The Besst Smoked Salmon Recipe

Use a large bowl and mix the water, salt, and brown sugar for the smoked salmon brine. Take a fork and stir it for a few minutes to make sure the solids are dissolved in the water. Add the dill weed and thyme.

Place the salmon fillets on a large cutting board. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the fish into 2 to 3-inch portions. Leave the skin on. Place the fish in the brine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 5 hours.

After it has marinated in the smoked salmon brine, place the fish skin side down on a cooling rack Use a paper towel to gently pat salmon dry. Ideally you should do this where there is a cross-breeze. You can also use a small fan for this purpose. Allow it to dry for a minimum of 2 or 3 hours. This is one of the most important steps! It is critical for a slightly sticky sheen to develop. This is called a pellicle. The pellicle seals the salmon and helps to hold the smoke and it helps keep the salmon from drying out. Once the fish is dry, apply a liberal dusting of lemon-pepper seasoning and a touch of garlic powder.

Place a water pan below the grates of our smoker and fill it with hot water. Then, place salmon on the smoker and start out on low heat at 140-150°. Brush the fish with pure maple syrup every 45 minutes. After a couple of hours, gradually bring the temperature up to 180°. Your target internal temperature is 130-135°.