I smoked 3 salmon filets this last weekend using the techniques described in this topic. Although I used kosher salt instead of the canning salt. I figured since the salt was measured by weight, it wouldn't make much, if any, difference.
I coated the fish with the dry brine until they looked like the picture above, then wrapped in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 4 hours. After that I rinsed under cold water until all traces of the brine were gone.
After patting the filets dry, they went into the fridge for a few hours until dry to the touch. It took about 4 hours. I painted the tops of the filets with maple syrup, then put back in the fridge until they were dry again. I didn't know how much syrup to put on, so I did it lightly, figuring I can always put more on next time. The second stage of drying also took about 4 hours.
Into the smoker they went, 190 degrees with 1 oz. of apple wood to an internal temperature of 130 degrees. I allowed the filets to cool for 30 minutes before sampling. The flavor was just amazing. Way better than my first attempt at smoking salmon a few weeks ago, which weren't bad at all, either.
As mentioned, the flavor was excellent, nice smoke, alternating nuances of salt and sweet depending on the middle of the filet or a sample closer to the edge. The middle was moist, flaky, sweet, and tender, and the edges were quite a bit dryer, chewier, and saltier.
The only problem was with the white lipids bleeding out on the surface of the filets. This seemed to be happening only on the thickest parts. In the pictures above, I don't see any white stuff. How can I keep this from happening? Should I have put on more maple syrup?