INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

The salmon was another story. No chiles here, so skip this part if you
don't want to read about anything else. *g* This is not a slow-smoking
recipe; this is more like a quick roast. Sassafrass is the same tree as
used for root beer, and it has a strong spicy flavor. The leaves are ground
for file seasoning, which I want to make this year. When freshly split, the
wood actually smells like ginger. If you can't get it, you could substitute
maple or apple.
Dissolve the salt in the water. Crush or grind the whole seeds together,
and combine with the water. Immerse the salmon in a pan (or bag) and allow
to marinate for three or four hours.
Light a covered grill (kettle-style, or box-style) with a fire of
sassafrass wood. You can boost this with ordinary charcoal briquettes at
first. Once you have a good bed of embers, and while there is still much
wood left to burn, choke the fire with the lid and vents so you have just a
light stream of exhaust, similar to a cloud of steam from a boiling pot of
water. You'll have to get a feel for this with your own grill/wood
combination.
Lay the salmon out, skin side sown, onto a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Place
it on the rack, close the lid, and leave it closed. Check the cooking
progress by the rate of smoke output, and by listening - you can hear the
salmon gently sizzling if you have the heat right. Cooking time will be 30
minutes or so; start checking after 15 or 20 minutes and judge for yourself
when the fish is sufficiently cooked through to your taste. If you leave it
on too long, it will dry.
The skin will stick to the foil; you can serve it that way, or flake it all
apart and serve it loose. Watch out for the occasional bone.
I brought this non-chile dish to the festival just to contrast against the
heat of the other foods. However, I could not resist having _something_ hot
about it, so I also brought toasted bagel chips which I brushed with a
garlic-butter-habanero sauce combination.
Posted to CHILE-HEADS DIGEST by Alex Silbajoris <72163.1353@compuserve.com>
on Apr 13, 1999, converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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