Kokanee Candy
Smoked sweet kokanee salmon
Equipment
- Smoker
- We recommend a fruitwood like apple or cherry
Ingredients
- 1-2 Lbs Salmon
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Liquid Smoke
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Cup Apple Juice
- 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
- 3/4 Cup Maple Syrup separated
- 2 Cups Cold Water
- Black Pepper Optional, to taste
Instructions
- Create your brine by mixing brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke, garlic powder, apple juice, orange juice, water, and 1/2 cup of maple syrup (reserve 1/4 cup of maple syrup for later). Mix well
- Cut your salmon to the desired size. I like 3 inch strips for kokanee, and 1 inch strips for thicker salmon. Removing the skin is optional at this point. I prefer leaving the skin on and removing it when I'm eating it, especially with a smaller salmon, like kokanee.
- Add your salmon to the brine. Make sure the salmon is fully submerged in the brine. *NOTE: vacuum sealing your salmon in with your brine allows you to brine more salmon with the same amount of brine.
- Refrigerate the salmon in the brine for 8-12 hours, or overnight.
- Remove salmon from the brine. Rinse the salmon. If you like it salty, you don't have to rinse the salmon.
- Place the salmon on racks to air dry for 2 hours in a refrigerator
- Smoke on low, 145-180, or the smoke setting on your pellet smoker, for 2.5-4 hours, depending on thickness of your salmon, or until it is firm to the touch, and does not release liquid.
- While smoking the salmon, every hour brush the salmon with the remaining maple syrup. Pepper the salmon to taste after the last time you brush on syrup.
- Enjoy your kokanee candy hot or cold