Newbie salmon question

crvtt, morning and welcome.....  smoke adheres better to a dry surface.... also smoke and moisture combine into a taste that can be undesirable...  A pellicle is a protein skin that forms on the fish, keeping it sealed and holding in moisture....  

You can brine it, rinse and dry it with paper towels, season and let sit in the refer for a day to further dry and then smoke when ready...  

You don't HAVE to do that but you will get a better finished product...  

Most all meats need a pellicle and the quality improves when that is done....   Dave

The different brine/smoke temperature/time lines you have been reading about all yield different products from the same beginning. For smoke cooking a fish a few hours in a brine and then into hot smoke until the flesh flakes easily gets you some nice smoke cooked fish. If you take the same piece of fish and brine it then allow it to dry in the fridge overnight and smoke it in a cold smoker for several hours using alder or pear wood for smoke you get pretty good lox. As with everything in cooking, handling the same ingredients in a different manner yields a different meal. The recipe for pancakes and muffins is nearly the same just a little more liquid in the pancake batter and a different method of cooking.

crvtt said:

I've read several thread that speak of brining for several hours, forming a pellicle etc and while the results look amazing, it's much more work than I can do for a weeknight dinner.  Can I just season a piece of salmon and throw it into the smoker until it hits 140?  I don't really see anyone here doing that an I'm wondering why not.

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It can be a hot minute's worth of work, but you'll be THRILLED with the results!!!

I actually do it on Sunday (there's one in the smoker RIGHT NOW!) and it lasts all week!!! I'm the only one in my house that eats it. And I'll put it in salads for work, cut off a slab for dinner (throw in the microwave with a damp paper towel over it) and pick at it for breakfast. 

I've done what you've asked about; you should note that uncured or unbrined salmon needs to reach an internal temp 155. I had a nice little one portion sized piece and even though i smoked it for a significantly less amount of time due to size, just till it reached 155, it was way too dry and had lost all the moisture. Low and Slow just doesn't work with unbrined salmon.  For a quick after work, I want salmon dinner, throw it on the grill at the usual hotter than all get out and cook it to temp there... The fast searing temps keep the moisture in!

Good luck! And let us know what you decide on and how it turns out!!