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Recipe · Indirect · Advanced

Guajillo-cured smoked salmon, low indirect

A 900 g salmon fillet, 24 hours dry-cured in Maldon salt, brown sugar, ground guajillo and dill. Smoked at 130°C with apple and cherry. Silky texture and a spicy crust.

Lonchas de salmón ahumado en frío con eneldo
Prep
1440 min
Cook
90 min
Servings
6 servings
Temperature
130 °C

Ingredients

  • fresh salmon fillet with skin (800 g - 1 kg)1 ud
  • Maldon flaky sea salt100 g
  • brown sugar80 g
  • ground guajillo chile (imported from Mexico)2 cda
  • fresh dill, chopped1 manojo
  • apple wood chunks (not chips)2 trozos
  • cherry wood chunk1 trozo
  • extra-virgin olive oil DOP (Comunidad Valenciana)2 cda
  • freshly ground black pepper1 pizca

Method

  1. 01

    Mix the cure

    In a bowl combine Maldon salt, brown sugar, ground guajillo and chopped dill until evenly integrated. The ratio is roughly 55% salt, 45% sugar — sugar tempers the bite of salt and balances the guajillo heat.

  2. 02

    Pack the salmon

    Check the salmon is pin-bone free (tweezers if needed). Lay the fillet on a tray over a rack (critical: not in direct contact with the dish — the water it releases must drain). Pack the cure mix over and under, generous and even.

  3. 03

    Cure 24h in the fridge

    Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours. At the 12-hour mark drain accumulated water from the tray and flip the salmon. After 24 hours the fillet should have changed colour (darker, almost translucent) and released a fair amount of moisture.

  4. 04

    Rinse and dry

    Take the salmon out and rinse under cold tap water for about 30 seconds per side to remove excess cure. Otherwise the dish ends up too salty. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels — surface completely dry.

  5. 05

    Pellicle 2-4 hours

    Place the salmon on a clean rack and leave it uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally 4. A sticky, glossy layer (pellicle) forms — it is what locks the smoke onto the fish. No pellicle, no real smoke.

  6. 06

    Stabilise at 130°C

    Light only one zone of charcoal (Minion method) and stabilise the kamado at 130°C indirect with the deflector. When the chamber holds for 10 minutes without drifting, add the apple and cherry chunks. Wait until the smoke runs clean and blue, not thick white.

  7. 07

    Smoke low and steady

    Lay the salmon on the grate skin side down. Sink the probe into the thickest part of the fillet. Cook until the probe reads 60°C internal — 80 to 90 minutes. Do not open the lid, do not add more wood during the smoke.

  8. 08

    Probe at 60°C, pull

    The moment the probe hits 60°C internal, lift the salmon with a wide spatula (better two paddles or a fish spatula — the fillet is delicate). Do not poke with a fork. Temperature will carry over another 2-3°C during the rest.

  9. 09

    Rest and serve

    Rest 10 minutes at room temperature. Move to a board, slice thinly (yes, peeling at a diagonal off the knife). Serve on toast with fresh cheese (cream-style or mild goat), a drizzle of DOP oil and freshly ground pepper. Leftovers: wrapped in wax paper in the fridge, 3-4 days.

About this recipe

This is the most editorial dish that comes out of my kamado: hot-smoked salmon with guajillo cure, 24 hours of prep and 90 minutes of low-temperature smoking. The time investment is high, but the result — silky texture and a caramelised chile-sugar crust — is restaurant-menu material. It goes on toast with fresh cheese and feeds 6 without effort.

24-hour dry cure

Combine 100 g Maldon salt, 80 g brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of ground guajillo and a handful of chopped fresh dill. Pack the mix over the entire salmon fillet, top and bottom, full coverage with no gaps. Place on a tray with a wire rack (so the water it releases does not pool) and cover with film. Fridge for 24 hours. Salt pulls moisture, sugar tempers it, guajillo adds smoky heat and colour depth. After 24 hours, rinse thoroughly under the tap to remove excess cure — otherwise the dish will be salty.

Pellicle: the step nobody does and everyone should

After rinsing, pat dry and leave the fillet uncovered on a rack in the fridge for at least two hours, four is better. A sticky, glossy layer called pellicle forms on the surface. That layer is what traps smoke compounds during the smoke — without it, smoke does not adhere and you get cooked salmon that smells burnt, not real smoked salmon. This is the step that separates the casual cook from the one who knows what they are doing.

