Smoked salmon and salmon jerky are widely made Alaska foods. Alaska Sea Grant describes methods such as brining, dry-brined lox, hot-smoked fish, and jerky strips smoked over alder [1].
| Products | Hot-smoked salmon, cold-smoked lox, salmon jerky |
|---|---|
| Wood (example) | Alder for jerky, cherry for lox |
| Training | Smoked Seafood School, Alaska Sea Grant |
Methods
An Alaska Sea Grant account of a Smoked Seafood School in Kodiak describes fish that is filleted, pin-boned, and run through a skin machine to make boneless, skinless fillets, with some fillets left skin-on or kept whole for cold-smoking. A vacuum tumbler speeds brining, with strips spending about 30 minutes in the tumbler rather than sitting overnight. Strips are placed on oiled racks and dehydrated and smoked in an oven [1].
Brines and woods
Alderwood chips are used for the salmon jerky and cherrywood for the lox. Lox is dry-brined with salt and sugar, while hot-smoked fish is wet-brined. The class teaches both hot-smoked Yukon chum and cold-smoked lox [1].
Craft and culture
UAF seafood technology specialist Chris Sannito compares smoking to winemaking, noting that there are many methods and each smoker has a technique, and that some of the best smoked salmon comes from backyard smokers. Akcinia Kulikov of Homer, who has smoked fish since age 11, describes smoking lox and caviar as part of her Russian heritage [1].
Training for sale
The two-day school is run by Alaska Sea Grant and the Manufacturing Alaska Extension Partnership and covers smoking principles, brining, fish sausage, red caviar roe processing, and smoked black cod. Instruction aims to help students make smoked products they can sell while meeting state DEC and FDA requirements [1].
FAQs
What wood is used for salmon jerky? The Sea Grant account says alderwood chips for jerky and cherrywood for lox [1].
What is the difference between lox and hot-smoked salmon? Lox is dry-brined and cold-smoked, while hot-smoked fish is wet-brined [1].
Who teaches smoking classes? Alaska Sea Grant and the Manufacturing Alaska Extension Partnership run a Smoked Seafood School in Kodiak [1].
Sources
Key facts
- Lox is dry-brined
- Jerky strips smoked over alder
Quick checkHow is Alaska smoked salmon made?Show answer
Fillets are brined, then hot-smoked or cold-smoked over woods such as alder or cherry.
Sources
- Alaska Sea Grant. Learning from a master smoker. 2018 (accessed 2026-11-14)
Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 14, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue