Sam's Smoked Sockeye (Salmon)

Secret Agent's Note:

I make the brine and DH keeps the smoke coming. He is famous for smoked salmon! This recipe is for a hard smoked alderwood sockeye salmon. It is so good you will drool over it. Really. You will.

• Total Time: 14 hrs
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 12 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 12-16

Yield: 3.0 fillets

• 2 quarts water, filtered
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pickling salt
• 3 -4 salmon fillets (fresh wild sockeye)
• 1 quart alderwood smoking wood chips, dry

Directions:

1. The day before, stir the water, sugar and salt together until dissolved. Chill for 2 hours.
2. Divide the brine between ziplock baggies, use one baggie per fillet, and add the fillet to the brine making sure they are skin side up. Smoosh out the air, seal, place baggies in a 9x13 pan in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Next morning drain brine, let salmon air dry for one hour while you prepare your fish smoker (this is for an electric smoker with very low heat) and spray the racks with non-stick spray. Place the fish skin side down onto the racks. Do not put the alderwood into the pan until the fish is in the smoker. Space fillets apart from each other (we stagger them one per tray going in different directions).
4. Use about 3 pans of alderwood to smoke. Let the first one burn out, then change chips and let the second one burn out and change chips and then let the third one go until the salmon is done.
5. Do not open the smoker for 12 hours. yep, twelve hours.
6. Vacuum seal or just let chill down and eat with cream cheese (Philly, of course), dill if you like it, bagels, crackers, or with your fingers.
7. You will love this.