Here's my favorite smoked salmon recipe. I got this recipe from a long time Alaskan shortly after I moved to Alaska more than 20 years ago and this recipe became my GoTo recipe.
1 cup Brown sugar
1 cup canning salt
2/3 cup white sugar
2 qts well water (no chlorine)
Really simple but solid. Doesn't mask the fish taste. My preference is alder or cherry or a mix of the 2.
Simple brine of 2 quarts of water to 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of brown sugar and 2/3 cup white sugar. To double or triple it stay with same ratio. I put it all in a crock and stir and let set a while, then stir before putting pieces in.
Then just experience kicks in. Cut pieces the size you want, but the larger the fish (and pieces) the longer it takes to brine. I often cut the bellies and sides off, esp. on larger kings, and when they are cut into pieces, they go into the brine an hr or so later than the big pieces. That way they don't get too salty.
I leave them in brine two or three hours, then drain and rinse with a sprayer. Pat dry with clothes or paper towels, put on racks & let get tacky by waiting and/or using a hair dryer over them. Once fairly dry/tacky they go onto smoke racks and into smoker.
Smoke them to desired moistness. Check by taking one out now and then and breaking it open to see if all the clear meat is gone.
