• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
A Grill for All Seasons
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Recipe Index
    • Smoking
    • Grilling
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dish
    • Dessert
    • Keto & Low Carb
    • Gluten-Free
    • Air Fryer
    • Beverages & Cocktails
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • All Recipes
  • Smoking
  • Grilling
  • Main Dish
  • Side Dish
  • Appetizers & Snacks
  • Dessert
  • Air Fryer
  • Keto & Low Carb
  • Beverages & Cocktails
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • All Recipes
    • Smoking
    • Grilling
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dish
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert
    • Air Fryer
    • Keto & Low Carb
    • Beverages & Cocktails
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Main Dish » Traeger Smoked Salmon

    Traeger Smoked Salmon

    Published: Dec 29, 2022

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly
    Jump to Recipe
    pinterest image for traeger smoked salmon
    pinterest image for traeger smoked salmon

    If you are looking to enjoy a nice thick, juicy, flavorful salmon fillet, this Traeger Smoked Salmon Recipe is for you. Easy to make, full of flavor, and absolutely delicious dry brined salmon will become your go-to salmon recipe.

    bite of traeger smoked salmon on a fork

    Cooking Salmon

    There are tons of salmon recipes out there. You can cold smoke them, hot smoke them, cure them for lox, grill them, bake them, and on and on. I wanted to treat it like a nice big cut of beef and cook it on my Traeger with the goal of letting the salmon really capture the smoke flavor. Picking a salmon that is fatty and can retain its moisture is important. I always pick wild salmon when cooking because it will have less saturated fat than farm-raised salmon. Sockeye Salmon and Atlantic salmon will be on the fattier side, they work well with this application.

    plate with whole smoked salmon filet

    How to brine Salmon with a Dry Brine Mixture

    Dry brining prior to smoking salmon is key to a well seasoned and moist smoked salmon fillet. Brining is a way to impart salt, sugar, and flavor into a protein. It is so easy to make dry brined salmon.

    Ingredients for the Dry Brine

    • ¼ cup brown sugar
    • ¼ cup white sugar
    • ½ cup kosher salt

    ingredients on cutting board

    Step One: Combine all three ingredients into a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Place your salmon fillet in a cooking sheet or tray and sprinkle the brine mixture over the entire length of it. Be sure to cover both sides with brine.

    salmon with dry bring ingredients

    Step Two: Once the salmon is covered in brine. Leave it skin side down, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit in the refrigerator for thirty minutes to an hour. If you have a small wire rack to let the dry brined salmon sit on in the tray, that will help a little more as you pull that excess liquid from the salmon.

    whole salmon filet with dry brine rub

    Step Three: Remove salmon from the refrigerator. You will see that a lot of excess moisture has been pulled out of the salmon from being in the brine.

    Step Four: Rinse the salmon well under cold water. We want to remove any excess salt so that the salmon is not too salty. Once it is rinsed, pat it dry with a paper towel. Let it sit another ten minutes to air dry a little more.

    salmon in dry brine

    How to Smoke Salmon

    While your salmon is sitting to dry, preheat your smoker. I have a Traeger Pellet Grill that I like to use for salmon and other shorter smokes. The Traeger Smoker is less preparation and clean-up than your traditional charcoal smoker or stick burner. Preheat your smoker to 225°F.

    salmon on traeger pellet grill

    Step One: Once the smoker reaches 225°F, go ahead and place salmon skin side down directly onto the grill grate. Because the salmon fillet is thin, you need to carefully monitor the internal temperature to ensure that you do not overcook it. I recommend using a leave-in meat thermometer that will update you on the changing internal temps as you cook the salmon.

    salmon on traeger pellet grill

    Step Two: You need to determine what level of doneness you like. I prefer a rarer finish to salmon so I cook it to an internal temp of 125°F. I recommend not cooking it over 140°F. Once the temperature gets that high, it can start to feel like a runaway train and it becomes very easy to overcook and dry out your salmon.

    traeger smoked salmon on grill grate

    Step Three: When the Traeger smoked salmon is done remove it from your smoker and let it rest on a cutting board. Cut the salmon into portions and serve. I like to use my pepper mill and grind some fresh black pepper on it as I serve. It adds a nice subtle compliment of spice to the smoke flavor. You can also drizzle a little maple syrup or make a glaze to add a bit of sweetness to the Traeger salmon.

    close up of smoked salmon on plate

    Common Questions

    What to Serve with Traeger Smoked Salmon

    Salad: We served this hot-smoked salmon with a simple baby spinach salad. We like to add some thinly sliced red onions and a bit of finely chopped apple along with a light white balsamic dressing.

    Sides: Other good choices would be Green Beans, Grilled Broccoli, or Traeger Baked Potatoes.

    How to Use Leftover Cooked Salmon

    Try using this in our Crispy Salmon Bites. Crispy Salmon Bites are an excellent dinner idea or a fun party snack as well. Easily ready in minutes, these bite-sized appetizers feature savory and healthy snacking ingredients. Tasty for any gathering or evening at home.

