I had to tweak this to our taste and our equipment so if you don't like a tweaker review....please move on :) I like a sweet smoked salmon so I added a half cup of packed dark brown sugar to the brine. I also added 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke cuz I was doing mine in a oven...therefore NO charcoal for smoke. I soaked the salmon in the brine for about 36 hours like my dad used to do. I do not have a smoker, so I put the salmon on a non stick sprayed baking rack over a foil lined shallow pan. (to catch drips) I smoked the 3/4 inch thick salmon fillets in my outdoor oven (set at about 160 degrees) for seven hours. This produced the best rendition of the old fashioned dry smoked salmon that I grew up eating in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks for posting a terrific recipe!!!

Thanks Shadows1, I've made this quite a few times and getting ready to make again, very tasty!

Try using pecan hulls in your smoker. I just did a few rainbow trout filets and smoked them using ONLY pecan hulls. They are fantastic and you really get the pecan flavor.

I've never had Steelhead trout before and it was delicious. I don't know how long my hubby smoked the salmon, but the brine was great and the fish came out perfectly. A couple days in the fridge really brought out the flavors. Thanks!

smoking times seemed a bit excessive so I used my common sence and cut it back to about 4 hours like it said in the recipe... turned out real good!