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Photo by Holly A. Heyser
This has been the Summer of Salmon for me. The king salmon fishing here in California has been the best its been in 20 years, and I’ve caught my share in the past couple months. Add to that a gonzo sockeye and pink salmon fishing trip to Cordova, Alaska, and my freezer runneth over.
Perfect opportunity to hone my smoking skills. Now it would be the height of arrogance to say that what I do is the end-all, be-all of salmon smoking recipes. Lots of people smoked their salmon in lots of ways, and many of them are good. But I’ve been smoking fish for many years, and I’ve developed a system that works well.
Keep in mind this is a hot-smoking recipe. Cold smoking, which is the kind of slice-able smoked fish you get in fancy boxes from Scotland, cannot be done in a California summer: Our the ambient air temperature is higher than the 86°F maximum for that style of smoking. You’ll need to wait for winter to get my recipe for that.
Almost everyone in Salmon Country hot smokes their fish. If you’re unfamiliar with hot-smoked fish, think about those golden smoked whitefish you see in delicatessens; those are hot smoked. How do you eat it? Well, you can just eat it plain, or you can flake it out and make it into a smoked salmon salad, you can pound it with butter and make rillettes, serve it with scrambled eggs, tossed with pasta… you get the point.
Here’s what you need to get started:
- A smoker. I use a Bradley digital smoker and I love it. It lets me control the temperature independently of the smoker and tells me exactly what the temperature is inside the chamber. I’ve used a lot of smokers over the years, and I prefer the Bradley. No matter what smoker you use, you will need to be able to a) know your smoking chamber’s temperature, and b) control the heat, at least in a rough sense.
- Wood. The only downside to a Bradley smoker is that you need to use their pressed wood pucks. As a guy who used a Brinkmann wood-fired BBQ for years, fueling it with scraps of almond and other fruit woods, buying wood can be annoying. I prefer to use alder wood for my salmon, but apple, cherry, oak, maple or even hickory would work fine. Avoid mesquite, which is so distinctive and strong it will kill the salmon’s flavor.
- Salt. Buy a box of kosher salt from the supermarket. Do not use regular table salt, as it contains iodide and anti-caking agents that will give your salmon an “off” flavor.
- Something sweet — salmon love sweet. As this is Alaska salmon, I prefer to sweeten my brine with Alaska Birch Syrup
from Kahiltna. It’s just like maple syrup, only tapped from birch trees instead. Super cool stuff. It does taste different from maple syrup, and I think it’s worth the expense. But maple syrup is just as good; just use real maple syrup, OK? Not the flavored crap.
- A large plastic container. Buy the big, flat ones from the supermarket. They stack easily in a normal fridge, so you can have two different brines going. And they clean easily and are pretty cheap.
- A wire rack. You need to rest your brined fish on a rack with plenty of air circulation to form the all-important pellicle (more on that in a bit), and you will use it to rest the smoked fish before storing it.
- A basting brush. You probably already have this in your kitchen, but if not, pick one up. Get the flat kind, like you use to paint detail on window trim.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Smoked Salmon, Glazed with Birch or Maple Syrup
When you are ready to start, you will need smallish pieces of salmon about 1/4 to 1/2 pound each. If you look closely at the piece of sockeye salmon above, you will see it split along the centerline when I picked it up. It’s still perfectly fine to eat, of course, but I am a perfectionist when it comes to presentation.
Any salmonid fish will work with this recipe. I’ve done it with king salmon, sockeye and pink salmon, plus kokanee, steelhead and Lahontan trout. There is no reason it would not work with coho salmon, chum salmon or any other char or trout species. And yes, I suppose it would work with farmed Atlantic salmon, but I never eat the stuff.
I prefer to smoke salmon with its skin on, but I’ve done it with skinless pieces and it works fine.
Note that my salmon cure is very simple. Feel free to add things if you like. I’ve added bay leaves, chiles, thyme, garlic and minced onion. All are fine, but subtle. And since I often use smoked salmon as a base for another dish, I want mine to remain simple and clean-tasting.
