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Hot smoked salmon on a baking sheet
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5 from 8 votes

The Best Hot Smoked Salmon Recipe

The Best Hot Smoked Salmon Recipe - brined, then dry-rubbed and smoked sockeye salmon, that tastes amazing. Step by step guide and a video how to smoke salmon on an electric smoker.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: hot smoked salmon
Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 4 lb sockeye salmon 2 pieces, 2 lb each

For the brine:

  • 1 quart cold water
  • 1/3 cup kosher salt

For the brown sugar rub:

  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika

For the garlic dill rub:

  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • In a large plastic container with a lid, combine the water and salt. Add fish skin side up. Brine for 4-8 hours in the fridge.
  • Remove from the brine, rinse well with cold water and pat dry. 
    Set a drying rack on top of large baking sheet and place the fish, skin side down on it.
     Let the fish dry for 8-12 hours in the fridge to form a pellicle.
  • Preheat your pellet grill. Set the temperature to 180 F. You can start smoking the fish at 150 F and gradually increase the temperature to 180 F.
  • Remove fish from the fridge.
  • In two small bowls, combine the ingredients for the sweet and savory rubs.
  • Rub one piece with the sweet rub and the other with the garlic dill rub.
  • Place salmon on the smoker skin side down and smoke for 3-5 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 135 -140 F. 
    You can baste the fish (the sweet rubbed piece)while it is smoking with maple syrup or orange juice.

Video

Notes

Make sure it is tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge at all times. It usually lasts between 10 and 14 days.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 3501mg | Potassium: 748mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.3mg