This recipe for Traeger Smoked Salmon is so easy to make, and you will be amazed at the flavor of home-smoked salmon. This recipe is a must-make for anyone who loves smoked salmon.

Traeger Smoked Salmon
A very simple recipe that you can make over and over. Smokey, sweet, melt in your mouth salmon that is brined and slow smoked on your Traeger grill.
One of our favorite ways to use all of the awesome salmon that Jeremiah has been catching has been to make fresh Smoked Salmon.
Salmon is such a super protein to incorporate into your diet and smoked salmon is one of my favorite treats to have.
With a little homemade brine and some slow smoking, you can create your own wood-fired salmon that tastes better than what you can buy. Low and slow is the key for that rich flavorful smoked salmon taste.
More Easy Traeger Recipes here!

Traeger Smoked Salmon Ingredients
- brown sugar
- kosher salt
- wild-caught salmon
- real maple syrup

How do you eat smoked salmon?
There are tons of ways you can eat smoked salmon!
Flake it and make a salmon salad, top some salmon on a cream cheese bagel, eat it plain, create a smoked salmon platter, and more. The beauty of smoked salmon is it is so versatile, and you can use it in a ton of ways from slicing and eating it plain to a handful of ways and more.
You can see all of our smoked salmon recipes here.
Need another fun Traeger appetizer?
Make these bacon-wrapped shrimp!

What should you serve with smoked salmon?
You can serve this simply with crackers and cream cheese, in a smoked salmon eggs benedict that you will die for, or even on top of a pile of alfredo instead of the chicken or shrimp.

How to smoke salmon
My pellet grill has come in handy when smoking salmon because you can maintain a specific temperature. For the process of smoked salmon, you want to cook on low heat for a long period of time with all the smoke.

Our Traeger has a temperature gauge right on the front so I can see the temperature all the time. If you get a fancier one than I have, I think there are even apps that you can use to control things from your phone. I haven’t gone that route yet, but you’d better believe that I will be.
The temperature control has helped make sure I don’t cook things too hot and ruin the salmon. If your salmon gets too hot, you will have such a tough piece of meat and you will probably end up tossing it out.

Make sure to brush your salmon throughout the cooking process to seal in moisture to the fish to help it from drying out.
You can use any type of smoker you have to make this easy smoked salmon recipe. We have a Traeger and a Camp Chef, and both are amazing!

More grilled fish recipes
Oh yeah. You came to the right place! I’ve got this awesome Lemon Dill Salmon that you’ll love, and more awesome options in the works.
We also have an amazing Grilled Walleye recipe with a Lemon Cream Sauce that’s one of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever had in my whole life.
Grilled Fish Recipes:
- Grilled Rockfish
- Grilled Blackened Fish Tacos
- Salmon Sandwich
- Crab-Stuffed Lingcod
- Lemon Pepper Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Salmon with Togarashi
Grilled Seafood Recipes:
- Traeger Teriyaki Shrimp
- Traeger Buffalo Shrimp
- Traeger Shrimp Scampi
- Traeger Grilled Scallops
- Grilled King Crab
- Grilled Snow Crab
- Grilled Lobster Tail

Tips for making great maple smoked salmon
Real maple syrup is a must for this recipe. Please don’t waste your time on the imitation. Real maple syrup is going to help give you the sweet to your smoky, and fake maple syrup will not do. You will ruin your salmon, so make sure you spend the money and buy real maple syrup to slather onto your gorgeous filet.

Should you leave the skin on or off?
We find better success when we smoke with the skin on. It helps to keep the fish from falling apart, so keep the skin on the bottom of your filet and smoke away!

How to store smoked salmon
After you are finished smoking your fish, you want to let it rest for around an hour on a cooling rack. Once it is completely cool, wrap it up in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Your smoked salmon will keep for around 8-10 days.
If you have a vacuum system you can vacuum seal your fish for a lasting time of around 3 weeks in the fridge, or you can toss it in the freezer and it will last for up to a year.

This is a great smoker starter recipe, and for anyone who loves salmon. I have easy directions to follow, to help give you that final product that you will love and keep making over and over again. This is my tried and true recipe I keep on hand and make a handful of times throughout the year.

Traeger Smoked Salmon

Easy and delicious Traeger Smoked Salmon recipe. Homemade taste, fresh flavor, delicious real maple glaze.
Ingredients
Brine
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
Salmon
- Large skin-on salmon filet
- REAL maple syrup
Instructions
- Combine brine ingredients until the sugar is dissolved, and place into a large ziplock baggie or large covered container. Place your cleaned salmon into the brine, and refrigerate for 10-12 hours.
- Once the fish is brined, remove from the liquid, rinse quickly, and pat dry with paper towels. Let sit out at room temperature for 1-2 hours to allow the pellicle to form.
- Turn your smoker to smoke to get the fire started, and place the salmon on a baking rack that's been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Place the rack on the smoker, and close the lid.
- Once an hour, baste the salmon with pure maple syrup generously. Don't let the smoker get above 180 degrees for best results.
- Smoke for 3-4 hours, but the length of time really depends on how thick your fillets are. You want to pull the salmon when it flakes easily.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 1682mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 0gSugar: 16gProtein: 4g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate.
lee destefano
Saturday 20th of August 2022
what type of pellets or wood
Nicole Johnson
Saturday 20th of August 2022
We typically run either the Gourmet Blend from Traeger or some kind of fruit wood like cherry or apple. But honestly - anything that's in your hopper will be just fine.
Chris
Tuesday 8th of February 2022
I am making your Teriyaki version of this recipe in which you brush marinade on every 30 min. Do you brush the marinade on before placing on the smoker or do you wait the 30 minutes AFTER initial smoking? I don't want to ruin the pellicle but not sure if it makes a difference.
Nicole Johnson
Tuesday 8th of February 2022
We always smoke it for 30 without sauce first, but I don't think you'd be ruining anything if you sauced it right away either.
Dustin
Friday 29th of October 2021
Hi Nicole,
I didn't realize that I bought skinless fillers. Any recommendations for dealing with that? Concerned about it sticking to the grate...
Nicole Johnson
Friday 29th of October 2021
I'd put the filets on non-stick foil or parchment paper.
Dustin
Thursday 28th of October 2021
Hi Nicole,
Will a slightly elevated rack work? I have one that I use for making jerky that sits a few inches off of the grill grate. Looking forward this in my next day off!
Nicole Johnson
Tuesday 23rd of November 2021
Yup! That should work!
Jim DiPlacito
Tuesday 7th of September 2021
Once you take the salmon off the smoker do you let it set for awhile before you package it up?
Nicole Johnson
Tuesday 7th of September 2021
We usually do, yes. It helps prevent condensation inside the bag, especially if you are vacuum sealing it.