Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends With Hot Honey Glaze

Smoked low and slow, these salmon burnt ends get hit with bold lemon pepper, then braised in butter and hot honey for a smoky, citrus-spiked bite.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 30

Servings people

Calories 354kcal

Author Breanna Stark

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

Centre cut salmon are portions cut from the center of the whole filet. You can use a whole filet or chop up smaller portions, be aware you may need to adjust cook time.

Whether you are using a wire rack or placing them directly on the smoker, you want to place them with the skin side facing down.

Make sure to allow at least 1" between each salmon piece to allow plenty of air flow between them.

Choose a mild wood that won’t overpower the salmon's flavor. For this recipe, I recommend using oak, pecan, or fruit woods like apple or cherry. Avoid harsh woods like hickory or mesquite, as they can easily overpower the fish and leave you with an acrid flavor.

Hot honey - If you’re not a fan of spice, you can substitute regular honey.

Nutrition