Tried a lot of different recipes and this one comes out the best for how I smoke my fish. Your results may vary, as not all smokers are created equally.

This recipe is compliments of The Autry Family via Stlhdr1.

This is enough dry brine to do 2 salmon.

Ingredients:

3 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup garlic salt
1/4 cup course pepper
1/8 cup chile powder
2 TBSP cayenne powder

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Heavily coat the fish chunks in the mixture and layer in a non-metallic bowl. Cover the bowl and let sit in the fridge for 24 hours.

Once brined, wash each piece of fish with cold water to remove off all the brine. Place on the smoker rack and pat dry. Grind fresh pepper over the fish.

Allow your fish to dry and form the pellicle. Smoke the fish according to your preferences.