Smoked Salmon (Pellet Grill Recipe)
This smoked salmon is flaky, flavorful, and beautifully infused with smoke. Perfect for brunch spreads, bagels, salads, or enjoying solo!
Equipment
- - Pellet smoker
- - Thermometer
- - Sheet pan
- - Wire rack
Ingredients
- - 4 cups brown sugar
- - 1 cup kosher salt
- - 3 tsp garlic powder
- - 3 tsp onion powder
- - 3 tsp kosher salt
- - 3 tsp dried parsley
- - 5 lbs salmon fillet cut into 5 pieces
- - Wood pellets alder, apple, cherry, maple
Instructions
- Pat salmon dry. In a bowl, mix brown sugar and kosher salt for dry brine.
- Spread half of brine in a pan. Place salmon skin-side down. Cover with remaining brine. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Rinse salmon under cold water. Pat dry. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for 2–3 hours until tacky.
- Mix seasoning and rub onto salmon.
- Preheat smoker to 180°F. Place salmon directly on grates.
- Smoke for ~2 hours or until internal temp is 135–145°F.
- Cool on rack for 1 hour before serving or storing.
Notes
- Dry brining helps improve texture and flavor.
- Don't skip the drying step to form the pellicle.
- Store leftovers in the fridge up to 10 days.
- Don't skip the drying step to form the pellicle.
- Store leftovers in the fridge up to 10 days.