It’s taken years of trial and error, but we finally have a technique for smoking salmon that is both tasty and replicable. We’ve been asked about our process so many times that I decided to post it here with step-by-step photo instructions. (These photos are from previous years; some images will be updated when I smoke our next batch later this summer.)

We use a dry brine with 3 simple ingredients: brown sugar, kosher salt, and (of course!) salmon. The fish is smoked in a Big Chief smoker with mesquite wood chips. Once you have the fish, plan for 2-3 days to smoke your filets.

Step 1: Catch fish!

We use wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon, and ideally freeze it before smoking.

Even more ideal, recruit your awesome teenage children to catch and filet the fish!

Step 2: Cut Fish

Thaw the filets and cut to desired size, which is personal preference. I cut ours into 3-4 inch pieces, but I leave the tails a bit longer since they are thinner. Cut against the grain, and then score each piece down to the skin every inch or so.

Step 3: Brine Fish

Create a mixture of 4 parts brown sugar to 1 part kosher salt. The amount you need will depend upon how much fish you are smoking, but here are some guidelines:

For 3 fish (6 filets ) I used 2 cups brown sugar and 1/2 cup kosher salt
For 5 fish (10 filets ) I used 4 cups brown sugar and 1 cup kosher salt

Obviously fish vary in size, but I’d say our filets average just over a pound each. Five salmon (10 filets / 12ish lbs) typically fill the racks of our Big Chief smoker.

I brine the fish in two large plastic Rubbermaid containers (they hold 33 cups and are approximately 14 x 10 x 5 inches). Place a light layer of the sugar/salt mixture in bottom of your container.  Place one layer of salmon skin side down, and cover with more of sugar/salt mixture.  Put next layer of fish flesh side down, and continue layering fish flesh-to-flesh and skin-to-skin.  All fish should be completely covered with the sugar/salt mixture.  Cover and refrigerate 12 – 24 hours.

The brine will draw the oils and moisture from the fish quickly. Agitate or rotate your mixture once or twice during the brining process to ensure all the fish gets a good soak in the brine. 

Step 4: Dry Fish

Remove filets and wipe off any granules of salt/sugar.  Do not rinse.  Place on drying racks to form the pellicle (a tacky surface that will help absorb smoke).  It’s helpful to spray some oil on the racks so they won’t stick, and a fan can help expedite the drying process. I usually dry our fish on the kitchen counter for about 3 hours, but I’ve also put the racks back in the refrigerator for another 12-24 hours and that worked fine too. (I know these are huge time ranges, but we don’t notice a difference in the end product. Do what works best for your schedule!)

I always dry the fish directly on our smoker’s racks, but it will go faster if you keep them in a single layer rather than stacked, otherwise the top layers will drip onto the fish below. (I don’t have a photo, but it works best to elevate the racks on cookie sheets while they dry, and that’s how I always do it now.)

Step 5: Smoke Fish (finally!)

We own a nice Traeger grill, but for smoking salmon we always use our 20 year old Big Chief Electric smoker because of its extremely low heat. We elevate our smoker with pieces of wood to protect our decking.

Place your fish in the smoker and fill the pan with wood chips of your choice. I smoke our fish with 3 pans of mesquite chips.  Each pan will smoke for approximately 45 minutes.  Once you no longer see smoke, safely discard the ashes and add a new pan of chips.

After adding your third plan of chips, the rest of the process is hands-off: simply keep the fish in the smoker until it’s done. Total time in the smoker is typically 6-8 hours, but it can vary based on the external air temperature, humidity, smoker temperature, and size of your fish. If your fish varies in size you may need to pull it out of the smoker in batches. The tails, for example, almost always get done first.

That’s it! Now all that’s left is for you to enjoy and freeze!

It should be noted that we are not professional chefs, food safety experts, or pitmasters. But we’ve smoked over a hundred pounds of fish with this process, and everyone gives it rave reviews. I hope it turns out just as scrumptious for you!