I'm 70 years old, a retired commercial salmon fisherman and sports fisherman. I've smoked a lot of salmon in a Little Chief in the last 50 years. This guy is amazing spot on. If you are new to smoking salmon hang on every word he says, he is spot on. I now use his dry cure and it is so good on high fat Chilean Coho or Atlantic salmon. Try his method! Believe my 50 years experience. Also good on King Salmon, early run chum salmon, and steelhead (if you can find one).

This is the closest tutorial to correctly curing fish that I've seen on the tube. I'm Alaska native and it is 100% spot on. Good job sir.

After smoking salmon for years using the liquid brine method we tried the dry bine approach and the liquid brine for comparison. The dry brine was significantly better than the salmon prepared in liquid brine. Our primary concern was the brine and it made a big difference. This really made my day.

This was, by far, the best video ever on smoking salmon!! Thank you for sharing your insights and tips. I have been smoking fish here in Alaska for 20 years using the brine method, (with various flavor additions), and generally producing great results. I just thought I would take a peek at something different. I will never go back to a wet brine again. Here in Alaska, we have the best-flavored salmon that I have ever come across. By keeping the curing simple it allows that wonderful flavor to come through. I agree with the gentleman about using Alder, I have tried different fruitwoods and always go back. Sir, you have such a gift with sharing and teaching, your family was blessed for sure. (BTW... I love the "real" kitchen, not some staged sterile-looking set. A lot of love has come out of that kitchen! ) Thank you ever so much!! :-)

Who's old enough to remember Gilligans Island, because he sure looks like the skipper...

Everyone who does tutorials online should be forced to watch this video so they can emulate it. No wasted words. Everything explained clearly. Anticipating questions that beginners will have. Phenomenal job.

This is what KZfaq should be about. Great info delivered well. I am doing this tonight with fresh caught and going to try both dry and wet brine. Great video. No embedded advertisements, just great info clearly delivered. Thank you!

This Alaskan fishing woman is extremely grateful for your years of experience all in one delightful video. I feel like I just had a lesson from Pops! Today I’ll start my smoked salmon journey as I have too much fish in the freezer and the 2023 fishing season snuck up on me. I can’t wait to have homemade salmon treats for hiking and berry picking this summer and fall ❤ THANK YOU 🙏

This is the most informative how to video I have ever seen. I wish I could have had a math teacher like this man. Great side tips (how not to burn your deck) like different sprinkles etc. The gentleman told you how without sounding bossy. Great job.

First time using my Little Chief, I followed your instructions for PERFECT smoked salmon. You are the man. Thank you.

This just might be the best video on how to smoke fish that I’ve seen!!! The step by step walkthrough was very clear and easy to understand!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe and knowledge!!! Very much appreciated!!! “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” ☮️🖖🏽

I knew within the first 10-seconds that this guys knows his stuff.

This is so straight forward and to the point, I refer to this method every time that I smoke my salmon. Thank you for making this video

What a sweet Man you are - like a family member teaching you ! Thanks for the great instructions and advice - cant wait to try it !

This is why I love the northwest. This guy reminds me my old guy fishing buddies. R.I.P. Bruce!

Simple, to the point, no B.S. video. Great! I am tired of KZfaq "stars" who try to be funny actors. I like this gentlemen!

Thanks for all the quality info.Been smoking"in the dark" for thirty years. This has been the best info ever.Pure gold. Use it every time and my fish gets nothing but raves! Thanks so much.

This has to be one of the best culinary tutorials I have ever seen. Thank you!

Looks like how my father in law made it. He was a salty old character that always hesitated to teach a little punk like me How to fish, how to cook it etc. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me. You did a great job on the video!

This man is a national treasure!!what a helpful person. Thank you

Fantastic Results! Thank you! I did do a 4:1 mixture of Brown sugar & Salt. It came out slightly salty...but really good! Watched the video again from the beginning and he clearly says he likes to use, "3/4 cup or 7/8" of salt. So I dialed the salt back a bit and now it's absolutely perfect! I wish as someone from Southern California, we had Salmon locally I could catch myself...I had to spend some time and money and fly up to Alaska to get Salmon.

By far the best smoking fish video I have seen. You answered all my questions. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

Absolutely nailed it. I been looking up videos on this so I can try it myself and this one is hands down the most informative and best looking one. Love it

I live in Iowa and no matter what never cared for salmon. I use an electric smoker and I will say, the dry brine for what I get here (frozen salmon) is such a hit. I love this and so does everyone that try's it. I can't thank you enough for the dry brine and GREAT instructions.

