Sometimes the occasion calls for you to bring out the smoked salmon. It’s a piece that people often use on special occasions so you want to make sure you do it right. For myself not much beats a wonderful cut of salmon served up with a fresh salad and some seasonal vegetables. It’s actually very easy to create a great-tasting fish. Just follow these simple instructions and you will be on your way.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Kosher salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Tailgaters BBQ Seasoning (or All Purpose Rub of your choice)
• 1 gallon of distilled water
• Salmon Fillets
• Maple Syrup

Preparation:

Firstly you want to mix together the cup of brown sugar, the Kosher salt, and a gallon of water. Do this in a large pan and heat the water until all of the ingredients have dissolved. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved you can add ice to the mixture to cool it down quicker. Only when the water solution is cold should you add the salmon.

It is best to pour the mixture into a plastic container before you add the fish. If you leave it in a metal pot of similar it can really leave a bad taste on the fish. If possible do the steps above a day in advance. That way you can leave the fillets to brine overnight in the fridge for a better end result.

On the following day when you are ready to smoke take the fillets from the mixture. Pat them dry with paper towels and transfer them to a wire rack. Put the salmon back in the fridge until the pellicle forms. The pellicle will look like a sticky kind of glaze and this is what will allow the smoke to stick to the fish. Finally season with your rub. I will leave the choice of rub down to you.

Cooking:

It’s time to cook! Whatever smoker you have go outside and get it fired up. You need to bring the temperature up to 225 degrees. Place your salmon into the smoker and bring the internal temperature of the fish up to 145 degrees. For best results apply a light coating of maple syrup every hour of the smoke. If time is not important then you can leave the salmon in the fridge overnight for an even better taste.

We really enjoy making this smoked salmon and i hope you are very pleased with the results.

Looking for more smoking recipes? We are sure you will love out homemade bacon!

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