Have you ever baked/grilled King Salmon to Temperature? Me neither! … I normally use my MAK 2 Star General Wood Pellet BBQ Smoker-Grill to cook Salmon at 400ºF until it flakes easily with a fork. Usually takes 12-18 minutes … But what’s a body to do when their neighbor Tom catches a nice 30 lb King Salmon and shares it?!! This is the same good neighbor that shared his Lingcod with me. Doesn’t get any better than this!
The King Salmon serving turned out to be more than enough for the both of us and measured out at 1¾” thick. This was the perfect opportunity to cook Salmon to temperature rather than the Flaky Fork Test. Did some on-line research and discovered that the general consensus is to cook Salmon to an Internal Temperature (IT) of around 140-150ºF. Found recipes where the temperatures ranged from 115º-160ºF but chose to use 145ºF.
While the MAK 2 Star was preheating to 400ºF, using Alder wood BBQ pellets, I seasoned the King Salmon with Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste & Glaze with Honey and Pineapple.
If you’re a MAK owner you might have noticed the Temperature Probe I’ve been using recently. I’ve been Beta testing the new MAK M2 Armored Probe that will be released next week. Unlike the Armored Probe, the M2 Armored Probe works with the Standard MAK Probes, has been completely redesigned and does not require reprogramming the Pellet Boss Controller. Look for it at your favorite MAK Dealer soon
Threw in some Sweet Corn on the Cob on the Camp Chef 3 Burner Stove while the King Salmon cooked in the MAK 2 Starto an Internal Temperature of 145ºF.
The King Salmon turned out great but to be honest I had my doubts while it was resting for a few minutes! I didn’t use the Flaky Fork Test and relied entirely on the Internal Temperature. Took 32 minutes to go from an IT of 47ºF to 145ºF.
The Money $Shot$ … King Salmon portion with a Green Salad adorned with some Olives and Cherry Tomatoes from the garden with an ear of Corn on the Cob … Bon Appétit … The King Salmon cooked to an IT of 145ºF was exceptionally moist and delectable. If I had taken this King Salmon to the Flaky Fork Test it would have been overcooked and dry!!
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