"so I admit I'm an old fart, but my dad smoked salmon in an outdoor smokehouse with the fire in a barrel outside, with the smoke piped into the bottom of the smokehouse. The lowest rack was about five feet above the ground. I highly doubt that fish ever got above 100 degrees. He smoked it for seven days and used only fresh cut alder that smoldered and smoked but made very little heat."

Dave,

I do it the same way. I make Jerky the same way as well. My temp guage stays at 100 degrees max. True smoked salmon is not cooked it is dried . Cooking salmon at high temps while smoking is called Kipper. Drying slamon is how they make lox as well. I use a mix of apple alder and hickory chips. Straight alder makes it bitter IMHO. The brine and smoke combined make it hard for bacteria to grow.