Lay the salmon out on a large piece of parchment paper (a piece big enough to wrap it when finished), on a baking sheet or cutting board, skin side down.
Sprinkle the salt over the flesh of the salmon and cover it well. Use all of it even if it feels like too much, trust me.
On top of the salt, place the brown sugar in a thick layer, spreading it out to cover as much of the flesh as possible.
Wrap the exposed portion of the salmon with the excess parchment paper, then gently flip it so it’s skin side up inside the parchment paper.
Place in the refrigerator for an hour.
About 15 minutes before the fish comes out of the refrigerator, begin preheating your smoker to 225 degrees fahrenheit.
Remove the salmon from the fridge and flip it to flesh side up and open the parchment paper.
Using a paper towel, wipe away the excess salt and brown sugar. There will be some you can’t remove and that’s ok. You just want to remove as much as you can. Don’t destroy the flesh of the fish while doing so.
At this time sprinkle with your BBQ Rub.
Wrap a baking sheet (big enough for the salmon to fit on) with tin foil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Place the salmon on it, then place it in the smoker.
Place the meat probe inside the thickest part of the fish and smoke it for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees fahrenheit.
Remove from the smoker and enjoy! Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
You can use any rub mixture you find at the store or make your own.
If you get a bigger or smaller filet of salmon, you’ll want to adjust the smoking time. As long as that meat probe reads 145F degrees, the fish is ready to come out.
I know it feels like too much salt, but it’s definitely not. The salt and sugar is a brine and is secret to making the fish come out perfect with just the right amount of moisture to make it perfectly flaky.
Make sure that the salmon reads 145 degrees F before taking off smoker.