THE PRESERVATION OF FISH BY SMOKING AND DRYING 413 



1-pound chunks after smoking. Proper flavoring is accomplished by soaking the 

 salmon in 100° Sal. brine for about 2 hours, or in 50 to 60° brine for approximately 



3 hours. The coloring is done by dipping the brined chunks of salmon for 15 to 

 30 seconds in a tub containing a dye solution made by dissolving 3 to 4 ounces 

 of certified Orange I food color in 20 gallons of fresh water. This amount of 

 solution will suffice for 1000 to 1500 pounds of fish. The colored pieces are then 

 laid skin side down on special wire screens. Care must be taken that the pieces 

 do not touch one another. The filled screens are placed in the smoke oven and the 

 smoking process started. 



With all dampers and ventilators open to secure good air circulation, drying 

 fires are first applied for a period of 8 to 12 hours. The initial temperature is 

 around 85 to 90° F (29.4 to 32.2° C), but this is gradually increased to 110° F 

 (43.3° C) and finally to 120° F (48.9° C). By this time the pieces will be well 

 dried and a firm pellicle will have formed on all cut surfaces. Unless this pre- 

 liminary drying and pellicle formation are properly accomplished, the finished 

 pieces are apt to crack, resulting in a loss of juices and in poor appearance. The 

 air circulation is then reduced by partial closure of the dampers and ventilators. 

 Cooking fires are kindled and the temperature slowly built up to the barbecuing 

 point of around 170 to 180° F (76.7 to 82.2° C). Although some smokers employ 

 temperatures up to 200° F (93.3° C), a better, brighter color results and less 

 shrinkage occurs at lower temperatures. The time of barbecuing varies from 2 to 



4 hours, depending upon the temperature. The shrinkage in the entire smoking 

 operation is about 15 per cent for large fat chunks and as much as 25 per cent 

 for small lean pieces. 



After thorough cooling, the pieces of kippered salmon are wrapped in cello- 

 phane and packed in boxes holding 5 or 10 pounds net weight. This product is 

 very susceptible to mold growth in humid climates and will keep only from 3 to 



5 days at room temperature. Freezing temperatmes are recommended for shipping 

 and storage. 



Barbecued Sablefish (Kippered Black Cod). This is another smoked fish product 

 that had its original development in the Pacific Northwest. Its popularity has been 

 increasing each year, and it is now being smoked in California and in all the 

 larger cities of the Midwest and East. A rich oily fish, it is especially relished by the 

 Jewish trade. 



Barbecued sablefish prepared from frozen stock is inclined to be firmer and less 

 watery than that from fresh fish. As a result nearly all smokers now use only 

 frozen fish for their raw material. The entire barbecuing process is essentially the 

 same as that used in smoking kippered salmon. Due to the oily nature of the 

 fish, cooking temperatures slightly lower than that used for salmon may be em- 

 ployed with success. The backbone is customarily not removed. The shrinkage 

 in the smoke oven is somewhat less (running only 10 to 15 per cent) than with 

 salmon. As with salmon freezing temperatures are recommended for shipping and 

 storage. 



Barbecued (Kippered) Ling Cod, Shad, Sturgeon, Etc. The same hot-smoking 

 process used for salmon and sablefish has also been applied by Pacific Coast 

 smokers to a number of other fish, such as albacore, barracuda, ling cod, shad, 

 sturgeon, soup-fin, and other species of shark. Of these, ling cod, shad, and 

 sturgeon are most commonly used, but the volume has never been of any great 



