problem while canning smoked salmon

[Bait Girl]

I just bought a pressure cooker and thought I would can smoked salmon. I smoked the salmon for four 4 hours and then canned it for 90 minutes at 10psi. The problem is, when we took the fish out of the jar, it's all burnt. The taste is OK, but it's blackened up and the smaller pieces are inedibile. I put 2.25 quarts of water in the canner, and the metal rack that came with it was used to seperate the two layers of jars. Anyone have an idea of where where I went wrong?

[Small Fry]

did you add any liquid to the jars? How done was the fish before you canned it?
Next time try smoking useing 2 pans of wood and do a cold smoke and then can it.

[Bait Girl]

did you add any liquid to the jars? How done was the fish before you canned it?
Next time try smoking useing 2 pans of wood and do a cold smoke and then can it.

No, I didn't add any liquid to the jars, I just filled them 3/4 full of smoked coho. The coho had smoked for about 4 hours, so I would consider that about done. I only had the smoker set at 150F, not sure if you consider that a cold smoke or not. What liquid would you suggest adding?

[Mountain Beaver]

I just bought a pressure cooker and thought I would can smoked salmon. I smoked the salmon for four 4 hours and then canned it for 90 minutes at 10psi. The problem is, when we took the fish out of the jar, it's all burnt. The taste is OK, but it's blackened up and the smaller pieces are inedibile. I put 2.25 quarts of water in the canner, and the metal rack that came with it was used to seperate the two layers of jars. Anyone have an idea of where where I went wrong?

Metal rack? Was it the round flat disc with holes in it? If so, it is supposed to be put on the bottom of the cooker to give space between the bottom of the jars and the burner. Did all jars burn or just the lower ones? MB.

[Small Fry]

150 for 4 hours would definitely be done. Cold smoking would be under 100. If the fish isn't completely cooked it should have some extra moisture in it. You could add a couple T spoons of water it wouldn't hurt anything. Are you filling the jars full?

[beavers82]

I only smoke mine for 1 hour and can it at 15 lbs for about 60 minutes. Always comes out great and have not had any problems. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil for fall fish.

[OceanBlue]

4 hrs at 150, I think you pretty well cooked it before canning it.

my thoughts - No brine.
If you brine it, it begins to cure, removing the juices.
Cold smoke no more than 1 hr before packing in jars and pressure canning. Correct pressure/time is 100 minutes at 10lbs pressure. NO LESS. oh, and place a rack or spacer in the bottom of the canner so that the jars are not in contact with the bottom of the canner.

[Bluestreak]

I smoke mine for 4 hrs and can it for 45 min. Turns out so good everyone wants it to the point they want to buy it from me. Dont worry I dont sell it.

[Pelagic Captain]

i suggest getting the "ball Book" on canning...i have been canning smoked salmon and tuna for many years and not had problems...follow the book explicitly..you were posted some bad advice...take heed

[STGRule]

I smoke mine for 4 hrs and can it for 45 min. Turns out so good everyone wants it to the point they want to buy it from me. Dont worry I dont sell it.


If you are canning meat for only 45 minutes, I suggest that you warn guests that you don't follow USDA recommendations for canning meat. It can kill you. :flowered:

[wapiteaser]

If the fish is already pre-cooked, I don't see where the 90 minute rule is all that important. I might be wrong. My dad used to can smoked salmon and sometimes he would just put it in pint jars and water bath it for about 15 minutes. Add a tablespoon of olive oil if you think it is too dry.

[KingSalmonBoy]

I usually just freeze mine. Here is a good link By the OSU extension for canning smoked fish (http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw450.pdf).

[Moe]

You're smoking it way too long and drying it out.

I cut my brine recipe by 50% and brine it for 45 minutes when canning. The brine recipe is 1 pint of salt, 1 cup of brown sugar to 1 gallon of water. The salmon will glaze nicely with this brine recipe.

I use a Big Chief Smoker and when canning I only use two pans of chips. That's about 1 1/2 hours. The salmon will still be on the pinkish side but will turn a beautiful color when run through the canner.

I only fill my pint wide mouth jars half full so I get nice chunks of salmon for serving to guests and it comes out very nice. I would never cut canning time. Botulism is very real and very dangerous.

[Moe]

BTW...Some people really like the hard smoked canned salmon. I'm just not one of them.

[Fisherdaddy]

This works:

Do your normal brine as if you were going to regular smoke it. Take the fish out of the brine, place it in jars. Add 1/2 cap of liquid smoke and pressure cook it as if you were canning regular fresh fish. I have yet to have anyone notice the difference. You can add fresh garlic cloves or jalepenios if you want to spice it up a bit.

[Team Rip]

Bait Girl,

I'm assuming that your brine has sugar in it? What you're seeing is the sugar turning black. Since I am a firm believer in what my fish looks like, as well as what it taste's like, I smoke mine very hot for 2-3 hours to get the color just right, then pull it from the smoker and can right after that.

You will find that the chinook being thicker, is easier and the thinner fillets, silvers, steelhead definately need to be 1/4 cooked before canning....

Good Luck..

[Pilar]

For some reason canning really intensifies the smoke flavor. I use only salt to cure. Rocksalt for like 15 minutes, rinse well and then one pan of chips and an hour or less in the smoker. I don't add anything to the fish in the jar but olive oil is used by some.