I've seen and watched a lot of "How to Videos" this is really one of the best. Great Job.... thank you

Outstanding tutorial!! Straight forward and easy to understand. We are going to try the dry method and are looking forward to having it often. Thank you for sharing!!

We smoked salmon for the first time in a Little Chief smoker following his dry brine methods. Incredible results! Everybody loved it! Thanks for these clear instructions!

I just bought a Little Chief Smoker yesterday and tomorrow have a fishing trip off the coast of Washington state for King salmon.... Your attention to detail is spot on, and your experience really shines through on your video as well. Thank you Mister for sharing your wisdom with us !

This was so helpful, I've read about 5 different articles on how to do this as my neighbor brought me fresh caught Alaska salmon, and I'm new to smoking in general...I was intimidated and afraid of screwing up this awesome fish gift :) I feel much better after watching this video, it's not as scary as I thought....brining to commence this afternoon & looking forward to salmon eggs benedict for Easter brunch this weekend!

Really well done video with excellent tips and plenty of detailed advice. I followed these guidelines and both my sockeye and coho came out great. My only advice is to avoid over-cooking. I took my fish out of the smoker after 1.5 hrs and it was fantastic. Not sure why you'd want to cook it any longer, but for me 1.5 hrs in the smoker was plenty.

I love how respectable this video is , proper prep, cook and revising. That honey glaze is a brilliant idea for salmon , I'm excited to smoke some sockeye and silver head now that I watched this. this video really needs more likes and views because home is where life is.

I made this following all the directions including using the Big Chief with Alder and it was the best Smoked Salmon I have ever made (I have made lots). Thanks for taking the time to make/post.

Thank you man. This helps me a lot. I can't wait to put all this into practice for the smoke I am doing with my first ever salmon and first ever fish!

When you dump your ash in the metal can with water you have just made homemade lye. You can add animal fat or vegetable oil and make your own homemade soap. My neighbor left several items for free to anyone at the end of his driveway. One of those items was the Big Chief electric top load smoker. I grabbed that and am smoking my salmon for the first time ever. I love your tutorial, I found it very informative. Thanks.

Love this tutorial, this man is awesome, great teacher and for my first time smoking fish did exactly what he told me to do with smoking pre frozen fish. Great information, great tips and I loved his dog. Great side kick to the video.. my fish is still smoking, will see what my efforts will bring. Thanks again for such a great video. You definitely rock!!!

I just got my Mini-Chief smoker and Smokehouse Products told me to watch this clip. I really appreciate the information it provided, as I have never cured or smoked food before. So far, I have completed the curing (28hrs) and it worked like a charm! My salmon was frozen and fairly mushy, yet the brown sugar & salt method made the fish firm and dryer. I was totally impressed with how well it worked! I have the fish on wire racks in my fridge now until tomorrow morning and will then smoke it. I do not have a fan and am hoping the meat will air dry in the fridge. I have it skin side up to allow the excess to drip off. Thanks for all the tips! Tomorrow - we smoke!!

You were right, this salmon doesn't keep- i ate a half a filet immediately after taking it off the grill! This stuff really turns out beautifully and tastes incredible. Smoked salmon has been my favorite food since I was a kid, and being able to make it at home (in a Weber kettle, no less!) is a game changer! Thanks for the excellent recipe and great curing technique!

That was the way a tutorial should be done that was awesome.

I followed the dry brine process exactly for my first run with my new Little Chief and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results. Honey and black pepper were a great addition, too. Thanks so much for a great recipe and walking us through it so clearly.

Love it! Thank you! Will be doing this today. Clear instructions thank you again.

This was an awesome video. Well spoken and thought out. You can tell you've done this a few times

I like how goes through the steps more than once. Great teacher

Thank you so much! This recipe and technique worked perfectly! I am a backpacker and make all my own trail food; last year my salmon turned out way too salty on more than one occassion. I am so happy to have found you. Thank you for sharing your talent.

Thank you for this great video! I made the dry cured salmon and smoked it on a big green egg and I'm now a hero to my wife!

I like the part where he just throws his bones into the neighbors yard.

