Salmon is a popular and nutritious fish! And with no doubt, smoked salmon is at the top of the list of favorites! You can make smoked salmon at home with fish you buy at the grocery store! Or catch yourself if you follow this simple step-by-step recipe guide. The recipe is not just “beginner-level-easy,” but it also makes the most incredible smoked salmon I’ve ever had.
You will be persuaded to make your own salmon in all its smoky deliciousness, whether you’re seeking a stash of the best-smoked salmon to plop on a bagel spread with cream cheese! Or make our Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad or Smoked Salmon Cucumber Pizza.
You can make smoked salmon at home with fish you buy at the grocery store or catch yourself if you follow this simple step-by-step recipe guide.
Let me give you a fast rundown of what has to happen to prepare this simple smoked salmon recipe in case you’re worried about how much time and work you’ll need to invest.
Ingredients for Smoking Salmon
A smoker, a few tools, and three basic materials will get you started.
Choose fresh wild-caught salmon while it’s in season and readily accessible.
Fresh-frozen wild salmon will still work well if it is out of season.
Utilize an entire filet (the second half of the fish) rather than individual parts to make handling and cooking the fish easier.
Salt: I advise using Diamond Kosher salt. If using another, make sure to season your food appropriately by following the ratios in this salt post.
Purchase a box of kosher salt at the store.
Use kosher salt instead of common table salt to avoid giving your fish an unpleasant flavor from iodide and anti-caking chemicals.
I use Morton’s Crystal, but Diamond Crystal is sliced finer.
Brown sugar: Just enough to provide a little sweetness to balance the dish.
Granulated sugar can be substituted, however, the caramel flavor of the molasses in brown sugar will enhance the dish.
Alder wood chips or Alder pellets for a pellet smoker impart a fantastic taste to the salmon.
Salmon pin bones can be removed with fish tweezers.
An electric smoker such as the Masterbuilt, a pellet smoker like a Traeger, or a smoker like a Big Green Egg.
For bringing, use a plastic bag or sheet pan.
Aluminum foil for simple transportation to and from the smoker and for simple cleanup.
Thermapen Instant Read Probe Thermometer from Thermoworks, along with an optional Thermoworks Smoke Alarm, is used to remotely monitor the temperature.
Buying the proper salmon for smoking
Fresh salmon with a brilliant pink hue and little to no odor will be the best.
Different salmon varieties will include varying amounts of fat, which alters the cooking time.
Farm Raised: This refers to salmon raised in a farm or open water pen; you’ll frequently discover that the fat content is significantly higher and they’ll be larger.
They slowly hang out in these big water enclosures because they ostensibly don’t need to work as much.
These are excellent for smoking since the fat content is quite flexible and produces salmon that is incredibly tender and juicy. Look for Atlantic salmon or King (King) salmon from the Columbia River.
Also, think about utilizing a whole salmon fillet. A large salmon fillet on your smoker is a great conversation starter, and good salmon will disappear quickly with a gathering.
There are wonderful applications for any leftovers, even if you’re cooking for a small household (see the post’s conclusion for a few suggestions!).
Wild Salmon: Salmon that has been caught in the wild means that it has been swimming in its natural environment.
Watching films of salmon moving upstream helps you immediately understand why these fish are significantly slimmer than their counterparts raised on farms.
These are excellent for quick, hot grilling, but they can also be smoked.
Just be aware that a wild catch may not have as much fat and will cook much more quickly if you smoke it.
There are several reasons why we favor wild salmon.
The flavor is the main factor. Look for salmon such as the Copper River, Sockeye, Columbia River King (also known as Chinook), and Coho.
In either case, it should be fresh.
Smell it and, if purchasing a whole fish, examine the eyes.
The eyes should be reasonably straightforward, and they shouldn’t smell fishy.
A piece of fish that is not as fresh will have an extremely fishy smell or eyes that are glazed and frosted.
How To Make Smoked Salmon
All of this starts with choosing which salmon to smoke.
The salmon filet should be free of any pin bones.
Cut a larger chunk of salmon into pieces that are about 3 inches broad and the size of a single serving if you’re using it.
In a Tupperware or Gladware container with a tight-fitting cover, whisk together the ingredients for the brine.
Salmon should be submerged in the brine.
Refrigerate it for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 8 hours with the lid tightly fastened.
Salmon should be rinsed before being placed on a cooling rack on a sheet pan.
With paper towels, pat the fish’s surface dry.
