Dont over-complicate. I’ve tried many recipes and keep coming back to the simple dry brine of 1-part sea salt (or kosher) to 4 parts brown sugar. Mix up enough to completely cover your fish – like you’re burying someone in sand at the beach – and put it in the fridge overnight. You’ll notice your dry brine will now be a wet brine. It’s unbelievable how much moisture it draws out of your fish.
Dont rinse the fish after brining, simply wipe off the excess brine with your fingers, kinda like a squeegee. Then let it rest at room temp for a couple hours so the pellicle forms (a thin crust).
then smoke with Alder, Apple or Maple. Here’s the cherry on top – heat up some honey in a small pot on the stove so it becomes thinner. Brush it on your salmon the last 15 minutes of the smoke and sprinkle some course ground black pepper on it as well. This not only makes your salmon practically glow and look like something better than what you see at Morey’s, but the flavor will absolutely blow you away.