Looks like a great not difficult process! Thanks!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH Mr. It was an excellent tutorial. Highly appreciated you for sharing your time, acknowledge and family tradition. Erik, from Naples Florida

One thing I love about KZfaq is it allows for so much knowledge transfer. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Great video, you explain things very clearly

love this video this man should have a show....

Of all the years of resuerched smoked salmon on KZfaq...I'v learned more on this one vid then I have in the last 4 years!! GREAT JOB!!

He shares tips on literally everything he does, which could have come from experience only, and here we are learning it in 13 minutes. Thank you.

SUPERB VIDEO! Not one word wasted throughout the whole video. Thank you so much for relating your master experience to us. FANTASTIC!

This was a damn good video! Thank you for your time and sharing your smoking experience!

Seriously you did a tremendous job of explaining everything throughout the process. Thank you for your hard work and effort. I will follow your process next time. I made some today using a slightly different recipe but not too far off what you demonstrated in this video.

Right to the point and no B.S. best video I’ve seen on smoking salmon. Thank you.

This guy is the John Madden of cooking. "Don't put too much salt on it, or it will bee too salty."

great video! thank you sir!

No better video on smoked salmon and the overall process start to finish than this one right here. Man knows his stuff!

Wow I've watched hundreds of of smoking videos however this guy is a Master don't waste your time watching anything else. THANK YOU!

Herb Good is a legend in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks for sharing your recipes over the years Herb. It's not necessarily about WHAT you use (although I believe this brine is best for salmon) as it is EXACTLY how to do it. Bravo for keeping smoked salmon the way it's supposed to be. 👏

Nice video and very informative. Thanks He kind of reminds me of the skipper!

Came back after 6 months. Used this recipe 6 months ago. It was a hit. Tomorrow we do it again. Thank you sir. Perfect tutorial

Finally, a comprehensive explanation... Chief owes you a debt of gratitude.

Today I have begun my first adventure with smoking salmon. Over the past couple, days I have sat through a number of home smoker videos, each imparting their view of the process, and each also seem to leave out some pertinent piece of information. Temperature being the one that came to mind as being the most significant. Others leave lengthy sections that should have been edited out or at least condensed for time. The ONE AND ONLY problem with yours was the unfortunate wind rumble from the microphone, which seemed to always occur right at the moment you make a statement, which seems more important than the previous!!! Adding variables such as the weather relative to the time to complete the process. Priceless. Your instruction and pace was impeccable and when you arrived at the actual cooking portion, you added little nuggets of answers to the questions I found myself silently asking nearly at the point you were at the ready, giving the all-valuable answer! You are a messiah with incredible messages the Salmon gods apparently felt needed channeling the very day you decided to make this lesson for us who seek such wisdom! The opening segment describing the Mother Brine recipe (my term) was precisely the simplicity I was seeking when I decided months ago I wanted to try to replicate my grandfathers recipe (most likely was this basic.) that I have not tasted since the early-mid 80s prior to his debilitating stroke and eventual drawn out release probably a decade later. His smoker (an old metal fridge and underground fire pit.) still stands today and when I am in Washington state I always make a trip to his defunct farm and poke my head into the smoker which 30+ years on, still brings to mind the best aroma I can imagine! Thank you again, I am at this moment wishing the clock would race ahead so I can savor that long awaited treat from the Salmon gods!

That sounds so easy, even I can do it! Excellent tutorial, thank you very much and keep up the great work. One question for you, sir. Does all this apply to the Little Chief also? Any suggestions on serving the fish?

Love this. Right to the point. No stupid intro and all that new KZfaq stuff! Love it

Herb, i just bought the Big Chief Smoker. I will say you are the most informative and interesting person that i have listened to on here. I wouldn't have wanted to try using the smoker without watching your video. I am definitely going to use your recipe on my first attempt to smoke a salmon. Cheers!!

Great video Sir! I love Salmon but we don't have it here in Kentucky, so I usually smoke Catfish. Your recipe looks delicious! I'm going to have to try it on my Catfish for sure! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Can't wait to try this on my pellet smoker!! I'm in Minnesota so 40 in the winter would be quite warm! lol

I have watched this several times and I learn something new every time. I appreicate some one who knows what they are doing because they have done it before more than once.

Thank you for your well explained and well presented video! I also like your firm way of telling your viewers what to do and what not to do! I will get the front load Big Chief to replace my old smoker.

Excellent! And I felt like I was there bullshit'n with ya..

