Title: Smoking Salmon and Trout Part Viii - Making Lox
Categories: Seafood Smoke Info
Yield: 1 Text file

There are three products called Lox: old fashioned Lox, Nova Lox and Lox Salmon [ plus a whole lot of other smoked and pickled products using the name but bearing little resemblance to any of these].

Old fashioned Lox: Freshen mild-salted fish [salting instructions follow in a later chapter] by soaking in several changes of water. Thin pieces will require less time than thick pieces that may take up to 24 hours. Test by tasting, remembering that the subsequent smoking will dry the fish and concentrate the saltiness. Drain the freshened fish on the smoking racks. Smoke at 85 deg F with medium density smoke for 6-8 hrs [forced draft] or 12-16 hrs [natural draft]. Cool the fish before wrapping and freeze any surplus. Lox is perishable.

Nova Lox and Lox Salmon: Fish may be either fresh or frozen. Frozen is actually better as the freezing and thawing removes some of the moisture. If the fish are frozen whole, fillet them when they are half thawed. Cut into pieces according to thickness. Use the thick portions for Lox and the thin ones in kippering, drying, canning or eating fresh. Make a dry salt-sugar mix of equal parts sugar and pickling salt. Dry salt by placing the pieces in a container of mix. Cover each piece but do not rub it into the flesh. Sprinkle some mix into a container and lay the salt mix dredged pieces on it skin side down. Sprinkle each layer with more mix and add another layer etc. Times for salting according to thickness are the same as for Scotch smoked dry salting above.

Remove the pieces from the mix, rinse and drain. Now brine the pieces in 90 deg sal brine [2 1/2 c salt per 2 qts water] with optional bay leaves included. Keep brine and fish cool throughout the process. Then freshen the fish under running water more or less to taste; the table is just an approximation.

BRINING AND FRESHENING TIMES

Thickness Brining Time Freshening Time

3/4" 9 hrs 45 min 1" 12 hrs 1 hr 1 1/2" 18 hrs 1 1/2 hrs 2" 24 hrs 2 hrs

At this point decide whether you want smoked Nova Lox or unsmoked Lox Salmon. For Nova Lox smoke as for old fashioned Lox. For Lox Salmon the pieces must be dried without heat until firm enough for slicing. A frost free refrigerator will dry uncovered Lox enough to firm it.

Extracted from: Smoking Salmon & Trout by Jack Whelan. Published by: Airie Publishing, Deep Bay, B.C. ISBN: 0-919807-00-3 Posted by: Jim Weller

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