You won’t believe how easy this Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon is! It’s ready in less than two hours with just five simple ingredients and your smoker!
I think a lot of people are intimidated by the process of smoking meat. I totally get it! Most barbecue shows are focused on following barbecue teams around that work around the clock to get big cuts of meat prepared for competition. When my husband first started experimenting with smoking meat, he did all of the traditional cuts; pork shoulder, brisket and ribs.
The more skilled he’s become, the more he leans towards cuts that don’t take all day, and learning how to smoke salmon is a breeze. Smoked salmon has become a favorite for us, and we eat it almost weekly at this point. I buy about two pounds of fresh salmon on Friday, and then he spends about two hours smoking it over the weekend.
We then eat this Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon all throughout the work week, on bagels with cream cheese, and as an easy protein-filled lunch for work!
We have experimented with seasonings for our smoked salmon and have decided that simple is best. A bit of salt and pepper, some dill, and brown sugar are all that top this simple smoked salmon.
If you have the time, rub this mixture on top of the salmon and let it dry brine in the refrigerator for about an hour. If not, no worries, just rub the spices on and throw it on the smoker!
We eat salmon almost every week! When cooked perfectly, salmon is such a treat. And, eating at least two servings of seafood each week is healthy and recommended.

Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon
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Prep Time: 60
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Cook Time: 60
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Total Time: 120
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh salmon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dill
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Heat smoker to 250-275 degrees F.
- Combine salt, pepper, dill and brown sugar. Pat gently onto top of salmon. If time allows, place salmon in refrigerator to dry brine for about an hour.
- Smoke salmon on smoker for one hour until it hits 145 degrees F.
Notes
- We prefer to use pecan, oak, or cherry wood. Choose wood with subtle flavor.
- I think this is best served cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
I have a ton of great salmon recipes on the site! Check out this ALL-TIME favorite Praline Glazed Salmon, or this healthy Herb Crusted Salmon.
Both are made in the oven in no-time flat! Or, you can try my other recipe on the smoker, this Whole Smoked Turkey!
Oh yeahhhh that looks so good!
I love salmon! I’ll have to try this preparation this weekend!
We have an electric smoker, but we haven’t smoked salmon in it yet. 🙂 Definitely going to try this soon! It looks delicious.
I’ve never smoked salmon before, but these photos have me CRAVING it!!!
We were so into smoked salmon when we were younger and the brown sugar sounds like a wonderful twist.
Now this is something that we would LOVE. I’m always looking for new ways to fix and serve salmon!
This sounds incredible! I rarely make fish at home, but you’ve totally inspired me!