EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SMOKING SALMON

Step 1 - Curing the fish: Curing your fish is a crucial step in the smoking process, as it removes moisture and infuses salt into the salmon, which helps preserve it. You’ll want to cure your fillet for at least 8-12 hours regardless of how thick it is. Do not let it sit for more than 48 hours though, as the fish will be too salty after more than two days.

Basic Salmon Cure:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup salt
• Black pepper

Directions:

• In a small bowl combine the salt, brown sugar and black pepper.
• Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Spread 1/2 of the mixture on top of the plastic and lay the fillet skin side down on top of the cure. Top with another 1/2 of the cure spreading it evenly over the top of the fillet.
• Fold up the edges of the plastic and wrap tightly.
• Make sure to evenly weigh down the fish, you can easily do this with heavy cans or bottles, a pot filled with water or a brick wrapped in foil. Cure in the refridgerator for 8-12 hours.

Step 2 - Drying the fish: The next step is to let the fish dry out. This is a critical step, because air drying allows a tacky film called a pellicle to form on the salmon. The pellicle helps the smoke from the Traeger adhere to the fillet more efficiently, giving the fish more smoky flavor.

Drying Directions:

• Completely rinse the cure mixture off the fish and pat dry. It is important to rinse off all the cure so that the fish isn’t too salty.
• Lay salmon flat on a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan.
• Place rack in the fridge and allow to sit overnight to form the pellicle. This will help the smoke to adhere to the salmon.

Step 3 - Smoking the fish: Now that the curing is done, we will hot smoke the salmon, by utilizing the Smoke setting, which is the lowest possible temperature on your controller. We recommend using Alder wood pellets, but Apple, Cherry or Pecan will also work for this recipe. Make sure to keep a close eye on the fish and pull the salmon from the grill once it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

Directions: When ready to cook, start your Traeger according to grill instructions. Set the temperature to Smoke setting (set to Super Smoke if using a WiFIRE-enabled grill) and preheat with the lid closed for 5-10 minutes.

Place the salmon skin side down directly on the grill grate and smoke for 3-4 hours or until the internal temperature of the fish registers 140 degrees F.

Remove smoked salmon from grill and slice thin. Enjoy warm or chilled with your favorite garnishes or in your favorite recipes.

Get the full recipe here: Traeger Smoked Salmon