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[DC1980]

Hey guys, new to smoking salmon salmon. I have done 2 batches of. Pink salmon and both turned out pretty well. I just caught a couple if clean chums, both still had lice and white bellies.  Just wondering what I can expect the chum to turn out like compared to pink.  I always hear that pink is a mild or bland tasting salmon but I don't think I have ever eaten chum, the meat looks to be same pinkish colour.  I have 1 coho in my freezer Cnut I will wait till I have my brine to perfection before I smoke it. 

[Suther]

Chum is another one that many people prefer to smoke over other methods of preparing. Not the best-tasting fish compared to others (Sockeye, chinook, coho) but still good eattin' in my books.

[milo]

The best-tasting smoked fish I've ever had is chum. It doesn't mean it's the best; it means that the results can be excellent when smoked right.

[Animal Chin]

I wouldn't smoke your coho..it's too good baked or bbqed etc...but it's your fish.

Try half your chum indian candied using the recipe a from the youtube video linked in a couple threads down on the subject. Just quarter or 1/8th what the guy in the video did. I did a dry and wet brine (same ingredients) and the candy..and the candy was superb and I don't like my food too sweet either. YUM. I did only one batch with pinks. Your chum will likely be killer smoked.

I personally really don't mind fresh/clean chum. It's mild like pinks but a bit firmer.

[Dr. Backlash]

I just finished smoking our fist chum of the year and its absolutely delicious!  I think its better to can the pinks and smoke the chums - just my opinion

[DC1980]

Thanks

[fishtruck]

Would a white belly be a good indication of whether a chum is suitable for smoking? What other criteria is appropriate?

[MoeJKU]

That seems to depend on the person. I myself will only take the ones that have little to no color on the sides of them. However i see people bonking purple and yellow ones.
 

[fishbandit66]

Don't forget chum are much thicker fillets than pink so you will need to monitor how they are cooking on the inside

[fishtruck]

Thanks,MoeJKU. Don't think I want a camouflaged Chum either.

[Outdoorsman]

I wouldn't smoke your coho..it's too good baked or bbqed etc...but it's your fish.

X2 on this. Definitely save the coho for baked or BBQ. Especially if you can eat it the same night without freezing it. Already drooling at work just thinking about it.

[sandy999]

The best-tasting smoked fish I've ever had is chum. It doesn't mean it's the best; it means that the results can be excellent when smoked right.

I think that you will find that a lot of the smoked Salmon that you buy from the stores such as Safeway, Save On etc. are actually Chum Salmon and it usually is pretty darn good.

[Daguru]

Chum  is pretty good smoked

[firstlight]

X2 on this. Definitely save the coho for baked or BBQ. Especially if you can eat it the same night without freezing it. Already drooling at work just thinking about it.

One of the Coho I caught last fall is going Crab fishing soon.

After catching and cleaning it I was looking forward to a piece of fresh Coho that night and was very disappointed in its flavour.
It tasted like a Trout with that muddy swampy taste.
With Trout it is the algae in the lake that causes this in some cases but I have no idea what caused it in a very fresh Coho.

First time i ever experienced this with Salmon.

[crab]

I have smoked pinks, sockeye, and chum before.
Suprisingly, the pinks turned out great and not inferior to the sockeye,
perhaps because they were freshly caught ones.