For all those who have been wanting to get a smoker but haven't been able to convince their spouse or family, this very well could be the recipe that will win them over. This smoked salmon packs a lot of flavor that is sure to impress.

This recipe has become a quick favorite at our house. It was inspired by Pinch of Yum's recipe found here. We have made several adjustments to that recipe (namely smoking the salmon rather than baking it) to create something we enjoy even more.

FOR BEST RESULTS

Getting the pellet smoker started is the first step to making this successful. We recommend using a hard wood such as cherry, hickory or alder. These woods should all complement the natural flavors of the salmon really well.

Making good food often comes down to being able to build flavors on top of each other without being overwhelmed or having flavors become muddled by each other. A good BBQ rub on the salmon is crucial for this.

We mix the brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper with olive oil to make a nice paste. The recipe only calls for a dash of cayenne pepper but this and the chili pepper can be adjusted to match personal preferences if you are looking for more heat.

Then dry off the salmon so that the spice mixture will stick to the salmon, and rub a liberal layer of spice onto the salmon. We like to put them on silicon baking mats because this drastically reduces clean up time.

Smoke the salmon at 225 degrees F until their internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. This usually takes about an hour which is enough time to build a smoky flavor, but if your smoker has the ability to adjust smoke levels, like ours does, we recommend turning it up to make sure the smoky flavor comes through strong.

MASTERING THE SALSA

While the salmon is in the smoker you will have plenty of time to make the mango salsa. Getting this right is the most difficult part of the dish, but not for the reason you might think. It's all about getting a ripe avocado and a ripe mango.

There are two main ways to tell if an avocado is ripe. First is the firmness... you want it to have just a little bit of give, but if it is mushy or soft then it is already past it's prime. The second way is if it still has the little nub of a stem on the top. You can remove that and it acts as a window into the ripeness of the avocado. It will usually look the way the rest of the avocado will look, so you will want a nice light green.

The mango can be equally tricky especially if you don't eat mangos very often. Mangos should also be fairly firm with just a little bit of give when they are properly ripened. They will also be a nice yellow, orange or red color. They shouldn't be green, or if there is green it should be very minimal.

Smelling near the stem will be a good indicator of how it will taste. You want it to smell sweet, and refreshingly tropical. If you aren't familiar with what it means to smell refreshingly tropical, a ripe mango is a great frame of reference. On a more serious note, if your mango smells sour or moldy it will taste that way... so avoid those.

If you haven't learned how to cut a mango yet, then this is your lucky day. It can be an intimidating fruit because of its large seed and its potential to be a very stringy fruit, but it's actually rather simple. Cut on both sides of the core as close as you can without trying to go through it. Then make several perpendicular cuts going all the way to the peel.

Now this will allow you to flip the side inside out and cut off one or two layers of evenly sized cubes. Repeat this process on the other side and then remove the remaining front and back of the mango and make cubes in like manner.

Then you will mix these together with lime, cilantro, and a few seasonings, and you will have a perfect mango avocado salsa. This is one we load up on. I like to eat this meal with chips because it adds a nice crunch to this incredibly flavorful meal. We highly recommend the "hint of lime" tortilla chips for some extra lime flavor!

Ingredients:

Directions: