Amazing Sweet Smoked Salmon

I don't care what anyone says. Smoked meat and fish is amazing! We prefer ours sweet and smoky. It just about tastes like candy! You can even take this smoked salmon and use it for salads, or with cream cheese and crackers. Here is what you'll need to smoke 5 lbs of salmon:

Photo byDavid

Photo byDavid

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds salmon
• Maple syrup or honey for basting

BRINE

• 1 quart cool water
• 1/3 cup (about 2 oz) of any good quality kosher salt
• 1 cup brown sugar

Wood:

• Alder
• Oak
• Hickory
• Cherry

Remove any pin bones from your salmon. Then, mix the brine ingredients and place the fish in a non-reactive container, such as plastic or glass. Cover it and refrigerate. This curing process removes moisture from the fish while infusing it with salt to help preserve it.

Cure your salmon for at least 4 hours for thinner fillets like trout or pink salmon. Larger trout, char, or species like pink, sockeye, and silver salmon typically need 8 hours. Thick pieces of king salmon may require up to 36 hours in the brine, but avoid exceeding 48 hours to prevent the fish from becoming too salty. If the brine isn’t sufficient to cover the fish, double the recipe.

Remove the fish from the brine, rinse briefly under cold water, and pat dry. Place the fillets skin-side down on a cooling rack. Ideally, do this in a cool, breezy area (60°F or cooler), either under a ceiling fan set on high or outdoors. Allow the fish to dry for 2 to 4 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator, until a shiny skin called a pellicle forms.

Drying the brined fish properly is crucial. The pellicle creates a sticky surface for smoke to adhere to and prevents spoilage during smoking.

When ready, lightly oil the fish skin to prevent sticking to the smoker rack. Start with a low temperature, gradually increasing to avoid albumin (the white protein that can leak out of the fish). Begin smoking at 140°F to 150°F for about an hour, then finish at 175°F for another 1 to 2 hours. (Tip: If space allows, set hot coals away from the fish so it's not directly under it. This will help keep it at a low temp. smoke, without it cooking. Generally though, if I'm running a smoke, I'm filling it up as much as I can.)

Anyway, it’s essential to control the temperature carefully. To keep it low, place water in the drip pan, or use ice if your smoker tends to run hot.

After the first hour, baste the fish with maple syrup, or honey, and repeat every 30 minutes to an hour. This also helps minimize any albumin formation. Aim for an internal temperature of 130°F to 140°F. You can keep the smoke on the entire time, but if you prefer a milder smoke flavor, finish the fish in a 200°F oven without smoke.

Heat control is key. High temperatures cause the muscle fibers to contract excessively, forcing albumin out, which can result in drier fish. Proper pellicle formation and gentle heat help avoid this.

If albumin does accumulate, don’t worry—you can still use the fish by flaking it into a salmon salad, where the mayonnaise will counteract any dryness.

After smoking, let the fish rest on a cooling rack for an hour before refrigerating. Wrapped in plastic, smoked fish can last between 8 and 10 days in the fridge. If vacuum-sealed, it will keep for up to 3 weeks, and frozen fish can last for up to a year.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we have!!

*Notes:

For the wood you choose to smoke with... any one of those options, or a mix of them will work for salmon. We tend to like the sweeter ones that are going to produce a nice smoke, but not overpower your fish and seasonings.

Feel free to half or double this recipe to fit your smoker.