Sunday, August 31, 2014

Smokin' it up...

The Fall Chums and the Silvers (Coho) are still running out there in the Yukon, but we are about done putting salmon away for the winter.  The drifts made over the summer have produced just about all we will need when it comes to salmon.  Maybe it has something to do with raising a few hundred million of the buggers, or maybe just a personal thing, but I am not that big a salmon eater.  There are too many other fish that just blow it out of the water, for my two cents worth.  That said, this recipe came out absolutely DELICIOUS, and if I'm going to have to eat salmon, this is the way I'd like to do it. :)

We started by using a dry cure, instead of the 'traditional' soak in a bucket of some sort of soy sauce or teryaki-like mixture.  And it seems to make a difference.  We had heard that a dry cure is better for salmon because instead of drawing the moisture from your brine into the fish, the moisture in the fish is drawn OUT, making the process more effective at fully 'cooking' the finished product and keeping unwanted moisture around to spoil shelf life.  This, also, is more of a sweet cure than a salty one.  Think of it like adding sugar to a bowl of strawberries and putting it in the fridge - you know all the juice that comes out?....same thing. Salmon can be trickier to smoke and then keep around, because of all the moisture and fat content.  That is jacked up even more so here in the Yukon, as our chums have been tested to have one of the highest Omega-3 oil content levels of any fish - not just other salmon elsewhere.  (If you want verification on that, let me know, I'll get it for you). :)  I'm not sure if the shelf life thing applies here though - cause when this stuff comes out of the freezer, it's going to be gone, as in yesterday.  Here's a rundown of the rub mixture ingredients:

2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup kosher salt
1 Tablespoon onion salt
1 Tablespoon garlic salt
1 Tablespoon celery salt
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon dried mustard
1 Tablespoon dried lemon peel
1 Tablespoon dill weed

Once you have all that thoroughly mixed together, thoroughly coat the fish (not worrying about the skin side of course) with the mixture, and rub the dry mixture into the meat.  You can't really over do it...the above mixture will get 4 average-sized Yukon chum salmon ready for smoking.  Once you have "rubbed in" the rub:

Place the pieces of fish, skin on, whatever size you like, into bowls or, say, baking dishes, (large enough for the liquid that will be drawn out to increase in volume a good bit) in the fridge for 24 hours.  Keep checking the liquid levels, as you won't want this sticky stuff leaking out all over the shelves in the fridge. :)  After the 24 hour curing period, you are ready to smoke.  We are using a Big Chief electric smoker.

For the smoking portion of the recipe:    Get your wood chips well-soaked, and then drained, prior to starting.  I put in enough chips to evenly fill the pan that goes in the bottom of the Big Chief, and this lasts about 1 hour to an hour and a half, depending on how much water you got into them, what kind of wood, etc.  Here is a shot of the necessities just before putting in a batch:

The pieces of fish, the soaked chips and the pan for the Big Chief.  This go around I used a blend of hickory mixed in with the chips from the "mountaineering beaver".  Just had to do it for the nostalgic flair... Hah!  (in case you missed that post, check it out here: View post here...

Here is a shot of the gathering, back then:
And here are those chips in action.  The mountaineering beaver's work comes full circle. :)

Anyways, as mentioned, one pan of chips should last 1-1.5 hours.  I smoked this batch, a mixture of small. medium, and thick pieces, for six hours.  Make sure you keep adding new chips to the pan you are soaking them in as you put each new batch in the smoker, so you don't end up using dry chips - they burn WAY fast and add an off taste.  As long as each pan of chips lasts works well for a soak time, so if you keep replacing them (and the water) as you change each time, you will keep yourself in business.

Now, once smoked for the ~6 hours, remove the fish from the smoker - it will look something like this:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees once you take the fish out of the smoker.  They are now ready to place on sheet trays and be glazed.  You can use either maple syrup or honey as a glaze, (or, of course, anything else you like) but I prefer the honey.  For this batch I placed them on a pizza pan and a cookie tray.  As a side note, if you don't put foil in the oven as a catch, you may end up with some burning honey that drips down on you.  Using JUST enough honey to cover the fish evenly after spreading it around with your fingers helps with that too, as the honey will get thinner as it gets hot and it runs all over.  Here is a shot of the glazed pieces, ready for the last step:

Once done, place the trays on separate shelves and cook slowly at the above-mentioned 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.  This will not only ensure that the fish gets fully 'done', but also will encrust and seal the glaze.  When they come out 25 minutes later, they will likely have some more well-done looking edges, but I assure you, they will be moist and absolutely delicious on the inside, and the 'crust' the honey glaze makes will keep all that goodness in.

