Perfect Smoked Salmon (2024)

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ByBrandie June 12, 2021August 10, 2022

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With only four ingredients and a few cooking tips, this Smoked Salmon comes out perfectly flaky and the taste cannot be beat!

SMOKEY BBQ FLAVOR

This time of year I really put my smoker to the test. It probably gets used more than my grill. This recipe for Smoked Salmon is a favorite among my friends. Smoking salmon is so easy and it gives it such an intense flavor. Let the smoking do all the work here! If you’ve ever been insecure about cooking salmon properly, then smoking is a great way to start. It cooks so slowly that it’s very hard to overcook!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How large of a salmon filet should I use?

For this recipe I like to use a 2-2 1/2 pound filet. Any larger and you’ll need to adjust the additional ingredients.

What is the best temperature to smoke salmon?

I have found the best temperature to smoke salmon is at 225F degrees. Salmon doesn’t take near as long to smoke as other cuts of meat.

Can I use cut salmon filets?

I wouldn’t recommend using cut filets for this recipe. It is meant to be a large filet and not smaller ones. You could use them but the time and method would be different.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

salmon filet
brown sugar
salt
bbq rub

HOW TO MAKE SMOKED SALMON:

Lay the salmon out on a large piece of parchment paper (a piece big enough to wrap it when finished), on a baking sheet or cutting board, skin side down Sprinkle the salt over the flesh of the salmon and cover it well. Use all of it even if it feels like too much, trust me.

On top of the salt, place the brown sugar in a thick layer, spreading it out to cover as much of the flesh as possible.

Wrap the exposed portion of the salmon with the excess parchment paper, then gently flip it so it’s skin side up inside the parchment paper.Place in the refrigerator for an hour. About 15 minutes before the fish comes out of the fridge, begin preheating your smoker to 225 degrees fahrenheit.Remove the salmon from the fridge and flip it to flesh side up and open the parchment paper.Using a paper towel, wipe away the excess salt and brown sugar. There will be some you can’t remove and that’s ok. You just want to remove as much as you can. Don’t destroy the flesh of the fish while doing so.

At this time sprinkle with your BBQ Rub.

Wrap a baking sheet (big enough for the salmon to fit on) with tin foil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Place the salmon on it, then place it in the smoker.Place the meat probe inside the thickest part of the fish and smoke it for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.

Remove from the smoker.

Then dig in! I like to serve this salmon with lemon slices. It’s delicious to squeeze onto the salmon before eating. Serve with a side salad.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

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SMOKED CAJUN SMASHED POTATOES

Perfect Smoked Salmon

With only 4 ingredients, this Smoked Salmon comes out perfectly flaky and the taste cannot be beat!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

▢ 2.2 pound salmon filet with skin
▢ ½ cup brown sugar
▢ ¼ cup kosher salt
▢ 3 Tablespoons BBQ rub

Instructions

Lay the salmon out on a large piece of parchment paper (a piece big enough to wrap it when finished), on a baking sheet or cutting board, skin side down.
Sprinkle the salt over the flesh of the salmon and cover it well. Use all of it even if it feels like too much, trust me.
On top of the salt, place the brown sugar in a thick layer, spreading it out to cover as much of the flesh as possible.
Wrap the exposed portion of the salmon with the excess parchment paper, then gently flip it so it’s skin side up inside the parchment paper.
Place in the refrigerator for an hour.
About 15 minutes before the fish comes out of the refrigerator, begin preheating your smoker to 225 degrees fahrenheit.
Remove the salmon from the fridge and flip it to flesh side up and open the parchment paper.
Using a paper towel, wipe away the excess salt and brown sugar. There will be some you can’t remove and that’s ok. You just want to remove as much as you can. Don’t destroy the flesh of the fish while doing so.
At this time sprinkle with your BBQ Rub.
Wrap a baking sheet (big enough for the salmon to fit on) with tin foil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Place the salmon on it, then place it in the smoker.
Place the meat probe inside the thickest part of the fish and smoke it for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees fahrenheit.
Remove from the smoker and enjoy! Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

You can use any rub mixture you find at the store or make your own.
If you get a bigger or smaller filet of salmon, you’ll want to adjust the smoking time. As long as that meat probe reads 145F degrees, the fish is ready to come out.
I know it feels like too much salt, but it’s definitely not. The salt and sugar is a brine and is secret to making the fish come out perfect with just the right amount of moisture to make it perfectly flaky.
Make sure that the salmon reads 145 degrees F before taking off smoker.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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