Maple Bourbon Hot Smoked Salmon

Last Updated on July 23, 2024 by Carne Diem

Protein: Seafood, Salmon

Origin: North American, American Northwest

Method: Smoker

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This hot smoked sockeye salmon is wet brined and then finished with a sweet maple bourbon glaze. These step-by-step directions for making smoked salmon make it a breeze to make smoked salmon at home just like the experts.

One of the things you learn pretty quickly when living in the Pacific Northwest, is how to make a proper salmon. While all sorts of salmon dishes are popular here, it is smoked salmon that is the most iconic and popular method of preparing this delectable fish. This Maple Bourbon Hot Smoked Salmon recipe is a variation of a smoked salmon recipe that my wife's family has been making for decades. No summer get together is complete without "Uncle Gary's Smoked Salmon." In this version we baste the brined salmon in bourbon maple syrup while it is smoking, to add just the right amount to sweetness to the smoky, salty fish.

Making the Maple Bourbon Hot Smoked Salmon

What is the best salmon for smoked salmon?

One of the first keys in making a great smoked salmon is selecting high quality fish. You want to seek out wild-caught salmon vs farm-raised salmon if possible.  Wild salmon will be a darker, reddish color, vs. the bland looking grayish-pink farm raised salmon. Why the color difference? Salmon, similar to flamingoes get their coloring from the food they eat. So always choose the vibrant colored salmon that ate a diverse vibrant diet in the wild versus the bland colored salmon that was fed a bland (and sometimes questionable) farm raised diet.  We also prefer the taste of Pacific salmon compared to Atlantic salmon which also tend to be paler in color and contains less fat.

For smoked salmon you can use your favorite salmon species, but we prefer sockeye when we are smoking. Chinook (King) are also a great choice. If you are looking for a salmon with a slightly less "salmon taste" give Coho a try. Pink and chum salmon are better suited for the canneries. When in season, from May-September, Copper River king or sockeye salmon are the crown jewel of all salmon, and worth grabbing whenever you can.

This recipe will make about 1.5-2 pounds of Maple Bourbon Hot-Smoked Salmon. You want to use salmon fillets for this recipe, not salmon steaks.  If using fresh caught salmon, make sure the pin bones have been removed from the salmon.

Making this easy smoked salmon recipe is essentially a 3-step process, consisting of curing the fish in a wet brine, drying to allow the pellicle to form, and then smoking the salmon.

Brining the salmon

Remove the salmon from the packaging and give it a quick rinse under cold water. 

We find it easiest to halve or quarter the salmon prior to brining, but you can certainly leave the entire fillet whole if that is your preference. We almost always cut the salmon into smaller portions prior to smoking so we go ahead and get a head start here.

Ingredients for the wet salmon brine

For the brine you will need sugar, Kosher salt, soy sauce, water, sherry, hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and fresh cracked black pepper. We use white sugar in the salmon brine, but you can use brown sugar if you prefer.  Combine the brine ingredients in a small bowl and stir or whisk to combine. Once combined, pour the brine into a non-reactive 9x13 pan and add the salmon to the pan.

Brine the salmon for at least 8 hours or overnight, flipping the salmon over halfway through the brining process so both the flesh side of the salmon and the skin side are brined.

How to dry and form the pellicle on smoked salmon

Remove the salmon from the brine and rinse it thoroughly under cold water. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Depending on your time frame for smoking the salmon, you have a couple options for drying the salmon and forming a pellicle. If you want to smoke the salmon the same day, place the salmon, skin down, on a wire rack over a pan at room temperature. Use an oscillating fan to dry the salmon.

Typically, with this method the pellicle will form in 2-3 hours, but it can take up to 3-4 hours. Rotate the salmon 180 degrees each hour. The fish is cured at this point so do not worry too much about the fish sitting at room temp for a few hours during this process.

If you plan on smoking the salmon the next day, you can also dry the salmon in the refrigerator. Again, place the salmon on a wire rack over a pan. Place in a flat area of the refrigerator, uncovered, overnight. A proper pellicle will have a tacky feel to it. This allows the smoke to better adhere to the fish during the smoking step.

Glaze and smoke the Maple Bourbon Hot Smoked Salmon

Alright, you nailed the brining and drying steps, and your pellicle is textbook. Time to bring the baby across the finish line. If you have not already, cut the salmon fillet into individual sized pieces.

Brush the pieces with bourbon maple syrup. We have had good results with Cedar Ridge or Blis, but feel free to use your favorite or what you can find. Regular maple syrup is perfectly fine too for you weirdos that do not like bourbon.

Heat your smoker to 175-200 degrees. If you are using a pellet grill like a Traeger smoker, the choice of wood pellets is not as important but if using real wood use a mild fruit wood, maple, or alder wood.  We feel we get the best results when smoking the salmon at lower temperature as this increase the duration of the smoking process and you are able to get more smoke flavor on your fish. 

We smoke our salmon on maple planks because our son has a salmon allergy so we try to avoid cross contaminating the smoker. It works well, but is in no way required. If placing the fish directly on the grate, make sure it is well oiled to avoid the fish sticking.

Smoke the salmon for about an hour, then brush will additional maple syrup and rotate 180 degrees. Cook for an additional hour then check the temp.

For more great seafood recipes for your grill of smoker check out these easy recipes:

• Grilled Feta and Orzo Stuffed Branzino
• Fried Lump Crab Cakes with Sriracha Mayonnaise
• Bacon Wrapped Halibut Cheeks
• Spicy, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp: Bottle Rocket Shrimp
• Pina Colada Shrimp Skewers
• Smoked Miso Black Cod: Misoyaki Butterfish
• Ooni Wood Plank Salmon
• Grilled Red Snapper Escovitch

Serving the Maple Bourbon Hot Smoked Salmon

Once your salmon reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees you are good to go for a perfect hot smoked salmon with a moist center. This is the way we prefer it when we are serving it warm as a main dish.

You may also choose to continue smoking the salmon longer. This will result more of a smoky flavor and a stronger tasting smoked salmon. When serving as an appetizer we will often smoke an additional 2-3 hours, basting with syrup each hour. This will result in a firmer, drier salmon that is perfect as a finger food appetizer or over crackers and cream cheese. The salmon will also keep for about a week in the refrigerator.  Leftovers are perfect for making a smoked salmon dip or salmon spread.

Have leftovers? This Bourbon Maple Hot Smoked Salmon works perfectly in our Pike Place Chowder inspired Smoked Salmon Chowder. If you are falling in love with brining meats, then check out our Scratch Corned Beef: From Packer to the Table or learn How to make Smoked Buckboard Bacon at Home.

Also save room for dessert like our Bourbon Maple Pecan Pie or Girl Scout Key Lime-onade Pie.

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