Removed the skin and bones from your salmon. Rinse in cool water and pat completely dry.
1.33 pounds Pacific salmon
In a small mixing bowl combine the salt and brown sugar to create your dry brine.
2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup salt
In a casserole dish lay down a bed of your dry brine. Place the salmon on top of the bed, then cover with more brine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to cure 8-24 hours.
3 hours before you're ready to smoke the salmon, remove from the refrigerator and rinse the dry brine off completely under cool water. You want to spend a good 5 minutes rinsing otherwise your final product will be overly salty. Allow the salmon to dry completely on the counter, I leave mine on my stove top with my hood fan on.
When ready to smoke, start your smoker and set the temperature to 180 degrees.
Place the salmon on the smoker and smoke for roughly 2 to 2 and a half hours.
While smoking the salmon, prepare your herb cream cheese, diced red onions, and capers to top salmon for serving.
1 brick cream cheese, fresh parsley, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 small red onion, capers
When the salmon is done, you can either serve immediately or place in the refrigerator to chill. If chilling, be sure to place in and airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap.