For at least an hour or until the surface is shiny and slightly tacky, place the pan in front of an electric fan in a cool area.
Now you have the option of smoking it right away or storing it in the fridge until the next day.
Place the salmon fillet on the smoker grates with the skin side down.
Brush the salmon with maple syrup after the first hour and every 60 minutes after that as it smokes for 2 to 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 130°F to 140°F.
The smoked salmon should be transferred to a cooling rack, brushed with maple syrup or honey once more, and allowed to cool completely before being wrapped snugly and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or the freezer for up to a year.
You now know how simple it is, so let’s talk about the star of the show: salmon.
We smoke what kind of salmon?
Because salmon has a high-fat content in its flesh, it readily absorbs the flavor of smoked food.
Thankfully, there aren’t many restrictions on the kinds of salmon you can smoke in this location as long as you follow a few guidelines.
All salmon is good as long as you choose a fairly thick salmon filet with the skin on, whether it’s King salmon, Copper River salmon, Pacific Northwest or Atlantic salmon, Sockeye salmon farmed or wild, frozen salmon or fresh salmon.
Depending on the outcomes you’re after, even those two points are adjustable.
Remember that if you choose a skinless filet over a skin-on filet, the fish will likely stick to your grill grates.
Prior to placing your fish on the grill, be diligent about oiling them.
As an alternative, you might simplify things by using a grill basket.
And don’t give up if the only fillet you can get is thinner rather than thicker.
You can still smoke those thinner pieces, but you’ll need to keep a closer eye on the salmon’s internal temperature to make sure you don’t overdo it.
Don’t stress too much about it if you do go a little too far!
Actually, the best course of action in this circumstance is to keep smoking it and make it into salmon bacon!
Salmon Brine Techniques
Salmon is the most straightforward item to brine out of everything.
But why even brine it?
Science explains everything.
Salmon is brined or cured, which accomplishes two essential tasks.
To increase the overall flavor, first season the salmon filet’s flesh from the edge to the middle.
Second, and maybe even more crucially, you enhance the texture by partially dissolving muscle fibers to produce a gel that aids in water retention—this aids in preserving moisture when smoking.
The sugar in the brine is “hygroscopic” in the interim.
This indicates that it draws moisture or water from its surroundings.
The sugar not only gives your smoked fish a little sweetness, but it also helps the fish retain the moisture you gave it when you brined it.
In other words, bringing meat helps to keep it juicy and delicious.
Even though you will have to wait a few more hours to have that delicious smoked salmon, it will be well worth it.
The process of curing is absurdly simple.
You only combine some aromatics, kosher salt, dark brown sugar, and cold water in a whisk.
One red onion slice, some black pepper, and occasionally a few lemon slices are used.
After dissolving the sugar and salt, your fillets should be inserted skin side up.
Place it in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours while tightly wrapping it in plastic wrap or placing a tight-fitting lid on top.
At the halfway point, remove the onions from the brine if you prefer a mild flavor.
The presence of onions will be more noticeable in the finished smoked fish the longer the onions are left in the brine.
After brining, immediately rinse the fish fillets to help remove some of the salt from the surface.
As a result, the salmon is kept from becoming overly salty.
You’ll need to dry the fish off after bringing and rinsing it.
Even though drying the fish after “moisturizing” may seem paradoxical, science is once again in charge.
It would be a shame if the excellent flavor you gave to the fish evaporated while it was being smoked.
You must create a pellicle in order to aid in the “sealing” of it.
The salmon’s exterior is covered in a beautiful, lacquer-like covering called the pellicle, which the smoke simply adores.
It keeps the moisture in your delicious brined salmon from evaporating while also absorbing the smoke.
Cooler temperatures and airflow produce pellicle formation.
The process is as follows.
To remove extra moisture, first, pat the cleaned fillets with paper towels.
My salmon filets are placed on a wire rack on a baking sheet and in front of a strong electric fan in the coolest room in the house.
Does that imply that occasionally salmon will be perched on a stool in my air-conditioned bedroom next to a fan?
Yes, it does.
You can place it in front of a fan during the cooler months anywhere that is 60oF or lower (but above freezing).
The key ingredient is the mix!
For the hour or two, it takes to form the pellicle, you don’t have to worry about food safety here.
You’re safe doing this since the salt and sugar in your brine have a preservation effect.
After creating your pellicle, if necessary, you can place the sheet pan in the refrigerator (uncovered, of course!) for up to 24 hours. It will be alright.
