Ingredients

Light brown sugar 3/4 cup (177 ml)

Kosher salt 1/2 cup (118 ml)

Freshly ground black pepper moderate amount

Salmon fillet 1 pound (454 g)

Lemon 2 slices

Fresh bay leaf or fresh thyme 3 to 4 sprigs

Tools

Walnut or apple wood chunks 2 cups

Cedar wood chips 1 slice

Disposable tinfoil bowl 1

Tinfoil Moderate amount

Briquettes and scrap newspaper For charcoal stoves, not needed for gas or electric stoves

American smoked salmon

First curing fish. Pour brown sugar, salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 4 cups of water into a large bowl and stir until the sugar and salt are completely melted. Then add the salmon, put a bowl on top, press something in the bowl, in short, just press the salmon under the liquid. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Place the wood chunks and cedar wood chips in a baking bowl, pour cool water over them and let soak for 1 hour.

Drain the wood chunks and place in a disposable tinfoil bowl, tightly wrap the bowl with tinfoil and poke 6 holes in the tinfoil and the bottom of the bowl.

If you're using a gas or electric stove, preheat half of the grill over medium-high heat. If you're using a charcoal grill, fill the pilot tube with briquettes and stuff the bottom cavity with balled-up newspaper. Light the newspaper, and when the open flame is gone, pour the reddish coals into the bottom of the grill, covering half of it.

If you're using a charcoal grill, bury the smoker box in the briquettes and mount the top grill. Once the briquettes begin to smoke, cover them, close the vents halfway, and let them heat up to 120 degrees. If you're using a gas or electric stove, place the smoker box on the hot half, turn the heat down as soon as the wood chunks start to smoke, cover and let it rise to 120 degrees.

Thirty minutes before smoking, remove the salmon from the refrigerator, drain and dry-dip, place skin-side down on cedar chips, and season with salt and pepper. Layer salmon with lemon slices and thyme sprigs and let dry at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Raise the oven to 120 degrees and place the salmon on the cool side with the cedar chips. Cover the grill and smoke for 20 minutes, removing it when it turns a golden color. If using a gas oven, turn off the heat and cover and smoke for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.