Awesom instruction, old school lovin' it.

Thank you for this video. It had tons of great information and the salmon looks great.

Awesome, awesome tutorial. Love this guy. Smoking has been a mystery because no one really tells you everything from end to end. Now I know how to smoke salmon! Thank you!

Does your neighbor get any of that fish or just the bones that you toss over the fence? Just kidding! Great video...thanks for posting:)

do you take the skin off before the salt and sugar? or do is it better after the smoker? or you dont take it off?

I made my smoked fish following these instruction to the tee and it turned out amazing. Make sure you do not skimp on the dry time. It needs to be tacky to the touch or it will not work. Thank you very much!

This is my go-to tutorial for my Salmon Smoking. Dry Brine always. Thanks Herb and Big Chief!

Thank you I wish you were my neighbor : )

Thank you for this video. I followed your advice and cured my salmon in a large rectangular tupperware, but why is it not a good idea to cure the fish in a metal pan?

I’ve been smoking fish for just about 50 years, and I could not explain that any better than you did. Great job! To the newbies out there, if you follow his methods, you can’t mess it up. I agree with him, it is the absolute best when it is warm, right out of the smoker!

Thank you for posting this video! I really enjoyed it.

I think this guy is long overdue for a "nice" visit with his only Sister and should bring her some of this yummy stuff!!!

do u eat all that icecream?

Outstanding video.. Best, most straight forward approach and I know those Little Chief's work great. Being able to keep the temp down to 165 degrees and hold it for so many hours is pretty important in the process. I'll try this with a pellet grill. Keeping that low temp is difficult to achieve, but I'll try it since that's what I have.

The best recipe I have ever used and was so simple! Smart guy! Nobody can believe it is that easy to make the most mouthwatering smoked salmon😁

May the Lord Jesus bless you and keep you

Too heavy for women??? Apparently hasn't met my wife!

Following this today. Wish he would do a bunch of videos for us. Years later still so good 👍

I loved your tutorial - you were great in front of the camera, informative, personable and a pleasure to listen to!

Just used your method and used a friends big chief. It’s 100 degrees today so took about four hours. Thank you soo much, it’s delicious.

I watched your video several years ago and my fish has always turned out great following your tips. Thank you! Great job.

Made this recipe and it was a complete family hit!! I've never smoked fish before and I did this recipe and followed the instructions completely. The only difference is, I smoked it on The Big Green Egg. The salmon turned out fantastic! Only took 4 hours on the Egg smoking between 180 and 210 degrees. The salmon skin never broke and the meat did not need to be dressed with honey after it was done. I also used the Egg lump coal with some applewood chunks lining the perimeter of the cooker. My family loved it so much, I am brining the rest of our catch to smoke tomorrow!

Sir, that was simply the Best video I have watched in years on KZfaq. Thanks for the education.

I have been smoking salmon wrong for 30 years. This method is the best!!, thank you

Thank you so much. In Arkansas you can get seasoned or plain salmon on a cedar board at Sam's. I had no idea how it should be prepared. You have showed me at least one way.

I have been smoking salmon for 15+ years with a Little Chief smoker. I have used a wet brine process for salmon that includes some of the ingredients as in this video - mostly brown sugar (3 cups); about 1/3rd cup of salt and I also add some maple syrup to 2 qts of water and soak the salmon overnight. I do not rinse the filets before they go onto the smoker as the video suggests. It comes out very good as described by those who eat it. I decided to try this dry brine approach as it intrigued me. I mixed a 4 cups of brown sugar to just under 1 cup of Kosher salt. Left it overnight and hand "squeegeed" the salmon as suggested. Smoked it for 6 to 8 hours today and was disappointed with the outcome. The salmon is much too salty (as several other commenters have noted) - even after I basted the finished product with a mixture of honey and maple syrup. What I would suggest to those who want to try this dry brine process is to mix the dry rub 4 cups of brown sugar to 1/2 or less cups of salt. That may help reduce the salt content that penetrates the salmon filets when brining. While I cannot go back on this smoke as it is done - with the 4 to almost 1 brine mix recommended - I would have rinsed the brined salmon filets in cold water before I put it in my smoker this morning. Experiment is what smokers do to improve the final product. I may try the dry brine again - but will definitely modify what is proposed in this video. Great video presentation though.

This fella, Herb Good, is a treat! Great job! Best "how to" video ever! Thank you.