Smoked Salmon Recipe: How to Hot-Smoke Salmon

Smoked salmon is preserved fish that is brined, cured, then smoked to give it a complex, woody flavor. Lox and smoked salmon may seem interchangeable, but the former traditionally comes from the belly of the fish, while the latter can come from any part of it.

Serve smoked salmon for brunch with bagels and fixings like cream cheese, capers, and red onion, or enjoy this protein as an appetizer or lunch accompaniment.

Chefs and home cooks prepare smoked salmon through cold-smoking or hot-smoking, which yield slightly different textures. Cold-smoked salmon is soft, tender, and nearly paper-thin, while hot-smoking yields thicker slices similar in texture to cooked fish.

Hot-smoking salmon involves slowly exposing dry-brined fish to smoke from a pellet grill, charcoal grill, or electric smoker, which infuses it with a rich smoke flavor. To hot-smoke salmon, coat the raw salmon in seasoned salt, then cook it in a smoker on low heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cold-smoking salmon also involves curing the raw fish in a salt and sugar brine for at least twelve hours before cooking it. However, home cooks smoke the fish in a pellet smoker at an extra-low temperature (lower than eighty degrees Fahrenheit) for up to twenty-four hours, as opposed to the higher temperatures of the hot-smoke process.

Whether it's your first time smoking fish or you’re a pro, this briny dish is sure to become one of your new go-to recipes. Follow these tips to make the best smoked salmon possible.

1. 1. Experiment with seasonings. Add different seasonings like Old Bay, onion powder, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, and smoked paprika to your dry brine. Brush the salmon with different glazes towards the end of smoking to create different flavor combinations. Add acidity to the salmon with fresh lemon juice or lemon slices.
2. 2. Switch up the wood chips. Experiment with different smoking wood pellets to achieve variations in flavor. Subtler woods like applewood, alder, and cherrywood infuse the fish with a mild flavor. Hickory, pecan, and mesquite pellets result in a more intense smoky taste. Learn more about different smoking woods.
3. 3. Cook the salmon to the right temperature. Use a high-quality meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the salmon as it smokes because overcooking this delicate fish will yield an unpleasantly chewy texture. Remove the salmon filet from the smoker when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The fish’s temperature will continue to rise by a few degrees once you remove it from the heat.
4. 4. Store properly. Enjoying cooked salmon immediately is ideal, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let the fish come to room temperature before storing it. Experts do not recommend freezing smoked salmon because it can adversely affect its texture.