Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon
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Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon combines sweet and smoky flavors to create the best salmon dinner! We balance the flavors with spicy cayenne pepper and sweet brown sugar and cook the salmon low and slow.
Smoked Salmon on an Electric Smoker
Salmon is one of our favorite proteins to make, and we enjoy various cooking methods. We grill it, smoke it, bake it, and pan-fry it. Use your favorite method to cook fresh fish!
If you don’t own a smoker, you can grill low and slow on a charcoal grill or gas grill, and place wood chips inside to add great flavor. I’m by no means a grill expert, but I enjoy the finished product! Smoking salmon at low temperatures is definitley one of the easiest ways to cook fish. This easy recipe is made for you!
Other dry rub recipes you may want to try include our Smoked Spatchcock Turkey, Smoked Pork Butt Recipe, or Smoked Spatchcock Chicken with Blackened Seasoning.
Why This Recipe Works:
- SIMPLE – Just a handful of simple ingredients are needed for the easiest salmon recipe.
- SMOKY – We use our Memphis pellet grill to make hot-smoked salmon.
- SWEET AND SPICY – Thanks to a brown sugar rub and the smoking process, you’ve got a great choice for dinner tonight. Give it a try, won’t you?
Ingredients Used:
- Salmon – Use skin-on fresh salmon for best results. We rotate between farm-raised salmon and wild salmon.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Seasonings – Cayenne pepper, onion powder, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper are used for a simple dry brine.
- Brown Sugar – We use light brown sugar.
How to make Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon:
Step 1
Form foil packs. Use aluminum foil to make two foil packs.
Step 2
Prep salmon. Slice the salmon into six equal pieces. Add to foil packs (salmon skin side down) as pictured below.
Step 3
Add olive oil and seasonings. Drizzle salmon filets with olive oil. Then top with the smoked salmon rub – onion powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Step 4
Top with brown sugar. Sprinkle the tops of the salmon evenly with brown sugar. Pat the tops with your hands to make sure the sugar sticks.
Step 5
Prep smoker. Fill the pellet hopper with your choice of hardwood pellets. Different types of wood pellets – like hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry, etc. – will impart distinct flavors to the meat. Preheat the pellet grill to the desired smoking temperature, about 225 degrees.
Step 6
Cook. Place the foil packs on the grill grates of the smoker and cook until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the salmon from the smoker and rest for a few minutes.
Step 7
Serve. Serve salmon with a variety of sides. See below for some ideas.
Store leftover fish fillets in an airtight container for up to three days.
What to serve with Smoked Salmon:
- POTATOES – Mustard Roasted Potatoes, Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, and Brussels Sprouts.
- SALAD – Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad, Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad, or Mexican Street Corn Kale Salad.
- OTHER – Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce, Green Bean Almondine with Bacon, or Roasted Asparagus with Prosciutto and Parmesan.
Recipe FAQs:
The time depends on many factors. 1) the size of the fish, 2) the kind of salmon (farmed versus wild-caught), and 3) how done you enjoy your salmon. If using a digital thermometer, it should read approximately 140 degrees.
There are many types of salmon available to buy in the U.S., including: Atlantic, Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink, and Sockeye Salmon. All but the Atlantic salmon are harvested from wild fisheries in the Pacific Ocean, while the Atlantic salmon is primarily farm raised.
Smoking involves cooking meat at low temperatures over a longer period of time. This is achieved by placing the meat away from the direct heat source.
In a pellet grill, the heat source is the combustion of the wood pellets. These pellets are ignited in a firepot located on one side of the grill. The heat and smoke generated from the burning pellets are then circulated throughout the cooking chamber, creating an even and indirect heat source.
Other Salmon Recipes:
- Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon – One of our popular posts that uses cedar planks for added flavor.
- Oven Blackened Salmon
- Baked Asian Salmon in Foil
- Grilled Salmon Burger Recipe
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds salmon – skin-on
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Form foil packs. Use aluminum foil to make two foil packs.
- Prep salmon. Slice the salmon into six equal pieces. Add to foil packs (salmon skin side down) as pictured below.
- Add olive oil and seasonings. Drizzle salmon filets with olive oil. Then top with the smoked salmon rub – onion powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Top with brown sugar. Sprinkle the tops of the salmon evenly with brown sugar. Pat the tops with your hands to make sure the sugar sticks.
- Prep smoker. Fill the pellet hopper with your choice of hardwood pellets. Different types of wood pellets, like hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry, etc., will impart distinct flavors to the meat. Preheat the pellet grill to the desired smoking temperature, about 225 degrees.
- Cook. Place the foil packs on the grill grates of the smoker and cook until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the salmon from the smoker and rest for a few minutes.
- Serve. Serve salmon with a variety of sides. See below for some ideas.
Notes
- Store leftover fish fillets in an airtight container for up to three days.
- If you don’t own a smoker, you can grill low and slow on a charcoal grill or gas grill and place wood chips inside to add great flavor.
Simple and fun to cook on a smoker. I love the extra flavor and it’s a great change of pace.
Agreed!