Smoke at 130°C with mild woods

Kamado stabilised at 130°C with the deflector. Add two small chunks of apple and cherry (NOT mesquite, NOT hickory) — strong woods overwhelm fish and kill the guajillo nuance. Place the salmon on the grate skin side down, sink the probe into the thickest part. Cook until 60°C internal, 80 to 90 minutes. Pull, rest 10 minutes. Serve in thin slices on toast with fresh cheese and a drizzle of DOP olive oil. Costa Blanca twist: the guajillo is imported, but the oil is local.

In 30 seconds

Dry cure 24h: 100g Maldon + 80g brown sugar + 2 tbsp guajillo + dill. Rinse, dry, pellicle 2-4h uncovered in the fridge. Kamado 130°C indirect, apple + cherry (no mesquite). Probe to 60°C internal, ~80-90 min. Rest 10 min. Serve in thin slices on toast with fresh cheese and DOP oil. 6 diners. Top-tier editorial plate.

Editor's tips

  • The pellicle is not optional or a flourish. It is chemistry: the dry protein surface creates binding sites for smoke compounds. Skip this step and you burn wood without transferring flavour — the salmon turns out smoke-cooked, not smoked.
  • Mild woods for fish: apple, cherry, peach, alder. Strong woods (mesquite, hickory, oak) are made for beef and pork and taste ashy on salmon. If hickory is all you have, use only a small piece and keep it well away from the fillet.
  • 60°C internal is the ceiling, not the floor. Push past it and the salmon dries irreversibly — the silky texture turns into stiff slabs. Without a probe this dish is Russian roulette. Inkbird or Meater, whatever you have.
  • Cure time: 24 hours minimum, 36 hours maximum. Under 24 and the salt does not penetrate; over 36 and the salmon turns into a salty ham. For thinner fillets (around 600 g), drop to 18 hours.
  • Kamado low and steady. The ceramic holds 130°C stable on a single vent setting — this is exactly where it shines over a metal smoker. Do not touch the vents during the smoke; a 20°C swing either way ruins the curve.

Gear for this recipe

FAQ

  • Wild or farmed salmon?

    For this recipe I use quality farmed Norwegian or Scottish salmon — fattier, more uniform, more forgiving when smoked. Wild salmon (sockeye, king) is leaner and dries easily at 60°C internal: you would need to pull at 55-58°C and watch it like a hawk. If you have fresh wild salmon and want to use it, cut the cure to 18 hours and pull at 55°C internal. More intense flavour, much narrower margin.

  • What exactly is the pellicle and why does it matter so much?

    The pellicle is a thin, tacky, glossy layer of dehydrated soluble proteins that forms on fish skin when left to air-dry in a cold environment. It is not slime or dirt — pure chemistry. That layer acts as molecular adhesive: aromatic smoke compounds (phenols, carbonyls) stick to it instead of bouncing off a wet surface. That is why a salmon with pellicle smells genuinely smoked, and one without smells only of surface scorching.

  • Without guajillo, what chile can I substitute?

    Guajillo brings medium heat (2,500-5,000 SHU) with fruity notes and deep red colour. Direct substitutes: ground ancho chile (sweeter, less heat), ground chipotle (smokier and hotter — use half the amount), or nora (Spanish chile, very close but sweeter). Sweet Pimentón de la Vera plus a pinch of cayenne also approximates it, though you lose the fruity nuance. What does NOT substitute: Tex-Mex chili powder, which carries cumin and oregano and unbalances the dish.

  • How long does it keep in the fridge after smoking?

    3-4 days wrapped in wax paper or cling film in the coldest part of the fridge. Curing and smoking significantly lower water activity, so shelf life beats raw fresh salmon (only 1-2 days). When serving, let it come up to room temperature for 15 minutes — flavour improves considerably versus serving straight from the fridge. Do not freeze thin slices (they break on thawing); freeze the whole block wrapped if necessary.

  • Does freezing the salmon before curing work?

    Yes, and it is recommended for food safety. EU regulation (853/2004) requires freezing fish destined for raw or cured consumption at -20°C for 24 hours to kill parasites like Anisakis. Although smoking at 60°C internal kills any parasite, the dry cure beforehand is a cold step — freezing 48 hours before the cure gives you a safety buffer without affecting final texture. Defrost slowly in the fridge 24 hours before curing.

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