Wet vs dry brine for salmon

David, It’s been my experience that wet brining is the best way to go on smoked salmon. By wet brining you have better control with the overall flavor of your product. I like to insure consistency in my brines therefore I track the % salinity and pH in brines which cannot be done with dry brine. If you are going to bake or grill your salmon then dry brine may work just fine as you can employ more intense toppings such as marinades. It takes moisture for osmoses to work. Dry brine will eventually create moisture but osmosis will begin immediately in a wet one.

brining of any kind will draw some moisture out due to the effects of the salt in the brine. Dry brining will impart the flavors of the spices in the application quite well. The main thing that will dry out salmon is over cooking. I have always been very happy with dry brining and cook to an internal temp of 130 in the thickest section of the fish. I think it is a personal preference and the results are very similar. Either way it is very important to allow the fish to dry and develop a pellicle. This will keep the fats and proteins in the flesh as it cooks. It is also important to cook at a low temp (180-190) as this also helps to retain the fats and proteins. When you get the white 'stuff' (fats and proteins) forming on the surface of fish it is from cooking too hot & fast, and/or not have a properly formed pellicle. The white stuff won't hurt ya; it just isn't that appealing.

I personally like the the dry brine method. As TN Q says the key is NOT to over cook and cook at low temp. Try both wet and dry and see which one you prefer and works for you.

Do you want smoked salmon for snacks and finger food or do you desire lightly smoked salmon to eat off the smoker for a meal. Being in the NW we go from Squaw Candy which is dried and smoked like jerky to fresh off the smoker with alder for dinner. The tough problem we have in the NorthWest is what to do with the 50 to 60 fresh wild ones we catch all year. Last summer the Wife got a 38 pounder. Just had to brag a little, sorry. How you prepare it really dictates want you want the end product to be. Up here we smoke with alder and never use BBQ sauce.

I've only done salmon a couple of different ways, but can highly recommend the recipe here:
Andi's Kippered Salmon
It's awesome. The dry brine here will pull out moisture, but you will get an extremely moist product that will literally melt in your mouth.

Nordy

Agree, did Andi's Salmon and it was fantastic.

A BIG ditto on the Andi's/TN Q salmon. I have done that one at least a dozen times with both salmon and steelhead trout. Again, the big thing with fish is not to overcook.