1 pound sockeye salmon (skin on), cut into 1” strips, about 8 pieces
Candy Cure:
3 ½ cups sugar
1 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dude Food Fire Sass Yer Maple Spice Blend
2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Candy Coating:
1 ½ tablespoons Dude Food Fire Sass Yer Maple Spice Blend
¼ cup Sassy Glaze (recipe below)
Set smoker to 180-200 degrees.
To cure:
In small sauce pot, combine syrup and spice blend. Bring to boil. Turn off heat and set aside.
Using a large shallow bowl, coat the bottom of the bowl with syrup. Lay down a layer of fish, skin side up. Sprinkle with a layer of salt, sugar, and syrup. Layer additional salmon on top and repeat the salt, sugar and maple. Repeat in layers until all salmon is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Place salmon on cookie sheet about ½-inch apart in a single layer. Let air dry to form the pellicle (sticky coating) for about 2-3 hours.
Make glaze while you are waiting for the cure.
Heat smoker to 165-200 degrees.
Place salmon strips on a rack inside a sheet pan. Brush lightly with glaze and sprinkle about ½ teaspoon of spice blend on top of salmon. Place salmon on sheet pan in smoker and let cook for about 1 hour. Brush on additional glaze and sprinkle with additional spice blend. Let cook for 1 hour more, then remove from heat. Brush with additional glaze and sprinkle with additional spice blend. Refrigerate to cool. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week or in freezer for 2-3 months.
Sassy Glaze
1 stick whole butter
1 large shallot, rough chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 tablespoons Dude Food Fire Sass Yer Maple Spice Blend
Over medium heat, cook shallots in butter for 8-10 minutes, stirring every minute or two to prevent burning or sticking. Add sugar, honey, water, syrup, and preserves. Bring to boil, reduce heat and lightly simmer for 5 minutes. Add spice blend and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.