9 Best Smoked Salmon Recipes on a Pellet Grill

Four smoked salmon dishes

Want to try some of the most popular smoked salmon recipes on your pellet grill? I’ve gathered the 9 most popular recipes on Pinterest that are a must-try. These will still work using a smoker, gas, or charcoal grill if you don’t have a pellet grill. 

Here are some things that are common when pellet grilling salmon filets. First, if placing the fish directly on the grates, clean the grill grates and lightly oil them, so you don’t have your salmon sticking. Second, rest the salmon for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Lastly, you can smoke low and slow. Timing is irrelevant when your salmon is ready to come off the grill. Make sure you cook until it reaches the correct internal temp.  

When Will Your Salmon Be Done? 

We smoke salmon until it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F in the thickest part. Carryover after cooking will continue to cook the meat to about 140 – 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The USDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temp of 145°F. However, you can still cook a salmon to medium, between 130 – 145°F. 

The best wood for smoking salmon includes apple, cherry, oak, hickory, and maple.

Here are the top 9 smoked salmon recipes in no particular order. 

The Best Hot Smoked Salmon Recipe by Cooking LSL

Salmon with herbs and lemon slices
Photo by Cooking LSL

The first one on our list is a brined, dry-rubbed, then smoked sockeye salmon that tastes delicious. Other than the salmon, you’ll need salt and water for the brine. 

This recipe comes with 2 rub options, so if you’re doing more than one fillet or want to slice a single filet in half, I recommend doing both rubs. This gives you variety in your meal. One rub is savory, while the other is sweet. 

Combine brown sugar, salt, pepper, and paprika for the sweet rub. While smoking, you can also coat the fish with honey. The savory or garlic rub includes fresh dill, garlic powder, and salt. Eating both together changes the meal since it feels like you’re eating two different dishes. Which you are! 

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Grilled Salmon with Orange Maple Glaze by Vindulge

Sliced grilled salmon with asparagus and lemon wedges
Photo by Vindulge

I love this healthy yet sweet seafood dish. Mary from Vindulge says this salmon goes great with a glass of Prosecco Superiore. 

Her rub uses brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to make a robust yet perfect flavor. The sweet and savory glaze elevates this dish by using soy sauce, maple syrup, and orange juice. Honestly, I prefer making salmon that has a rub and a glaze. 

Preheat your pellet grill or gas grill to 400°F. Begin by grilling the salmon skin side up for about 5 minutes. Once the salmon isn’t sticking to the grates, flip it over and cook for another 5 minutes. Now brush the salmon with the glaze and check its temperature. Keep flipping and cooking until it reaches an internal temp of at least 135°F.  

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Honey Garlic Salmon by Rasa Malaysia

Slicked salmon with lots of sauce
Photo by Rasa Malaysia

This is an excellent recipe if you love salmon with a honey garlic sauce. This garlicky, sweet, and sticky sauce is easy to make. Salmon only takes 15 minutes to cook on the stove, but we are adjusting the recipe to cook it outside in your pellet grill so you can add smoke to your meal. 

To make this recipe, preheat your pellet grill to 400°F and season the salmon with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. You can use a cider plank, most commonly used for fish, or a cast iron pan. If you’re using a board, place the salmon on the board, then put the wood on the grill. If using a pan, which I prefer so the fish will soak up more of the sauce, put the pan on the grill while preheating. This will allow the pan to get hot. Once ready, begin by placing the salmon on the pan skin side up. 

You can follow the recipe steps by flipping the salmon, adding the sauce, and even broiling it in the oven for a minute to add a char. 

Your kids will like this dish with its sweet flavor. You can even double the sauce, so the dish comes out saucier. This is nice if you want some additional sauce to drizzle on your side dish. 

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Brown Sugar Lemon Garlic Smoked Salmon by Live Like You Are Rich

Salmon filet with some pulled apart with lemon wedges and herbs
Photo by Live Like You Are Rich

This recipe brings a superb balance of spices. The smoke from the wood comes together with the sweet brown sugar and tart lemon to create a delicious final result. 

Unlike the first two recipes on this list, we smoke low and slow instead of hot and fast—a great option when using a pellet grill. 

After preparing the salmon with salt, pepper, brown sugar, lemon, garlic, and butter, preheat your grill to 225°F. You’ll smoke the fish, covered with foil, for 35-45 minutes. After 35 minutes, use a probe thermometer to check if the salmon is ready. Once it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F at the thickest part, remove it from the grill and rest for 5 minutes. You can leave it covered with foil during the resting period. 

This recipe takes about an hour to prepare and cook, but it’s well worth waiting. 

