Make delicious smoked salmon jerky on your Traeger Grill or pellet smoker. Maple salmon jerky is a simple recipe that results in a shelf-stable, nutrient-dense food that makes for a smarter snack choice over other empty-calorie laden and processed foods.
Nutrient-Dense Superfood
Wild salmon is a true superfood and one of the healthiest foods you can eat and incorporate regularly into your diet.
I eat wild salmon, and other oily fish and seafood weekly.
There are some minute differences between types of salmon like raw versus smoked versus fresh versus canned etc, but they are so tiny that it is not really worth investigating. Eat salmon however you like it.
And smoking salmon actually helps to stabilize and preserve the healthy fats.
Wild salmon is high in protein, D3, selenium, many b-vitamins including B12, B5, B6, riboflavin, phosphorous, thiamine, niacin and more. A single serving of salmon (100 grams) contains more than a day's worth of D3, a vitamin (hormone really) that is especially hard to get in the winter months when the sun is scarce.
Wild-caught salmon has up to 30% more vitamin D3 than the farmed variety (which I avoid for a number of reasons).
And 40% of US residents are deficient in vitamin D, which is a pretty big problem.
During these cold months, your only source for vitamin D3 is animal foods like salmon, herring, sardines, oysters, shrimp, pastured pork and lard, cod liver oil, beef liver, egg yolks, and cheeses. Outside of these nutritious foods are those foods fortified with D3 or supplements.
But it is the Omega-3 long-chain fatty acids EPA and DHA (only found in animal foods) that really make salmon shine for me. Salmon is one of the best food sources for this essential fat that humans can only get from their diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids are worryingly scarce in our modern diets that are high in Omega-6 foods.
Omega-3 content varies amongst the different salmon species. But generally speaking, A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) portion of wild salmon has 2.6 grams of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
Can You Eat The Salmon Skin?
YES! And you absolutely should!
After smoking my salmon, I like to pull off the skin and fry up the skin in bacon fat or lard. The skin will crisp up beautifully in a minute or so.
Salmon skin better (and considerably healthier) than chips, I swear. And if you use pastured lard or bacon fat it will increase in vitamin D3.
Dry Brine vs Wet Brine
I prefer a wet-brine for fish and dry-brine for other meats. I think some more experimentation on my part is in order real soon to really figure this one out though. So don't take this as gospel truth. I will run a full test soon to settle this in my mind once and for all.
This particular recipe uses an overnight wet-brine.
Which Wood Should I Use?
Whatever wood pellets are currently hanging out in your smoker will be fine.
Traeger recommends the following wood pellets for fish like salmon:
- Mesquite BBQ
- Alder BBQ
- Oak BBQ
I also really love Hickory BBQ for this maple syrup smoked salmon jerky recipe.
Buy Traeger 100% hardwood pellets (no additives) here:
I love my Traeger Grill. Learn more about them, read reviews, and compare prices amongst different models here:
Does Salmon Jerky Need to Be Refrigerated?
Technically no, but I do it anyways for even longer storage.
I take salmon jerky on long canoe and hiking trips in the summer with no issues.
You can always store it in a jar with either some grains of rice (to soak up moisture) or silica packets.
Dehydrator Versus Smoker For Making Jerky
I highly recommend a smoker for making jerky, especially salmon jerky.
I love my Traeger Grill so much and the smoky flavour it imparts is addictive.
I have a dehydrator as well and while it does make better jerky than most anything you can find in-store, it does not beat using a smoker.
I do not recommend making salmon or any fish jerky in a dehydrator unless you can run the machine outside or in a garage. The fish smell will permeate everything in your home for DAYS on end.
How Long Will Smoked Salmon Jerky Last?
If you vacuum seal your smoked salmon jerky, it will last in your pantry sans refrigeration for as long as two months.
Vacuum sealed and refrigerated? Even longer. I don't think I can even give you a rational response here. I have never kept salmon jerky longer than one month, it just doesn't last.
I highly recommend the following article for more precise information:
I do not vacuum seal my salmon jerky. I put it into a glass container in the fridge and that is how it is stored.
Spicy Maple Salmon Jerky Recipe Variation
If you desire so, adding some hot sauce (like sriracha) to your maple glaze in this recipe is a lovely variation.
Pomegranate Syrup or Molasses Variation
Have you ever had pomegranate syrup/molasses? If not, you should make some. I have a recipe for it here:
Pomegranate Molasses: Two Variations
You can substitute maple with this syrup or simply use equal parts maple syrup and pomegranate molasses.
It's delicious.
