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Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends

Published: Oct 29, 2021 · Modified: Oct 27, 2022 by Derek Wolf · This post may contain affiliate links · 18 Comments

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Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends for a seafood spin on one of our favorites. These sweet and salty, bite size pieces of salmon were absolutely delicious! I started these salmon burnt ends by curing them overnight in some brown sugar, salt and spicy honey.

The following day, I put them on the smoker and glazed them in a spicy honey butter mixture as they finished cooking. It wasn’t long after that when I was able to enjoy these tasty “burnt ends”. So freaking delicious! 

Post Sponsored by Oklahoma Joe’s
Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends garnished and served.

Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends

We all love classic burnt ends. The tips of a smoked brisket, cut into cubes and sent back to the smoker to continue cooking in some delicious sweet sauce. So, why Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends? Well, for one thing, it’s a good way to switch up our proteins.

Secondly, it cooks in a fraction of the time as the traditional burnt ends. If salmon isn’t your style, that’s okay. You can check out my Classic Smoked Maple Sriracha Burnt Ends Recipe here. Alternatively, if you’re pressed for time, I also have a Poor Man’s Burnt Ends recipe and it’s pretty stinkin’ delicious too. 

Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends hitting the smoker.
Pieces of salmon on Grill

As I mentioned above, we started these Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends the night before by curing them. Curing is a process similar to marinating. However, curing involves salt and sugar whereas marinating can involve a variety of ingredients.

Both are used to add flavor to food. If you want to compare the two processes, you can make this recipe and then try my marinated salmon recipe!

First, mix the brown sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Next, sprinkle that onto the salmon and mix together. Continue this process until all the brown sugar/salt mixture is gone.

Then, add the spicy honey. Mix again until each one has an even coating of honey. From here, cover the salmon and place them in the fridge to cure overnight. 

Smoking Salmon and Burnt Ends

The following afternoon (or morning, you can have this for breakfast if you want), start up your smoker and bring it to a temperature of 185-200F. Then, pull your future salmon burnt ends from the fridge and space them across a cooking sheet. Place that cooking sheet into the smoker and close the lid. We will leave them here to smoke for 3-4 hours. 

Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends get glazed.
Pieces of salmon

We will start making the smoked salmon glaze about an hour before the salmon finishes cooking. This go round, our glaze consists of melted butter, sriracha and more honey. I used a basting brush to spread this sweet and spicy glaze across each salmon cube. Now, close the lid and let these Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends finish cooking. 

Want to try another amazing fish dish? Try my cast iron salmon recipe!

Let’s Eat!

Pull the salmon from the smoker once they are cooked to your liking. I garnished mine with some multicolored sesame seeds and chopped scallions. From here, it’s time to chow down! Best enjoyed with friends and family. Cheers!

Smoked Salmon

For more delicious recipes, check out my cookbook Food X Fire!

Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.

Smoked Salmon
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends

Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends, let's get after it!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time4 hrs 15 mins
Marinating Time4 hrs
Total Time8 hrs 30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 485kcal
Author: Derek Wolf

Ingredients

Salmon & Cure:

  • 1 Side of Salmon skinned & cubed
  • 1.5 cups Brown Sugar
  • ¼ cup Kosher Salt
  • 2 tbsp Spicy Honey

Honey Sriracha Glaze:

  • 2.5 tbsp Melted Butter
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Honey

Garnish:

  • Sesame Seeds
  • Scallions Chopped

Instructions

  • Cube and skin your salmon first. Next, add it to a bowl or food safe bag. In a separate bowl, mix together your brown sugar and kosher salt. Add the mixture to your salmon along with the spicy honey. Mix together and place the salmon into the fridge. Let cure for at least 8 hours but ideally 12-24 hours. Make sure to mix the salmon every 4 hours so that it gets evenly cured.
  • When the curing is done, pull the salmon out and gently wash with cold water to release any excess cure. Place the salmon cubes on a baking sheet, and place in the fridge uncovered for 1-2 hours until the outside has developed a tacky texture.
  • Preheat your smoke for 185F-200F. Add some wood chips or wood chunks for added smoke flavor.
  • Pull your salmon out of the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Place the salmon into the smoker and cook for about 3-4 hours until they have become browned and caramelized all over. Make sure to keep the temperature within 185-200F as the white protein inside the salmon will leak out if hotter.
  • About 1 hour before the salmon is done, mix together the honey sriracha glaze. Glaze the salmon all over and let sit in the smoker until done. Once done, pull the salmon out and let cool for 5 minutes.
  • As the salmon cools, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25Salmon Filet | Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 7264mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 93g | Vitamin A: 241IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg
Derek Wolf
Derek Wolf

Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek’s fire cooking journey. He’s a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he’s cooking up, it’s guaranteed to be so freakin’ delicious!

