Grill-Smoked Salmon with Huckleberry Glaze
By Bryan RoofPublished on April 28, 2025
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour refrigerating
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Salmon
1 (2-pound) center-cut skin-on Chinook salmon fillet, about 1½ inches thick2½ teaspoons kosher salt ¾ teaspoon pepper 1 cup alder wood chips 1 tablespoon minced fresh chivesHuckleberry Glaze
5 ounces (1 cup) fresh or frozen huckleberries ⅓ cup honey 2 tablespoons cider vinegar ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon pepperBefore You Begin
We developed this recipe using Chinook salmon (also known as king salmon), the largest and most succulent species of wild Pacific salmon. Atlantic salmon also works well here. We don’t recommend using sockeye or coho salmon, which are thinner and leaner; they will cook faster and may be drier. Oak or applewood chips can be used in place of alder. Be sure to clean and oil the cooking grate well so the salmon doesn’t stick. Wild blueberries can be substituted for the huckleberries; they are not as tart as huckleberries, so after the blueberry glaze reaches 220 degrees in step 2, add 1 to 2 teaspoons more cider vinegar to achieve a sweet-tart flavor.
Instructions
- Sprinkle flesh side of salmon evenly with salt and pepper, then refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
- Meanwhile, bring all ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often and mashing berries with potato masher, until mixture is thickened and registers 220 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much sauce as possible; discard solids. Let glaze cool to room temperature to fully thicken, about 1 hour. Measure out 2 tablespoons glaze and set aside for brushing raw salmon; reserve remaining glaze for cooked salmon. (Glaze can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
- Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap wood chips in 8 by 4-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips do not poke holes in sides or bottom of packet.) Cut 2 evenly spaced 2-inch slits in top of packet.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter half-filled with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Remove cooking grate and place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Set grate in place; turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner [or, if using 3-burner grill, primary burner and second burner] as needed to maintain grill temperature of about 350 degrees.)
- Brush flesh side (top and sides) of salmon evenly with 2 tablespoons glaze. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place salmon on cooler side of grill, skin side down, with thicker long side closest to fire (or primary burner if using gas). Cover grill (position lid vent over salmon if using charcoal) and cook until center of fillet registers 135 degrees (for medium-well), 30 to 35 minutes.
- Using 2 spatulas, transfer salmon to platter, skin side down; tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. (If skin sticks to cooking grate, insert spatulas between skin and fillet to separate and lift fillet from skin.) Brush top of salmon with 1 tablespoon reserved glaze. Sprinkle with chives. Serve, passing extra glaze separately.
for the salmon
for the huckleberry glaze
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour refrigeratingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Salmon
Huckleberry Glaze
Ingredients
Salmon
Huckleberry Glaze
Ingredients
Salmon
Huckleberry Glaze
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe is inspired by the huckleberry-glazed salmon prepared by Chief Younker of the Coquille Indian Tribe in North Bend, Oregon. His recipe features whole sides of salmon skewered with cedar stakes and leaned over a live fire of alder and cedar woods. He brushes huckleberry glaze on towards the end of cooking, and it caramelizes and chars lightly just as the salmon is done. To introduce this concept to the backyard grill, we opted for a 2-pound center-cut Chinook salmon fillet, though farm-raised Atlantic salmon would make a suitable substitute. The glaze was made simply with huckleberries (fresh or frozen), honey, and cider vinegar. We brushed the salmon with the huckleberry glaze before slowly smoking it with alder wood chips over indirect heat. A final coating of the huckleberry glaze reinforced its flavor at the end, and a light sprinkling of chives (our own addition) made an attractive garnish.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
We developed this recipe using Chinook salmon (also known as king salmon), the largest and most succulent species of wild Pacific salmon. Atlantic salmon also works well here. We don’t recommend using sockeye or coho salmon, which are thinner and leaner; they will cook faster and may be drier. Oak or applewood chips can be used in place of alder. Be sure to clean and oil the cooking grate well so the salmon doesn’t stick. Wild blueberries can be substituted for the huckleberries; they are not as tart as huckleberries, so after the blueberry glaze reaches 220 degrees in step 2, add 1 to 2 teaspoons more cider vinegar to achieve a sweet-tart flavor.
Instructions
- Sprinkle flesh side of salmon evenly with salt and pepper, then refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
- Meanwhile, bring all ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often and mashing berries with potato masher, until mixture is thickened and registers 220 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much sauce as possible; discard solids. Let glaze cool to room temperature to fully thicken, about 1 hour. Measure out 2 tablespoons glaze and set aside for brushing raw salmon; reserve remaining glaze for cooked salmon. (Glaze can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
- Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap wood chips in 8 by 4-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips do not poke holes in sides or bottom of packet.) Cut 2 evenly spaced 2-inch slits in top of packet.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter half-filled with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Remove cooking grate and place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Set grate in place; turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner [or, if using 3-burner grill, primary burner and second burner] as needed to maintain grill temperature of about 350 degrees.)
- Brush flesh side (top and sides) of salmon evenly with 2 tablespoons glaze. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place salmon on cooler side of grill, skin side down, with thicker long side closest to fire (or primary burner if using gas). Cover grill (position lid vent over salmon if using charcoal) and cook until center of fillet registers 135 degrees (for medium-well), 30 to 35 minutes.
- Using 2 spatulas, transfer salmon to platter, skin side down; tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. (If skin sticks to cooking grate, insert spatulas between skin and fillet to separate and lift fillet from skin.) Brush top of salmon with 1 tablespoon reserved glaze. Sprinkle with chives. Serve, passing extra glaze separately.
for the salmon
for the huckleberry glaze
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
0 Comments