One last piece of advice: Try to fill up your smoker with fish. This process takes a while to do, and your smoker doesn’t care if its full or half-empty, so you might as well make a big batch.
Makes enough brine for 5 pounds of fish.
Prep Time: 24 hours, almost all of it passive in the fridge.
Cook Time: 6 hours, depending on your smoker’s temperature and how smoky you want your fish
- 5 pounds salmon, trout or char
- 1 quart cool water
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup birch syrup or maple syrup
- More birch or maple syrup for basting
__________
Mix together all the brine ingredients and place your fish in a non-reactive container (plastic or glass), cover and put in the refrigerator. This curing process eliminates some of the moisture from the inside of the fish while at the same time infusing it with salt, which will help preserve the salmon. You will need to cure your salmon at least 8 hours, even for thin fillets from trout or pink salmon. In my experience, large trout or char, as well as pink, sockeye and silver salmon need 24-30 hours. A really thick piece of king salmon might need as much as 30-36 hours in the brine. Never go more than 48 hours, however, or your fish will be too salty.
Take your fish out of the brine and pat it dry. Sit the fillets on your cooling rack, skin side down. Ideally you’d do this right under a ceiling fan set on high, or outside in a cool, breezy place. By “cool” I mean 60 degrees or cooler. Let the fish dry for 2-4 hours. You want the surface of the fish to develop a shiny skin called a pellicle.
Photo by Hank Shaw
This is one step many beginning smokers fail to do, but drying your cured, brined fish in a cool, breezy place is vital to properly smoking it. The pellicle, which is a thin, lacquer-like layer on top of the fish, seals it and offers a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to. Don’t worry, the salt in the brine will protect your fish from spoilage.
Now you are ready to smoke your fish. Even though this is hot smoking, you still do not want high temperatures. Start with a small fire and work your way up as you go. I can control my heat with the Bradley smoker, so I start the process at 100°F for 2 hours. Then I step up the heat to 140°F for another 2 hours, then finish at 175°F for a final two hours.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Baste with the birch or maple syrup every hour.
Even if you can’t control your temperature this precisely, you get the general idea. You goal should be an internal temperature of about 140-145°F.
You must be careful about your heat. Other than failing to dry your salmon long enough, the single biggest problem in smoking salmon is too high heat. If you’ve ever seen salmon “bleed” a white, creamy substance, that’s a protein called albumin. If you see it, you’ve screwed up. Here’s what happens: If you cook a piece of salmon (or trout or char) at too high a heat, the muscle fibers in the meat contract so violently that they extrude albumin, which immediately congeals on the surface of the fish. It’s ugly, and it also means your salmon will be drier than it could have been.
You prevent this with a solidly formed pellicle, and by keeping your heat gentle. All this said, if you let your heat get away from you and you do get a white mess on your salmon all is not lost. Just flake it out and make salmon salad with it: The mayonnaise in the salad will mask any dryness.
Once your fish is smoked, let it rest on the cooling rack for an hour before you put it in the fridge. Once refrigerated and wrapped in plastic, smoked fish will keep for 10 days. If you vacuum-seal it, the fish will keep for up to 3 weeks. Or freeze your fish for up to 6 months.
Just wanted to say thanks for sharing,pictures look killer,and have what other fish or meats have you smoked?
I am delighted to say that I’ve tried Hank’s smoked salmon and it is AWESOME.
Scott: I smoke lots of things. Here is my recipe for smoked duck, and I also have a more general recipe for smoking fish, in this case shad. That recipe is what I use with bluefish, mackerel, sardines, shad, bonito, etc.
Looks amazing Hank, I traditionally do a dry cure for my smoked salmon but anxious to try your recipe. You use Morton’s or Diamond Crystal kosher salt?
Mark: I tend to use Morton’s, but any kosher salt will do.
I can’t wait to try that birch syrup… what a great idea. YOur salmon looks amazing… oh I wish I could have a smoker (sadly, city apartments don’t work for such things!!).
