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     Title: Smoking Salmon And Trout Part VIII - Making Lox
Categories: Fish, 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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