4 ms·

Why? Binding factors? Aesthetics? Is there any alternative (perhaps more expensive)?

japhyr 11y ago
I smoke my own salmon. After cutting the salmon, you let it sit in a mixture of salt and sugar overnight. From my understanding, the salt pulls moisture out of the fish - it's impressive how much moisture is pulled out. The fish starts out sitting in a bowl of salt and sugar, and in the morning the bowl is filled with liquid. You rinse all the salt and sugar off, dry the fish on racks, and then put it in a smoker. I've been told the sugar is used to keep the fish from becoming overly salty, but I imagine it serves other purposes as well. I'd love to know what that is. We've started experimenting with using less sugar, but it seems the fish would get really salty if you cut too much sugar out. Here's a picture of the fish drying: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151063519684708&l=35e73a4cfb https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151063519684708&l=... and after it comes out of the smoker: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064652569708&l=7debbbedce https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064652569708&l=...
- ant6n 11y ago
  That's a lot of fish. 'Your own salmon' hopefully doesn't refer to your own consumption ;-)
  - nekopa 11y ago
    Are you crazy!?! That looks like a few days worth of salmon for me (if I could afford it) :-)
    - ant6n 11y ago
      I hear eating that much cured meats gives you cancer (back on topic, sorta, I guess)
      - nekopa 11y ago
        Meh, cured meats will have to get to the back of the line. I drink too much and smoke like Thomas the Tank Engine :)
  - japhyr 11y ago
    I live in southeast Alaska, so this is a day's catch once in a while. We try to keep a steady stock of smoked fish in the freezer and in the fridge. But we pay through the nose for crappy fruit and vegetables!
- bpicolo 11y ago
  Hey man: That's some sexy looking salmon. Nice!
ikurei 11y ago
See dekhn's comment: > Sugar is added to cured salmon because it helps prevent the growth of microorganisms. When this process was originally developed, food spoilage was a huge problem (it meant the difference between survival and death) while metabolic disorders were rare.
tptacek 11y ago
Sugar is a preservative; it directly combats spoilage through osmotic effects, and does it indirectly in a couple different ways. More importantly, since it was historically used to cure meats, it's become an important part of the flavor profile of those products. It's the same with nitrates and ham and bacon; without them, it just doesn't taste like bacon, which is why "uncured bacon" is usually a pretty deceptive product.
krstck 11y ago
Adding sugar reduces the water activity, which inhibits microbial growth.

I smoke my own salmon. After cutting the salmon, you let it sit in a mixture of salt and sugar overnight. From my understanding, the salt pulls moisture out of the fish - it's impressive how much moisture is pulled out. The fish starts out sitting in a bowl of salt and sugar, and in the morning the bowl is filled with liquid. You rinse all the salt and sugar off, dry the fish on racks, and then put it in a smoker. I've been told the sugar is used to keep the fish from becoming overly salty, but I imagine it serves other purposes as well. I'd love to know what that is. We've started experimenting with using less sugar, but it seems the fish would get really salty if you cut too much sugar out. Here's a picture of the fish drying: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151063519684708&l=35e73a4cfb https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151063519684708&l=... and after it comes out of the smoker: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064652569708&l=7debbbedce https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064652569708&l=...

ant6n 11y ago
That's a lot of fish. 'Your own salmon' hopefully doesn't refer to your own consumption ;-)
- nekopa 11y ago
  Are you crazy!?! That looks like a few days worth of salmon for me (if I could afford it) :-)
  - ant6n 11y ago
    I hear eating that much cured meats gives you cancer (back on topic, sorta, I guess)
    - nekopa 11y ago
      Meh, cured meats will have to get to the back of the line. I drink too much and smoke like Thomas the Tank Engine :)
- japhyr 11y ago
  I live in southeast Alaska, so this is a day's catch once in a while. We try to keep a steady stock of smoked fish in the freezer and in the fridge. But we pay through the nose for crappy fruit and vegetables!
bpicolo 11y ago
Hey man: That's some sexy looking salmon. Nice!

ikurei 11y ago

See dekhn's comment: > Sugar is added to cured salmon because it helps prevent the growth of microorganisms. When this process was originally developed, food spoilage was a huge problem (it meant the difference between survival and death) while metabolic disorders were rare.

tptacek 11y ago

Sugar is a preservative; it directly combats spoilage through osmotic effects, and does it indirectly in a couple different ways. More importantly, since it was historically used to cure meats, it's become an important part of the flavor profile of those products. It's the same with nitrates and ham and bacon; without them, it just doesn't taste like bacon, which is why "uncured bacon" is usually a pretty deceptive product.

krstck 11y ago

Adding sugar reduces the water activity, which inhibits microbial growth.