Cold-Smoked Maple-Bourbon Salmon
A rich cold-smoked salmon with the warm sweetness of maple syrup and the vanilla depth of bourbon whiskey. The combination of both sweeteners slightly caramelizes during curing and forms a golden, slightly glossy surface. Hickory smoke perfectly amplifies the warm, sweet notes of the bourbon.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Preparing the Marinade
10 minutesStir salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, black pepper, and thyme in a bowl until the salt and sugar are fully dissolved. Remove pin bones from the salmon fillet and place in a shallow dish.
Curing
20-24 hoursPour the maple-bourbon marinade over the salmon. Cover with plastic wrap and cure in the refrigerator at 2-4 °C. Turn the salmon every 8 hours and baste with the marinade.
Drying & Pellicle Formation
2-4 hoursRemove the salmon from the marinade and gently pat dry with paper towels – do not rinse, so the maple syrup flavor is preserved. Place on a wire rack for 2-4 hours at cool room temperature to dry.
Cold Smoking
12-18 hoursFill the cold smoke generator with hickory and apple wood, keep temperature below 25 °C. Smoke the salmon for 12-18 hours. The hickory provides bold smoky notes while the apple wood underscores the sweetness of the maple syrup.
Pro Tip
Use Grade A (dark, robust flavor) maple syrup – it contains more flavor than lighter syrup and holds up better to the smoking process. Prefer bourbon with at least 2 years of barrel aging for vanilla notes.
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