Aaron, my recipe/technique pretty similar to Walt's, except for:
- I cut my salmon into chunks before dry brining. I like to maximize the pellicle on all edges.
- I don't use black pepper in the cure. I just prefer the flavor profile more without it. If you do use black pepper, be very careful with it. It can overpower the salmon. Walt's recipe rinses it off as part of the cure, so that sounds fine. Some recipes call for sprinkling some on before smoking. That could be too much.
- I thoroughly rinse the cure.
- I don't coat with anything before smoking, but that's up to you as to how sweet you want the surface. Cane syrup, maple syrup, or honey is good. You can always coat some pieces and not others and see what you like. Some people coat after smoking instead of before.
- I smoke at 170 instead of 185.
- If you don't have seafood racks, frogmats work even better. If you have neither, then oil up your regular racks.
Here's my recipe:
Salmon - Hot Smoked
Basic Salmon Cure:
1 part Salt
4 parts Brown Sugar
(If you want, you can experiment with adding things like garlic powder, fresh dill, etc., but just salt and sugar is delicious.)
Make enough cure to thickly pack around salmon.
Cut Salmon filet into pieces approximately 3-4 inches wide. Skin-on and skin-off both work and are good. I prefer skin-off, because I get more surface area for the pellicle. A lot of people prefer skin-on.
Heavily pack the cure all around the salmon in a glass or food-safe dish, cover with plastic wrap, and cure for 8 hours. There will be a lot of liquid in the dish after curing. Thoroughly rinse cure off of salmon. Blot with paper towels. Dry on rack for about 3 hours to form a pellicle. If drying for more than 3 hours, then dry for 4-8 hours on a rack in the refrigerator.
Set smoker to 170 degrees. Smoke until Salmon internal temp is 135 degrees. Many recipes say internal temp should be 145, but I think the salmon gets too firm/dry. Cherry, maple or pecan wood is good. I usually use 2-3 ounces chips or thin strips.