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Traeger Smoked Salmon by Berry&Maple

Dark colored salmon with some pulled apart and lemon slice
Photo by Berry&Maple

This might be the most straightforward recipe on the list since it uses only a brine with 3 ingredients. You’ll need water, salt, and brown sugar for the brine. After you soak the filet in the water for 4 hours, remove it, rinse under running water, then pat dry.  

You’ll smoke the salmon sitting directly on the grill grates, but you may also use a cedar plank. Set your pellet grill to a low 250°F and cook your fish for 2-3 hours. After a couple of hours, keep an eye on its internal temperature and remove the salmon from the grill once it reaches at least 135°F. 

This recipe doesn’t use a sauce or glaze, so you are mainly tasting the salmon with smoke flavors and a slight hint of sweetness from the brine. 

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Great Tasting Seattle Smoked Salmon Recipe by Smoker Cooking

Salmon filets
Photo by Smoker Cooking

This salmon’s sweet and spicy brine makes it a fan favorite for those who like a little spice with their fish. It’s a more complex brine involving heating the sugar and water before adding honey, garlic, onion powder, pepper, Old Bay, salt, and soy sauce. Follow the instruction and let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight. The next day you’ll sit the salmon in the brine for 6 – 12 hours.   

He doesn’t explain how to smoke the fish other than the hot method. Begin by preheating your pellet grill to 250°F and smoking the salmon either on a cider plank or directly on the grates for 2-3 hours. Like other recipes, check the thickest part of the meat so you can pull it from the grill once it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F. 

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon by Blackberry Babe

Seasoned sliced salmon filets
Photo by Blackberry Babe

“You won’t believe how easy this Brown Sugar Smoked Salmon is! The smoked salmon rub is absolute perfection. It’s ready in less than two hours with just five simple ingredients for the spice rub!” After trying different rub combinations, they settled on salt, pepper, dill, and brown sugar. 

The salmon works well by rubbing it onto the fish and allowing it to dry brine in the refrigerator for an hour. Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 275°F and smoke the fish for about an hour. Remove from the grill once it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F. 

Pecan, cherry, and oak are good wood options with this salmon recipe. Also, make sure you use dill weed and not dill seed. The dill seed will be too overpowering and take over the flavor of the food. 

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Easy and Tender Smoked Salmon by Vindulge

Sliced salmon on butcher paper and grilled lemon slices
Photo by Vindulge

This is a simple yet tasty salmon that only uses salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard. When you combine this with apple or cherry wood, you’ll serve a tender, juicy, tangy salmon with a hint of the right kind of smoke. 

Cook the filets at 225°F for about 1 – 1.5 hours. Always cook for temp and not time. Using an instant-read thermometer, remove the fish when it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F. 

Vindulge uses this recipe when catering events requesting salmon, and I know why. Taste it for yourself and let me know what you think. 

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Lemon Pepper Smoked Salmon by Or Whatever You Do

Photo by Or Whatever You Do

The title of this recipe might make you think it uses lemon pepper when indeed it doesn’t. You begin by brining the fish in water, salt, and brown sugar. This will help keep the fish moist while adding a little sweetness during the smoking process. 

You are only going to season the salmon with pepper and lemon zest. This simple 2-ingredient seasoning will give the salmon a fresh, lemony taste that pairs well with fruitwoods. 

This isn’t in the recipe, but I don’t like to waste anything. Since you’ve zested a large lemon, I want to squeeze the juice over the filet to give it more lemon tartness. 

We are brining for 16 hours, but 4+ hours will work great if you’re low on time. You must let the salmon form a pellicle. After brining, rinse and pat dry the meat and then leave it on a rack in the fridge for 2-4 hours. 

This recipe calls for smoking the salmon at the lowest temp found on this list. Cook the salmon in your pellet grill at 150 – 180°F for about 4 hours. Keep checking the internal temperature of the meat, so you don’t cook it too long. Remove from the grill once it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F. 

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE

Conclusion 

Be sure the grill grates are cleaned and oiled. Both the salmon skin and flesh will stick to dirty grates. Rub a paper towel with oil over your grill grates. This will prevent the fish from sticking.

There are a lot of amazing smoked salmon recipes on the internet. Making them in a pellet grill instead of a gas grill, oven, or stovetop is excellent to add a smoky element to your meat. 

As long as you don’t cook your salmon too long, you’ll get great results with any of these 9 options.

Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your favorite Smoking Food Board!!

Pinterest pin showing four salmon dishes

If you’d like to try some of our seafood recipes, CLICK HERE TO CHECK THEM OUT!

Bon Appétit

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