That one on the lower left that looks 'pale' is a piece of belly strip.  Super oily but oh so good!  And to think I used to always throw these away!  Shame Shame!  Look at all that Omega-3 !!

This recipe is soooooooo goooooooood!  Enjoy!

A Year In The Life - Day 102, August 31, 2014

This morning we all got over to the moose meadow across the river for a scouting trip.  The boys actually handled it very well:  Warren talked in his quiet voice and Abram stayed near-completely quiet himself - right up until we got to the edge of the meadow - and then Abram lost his mind and began a symphony of crying that told every living thing within a mile that we were there... :D  As if we expected anything less - I'm just amazed it took that long...just enough to make us start to wonder if it might actually go the way of incredible... :)  We had a ton of fun and the mission was accomplished after all.  We even found some wild mint and got some more rose hips for our trouble.  Here's a few shots from the morning...The one with S and the boys being the 'official' pic of the day, of course...


The mint.  So much of it was growing in a shallow depression that the smell was overwhelming as soon as you stepped down into it...mmmmm  We took home a bunch for drying, some for tea, and some more for propagating...we'll see how it goes...


Saturday, August 30, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 101, August 30, 2014

Mmmmm...I smell smoke....  A pic of a batch of smoked salmon makes today's selection.  This is before the glazing and finishing portion of the new recipe we tried this time around - and its a good one.  I plan on putting it into its own post here shortly...its a keeper. :) Yum!


Friday, August 29, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 100, August 29, 2014

Today we took one of my students out on a long-awaited fishing trip, and it was a great one.  He basically kept me busy unhooking his fish for about an hour, as he got one on just about every cast - (I mean literally, for the whole hour) - we released as many as we kept - and during one of the few spare moments, I threw in for W and he reeled in a pike as long as himself.  On the way home, a female mallard was a nice bonus.  Good weather, and a good, successful, safe trip.  Doesn't get much better than that.



Thursday, August 28, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 99, August 28, 2014

It's all about the little stuff.  Took the time to stop and take a peek at the tracks of some of the 'mini-fauna' using an edge of dirt/sand as a travel way.  My guess is a sandpiper, some red-backed voles, and maybe another bird species or two.  Funny the things we usually pass right by without noticing...

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 98, August 27, 2014

Warren playing with a whip (that he made out of a root he found growing from a sand bank) on a beach near Russian Mission - that's the village in the background of the pic - alongside Sarah's sand-drawing. :)  Sure was a beautiful day.


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 97, August 26, 2014

The image (s) of the day here is one of a pair of pike otoliths, or ear bones, basically, we dug out of one of the hogs we got into the boat.  Surprisingly these were small in scale in regard to the size of the fish, compared to other species we have seen, like trout or halibut.  With the size of the fish, we expected them to be monstrous - but relatively speaking, a moderately large trout or a pretty small halibut (a "chicken" in Alaska speak) would have a pair of these about the same size.  These are sitting on the handle of a Rapala fillet knife for easier visibility, but that doesn't do much for size reference without knowing the size of the knife....


Monday, August 25, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 96, August 25, 2014

For today's pic of the day, we have Warren, proud to have finally figured out the trick to holding fish by himself...He's got the tail grab down now!

And some more from the day - including Warren, carrying the whitefish up the hill all by himself, which was a feat, considering the hill - and that he RAN to the top...and some other assorted fun shots:



Sunday, August 24, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 95, August 24, 2014

Today's shot: An emerging cauliflower, the largest of a group of them finally coming up...can't wait...

Saturday, August 23, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 94, August 23, 2014

A 'parting shot' today, from the end of an adventure that found us walking home from the far end of the airstrip down by the river... ;)

Friday, August 22, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 93, August 22, 2014

A fossil hunting expedition from the limestone bluffs upriver produced today's shots.  One of W and I after he enjoyed climbing up the 'mountain', and another of a picturesque rock Sarah found.  We had high hopes of finding something good in there, but we didn't.  Another rock produced a possible find, but we have to grind it down to see for sure...

Thursday, August 21, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 92, August 21, 2014

King of the Hill!!!  He loves playing on top of the dirt pile that is out front on the road...he sure will miss it when it's gone...

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 91, August 20, 2014

Some more garden fun today.  This time a green pepper, that looks like it is shaping up to be a "Mini"...but at least it is growing and healthy...

