrating them directly above the open vent, (see illustration 1).
- Arrange the coals so they are touching but not overlapping, situated to provide a bed for the wood pieces. Place a handful of soaked wood chips and two of the chunks on the briquettes, (see illustration 2).
- Replace the top grate. Place salmon fillets directly over the pan of water, on the far side of the grill from the charcoal, (see illustration 3). Put the lid on the grill, with the top vent positioned above the food and fully opened.
- Insert the probe end of a candy thermometer or grilling thermometer into the top vent of the grill, (illustration 4), placing the tip as close as possible to the cooking area without touching the food. The head should hold the thermometer in place and be clearly visible.
- Temperature should remain steady at 225 degrees. If temperature starts dropping below, remove the grill lid and top grate, and add six or seven coals to the fire with long-handled tongs, plus enough wood chips and chunks to replenish the initial supply, (illustration 5). Repeat the process as needed.
- Smoke salmon until just opaque, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve.
Time
2¾ hours, plus 30 minutes standing and 2 hours soakingYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Spice Rub (Makes 1 cup; will need 1 1/2 tablespoons)
Salmon
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Spice Rub (Makes 1 cup; will need 1 1/2 tablespoons)
Salmon
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Spice Rub (Makes 1 cup; will need 1 1/2 tablespoons)
Salmon
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
When developing our smoked salmon recipe, we discovered the keys to smoke-cooking: maintaining a constant low temperature and keeping that smoke flowing. We started with a generous amount of wood chunks and chips, adding more as necessary to maintain a steady stream of smoke while the food cooked. We learned to avoid softwoods like pine, spruce, and cedar, instead using hardwoods like hickory, oak, maple, mesquite, alder, or cherry, and soaked our wood in water for a minimum of 30 minutes—preferably longer—so the chips and chunks would smolder in the fire instead of flame. We added new layers of flavor to our smoked salmon recipe in the form of a dry rub.
Before You Begin
Maintain a temperature as close as possible to 225 degrees. If the temperature stabilizes above 250 degrees, partly close the grill’s vent beneath the charcoal, leaving a crack for air circulation. Open it again gradually as the temperature drops. (Watch the stream of smoke coming through the top vent. If the smoke dies out before the food is cooked, start with more wood next time, adding one or two extra chunks on the edge of the charcoal.) You can also drop wood chips into the fire through the top grate any other time the lid is off, but because of the heat loss, we don’t advise removing the cover for that purpose alone, unless the smoke stream has disappeared. Note that each time you take the lid off the grill, it will add ten minutes or more to your total cooking time.
Instructions
- Toast fennel, coriander, and peppercorns over medium heat in small skillet, shaking occasionally to prevent burning, until first wisps of smoke appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, then mix with remaining ingredients.
- Grind to powder in spice grinder or with mortar and pestle.
- Rub each salmon fillet with 3/4 teaspoon spice rub, then sprinkle with salt. Let rubbed salmon stand, loosely covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight if fish is very fresh.)
- Two hours or more before you plan to start cooking, place four wood chunks and a handful of wood chips in a pan of water to soak. About forty-five minutes before you plan to start cooking, remove the top grate from the grill and heat twenty-five charcoal briquettes in a chimney starter (sold at outdoor supply stores) until all the coals are covered with white ash. Alternatively, stack the briquettes on one side of the bottom grate and heat them there. Line a standard-size loaf pan with aluminum foil, fill it two-thirds full of water, and place it on the bottom grate opposite the charcoal.
- Close all except one of the vents underneath the grill and use long-handled tongs to spread the heated briquettes in a single layer on the bottom grate, concentrating them directly above the open vent, (see illustration 1).
- Arrange the coals so they are touching but not overlapping, situated to provide a bed for the wood pieces. Place a handful of soaked wood chips and two of the chunks on the briquettes, (see illustration 2).
- Replace the top grate. Place salmon fillets directly over the pan of water, on the far side of the grill from the charcoal, (see illustration 3). Put the lid on the grill, with the top vent positioned above the food and fully opened.
- Insert the probe end of a candy thermometer or grilling thermometer into the top vent of the grill, (illustration 4), placing the tip as close as possible to the cooking area without touching the food. The head should hold the thermometer in place and be clearly visible.
- Temperature should remain steady at 225 degrees. If temperature starts dropping below, remove the grill lid and top grate, and add six or seven coals to the fire with long-handled tongs, plus enough wood chips and chunks to replenish the initial supply, (illustration 5). Repeat the process as needed.
- Smoke salmon until just opaque, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve.
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