Simply remove it and let it warm up to room temperature for about an hour before placing it on the smoker.
Smoked Salmon Temperatures
Once your salmon has been dried and cured, it’s time to hot-smoke it.
Salmon should be smoked for three to four hours at 225 degrees Fahrenheit, or until it achieves a temperature of 145 degrees.
Place the fish on the grill. Until the salmon flakes easily smoke for 60 to 90 minutes.
Set your pellet grill to a 215°F temperature.
The salmon fillet should be positioned in the middle of your pellet grill.
The salmon should be smoked for 50 to 60 minutes, or until it achieves an internal temperature of 145°F.
Don’t boil the salmon too long.
The most crucial component is this. A 225° F smoker and a finished interior temperature of 140° F are crucial conditions.
If the temperature gets too high, the fish will dry out.
Your salmon is ready to be taken out of the smoker when it reaches 145 °F.
Make sure the fish has reached this temperature by checking it with an instant-read thermometer.
Which Smoker Type Should I Use for Smoked Salmon?
Simply put, make use of what you have! You want to keep it at a low temperature, starting at approximately 165oF and increasing steadily upward to no higher than 225 degrees Fahrenheit toward the finish.
If you have a Traeger smoker, also known as a pellet grill, or an electric smoker, this entire process is made substantially easier.
You can make salmon at home using fish you buy at the grocery store or catch yourself if you follow this simple, step-by-step technique.
In addition to being “beginner-level-easy,” the recipe is also the most fabulous smoked salmon I’ve ever had.
The majority of the smoking should ideally take place around 185oF.
The grill or smoker that allows you to adjust the temperature with a dial or digital display makes this task much simpler.
How to Smoke Salmon in a Smoker
Although it would be the height of arrogance to claim that what I do is the be-all and end-all of salmon smoking recipes, I smoke a lot of salmon and am proud of this recipe.
There are many different ways to smoke salmon, and many of them are wonderful.
However, I’ve been smoking fish for a long time and have perfected a system.
Remember that this recipe calls for hot smoking.
A completely distinct process is cold smoking, which is how Scottish smoked salmon that can be sliced is prepared.
In Salmon Country, almost everyone hot smokes their fish.
If you’ve never had hot-smoked fish, picture the golden smoked whitefish you find in delicatessens; they are hot-smoked fish.
The tools to start smoking salmon are:
I use a Bradley and a Traeger.
They both excel.
Whatever smoker you use, you must be able to a) gauge the temperature in the smoking chamber and b) roughly adjust the heat.
Wood. The requirement to use Traeger wood pellets is the smoker’s only drawback.
Buying wood can be tedious, but you obtain superior precision using this way, in my experience as a guy who used a Brinkmann wood-fired BBQ for years, fueling it with scraps of almond and other fruit woods.
For my salmon, I like to use alder wood, but you can also use apple, cherry, oak, or maple.
Something sweet is what salmon prefer.
Birch syrup is similar to maple syrup, except it is tapped from birch trees rather than maple trees, thus I like to use it to sweeten my smoked salmon.
Amazingly cool thing.
However, maple syrup is just as tasty. Please only use pure maple syrup.
Not the fake garbage.
Honey also works.
A big plastic bottle. Purchase the large, flat ones at the grocery store.
You can keep two distinct brines running because they stack easily in a typical refrigerator.
They are also inexpensive and simple to clean.
A wire shelf. You will use it to rest the smoked fish before storing it, and you must rest your brined fish on a rack with ample air circulation to develop the crucial pellicle (more on that in a moment).
An edging brush If not, get one now. You probably already have one in your kitchen. Purchase the flat kind, the same kind you would use to detail window trim.
When you are ready to begin, you will require smaller pieces of salmon, weighing about 1/4 and 1/2 pounds each. In this dish, any salmonid fish will work.
I’ve successfully caught it using king, sockeye, coho, pink, and dolly varden in an addition to kokanee, steelhead, and Lahontan trout.
Any char or trout species, even chum salmon, could use it, and there is no reason why it wouldn’t.
And yes, it works with Atlantic salmon raised on farms, but I never consume it.
Although I like to smoke salmon with the skin on, skinless chunks also perform well.
How should salmon be prepared on a pellet grill?
To produce a rich and tasty smoked salmon fillet, it is ideal to use an electric smoker if you can.
You can serve up earth-shattering smoked salmon on a wood pellet grill thanks to the flavor, consistency, and ease of use of the grill.
