Jim Coleman: How to start smokin' salmon: It's all in the curing

Q: I would like to smoke salmon fillets on my barbecue grill. What do I need to do to the salmon beforehand? Also, how long should it smoke and over how much heat? What kind of wood chips do you recommend? Looking forward to your tips and recipes. (P.S. Would another fish work better?)

- John D.

A: First, let's remember that there are two types of smoked fish: cold-smoked fish (for which the temperature never exceeds 90 degrees) and hot-smoked fish (still using relatively low temperature ranging between 140-180 degrees).

Any fish can be smoked, but those that are high in fat - the ones that pack the most omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids - are the best because they are less likely to dry out.

Salmon is a terrific choice.

These days, we smoke fish and meats for flavor. But you can bet that shortly after early man discovered how to use fire, he learned that smoking or curing meat and seafood could preserve food for winter, when fishing and hunting were hard to do.

Historians believe all cultures have had some form of curing and smoking, but the earliest "fish-smoking factory" was discovered in Poland. It dates to the seventh century.

I'm sure those who smoked meat and fish in ancient times used whatever wood they found nearby - and just about anything will work. But we have more choices these days, and I do have my favorites.

Personally, I like fruit woods such as apple, cherry, peach and pear. Oak and alderwood also go nicely with salmon. You certainly can use harder woods such as mesquite, hickory or maple, but you may want to mix them with other varieties because they can impart a bitter taste to the food.

You want to be able to taste the salmon more than the smoke.

You're probably wondering why I've been throwing around the term "curing," since it wasn't part of your question. Curing (we'll talk about how to deal with my mental state later) goes hand in hand with smoking seafood or meat.

Curing does many things, some of which need large scientific words that are lost on me two seconds into the explanation. On a simple level, curing seals the fish or meat by removing some moisture and preventing the natural fats from rising to the surface, which would cause spoilage.

Sealing the fish or meat also keeps the remaining moisture in. The bottom line is that curing is easy - and it makes a difference.

Curing is done two ways. You almost always use a dry, salt-and-sugar cure when cold-smoking, and a wet cure or brine for hot-smoking, which is what we are going to do.

Almost every brine for this purpose includes salt, sugar and water. You can add your own spices to create various flavors.

If you are preparing 8-ounce salmon fillets, plan to keep them in brine about an hour before smoking. Use approximately a half-gallon of brine for every two pounds of fish.

I hope you enjoy the recipe, John. I doubt you'll get any negative feedback, but if you do, just tell them to stuff it in their pipe . . . and smoke it.

JOHN'S 'HOT SMOKED' SALMON

2 pounds salmon fillets

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 gallon water

Optional spices to taste: fennel seed, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, black pepper

Place salmon in a shallow baking dish or resealable bag. Place water in a saucepan and add the salt and sugar. Heat just until salt is dissolved. Cool mixture completely, then pour over salmon.

Brine in the refrigerator 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove salmon from brine and place on wire racks to dry for about 30 minutes.

Prepare smoker. When the smoker is ready, place the salmon on the top rack and smoke for about 1 to 2 hours. Salmon is done when it no longer appears wet, flakes easily, but is still moist.

Chef Jim Coleman, corporate chef at Normandy Farm and Blue Bell Country Club, is the author of three cookbooks and hosts two nationally syndicated shows: "A Chef's Table," noon Saturdays on WHYY (91-FM); and "Flavors of America," 1 p.m. Saturdays on Channel 12, and 4:30 p.m. weekdays on CN8. He and his wife, writer Candace Hagan, will answer questions.

E-mail ChefColeman@aol.com.