If you want to try to smoke a salmon and want a more “basic” way of doing so, the following directions for a Basic Smoked Salmon are probably just for you.
Last Sunday I had a few things on the grill and one of those was smoked salmon. I wanted to simplify things a bit, so I eliminated the need to form the “pellicle”. Many “experienced” smokers will advise against this, but really it comes down to preference.
So first, I decided to brine my 1/2 lb. salmon in a deep glass dish using 1 qt cold water, 4 ounces of Kosher Salt and 1 c brown sugar. I left it in the refrigerator for 6 hours.
After brining, I dried off the salmon then coated it with Log Cabin Syrup and loosely wrapped it in aluminum foil (allowed it to “vent”).
I warmed up the vertical smoker using briquets and apple wood blocks under a water bowl and after finally maintaining a temperature of 200F, I was able to begin. I smoked the salmon for 2 hours without flipping.
After 2 hours I took the temperature and it was around 155F and ready to serve. One of my friends was quoted as saying the salmon was, “… to die for.”.
– Kyle