A good rule of thumb to avoid albumin is to make sure that you take at least one full hour for the internal temperature of your salmon to reach 100 degrees. If you have a Bradley like Hank, that is pretty easy. If you don’t, get a wireless digital thermometer, put it in a medium sized chunk of fish, and watch it like a hawk. You will definitely need to damp your fire way down if you are using a charcoal powered smoker.
This is an excellent guide on how to smoke salmon. You have been very helpful. Thanks!
Interesting. Just grilled up some Lake Michigan kings tonight and was wondering if the albumin I noticed means I cooked too hot? When I smoke salmon or trout I keep the fillets “clean” by maintaining temp at 120-140 for first 4-6 hours (also an alder fan) but curious if there are any taste side effects of albumin formation during standard grilling; I.e. for temps between smoking and blackening?
Congrats on the book deal, too — better turn in some clean copy with that kind of production schedule..
Last weekend 20 lbs of baby back pork ribs on my Brinkman wood smoker using plum wood – nom nom nom!!! and just added a digital Smoker to my wish list – considering the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse Smoker… any thoughts on that? Anyone?
[...] How to Smoke Salmon - If you are lucky enough to have access to really fresh salmon this year, maybe try your hand at smoking some of it! I would if I could! (@ Hunter Angler Gardener Cook) [...]
Great write-up, thanks for posting! I don’t have a smoker but I enjoyed reading the article. One question – have you tried different brands of kosher salt? I also can and pickle, and the pickling community has very strong feelings about Morton salt vs. Diamond salt – it seems they are crushed differently, and have very different “saltiness” in their flavor. If you don’t mind… which brand did you use for your recipe?
Bruce: I use Morton’s for pretty much every recipe on this site. Never knew there was a salt controversy!
[...] How to Smoke Salmon (Hunter Angler Gardener Cook). [...]
In the past I’ve cold smoked salmon, and dry cured them. I’m just curious, is there any reason why you decided to brine the salmon as opposed to packing it in the cure without the liquid.
Hank, this recipe is amazing. Two weekends in a row I’ve smoked salmon with your recipe. That stuff gets eaten FAST! I just finished vacuum sealing the latest batch of smoked king salmon collars. The only thing I do different is I use a teaspoon of curing salt #1 in the brine and I use a “smokenator” insert in my weber BBQ. Some dude in San Jose invented it and it works pretty good. I was able to keep 160-180 degree smoking temp for a few hours with it.
Thanks for a great recipe that I’ll use for years.
Justin
I cannot wait to try this smoked salmon, as I am a salmon lover. I’ve had it in ALaska, and it was TO DIE for.
And thanks to Justin, for the extra tips!
Hank,
This is a slight diversion from the article above but I do have a question about smoking. As an American living in central London, I can’t really consider a “proper” smoker but I do a lot of tea-smoking, salmon and duck breasts being particularly good. I have also done buffalo (water buffalo, not bison), pork and ox cheeks, squid (not very good, frankly) and shrimps, etc.
My question is this: All the recipes I have seen for tea-smoking specify three ingredients – tea (usually lapsang souchong), demerara sugar and rice. Tea, I understand but why sugar and rice? Does the sugar flavour/sweeten the meat/fishin some way? And what does rice add to the equation?
Do add tea-smoked duck magrets to your book, it is wonderful.
Best wishes from a former fisherman/hunter/trapper in London,
Ward Horack
Ward: The brown sugar caramelizes and you get that flavor in the smoke. The rice is filler: It keeps everything burning for the whole time you’re cooking – it’s like the wood in American smoking.
…and you can bet I’ll have a tea-smoked duck in the book!
Many thanks, now I know.
Ward
Atlantic salmon is the best. Better texture, better color, better flavor, maybe not for smoking but in its natural form, for poaching, grilling etc. Just for the heck of it, because this method sounds interesting, I will stoop to getting some Pacific salmon and see how it goes.
Do you use any liquid in you drip tray such as your marinade or water?
Kyle: Nope, but a little water would be fine.
I’ve done this recipe once last week and it was the absolute best salmon I’ve ever had. Doing again tonight/tomorrow for some friends and I can’t wait to see their reaction.
