I have smoked salmon and lake trout/arctic char for years, using a quite simple recipe. I use a gallon glass pickle jar, in which I put in 1 1/2 cups of kosher salt (from supermarket), and 2 cups of brown sugar. After I mix the two dry ingredients, I fill the jar about 2/3rds filled with cold tap water, and mix, mix, and mix some more -- tough to dissolve all the salt
. Then, I add the rinsed cut fresh fish, put Saran Wrap on top of jar, and refrigerate for more than a day. I then take it out, and rinse under fresh water to remove surface salt.
Then I lay fish out, side by side, on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet or two and -- important step, so I have been told -- let it DRY. A sunny day adds. I don't recall the term -- something like, "pellicle"? -- but once dry, a film/coating forms -- the "p" word mentioned. I then put it in my Luhr Jensen electric smoker -- using a pan of dampened apple-wood chips. I "home-make" the apple by taking a pruned branch or two, and simply make repetitive passes with the ends over the spinning cutters of my Rockwell 4" Jointer. I only need smoke for two to four hours -- depends upon size/thickness of pieces -- but, imho, I can view this as one "of the foods they serve in Heaven"! A buddy does the same, but adds some spices to the brine solution -- something I've not found necessary.
BEST!
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