Favorite smoked salmon recipes??

Use a brine recipe as follows: 4 cups water; 1/4 cup kosher salt (standard brine ratio); 1/4 cup brown sugar; couple of bay leaves; 1/2 T thyme, 1 T fresh cracked pepper corns.  (I try to mix the brine the night before to let things dissolve).
Toss in the salmon for around 5-6 hours(shake the container several times), then rinse off the cracked pepper corns and air-dry in a fan driven breeze on a cooling rack (with a zip-lic bag of ice underneath if in the warm weather) for a couple of hours-this forms the pellicle.
After that-hot smoke (easiest on the BGE) at a dome of around 220*F (indirect) til the thickest part of the fillet hits around 135*F( around 75 mins) -serve hot or cold. FWIW-

Has a solid salmon flavor so if not your thing then hit the delete option.  

The above has the salmon flavor as it is not in the brine too long but salmon has a unique flavor profile that seems to always win out.  
Regarding the planked or smoked-just did a planked (cedar) cook this past week (on a request).  I would say you get a more subtle flavor with the smoked process.
I can't recall the cost delta at Costco but if it's up there, I would go with the farm-likely less "salmon" taste-  
All that said, If she is not into a strong fish taste-I would go with a white fish as they have a less pronounced "fish" flavor.  Salmon is like scotch or bourbon-you either like it or you don't.  Doesn't lend itself to a middle ground, at least in my experience.  FWIW-

For the most part, I am not a very good cook.  However, every time I do this salmon recipe ... and I do mean EVERY time ... the folks that eat it rave about and tell me I should open my own restaurant ... it is THAT good.

http://dizzypigbbq.com/portfolio/raging-river-maplebutter-crusted-salmon/

Canugghead said:

My favourite, it takes days though:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/smokedsalmon.htm

Agree.  Success takes time and effort.

@SGH  I followed the above recipe, then smoke at around 180-190 for at least 7 or 8 hours till really dry, takes away the 'fishiness' and 'sliminess'. When we served it at eggfests, even some salmon-haters loved it   
Yes, always start with fresh, but freezes well after smoking as described.

Canugghead said:

@SGH  I followed the above recipe, then smoke at around 180-190 for at least 7 or 8 hours till really dry, takes away the 'fishiness' and 'sliminess'. When we served it at eggfests, even some salmon-haters loved it   
Yes, always start with fresh, but freezes well after smoking as described.

Do you do the 5 day cure?

Canugghead said:

@SGH not the 5 day cure, I followed the recipe in Naked Whiz posted in above link. Would love to learn about your 5-day cure. 

The cure is stupid simple.  
1 cup non iodized salt.
4 cups brown sugar.  
To prepare the fish, simply cut it into 2 inch strips length wise. What I mean by this is if you have a piece of salmon 12 inches long and 6 inches wide, simply cut it so you have 3 pieces 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Strips will cure better than the whole slab.
Simply place the strips in a plastic container and pack them with the cure. When you are sure that you have used to much cure, add some more cure. You can't use to much.
Place in the fridge for 5 days. One note, everyday take the fish out of the fridge and shuffle them around in the cure to insure even curing. At the end of 5 days, do not rinse the cure off with water. Simply wipe it off. Then slow smoke.  
If you ever get the chance, give this curing, cool smoke method a shot. I think that you will be well pleased.  

Botch said:

...  When the white yucky stuff starts collecting on the fish surface, you're done.  

True that, for hot smoking/cooking. For low and slow I go for hours