Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends (Hot Honey Salmon Bites)
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If you’re looking for a way to give salmon a true BBQ twist, these smoked salmon burnt ends are the answer. Bite-sized, smoky, and glazed with a buttery hot honey finish, they’re the kind of irresistible snack that disappears fast at any cookout.
Don’t let the name fool you, there’s nothing burnt here, so I’m not sure they can technically be classified as “burnt ends,” but it’s a fun name that gets the point across. And they’re one of the most crowd-pleasing bites you can pull off the smoker.
Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends
I will be the first to admit that sometimes I forget about seafood when I’m deciding what to throw on the grill. I naturally gravitate towards heartier options like beef and pork, but there is something really special about the amazing flavor that you can create with smoke and good quality fish.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Salmon – You can use either farm-raised or wild salmon for this recipe. I like to use center-cut salmon (portions cut from the center of the whole filet) because it’s easier to cut cubes of equal size. You can use a whole filet or chop up smaller portions; be aware that you may need to adjust cook time.
- Lemon pepper seasoning – Lemon pepper seasoning is perfect for this recipe because it combines bold citrus flavor with a kick of pepper that pairs wonderfully with smoked fish. You can use store-bought lemon pepper or make it from scratch.
- Butter – I typically use salted because that’s what I keep in the fridge, but unsalted works fine.
- Hot honey – I’m using this glaze to give the salmon its flavor. If you’re not a fan of spice, you can substitute regular honey.
- Green onions – The finishing touch is a sprinkle of chopped green onions on top. They add a fresh flavor to the sweet, spicy, savory salmon.
Equipment you’ll need
- Smoker or pellet grill – I used my Grilla Grills OG pellet smoker for this recipe, but you can use any smoker or pellet grill. You can also use a charcoal grill or even a gas grill and they will turn out great.
- Sharp boning or slicing knife – You’ll need a sharp knife to cut the salmon into cubes. You want something sharp to ensure that you can cut through the skin, and our Smoke Kitchen boning knife is the perfect tool for the job.
- Wire rack – While you can easily smoke your salmon directly on the smoker’s grates, I’ve found over the years that using a wire rack makes it a lot easier. A wire baking rack is a good way to get your salmon on and off the smoker more easily, plus it will catch any skin that falls off during cooking.
- Cast-iron pan – An oven-safe pan is required for the braising portion of the recipe. I like to use my cast-iron pan for this job, but a baking dish or aluminum pan will work fine too.
Testing this smoked salmon burnt ends recipe
You may have seen my earlier version of this recipe a few years back. I’ve cooked these many times over the past few years and made a few changes that make it a better recipe:
- Adding the butter and allowing the hot honey to really melt into the fish at the end of the cook works wonders for flavor!
- Take the salmon up to 150°F to 155°F internal temperature. I find that about 10 minutes longer on the smoker really helps the texture of the salmon in the end without allowing it to dry out.
- No drizzle when serving. The addition of hot honey in the braise, along with the butter, comes together to give them a nice glaze without a sticky mess.
How to make smoked salmon burnt ends
1. Prep
There’s no need to remove the skin from your salmon before prepping the burnt ends, you’ll find that the skin pulls off with very little effort at the end.
The skin also acts as a barrier between the fish and the heat from the smoker, which helps with more even cooking.
The key is to use salmon that is at least 1” thick, but preferably closer to 2” in if you can find a thicker filet.
Before you start cutting, take a minute to sharpen your knife. A dull blade will be your worst enemy when it comes to slicing through salmon skin.
You want to cut the salmon into even cubes. I like to keep them around 2” wide, but you can go a bit smaller or bigger depending on personal preference.
Pro tip – Keep all of the salmon pieces a similar size, this will ensure they’re all cooked at the same time.
2. Season
I typically use store-bought lemon pepper seasoning because it’s readily available (and usually already in my spice cabinet), but it’s quite easy to make your own.
Lemon pepper seasoning
- Use a peeler to remove the skin from four lemons. Avoid including the pith (white part) that’s closest to the fruit. The flavor lies in the skin, and the pith can make your seasoning blend bitter.
- Place the skins in a dehydrator to dry them out. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use your oven on the lowest setting, but you will want to crack the door slightly to allow air to flow while they dehydrate.
- Lemon skins are dehydrated when they crumble easily when pressed between your fingers. You want to ensure all of the moisture has been removed before proceeding to the next step.
- Add the dehydrated lemon peels, 4 tbsp coarse black pepper, and 1 tbsp Kosher salt to a blender (or spice grinder) and blend until the texture is even.
Once you have your salmon cut into cubes, you can season them liberally with lemon pepper seasoning.
Transfer the cubes to a wire rack.
While you can smoke them directly on the grill’s grates, I’ve found that it’s much easier to handle them when you use a wire rack. The rack will also help catch the skin if it falls off during the cooking process.
Pro tip – Whether you are using a wire rack or placing them directly on the smoker, you want to put them with the skin side facing down and about 1″ apart to allow plenty of air flow between them.
3. Fire up the smoker
Preheat your smoker to 225°F.
