3 pound piece of salmon—skinless if possible
Soak alder chunks for 24 hours
Soak salmon in brine of 1-cup salt,
½ cup sugar and 6 cups of water for 2 hours, then rinse
Make orange glaze: Grate or chop peel of ½ orange, 1 lemon and l lime
Add squeezed juice of orange, lemon and lime plus ½ cup orange juice
Add ½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or dry thyme and 4 dashes Tabasco
Simmer down to ½ cup and cool
Mix 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1-teaspoon cornstarch
Stir out lumps and add to cooled orange mix
Heat orange mix and stir until it thickens
Put 1 beer and 1 quart hot water in double lined water pan and heat smoker
Rub salmon with 2 tablespoons olive oil
and put on oiled or sprayed grill rack on piece of newspaper
Brush warm orange mix on salmon
Put salmon and grill in smoker at med-high until internal salmon temperature is 135—about 1 hour—reduce smoker temperature if necessary Smoke for an additional hour at low to keep internal salmon temperature at 135—140.
ALTERNATIVE—INSTEAD OF ORANGE GLAZE
Chop peel of 1 lemon and 1 lime Marinate salmon for 20 minutes in:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup lemon juice and juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Rub top of salmon with horseradish mixed with a little marinade
Sprinkle chopped lemon and lime peel and ground pepper and a little red pepper on top of salmon