More Smoked Seafood Recipes:
If you want to make smoked salmon alongside(or instead of) your salmon jerky, I have a great recipe for that here that utilizes a unique and flavourful brine of beetroot and blood orange:
Smoked Salmon on The Traeger Grill
And my recipe for smoked trout goes into depth about how to smoke the whole trout. Make the most of your trout fishing season.
Smoked Whole Trout on The Traeger Grill
I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you have any questions or comments, let me know below — I love hearing from all of you!
PrintSmoked Maple Salmon Jerky on The Traeger Grill
Make delicious smoked salmon jerky on your Traeger Grill or pellet smoker. Maple salmon jerky is a simple recipe that results in a shelf-stable, nutrient-dense food that makes for a smarter snack choice over other empty-calorie laden and processed foods.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Smoking
- Cuisine: North America
Ingredients
- Wild salmon fillets
- Enough fresh water to fully cover and submerge the salmon
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoons of cane sugar per salmon fillet (optional)
- Whole Peppercorns
- Dark (or amber) pure maple syrup
Instructions
To Determine the Amount of Water Needed & Brine Your Salmon:
You only need enough fresh water to fully submerge the salmon, no more. You can weigh the water too, but this is how I do it.
- Using a 1 cup measure, fully submerge the salmon in fresh water.
- The amount of cups you used is the amount you need for your brine.
- I like to discard the fishy water and start with a fresh batch for making the actual brine.
- Use weights (like a simple plate or mug) to keep the fish submerged if you need to.
- In a large enough saucepan on medium heat, add your cane sugar (if using) and allow to melt and bubble until dark brown.
- Immediately add some of your water to stop the caramelization process and prevent the sugar from burning.
- The hot water may sputter and splash so use caution and stand well back or immediately cover with a splatter screen.
- Add some more water, you do not have to add all of your measured-out water right now. Just enough to melt the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the rest of the kosher salt.
- Heat the water and stir until all of the sugar and salt is completely melted. It does not have to come to a boil.
- Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature — IMPORTANT — do not use hot brine on your salmon, it will cook the fish which you do not want.
- Here you can add the rest of your water. The added cool water will help your brine come to room temperature even faster.
- When the brine solution has cooled down, fully submerge your salmon in it and add a few teaspoons of whole black peppercorns.
- Place your salmon in the refrigerator to brine anywhere from 8 hours to overnight. Overnight is best.
- The next day, remove fillets from the solution and discard the liquid.
- Rinse your salmon under cold running water to remove the brine from the surface. Failing to do so will result in an overly-salty fish.
- Pat the fish dry.
- Place the salmon on a rack to dry from 1-4 hours. This step is crucial in developing the sticky pellicle which helps smoke adhere to the flesh. I usually go for 2 hours at cool room temperature, but the refrigerator is probably best if you have more room than I do.
- Preheat your Traeger on the ‘Smoke’ setting for 5 minutes with the lid open. This gets the fire going.
- Baste the salmon on the flesh-side only with maple syrup using a pastry brush (silicone is my favourite) and place the fillets directly on the grill, closing the lid.
- Set your timer for 1 hour and every hour baste the salmon with more maple syrup.
- Depending on the size, the smoking will take anywhere from 3.5 hours to 4 hours. Maybe a bit more.
- Do NOT let the temperate get above 200/220 Fahrenheit, and if it does place a bowl of ice water inside the smoker.
- You will have successfully made salmon jerky once the flesh looks dry and is stiff while still being slightly pliable.
Keywords: wild salmon, smoked salmon, Traeger Grills, smoked salmon jerky, maple salmon jerky
Very excited to try! Is the sugar cane ratio the same as the salt? Would I do 2 tablespoons per cup of water or what is the size of fillet this amount is referring to?
The only important ratio is the salt-to-water and that's determined by whatever size of filet you have which makes it pretty easy — just submerge your fish, then take it out and see how many cups/quarts/litres/whatever are remaining. Salt to water is always 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 cup of water.
When it comes to sugar and other flavours/spices/herbs, their impact on the final result is minimal. They're just there for a little hint of extra taste but you can easily do away with them. For cane sugar, I wouldn't add more than a quarter of the amount of salt, even less.
Let me know how it works out if you try it 🙂
This recipe really look so good! Can't wait to try this one! Thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
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Do you smoke the fillet in one piece or in strips? Can you use skinless salmon?
If you have a long filet, it can be easier to cut it into strips, but it’s really up to you. I usually do for jerky as you get a nice browning/crisping on the edges that way. Yes, you can do this with skinless salmon as well, just make sure the grill is clean.