I’m in South Carolina so we don’t have salmon from local sources but we do have a first-rate fish monger who’s stuff is so good she rations it (only 5-pounds max per customer).
Question, can you do this with mackerel?
Great article. Not only explains how, but why. I’ll be smoking some salmon this weekend and following this recipe. I’m excited!
I CAN’T WAIT to show my husband your website when he gets home from work today. He is going to DIE!! He’s a hard-core fisher/hunter/camper & is always trying to find the perfect fish or meat recipes. I was searching google a few minutes ago to find him the perfect smoked salmon recipe for his smoker (which he made out of a Jack Daniel’s barrel) & stumbled across your site. Just amazing. I can’t wait to show him. AND you even have his favorite beer battered fish recipe!! I’ll have to get him your book. Thank you so much!! Love the site. It’s super easy to use.
G’day Hank,
Thanks for posting this recipe, I’ve got my salmon in the fridge curing at the moment, would it be possible to give metric equivalents of your measurements, as I live in Australia it took me a while to find out what a Quart was. Now I just have to patient and wait until I can get it in the smoker.
@dblee I love my Masterbuild Smoker. I would recommend to anyone needing a smoker in the city. I know I have the neighbors drooling and it has never produced a bad meal.
Tried this recipe. Great results although trying to keep my wood fired smoker at a low temperature was a challenge. Love the flavor of this recipe.
Hank,
It appears that you do not rinse your fish once removed from the brine.Is that correct?
Rob: That’s correct. I only rinse off my brines when they have stuff in them, i.e., peppercorns and such.
Hank, Love this site.
I just bought a propane/charcoal smoker. I have a fresh salmon fillet(atlantic salmon) It is a 1.5lb fillet. It is just one large piece(square). Should I cut it into smaller portions. Can’t wait to smoke this thing.
Thanks Perry
Perry: I’d keep it in one piece.
Thanks Hank
Going to season my smoker tonight and get the salmon in the brine. the recipe you posted is it ok to use for less than five pounds. Maybe i will get a couple more pieces of salmon.
Thanks Again
Perrt
Do you keep wood/smoke on the whole time, or just part and then straight heat for the rest? If just for part, how long, and is it best to apply the smoke in the beginning? Thanks!
Laurel: I keep the smoke on the whole time.
Hank, got another dumb question.
The salmon steak 1.5lbs turns out it is skinless. the other salmon I bought has skin on. Should on smoke the skinless steak on foil?
Thanks Perry
Thanks for the pointers Hank. I’ve been smoking a range of different things, mostly pork and duck, for about a year now. I live near the Snowy Mountains in Australia, where there are loads of trout and I’ve been wanting to give them a go. I dry cure the other things I’ve been smoking, so it’s nice to see how you do it. Keep up the good work!
[...] christen it with a filet of salmon (not pictured above). This dude Hank Shaw gives a pretty good description of how the process is supposed to work. Except he’s working with a real smoker, and skill. Anyway, I followed the instructions [...]
Hi Hank,
I am a relative novice to smoking, but I made this and my family LOVED it! Even my girlfriend who “doesn’t like salmon” loved it and has asked me to make it again! I am going to make this again, I would like to dry it in the cool morning and cook it later in the day. Can I dry it in the morning, refrigerate it, then smoke it later in the day?
Thanks,
Greg
I am a commercial fisherman (fisherwoman) with my dad in the summer. So, as a perk, I get to take home some sockeye at the end of the season to last us the year. I was spring cleaning our freezer and I found way more fish than I thought we had. I used your recipe, to try my hand at smoking, and it turned out amazing. It was easy to follow and the fish was perfect the first time. The only downside was that I smelled like smoke even after a long shower. Evidently my husband loved the fish and loved the smoky smell in my hair, so it all worked out perfectly. I will be doing this lots more… Thanks so much!
Couldn’t keep the temps as low as suggested. I wound up smoking at about 130 F for 3 hours, then about 145 F for another 2, then finished at 175 F. (I had to leave the door cracked to achieve the lower temps with a Camp Chef Smoke Vault.) Turned out great, nonetheless. Thanks for the great brine and advice.