For this recipe, I used my Grilla Grills OG pellet grill. I love this grill; it provides great smoke flavor and maintains a steady temperature throughout the cooking process.
You can alternatively use your charcoal or gas grill, but keep in mind that it needs to maintain a steady temperature of 225°F for at least a couple of hours (which can be challenging on some types of grills).
Once your smoker is preheated, you can place the wire rack with the salmon on the grates.
Pro tip – Choose a mild wood that won’t overpower the salmon’s flavor. I recommend using oak, pecan, or fruit woods like apple or cherry for this recipe. Avoid harsh woods like hickory or mesquite, as they can easily overpower the fish and leave you with an acrid flavor.
Let the salmon smoke for about 45 minutes to one hour, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F. This will give the fish time to soak up a bit of smoke flavor before you move on to the next step.
4. Braise
Once your salmon reaches an internal temperature of 135°F, remove it from the smoker and transfer it to a cast-iron pan, baking dish, or aluminum pan. Make sure to place them with the skin side facing down.
As you remove them from the wire rack, you may find that the skin removes itself as you pull them off. This is nothing to worry about, the skin can be discarded (or the pitmaster can eat it).
Once you’ve transferred your salmon to the pan, add the pats of butter.
Give it a good drizzle of hot honey.
Pro tip – This recipe calls for hot honey, which is essentially just honey with chilis added to it. You can buy it from the store, or make our homemade smoked hot honey. If you don’t like spice, regular honey will work just fine.
Place the pan back on the smoker for another 30 minutes to braise or until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 150-155°F.
Then you can remove the salmon from the smoker and sprinkle the chopped green onions on top for garnish and freshness.
Serve them immediately alongside the braising liquid for dipping.
Smoked salmon burnt ends are a perfect reminder that BBQ isn’t limited to the usual beef or pork. With just a little smoke, citrusy seasoning, and the richness of a hot honey butter braise, you can transform a simple cut of salmon into something truly memorable.
If you try this revamped smoked salmon burnt ends recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below and leave a five star review. It helps others find the best recipes.
Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends With Hot Honey Glaze
Ingredients
- 3 lb center cut salmon
- 2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
- ¼ cup butter - salted, cut into pats
- ¼ cup hot honey - store bought or try our homemade hot honey.
- 5 green onions - chopped for garnish
Lemon pepper seasoning
- 4 lemons
- 4 tbsp black pepper - course ground
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat your smoker to 225°F.
- Prep your salmon by cutting into cubes about 2” thick.
- Season the salmon liberally with the lemon pepper seasoning and transfer the cubes to a wire rack.
- Place the rack on the preheated smoker and let smoke for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they reach around 135°F internal temperature. It depends on the thickness of your salmon so you want to start checking temperature around the 45 minute mark.
- Remove the salmon burnt ends from the rack and transfer them to a cast-iron pan, baking dish, or aluminum pan.
- Add the pats of butter all over the top and drizzle the hot honey evenly over the top.
- Place the pan back on the smoker for another 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 150-155°F.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and serve immediately alongside the remaining braising liquid for dipping.
Lemon pepper seasoning
- Peel the skin off the lemons using a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Try to get the yellow part of the lemon only, leaving the white pith behind as much as possible.
- Dehydrate at 150°F for two to three hours, or until the lemon peels are completely dehydrated.
- Place the dehydrated lemon, pepper, and salt into a blender and blend on high-speed until the mixture is well combined and mostly smooth in texture.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only. If you’re worried you could always add a side of kale.
Next try these other grilled and smoked seafood dishes
About Your Pitmaster
Breanna Stark is a Texas-based competitive pitmaster and barbecue educator. She grew up cooking over charcoal and open flames while camping with her father, sparking a lifelong love of barbecue. Since 2014, she has competed in over 100 IBCA, KCBS, and CBA events, earning recognition for her award-winning chicken and Texas-style barbecue.
Passionate about recipe testing and development to create approachable dishes that help backyard cooks level up their barbecue skills. Breanna shares her expertise with over three million followers on social media.
Wondering how these would be at room temperature? I am planning a pan 80th birthday and would prepare food here and serve offsite.
They should still taste good.
These look great, going to give them a try. Question, in the beginning of the article it references setting the pellet grill at 225 F. … but in the recipe at the bottom it calls for setting it up at 250 F. Could you please clarify? Thanks.
This is an outstanding recipe. I had been looking for an interesting recipe and this one is off the charts. Made my own hot honey with homegrown Scotch Bonnet peppers and the brazing sauce turned out amazing. Used red oak and black cherry for smoking woods and admittedly, I lost some of the final product as it got eaten as hot smoked salmon.
I wouldn’t change a thing with the recipe. It was perfection.
Now I will need to go catch more salmon, just for this recipe!
Thanks Mike! I bet it would taste even better if you caught the salmon yourself.
I’m about to add my wood pellets to my smoker. I was told by another smoker to use alder pellets for salmon. We really like cherry with pork. I’d like to know if either one of these pellets would work. Thank you for your time