How to Smoke Salmon

How to smoke salmon on Traeger at 225 right at home! This is the best salmon with dry rub you will ever make that melts in your mouth with every bite. If you have never smoked fish we will walk you thru step by step. A healthy dinner idea.

I got my husband a smoker last year and we’ve been making the most amazing salmon in it. Here’s how to smoke salmon in your smoker so you can enjoy the deliciousness too! 😉 It’s one of our favorite easy smoker recipes. (affiliate links present)

Smoked Salmon

Ok so this is probably our favorite meal ever. If we had the time (and it was on sale) often enough we would eat it for dinner every single week. Not only is it so healthy for you but smoking salmon on a Traeger is just delicious. If you have had this at a restaurant you’ll be surprised at just how easy it is to make yourself.

Yes you can just enjoy the flavors smoking process of the wood chips or pellets and salt and pepper but if you use our salmon dry rub it will take this from good to out of this world. Are you ready???

You can make this as an electric smoker recipe too, either machine works.

To get your meats absolutely perfect we have this printable meat smoking chart to refer to so each and every time it will be fork tender.

The key to success for your Traeger salmon fillet really is the rub. If you have your own go to mix then by all means whisk that up. Ours gets five stars from everyone who tries it so if you don’t I would highly suggest making ours. You can amp it up with some heat or keep it mild.

You can have a really expensive piece of fish but if you have an amazing rub even an average piece of fish can become incredibly flavorful.

Of course both including a wild caught or Atlantic salmon filet are best. 😉 Here’s the secret to the best baked salmon (and now smoked) my husband swears by. This time I asked him to actually write it down for me so I could share with all of you.

Ingredient Notes

1. Salmon fillet (leave skin on), this needs to be defrosted for the proper timing below.
2. Salmon dry rub
   1. Brown sugar gives it a bit of sweet
   2. Paprika is a nice touch
   3. Sugar or sugar free alternative works
   4. Kosher salt and black pepper are basic seasonings
   5. Garlic powder we love on everything
   6. Chili powder (more or less depending on what heat level you desire)

It is amazing how different salmon tastes when you massage a good rub into it before smoking. It’s so much better than leaving it off in our opinion. Ours is a salty and sweet rub for fish that people comment on all the time and say this is now their go to smoked salmon recipe. You’ll have to let us know what you think…..

How long to leave on the dry rub

You can either put a thin or thick layer of rub on your fillet. For a more intense flavor, coat and then wrap in plastic wrap. Keep in fridge for up to 12 hours to deepen flavors. I refrigerate for about an hour or so myself.

Can you cook frozen salmon?

Yes and no. You would need to follow our frozen salmon grill directions here with a different temperature and timing. If you wanted to add the rub you’d need to do that halfway thru once it is a bit thawed so it sticks. Still turns out surpringly well!

How Long to Smoke Salmon

I say to set your timer for 1.5 hrs. to check on it. Typically it is perfectly done in about 2 hrs, but it depends on the thickness. You want the flavor of smoke to adhere to the fish so wrapping it in foil is not recommended.

Serving Suggestions

Well of course you can eat it as is with a side of mixed veggies in your air fryer, or smoked vegetables for a very healthy meal. Some like to drizzle a bit of maple syrup on it for a bit of sweetness.

Rinse brown or Ninja Foodi white rice with some cold water and serve this as a side dish as well. We think the seasonings added at the beginning are way more than enough (and the reviews below concur) but you could add more.

If you cook fish often and have a killer recipe let us know we’d love to try it next! This is of course the hot smoking method. If you have a cold smoking recipe we’d love to try it. This pink fish is not only great for dinner but on top of an everything bagel with a little cream cheese for lunch is amazing too.

We don’t really check the internal temperature when done. Fish just needs to be flaky to be perfect, and overdone isn’t good. A bit underdone is better than dry.

Other easy smoker recipes you’ll love

• Make smoked baked potatoes as a side dish
• Or our smoked bread that is cheesy always rocks

Reheating

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and place it in either a shallow baking dish or on a baking sheet. Then, lightly coat the top with a little butter or a spray of olive oil. Warm the smoked salmon in the oven for about five minutes, depending on the strength of your oven. You can print recipe below if you’d like.