Smoked Salmon

A few days back I set up the Weber to smoke some salmon. Costco had fresh wild Sockeye fillets in a two pack. We ate the first one with friends, and I saved one to smoke.

There isn't much to the recipe and prep; make a brine, let the salmon sit in it for an hour and half or two hours, then smoke it. You can find it here. Here are my notes on this recipe:

1. I always use Sockeye salmon, which is smaller than King/Chinook, and thus requires less time in the brine. I typically brine for 1.5 to 2 hours max.
2. Speaking of brine, I've never needed the full recipe, even for two sides of Sockeye. Scale accordingly, and don't make it overly salty!
3. After I pat the salmon dry, I season with freshly ground black pepper instead of paprika. A coarse grind is what I like. I find the spice of the pepper complements the sugar and salt of the brine nicely. (Paprika only is also tasty, but I prefer pepper).
4. Apple, Alder, or Cherry woods all work well with Salmon. Try them out to find a favorite!
5. I use wood chips for smoke. Soak them in water, just as if you were using a chunk of wood. Then, I make a small foil bowl/tray which I fill with a handful of drained wood chips and set directly on top of the burning coals.
6. Half a chimney is plenty to smoke one or two sides of Sockeye. You don't need a lot of heat (I aim for 250 degrees F with the grill lid closed). I usually only need around 24-30 briquettes to do two sides of Sockeye.
7. I always use a drip/water pan under whatever I am smoking. It helps keep the food moist and prevents any flareups from dripping fat.
8. Cook time is spot on if your temp is correct. One hour for moist and lightly smoked, closer to 2 for more dried out (but still plenty moist) and heavier smoke. I prefer no less than 1.5 hours of cook time.

I highly recommend this recipe. It is simple, but delicious!

Mid-smoke. The white stuff is fat coming out of the fish; usually an indication the temperature is too high. However, the end result still tasted good!

Warming up the briquettes, and the rest of the gear nearby.

Close up of the gear and fish.

Early-smoke, probably right after putting the fish on and before I put the lid on.