Fish & Seafood Recipes, Recipes burnt ends, oklahoma joes, salmon, smoked salmon

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christopher Diaz says

    November 08, 2021 at 12:26 am

    5 stars
    Delicious, this is a great new take and flavoring with salmon. Very good.

    Reply
  2. Chris B says

    December 06, 2021 at 1:23 am

    I would absolutely abort ship on this recipe!! The salt content … just look to the end where you see the nutrition facts … that much salt is criminal! And what’s worse is that I just wasted $30 worth of fresh, wild caught salmon. Not sure why anyone would ever want 3 days worth of salt on anything you plan to eat. Potentially with some amendments this one would have better potential. Overall, would pull WAY back on salt if you move forward with this one.

    Reply
    • Derek Wolf says

      December 07, 2021 at 9:36 pm

      So most of the salt is actually for the cure! That much salt will get washed off before it hits the smoker. This is to create the outside texture that is sticky so that the smoke will adhere to the salmon. This is very similar to candied salmon or cured salmon! Hope that helps.

      Reply
      • Fred says

        February 10, 2022 at 4:57 pm

        5 stars
        Awesome dish, thank you

        Reply
  3. Jon says

    December 29, 2021 at 4:04 pm

    Can you marinate instead of curing while still producing the same sticky texture? Don’t have 24 hours and wondering if a 4 hour marinade will do the trick instead!

    Reply
    • Derek Wolf says

      December 30, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      So a marinade wont get the same sticky texture on the outside because the curing process makes a thin layer of sugar on the outside of the fish. That being said, I would just cure it for 4 hours!

      Reply
      • Richard says

        October 03, 2022 at 10:22 pm

        Made 3 times . First time a little salty but good. Second time bought a huge filet from Costco and was not salty at all. Tasted great. 3rd time on the smoker now. Love all your recipes.

        Reply
  4. Steve says

    March 02, 2022 at 2:46 pm

    No internal temp to determine when the salmon is done. Just normal temp for fish?

    Reply
    • Derek Wolf says

      March 04, 2022 at 5:30 pm

      It is more of an outside texture when they are done rather than the internal temperature.

      Reply
  5. Eric says

    April 25, 2022 at 9:47 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome! Make sure you rinse the salt off like the recipe says. My kids love these!. Thanks for another great recipe. Will do this recipe many more times in the future.

    Reply
  6. Tyler Shoemaker says

    June 06, 2022 at 9:24 pm

    If I go over 24 hours with the cure will it hurt anything?

    Reply
    • Derek Wolf says

      June 07, 2022 at 12:28 am

      The salmon will be more firm, but it shouldn’t affect the taste.

      Reply
  7. Sadie says

    June 17, 2022 at 8:15 pm

    5 stars
    Can you make those without a grill or smoker?

    Reply
    • Derek Wolf says

      June 18, 2022 at 10:02 pm

      Sure! Same process!

      Reply
  8. Nate says

    July 02, 2022 at 1:33 pm

    Any recommendation for how long the possible longest time they could sit out for after cooking? I have only 1 smoker than I need to use for a different recipe at a higher temp, so doing them at the same time won’t work…or is it possible to reheat?

    Reply
    • Derek Wolf says

      July 03, 2022 at 5:10 pm

      If you mean once they are cooked, the curing process makes them like jerky where they should be fine to sit for 1 hour or so out.

      Reply
  9. Jennifer says

    January 08, 2023 at 5:36 pm

    How long do these keep after making? They sound incredible!

    Reply
    • Derek Wolf says

      January 09, 2023 at 12:33 am

      3-4 days in the fridge, covered.

      Reply

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