    Another great choice is a Salmon Ball. This Salmon Ball is an appetizer that will be especially helpful for a crowd and can be assembled rapidly on smaller timelines with minimal preparation. It's both easy to prepare and delicious. You can also spread this in a pie plate and serve as salmon dip instead of a ball.

    side view of the pellet grill smoked salmon

    Why use a Traeger Grill for a Smoked Salmon Recipe

    There are several electric smokers out there. When I purchased the Trager it was because of the great features that it has. One of my favorite features of the Trager is the Super Smoke Feature. At temperatures under 225°F, you can use this feature to help increase the amount of smoke being generated. It allows you to produce more smoke in a shorter amount of time so that the proteins that require a shorter smoke, can still acquire great flavor. Using this technique for dry brined salmon makes it so flavorful and juicy.

    side vide of traeger smoked salmon

    I already mentioned the ease of setup and clean-up that the pellet grills provide. It makes it easier if you are not setting up to be smoking for several hours. Additionally, I like the choice of wood flavors in the pellet varieties. You can a great choice of wood flavors as you do with wood chips. Some of the pellets come in premade blends or you can create your favorites. For this Traeger smoked salmon, I went with cherry wood pellets for the smoke. You can easily do this with oak, alder, or hickory, or your favorite blend. You will get that delicious smoky flavor with any type of wood.

    What type of salmon filet should I use?

    You can use any type of fish in this recipe, whether freshwater or saltwater. We've used king salmon and wild coho salmon. You can use farmed Atlantic salmon if that is all you can find.

    Make sure to try our Easy Whole Smoked Trout next!

    close up of piece of fish on a plate with sides

     

    Like what you see? Follow us on Facebook! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & a 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!
    close up of a bite of traeger smoked salmon on a fork

    Traeger Smoked Salmon

    If you are looking to enjoy a nice thick, juicy, flavorful salmon fillet, this easy Traeger Smoked Salmon Recipe is for you.
    Print Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Brining Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 201.3kcal
    Author: Paul

    Equipment

    Smoker

    Ingredients

    • 1.25 lb salmon

    Dry Brine

    • ½ cup kosher salt
    • ¼ cup white sugar
    • ¼ cup brown sugar
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Combine salt, white sugar, and brown sugar in a small bowl to use as a dry brine.
    • On a rimmed baking sheet or in a large container, cover both sides of the salmon filet with dry brine mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
    • Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and rinse under cold water to remove any excess brine from the fish. Pat dry with a paper towel and let air dry for about 10 minutes.
    • In a 225°F preheated smoker, place the salmon skin-side down directly on the grate. Let it cook for about 40 minutes or until the salmon reaches your desired doneness. The salmon should easily flake apart when you pinch it with your fingers or a fork.
    • Once it is done, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for a few minutes. You can drizzle it with a maple glaze or fresh lemon juice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 201.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.5g | Protein: 28.1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 62.4mg | Potassium: 694.6mg | Vitamin A: 56.7IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1.1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @agrillforallseasons or tag #agrillforallseasons!

    Originally Published December 1, 2021. Revised and Republished December 29, 2022.

    « Crispy Salmon Bites
    Queso Chicken »
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Liz

      January 10, 2023 at 8:39 am

      I’m looking to cook my wild sockeye salmon in my electric smoker but I can’t have sugar - can I brine the fish without sugar?!

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Paul & Taryn

        January 11, 2023 at 1:09 pm

        Sure, you can brine it without sugar.

        Reply
    2. Jim Walters

      March 23, 2022 at 2:38 pm

      Easiest I’ve ever done and absolutely fabulous! Smoked a 2 1/2 pond fillet cut off 4 steaks and made smoked salmon cakes from the rest.5 stars

      Reply
    3. Jonathan Moody

      January 17, 2022 at 7:26 pm

      OK, this is tremendous and I am a critical reviewer of my own food. I considered myself to be pretty good when I hit the kitchen. Loaded with flavor. Smoked on the Traeger with Apple pellets and my smoke tube for 40 minutes. All I need is some almond flour crackers and this fillet and dissapear for an hour. Thank you for this recipe! Going in the books!5 stars

      Reply
      • Jon Guajardo

        June 10, 2022 at 11:35 pm

        I use atlantic salmon, turns out great.
        After rinsing off and dry, I put Safeway old fashion pancake syrup and smoke.
        Great taste and coloring.5 stars

        Reply
    4. Gina

      December 09, 2021 at 8:58 am

      With good quality salmon, there's no better way to prepare it than this - love the smoked texture and the brine creates such wonderful flavor!

      Reply
    5. Hanna

      December 08, 2021 at 8:59 pm

      Wow, your salmon looks wonderful. Where do you get your salmon? I have a hard time finding wild-caught salmon where I live. The best Salmon I've been able to find is at Costco but it's not wild.5 stars

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    ABOUT

    paul and taryn sitting on a bench

    Hi, we are Paul & Taryn! We love creating recipes and sharing our passion for food. At A Grill for All Seasons we focus on simple recipes for every month of the year.

    More about us →

    Latest Posts

    • Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
    • Smoked Swordfish
    • Cast Iron Biscuits
    • Pink Paloma
    • Traeger Brisket

    NEWSLETTER

    Recipes All Year!

    Signup to find out about new recipes!

     


    SEASONAL RECIPES

    • Bacon Wrapped Salmon
    • Cast Iron Scallops
    • Air Fryer Cornbread
    • Smoked Pecans

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Disclaimers

    • Privacy Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
    • Comment Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2018-2022 A Grill for All Seasons