Hot Smoked Salmon

By Tom Jackson
Aug 7, 2018

Recipe Items

There are a number of ways to smoke salmon. You may be familiar with the fully cured smoked salmon, like lox, that you find on bagels or cured platters. It’s dense, often salty and fully cured and safe to eat without cooking with heat. There is also the option of hot smoking fresh salmon with little more than seasoning on the surface of the fish to affect the final product. This recipe, however, lives somewhere in between. By giving the salmon a quick cure, you can force flavors into the flesh while pulling some water out and concentrating the flavors. The fish is not fully cured, so we finish it on the grill, which imparts smoke flavor and makes the fish safe to eat. The end product is flavorful, tender, juicy and quite versatile. Partially cured Hot Smoked Salmon is great served hot off the grill or cooled and eaten on salads, sandwiches or as a snack.

Hot Smoked Salmon Recipe

Ingredients

1 (1.5 lb) salmon fillet, pin bones removed
For the cure:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup Orlando Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
1/4 cup Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-tip Seasoning

For the glaze:

1/4 cup House of Q Slow Smoke Gold Mustard Sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
Noble Saltworks Flaked Smoked Finishing Salt, to taste

Instructions

Combine the cure ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Place the salmon fillet skin side down in a shallow nonreactive container, like a baking/casserole dish. Pour the cure over the salmon. Place in the refrigerator. After two hours, turn the fish, flesh side down. Refrigerate for two more hours.

Remove the salmon from the dish and rinse with cool water. Rinse out the baking/casserole dish and dry with a towel. Return the salmon to the dish and place in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours, to form the pellicle.

You might also enjoy: Cedar Plank Salmon

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill to 250°F, set up for smoking.

Place the salmon on the second shelf of the smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 120°F. At this time, combine the ingredients for the glaze and brush the glaze onto the flesh of the salmon. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 140°F. Remove from the grill.