💨 Smoker
Saturday night called for something different and this delivered. Wild caught sockeye salmon on a cedar plank is one of those cooks that looks impressive, smells incredible, and is honestly one of the easier things you can do on the smoker. The cedar plank does most of the work — it steams the fish from below while the smoke wraps around it from above, giving you salmon that's impossibly moist with a deep, woodsy aroma.
The citrus marinade — orange juice, brown sugar, honey, salt and pepper — keeps it from being too heavy and gives the fish a beautiful glaze as it cooks. Sliced oranges, fresh basil, and bay leaves on top seal in moisture and add layers of flavor. Served alongside Korean yams baked in the oven, this is a Saturday night plate worth sitting down for.
The Salmon
Citrus Marinade
The Toppings
Korean Yams (Side)
This step cannot be skipped. Submerge your cedar plank completely in water for at least 1 hour — weigh it down with something heavy if needed. A dry plank will catch fire on the smoker. The moisture in the soaked plank is what creates the steam that keeps the salmon incredibly moist throughout the cook.
Combine the orange juice, brown sugar, honey, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and whisk together until the sugar dissolves. Place the salmon fillet skin-side down in the marinade. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge — the citrus brightens the fish and the brown sugar and honey create a beautiful glaze as it cooks.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Scrub the Korean yams, pierce them a few times with a fork, rub with olive oil and a pinch of salt, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45–55 minutes until completely soft when pierced with a knife. Start these before the salmon so everything finishes around the same time.
Get your Pit Boss running at 350°F. Competition blend or alder pellets are ideal for salmon — alder in particular is the classic Pacific Northwest pairing with sockeye. Place the soaked cedar plank directly on the grates and let it preheat for about 5 minutes until it starts to lightly smoke and char on the bottom.
Remove the salmon from the marinade and place it skin-side down on the hot cedar plank. Lay the sliced orange rounds across the top of the fillet, then tuck the fresh basil leaves and bay leaves around and on top of the oranges. The citrus slices help steam the fish from above while locking in the marinade flavors.
Close the lid and let the salmon cook at 350°F until the internal temperature reaches 125°F in the thickest part of the fillet — this typically takes 25–35 minutes depending on thickness. At 125°F the salmon is perfectly medium — still slightly translucent in the very center, incredibly moist, and flakes beautifully. Pull it at 120°F if you want it a touch more medium-rare.
Pull the plank off the smoker and let the salmon rest for 5 minutes right on the plank. Serve directly from the cedar plank for presentation — it looks and smells incredible. Plate alongside the baked Korean yams. Saturday night dinner is handled.
Sockeye salmon is leaner than Atlantic salmon so it cooks faster and dries out quicker — pull it at 125°F, not a degree more. Use a thermometer, not a timer. Also, don't skip preheating the cedar plank on the smoker before placing the fish — that initial heat creates the steam immediately when the salmon goes on. And if you can't find Korean yams, regular sweet potatoes work fine, but Korean yams have a drier, nuttier flesh that pairs perfectly with the citrusy salmon.