You won’t need to fuss over the grill or worry about a poorly done job.
You have far more control over the temperature of your electric grill thanks to a steady flow of consistent, indirect heat, not to mention a completely even smoke, because pellets burn hotter and slower than chips do.
This entails no flare-ups, no uneven areas, and little buildup or ash.
Salmon smoking is made even easier if you have a Traeger.
Our digitally controlled convection heating system makes it possible to establish simple temperature controls that you can check on your phone in addition to ensuring that your Smoke
The setting is at the temperature needed for flawlessly smoked salmon.
You won’t need to continually check on your fish if you have a Traeger.
For smoking salmon on a pellet grill, use the preceding preparation instructions and ingredient lists.
How should salmon be prepared in an electric smoker?
Smoker preheating: Set the smoker to 225 degrees and use fruit wood (like cherry or apple).
Salmon should be seasoned on the flesh side with salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard.
Salmon can be smoked by placing it on a smoker and cooking it until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees (F).
First, smoke the fish for 30 to 45 minutes at 150 degrees. This will give the fillets a good coating by allowing any marinade to dry.
Increase your smoking temperature to 225 degrees for the remaining smoking time after 30 to 45 minutes.
We advise smoking salmon for about an hour at a temperature between 250 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit in your smoker.
An Instant Read Meat Thermometer is required to determine whether the salmon is cooked through.
How to smoke Salmon Without a Smoker
Remove the batteries from the smoke detectors because this manner of smoking won’t cause smoke to fill your home.
For the next day or so, it might make your home smell agreeably smokey, like you’re sitting around a bonfire.
Even though you’ll be tempted to consume it immediately after smoking it, chilled hot smoked salmon tastes the finest.
You can find some fantastic ideas for serving this salmon in the suggestions at the end of the article.
How to Smoke Salmon at Home
Although they are available, stovetop smokers are not necessary. It’s really easy to make your own.
Chips made from wood are required.
The ideal woods are alder, apple, or cherry, but oak or maple may also do.
A smoker with wood or pellets, an airtight container for carrying your salmon, a cooling rack, and a rimmed baking sheet are all you need to prepare this dish.
Avoid using hickory or mesquite because the taste will overshadow the salmon.
Dutch oven or wok with a tight-fitting lid
Round cake rack or metal steamer basket that fits inside a wok or Dutch oven
- Metalized foil
- Cooling ledge (to dry fish)
- Basic method:
- Aluminum foil should be used to line a wok or Dutch oven.
- Put a quarter cup or so of wood chips in the foil’s middle.
- To stop drippings from falling on the wood chips, place the second piece of foil loosely over them.
- Place the steamer basket or cake rack on top of the wood chips.
- The salmon (or other meat) should be placed on the rack.
Cooking is accomplished by placing a lid on the pan and following the recipe’s instructions.
Tips:
Use only a small amount of wood chips; otherwise, the smokey flavor will overshadow the dish.
The wood chips do not require soaking!
To avoid drying out your salmon by not overcooking it, use an instant-read thermometer.
Can Dogs Eat Smoked Salmon?
Smoked salmon should not be given to dogs because it may be damaging to their health.
Smoked salmon can contain harmful microorganisms that can cause serious health problems, and the high salt concentration can result in salt poisoning.
Never give your dog raw salmon, raw smoked salmon, or any other raw fish fillets.
Salmon that has already been cooked and is canned is a good option, but make sure it is canned in water rather than oil or brine.
Avoid smoked salmon because it has a high salt content and might still contain dangerous bacteria and parasites after being smoked.
Can Pregnant Women Eat Smoked Salmon
Cold-smoked salmon puts you at risk of tapeworm and Listeria infections, whereas hot-smoked salmon heated to 165°F or shelf-stable varieties are safe for pregnant women to consume.
If you’re expecting, you should never consume raw, cold-smoked salmon.
If completely cooked, smoked meats like pastrami, Montreal smoked meat, or any BBQ smoked meat are healthy for expectant mothers.
However, a heart that has been flame-grilled may have compounds that are harmful to fetuses.
Fully cooked salmon offers various advantages, such as promoting healthy brain and eye development in fetuses.
Unless it is canned in a method that makes it shelf-stable, smoked salmon is not thought to be safe. In other words, it is not bought from the refrigerated department of the store.
Conclusion
Hope this information has helped you to become a pro at smoking salmon!
Let us know about your sizzling, smoking, and spicy experience!
Eat and enjoy!
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