Why is fish so intimidating? I promise it doesn’t have to be! Hot smoked salmon is such a treat to buy at the store, but what if I told you it’s INCREDIBLY easy to make on your pellet grill? That its salty-sweet crust is just ONE ingredient? And smoking your own salmon is MUCH less expensive?
Yes, fish can be… touchy. No one likes fishy fish. Especially fishy-tasting salmon. I’ve smoked salmon DOZENS of times, my friend. Let me show you my fool-proof (yes, actually) method for smoking salmon. All you need is a few ingredients, some time, and a pellet grill.
After you do this once and post it on your social (isn’t that what we all do when we smoke things? It’s an accomplishment!) you’ll be making this again and again. And your friends will think you’ve taken up witchcraft.
Smoking Salmon on Pellet Grill
Smoked salmon is one of my most favorite things. We always buy some during the holidays, and I incorporate it into a big charcuterie board for Christmas Eve. (More on that later!)
If you’ve got a smoker or a pellet grill (like a CampChef or Traeger), smoked salmon (or hot smoked salmon) is really easy to make!
And much more economical than buying pre-made smoked salmon at the grocery store.
Smoked Salmon Pellet Grill ingredients
- Salmon fillets
- Sugar
- Sea salt
- Maple syrup
How to Smoke Salmon on Pellet Grill
1. Start off with a high-quality salmon fillet
I love these ones from Catch Sitka — a sustainable fishery in Alaska that ships wild-caught salmon and fish all over the country!
The beauty of this recipe is that you can make as much or as little smoked salmon as you like. I wrote the recipe for roughly 8 ounces of salmon. Feel free to scale up or down depending on how much you need.
2. Brine the salmon for several hours
You know I’m partial to dry-brining things, so I attempted that with this recipe, but I liked the result of a wet brine more.
What’s in a brine? Just water, sugar, and salt.
The amount of sugar that gets absorbed into the fish isn’t substantial, but if you’re avoiding white sugar alltogether, you can use coconut sugar or another granulated sugar in this recipe.
For the salt, I use sea salt, but you can use Kosher salt if you like. If you use Kosher salt, increase the salt amount by 25%.
3. Let the salmon sit uncovered after brining
After brining the salmon for several hours, drain it and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours.
This allows pellicle to form on the surface of the fish. Pellicle is a sticky layer that the smoke adheres to when the fish is smoking. Pellicle = more smoke flavor.
4. Smoke the salmon for 2-3 hours
Set your smoker or pellet grill to 160 degrees F and high smoke.
I joined the pellet grill ground and bought CampChef Woodwind Wifi over the summer. Man, I love this thing. Especially the pizza oven attachment.
We’ve smoked vegetables, burgers, ribs, chickens, a Thanksgiving turkey, and lots and lots of salmon.
If you’re on the fence about investing in a pellet grill/smoker, CampChef is offering $100 off all Woodwind grills through Dec 2021!
My favorite feature is the wifi/Bluetooth connection with the app on my phone and the ability to monitor up to 4 different temperature probes at once.
It makes it so easy to get perfect food most of the time!
(We won’t talk about the chuck roast I botched. That’s for another day. Heh.)
You’ll want the salmon to reach 140 degrees before you pull if off. Make sure to put the probe in the thickest part of the fish.
5. Brush the salmon with maple syrup throughout smoking
Do this. Create that sweet crust on the salmon (it’s the best part!). I love the way the sweet-smoky-salty flavors combine.
What kind of pellets are best for Smoking Salmon on Pellet Grill?
I used cherry wood pellets for mine and really like the result. Apple pellets didn’t have as much smoke flavor, in my opinion.
Feel free to use what you like or pellets that are recommended for seafood.
I always use CampChef wood pellets because they’re 100% hardwood without any fillers.
Look how pretty they’ve become! These are ready to pull off the grill!
Here’s a short cut time line to sum it up for you:
Pellet Grill Smoked Salmon timeline
- Day 1 afternoon: Brine for 4-6 hours
- Overnight: Drain off the brine and let it sit, uncovered, in the fridge for 4-24 hours
- Day 2: Smoke salmon for 2-3 hours
See? It’s really not that hard. It does take some planning, but hardly any of that time is active prepping time.
What to serve with Pellet Grill Salmon
I mean… you could just take a fork to it and go nuts here. No judging here. In fact, that’s what happens most of the time when I smoke a salmon fillet.
If you want to eat this like a civilized person, here are a few ideas
Make a Smoked Salmon Board — lots of finger food here, so you can still dig into it with a fork, but not like a barbarian
Serve it during breakfast with eggs or on a Breakfast Salad
Use it in some California Roll Sushi Bowls or Poke bowls! Smoked salmon is one of my favorite maki roll fillings, too.
Make the best avocado toast of your life. Sourdough toast + avocado + Everything Bagel Seasoning + smoked salmon.
How to store Pellet Grill Salmon
Once the fish has cooled to room temperature, wrap it up in clingwrap and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you like this recipe, try curing your salmon and making some gravlax! You could even cure the salmon and then smoke it, too.
Salmon Gravlax Recipes on Perry’s Plate
Everything Bagel Gravlax — also makes the best avocado toast ever.
Sriracha Lime Gravlax — the same salty-cured salmon you love with a little heat!
If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!
