This scrumptious Honey Pecan Smoked Salmon is one of my wife’s and my favorite recipes. We enjoy this for at-home-date-nights regularly, as it’s fancier than my usual BBQ recipes. I use two of my best-selling rubs and one of the best condiments to create a flavor profile with pizzazz.
There’s nothing better than smoked salmon, unless you add a drizzle of hot honey. You’ve never had fish like this before! This recipe is a great tool to impress the woman in your life or to serve at a holiday dinner. Try it for yourself and see what you think.
My Honey Pecan Smoked Salmon is cooked low and slow on the Traeger for a total of 30 minutes. This cooking method creates juicy salmon with just the right amount of texture. Cooking fish on the grill can be a learning curve, but don’t let that scare you. With my foolproof instructions, you’ll be cooking like a pitmaster in no time.
The Ingredients
Gourmet salmon with less than five ingredients, what could be better? You won’t be using all of your rubs, so be sure to save them for another tasty recipe. Here’s what you need to add to your shopping list.
- Heath Riles BBQ Pecan Rub. My pecan rub features a savory base with a bit of sweetness on the back end. This fantastic seasoning is for fish, pork, beef, and chicken. You can also use it on your veggies or ribs. The possibilities are endless!
- Heath Riles BBQ Honey Rub. This rub gives meat and fish a beautiful golden color. I recommend pairing it with another of my seasonings, such as my pecan rub. I love this ingredient because it has all the traditional honey flavor without the char you get from using the real deal.
- Salmon. I used about 2 pounds of skin-on, center-cut salmon for this recipe. Remember that your smoking time may vary if you cook a different quantity.
- Olive oil. For this smoke, I used mild olive oil as a binder. This helped the seasoning stick to the fish without compromising our flavor profile.
- Mike’s Hot Honey. I wanted my salmon to have a hint of heat, so I used Mike’s Hot Honey. It’s one of my favorite condiments because it differs from anything on the market.
The Smoker Setup
Here’s the main setup I used for this smoke. Check out the equipment and tools section for more of my must-haves.
- Traeger Ironwood 885. For this cook, I used the Traeger 885. I love this setup because it’s just plain fun to use. There’s an app that connects to the grill, a “Super Smoke” button, and it’s easy to move. This is an excellent pit for tech nerds who love bells and whistles.
- Traeger Pecan Pellets. I stoked my grill with Traeger’s fragrant Pecan Pellets. This really pulled the flavor of the salmon together. You wouldn’t believe how great it smelled!
The Process for Making Honey Pecan Smoked Salmon
The detailed procedure for how I made my Honey Pecan Salmon can be found in the recipe card and video at the bottom of the post. Here’s a quick overview of how I pulled this recipe together.
- Fire up the grill. I stoked my Traeger with pecan pellets and heated it until it reached about 275℉.
- Prep the salmon. Then, I took the salmon out of the package and laid it skin down on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- Add binder and season. Next, I drizzled the salmon with olive oil and laid on a thick layer of my Pecan Rub. I finished my seasoning with a nice coating of Honey Rub.
- Cook the fish. I took the salmon and parchment paper off the cooking tray and let it smoke for about 30 minutes. I knew my salmon was ready for the next step when it reached 117℉-118℉ internally.
- Glaze. Once my salmon hit the proper internal temperature, I glazed it with Mike’s Hot Honey. I put the salmon back on the pit and let it cook until it reached 125℉.
- Rest and serve. When my salmon was done, I took it off the Traeger and let it rest for 10 minutes. The only thing left was to dig in.
The Results
The savory and sweet notes of the salmon were perfectly balanced. This salmon had a gorgeous golden color with just a sliver of pecan flavor. The fish was juicy and had that traditional smoked flavor in every bite.
Serving Suggestions for Honey Pecan Smoked Salmon
For the ultimate date night dinner, pair this salmon with some crusty bread and a salad.
Storing Smoked Salmon
If you find yourself with leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Equipment and Tools
Traeger Ironwood 885., Traeger Pecan Pellets, parchment paper cutting board, Thermapen One, YETI Tundra 65 Hard Cooler, insulated gloves for handling meat.