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 90, August 19, 2014

A great family shot of pulling up some shallots from the garden.  Cut 'em up and dip in a little sea salt...mmmmmmm.  Abie is up there performing his duties as quality inspector...

Monday, August 18, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 89, August 18, 2014

It's official!!! Abram is now ten months old!!  A pic of him dressed up in the sharp digs Aunt Stephie got him.  His wild eyed brother joined in and made it great!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 88, August 17, 2014

Riding home in a Cessna 207 after surviving his allergy scare, Warren peers out at the world that is the Yukon Delta...


Saturday, August 16, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 87, August 16, 2014

A shot of the boys enjoying life in Great Aunt Esther's yard.  Homebase in Anchorage while the allergy thing was sorted out...

Friday, August 15, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 86, August 15, 2014

This day will go down in infamy.  The first time in 5 years of living in the bush where someone actually had to be flown in to Anchorage due to a medical reason...W had an allergic reaction that became serious enough that the best option was to bring him in and make sure...Here is a shot of him in the clinic here in Russian Mission, before things really took off and Sarah decided it was time to go into town... Poor guy!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 85, August 14, 2014

Today, a shot of Warren releasing one of his pike back into the lake - Warren style.  I so happened to catch it just right...  Looks like a follow-through on a three-point jumpshot...heh heh

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 84, August 13, 2014

While berry picking today we came across a dirt circle where a bear was digging up roots (maybe grubs/moths) to eat.  This is a mediocre berry year from what we've seen, and the diggings were a reminder that everything out there notices and is affected by such things...Warren thought it was great - Sure would have been exciting to have him out at Orzinski living with the bears...or at least I think so...


Tuesday, August 12, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 83, August 12, 2014

A happy shot of Abram chilling on the beach, where we stopped to enjoy the afternoon sun.  I am amazed he didn't ingest a pound of sand before we were ready to leave, but somehow we kept most of it on the ground...

Monday, August 11, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 82, August 11, 2014

I will say that the 'little' one in this pic was 38 inches long and wider than my clenched fist - the De-liar's tape is lined up for the sake of the other fish's tail...(cue jaws music)...have a look at the numbers for yourself.  This has been an INSANE week, with 8 fish coming in from 40-46.  Just crazy...let's see how long it can continue... :)



Sunday, August 10, 2014

Saturday, August 9, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 80, August 9, 2014

All I can say is...what a summer for pike fishing this has been.  I don't believe I'll be able to fish for them ever again once we leave this place...



Friday, August 8, 2014

Thursday, August 7, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 78, August 7, 2014

A momentous occasion today: The first pike Warren officially had a hand in from start to finish.  Dad helped him cast and clicked the bail, but he reeled like crazy once the spinner hit the water and dad said "Reel!", and then he proceeded to haul in this little beast - which he proceeded to fully examine...  proud papa.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 77, August 6, 2014

Here's a pair of real bruisers taken on the fly.  Brought six fish home today and the shortest was 38 inches.  In our boat, with Warren, and Abram, and Ada.  A circus?...Yep.  An absolute blast?...You betcha.  The home videos will be immortalized.  And, we got to throw a Warren smile in for a finale pic, as a tribute to his grouchiness. :D  Check out the post I put on the species list blog for some of the story at this link:  A Crazy Morning







Tuesday, August 5, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 76, August 5, 2014

Today brings us a shot of yet ANOTHER pike that ties the new Hummel 'bar', now set at 46 inches.  And, it was on a fly.   Here is a shot of the brute, and the bringer of his demise, an 8-inch, figure 8 perch fly - drastically rearranged here.  For more pics, check out the species list blog - hope to get a post up soon of the "Summer of the Pike"...



Monday, August 4, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 75, August 4, 2014

Well, today's pic kind of says it all - all by itself.  My biggest pike on a fly (maybe EVER), and it actually matches the length of my biggest pike period.  A serious TOAD.


Sunday, August 3, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 74, August 3, 2014

The currants are back!  Blueberries this year are definitely down from last year, and though the usual patches of currants seemed to be lacking, we are still finding good bunches here and there.  Mmmmmm I can taste the jam already...


Saturday, August 2, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 73, August 2, 2014

Today's shot is of a female pink, twisting in front of the GoPro with a daredevil (daredevle) spoon hanging out of her mouth.  Despite the murky water, this still captured the moment just fine.  I am liking that camera even more all the time...

Friday, August 1, 2014

A Year In The Life - Day 72, August 1, 2014

A shot of a dragonfly in Warren's hand.  He sure was interested in the thing...carried it all the way home in the cart until he squished it and then said it was 'greasy'... :D