40 jars of Salmon

[jamisonace]

Last week produced a couple big bucks and a huge hen that gave me a lot of meat and huge skeins of eggs. They came from the free flowing part of the Siuslaw but they looked pretty good. After I cut them, one of them was really nice and the other two were not quite as nice but still decent.

I decided to experiment with canning them.

I brined 2/3's and the other 1/3 I just salted a bit. Half of the brined I smoked and the other half I canned after brining for 36 hours. (light salt brine).

Here are the results:

The smoked meat turned out incredible. Family devoured a bunch and I took some to a meeting today and it went fast too.

The smoked meat I canned turned out good but I wish I hadn't smoked it quite as long as I did.

The plain salmon that was lightly salted before canning turned out awesome. I did it just like I did tuna this year.

The brined then canned salmon was my least favorite but it was still pretty good. We'll eat some and a bunch we'll give away to family and friends.

My wife and I try to keep about a 12 month stockpile of food on hand for unexpected events. A big part of that is canning stuff. If anyone wants help with canning up some "smoker salmon" or anything else for that matter, reach out to me and I'll let you learn from my mistakes. If you treat pale meat right, it'll can up as good as any tuna with little more than some salt and oil.

 

[eugene1]

Looks great! I lightly smoked some and canned it this year too. Turned out better than the regular smoked stuff and lasts longer, I think.

Best,

 

[jamisonace]

It will last 6 to 7 years once canned.

Looks great! I lightly smoked some and canned it this year too. Turned out better than the regular smoked stuff and lasts longer, I think.

Best,

 

[rogerdodger]

excellent, as it turns out, yesterday Rachelle and I spent the day making smoked/canned salmon (our process is adapted from the one Eugene1 posted long ago...). yesterday started at 1:30am when I put 20# of chinook 'back straps/belly strips/tail bits/collars' into brine (basically all the non-fillet bits we didn't cook fresh in Sept/Oct and we cooked up and ate a lot...), 3:30am I was racking it to dry, started smoking it at 6am and rotated it out so each rack had about 2hours in the smoker (apple/pecan/alder), and by 11am, we had 12# of cleaned smoked meat, packed the jars and started canning...at 11:30pm, finished with 19 half pints and 19 quarter pints, one of the small jars broke and one didn't seal so we got to sample it for breakfast and it was perfect, a slightly smokey king salmon spread... cheers, roger

 

[JeannaJigs]

I've never done this but it's very appealing to me. What kind of pressure canner are you using?

 

[jamisonace]

It's just a pressure cooker. Not sure if there are different kinds but I know there are different sizes. If you don't have one you're welcome to come over some evening and do it at our house. you can probably find them at goodwill too.

If you have a pressure cooker I can give specific directions from start to finish. It's a lengthy process but kind of fun and very worth it.

I've never done this but it's very appealing to me. What kind of pressure canner are you using?

 

[plumb2fish]

I did mine 100 mins @ 11 psi.....table sp. Olive oil, pinch of salt, fill jar to with in an inch of the top and cook...gave it out as gifts.....

 

[JeannaJigs]

Maybe I'll have to look for a pressure cooker this weekend

 

[Irishrover]

We kind of cheat, we use liquid smoke no brine just add olive oil, vinegar and salt. 90 min at 10lbs. We took a couple of jars to our claming tailgate party and folks devoured it. I might have to try doing a brine, or canning razor clams.

 

[jamisonace]

Precisely how I do mine.

I did mine 100 mins @ 11 psi.....table sp. Olive oil, pinch of salt, fill jar to with in an inch of the top and cook...gave it out as gifts.....

 

[jamisonace]

Vinegar is a good touch. I'll try that next time. I'd suggest smoking some half way before canning. The brine straight to canning experiment wasn't that great.

We kind of cheat, we use liquid smoke no brine just add olive oil, vinegar and salt. 90 min at 10lbs. We took a couple of jars to our claming tailgate party and folks devoured it. I might have to try doing a brine, or canning razor clams.

 

[Raincatcher]

Ok, now I'm hungry for salmon...for breakfast...I swear I can taste it.

 

[rogerdodger]

we use a 6 quart pressure cooker, good for small batches of stuff, it holds 5 pints or 10 wide mouth half pints or 5 halfs and 7 quarters....my sister has a 20quart that we use to can tuna each August...for the smoked salmon we use 110min at 10psi.