The 100 minutes at 10 pounds or more (250 degrees) in the pressure canner will totally cook the fish. 100 minutes at 250 degrees is the minimum required to kill botulinum spores which can be anywhere in the air. Botulinum can grow in a no air environment (in the sealed jar) and produce botulism and has no taste or smell. This is why low acid foods must be pressure canned for the 100 minutes to be absolutely safe.

I did some sturgeon once as you describe how you did the coho. It came out very dark and was so smoky you could hardly eat it. Now we just barely smoke any fish for flavor and it works great.

[Dinikin]

I have tried canning salmon using smoked sea salt.
Spread a thin layer of salt in the smoker on the pape twl., keep the smoke going for 2-3 hours. I also move salt around alittle 3 or 4 times during this process.
I add about 1/4 of teaspoon of this smoked salt to a pint jar. Salmon comes out jucy with nice smoke flavor.

[GaryB]

I just bought a pressure cooker and thought I would can smoked salmon. I smoked the salmon for four 4 hours and then canned it for 90 minutes at 10psi. The problem is, when we took the fish out of the jar, it's all burnt. The taste is OK, but it's blackened up and the smaller pieces are inedibile. I put 2.25 quarts of water in the canner, and the metal rack that came with it was used to seperate the two layers of jars. Anyone have an idea of where where I went wrong?


What works for me...

Smoke fish, no salt for one hour/one pan of smoke.....
I put 1/4 teaspoon salt for 1/2 pint jars
100 min. @ 10 lbs. (sea Level)
I also keep skin on and pack so you cannot see skin (My preference)
I don't add any water or oil.

GaryB

[Okie]

I just bought a pressure cooker and thought I would can smoked salmon. I smoked the salmon for four 4 hours and then canned it for 90 minutes at 10psi. The problem is, when we took the fish out of the jar, it's all burnt. The taste is OK, but it's blackened up and the smaller pieces are inedibile. I put 2.25 quarts of water in the canner, and the metal rack that came with it was used to seperate the two layers of jars. Anyone have an idea of where where I went wrong?

In thinking about what you say above, it appears that when you smoked the fish it was smoked to the point that it was dried out and contained no moisture. This would make it burn or turn dark when you packed it in the jars and canned it. Your caning process seems correct, it is the smoking process that is the problem. The fish is to dry when you packed it in the jars.

Smoking fish longer at a lower temperature and maintaning a smoked fish with some mosture in it at the end is the desired results. This isn't as easy to do as you might think. The smoking process should be hot enough to generate smoke but not hot enough to make the fish dry so it would not taste correct before you packed it in the jars. Bad fish in, Bad fish out is the end results.

Good Luck

[fishin' is livin']

Metal rack? Was it the round flat disc with holes in it? If so, it is supposed to be put on the bottom of the cooker to give space between the bottom of the jars and the burner. Did all jars burn or just the lower ones? MB.


Exactly!!

[honyacher]

No, I didn't add any liquid to the jars, I just filled them 3/4 full of smoked coho. The coho had smoked for about 4 hours, so I would consider that about done. I only had the smoker set at 150F, not sure if you consider that a cold smoke or not. What liquid would you suggest adding?I just got done canning smoked coho I think you left it in the smoker too long and too hot!:doh:

[Duckdog98604]

I never brine my fish before smoking... I also coldsmoke for 30 min. and then can normally. Never dry and tastes great

[freeflyinmane]

If you are canning meat for only 45 minutes, I suggest that you warn guests that you don't follow USDA recommendations for canning meat. It can kill you. :flowered:

I grew up in a custom cannery in Depoe Bay and also am certified to run retorts. Any undercooking as described by a couple fellows here is inherently dangerous. Botulism can grow in a partial vacuum at room temp. It can only be killed by time and temperature as listed in canning guidelines, the 100 min @ 10 pounds or 90 minutes at 12 pounds is critical to ensure that all the contents in the can/jar reach critical temperature long enough to kill the spores. The input temperature of the fish into the cooker is also a factor. What I am seeing here is a recipe for some dead people by undercooking.

Canning is more than just cooking, it must be a sterilizing process as well if done properly.

In canning school at OSU, we were told that one teaspoon of botulism toxin would kill all living mammals in the US. An example of how it can be formed was a guy set some cheese in his kitchen cabinet unrefrigerated. Mold grew over it and he just scraped the mold off when he chose to eat it. Unfortunately the mold sealed off oxygen to the cheese and botulism spores grew under the mold. He died a couple hours later. Botulism attacks the nervous system and eventually you cannot breathe. This is very serious business, I hope this message gets to all who posted here. Please read and follow canning procedures to the letter as they were designed under lab testing to ensure product safety.

[flyinbrian]

Glad someone gave expert canning advice (temp/time).

Regarding the dried out issue, try some olive oil in the bottom of the jar maybe a 1/4" then the smoked fish pieces filling up the jar. When you can te recommended temp/time, your fish will absorb some of the oil. Anyway, I like that way alot better.

For a simple overnight brine, try 1 gal water, 2 cups non-iodized salt, 2 cups sugar, just stir the sugar salt til the solids are turned to liquid in tupperware covered and leave in the refrig, next morning dump the liquid out and pad dry the fish, ready for the smoker.

I have never smoked less than 8-10 hrs but the time is determined by thickness of the fish, temp outside, etc.

I really like canned smoked fish on crackers. The olive oil does the trick in keeping mosture in the jar.