Salmon Burnt Ends
On November 21, 2022 (Updated October 24, 2023)
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These salmon burnt ends are little nuggets of seafood goodness. They’re slow-smoked in a sweet rub and then glazed over with my maple bourbon grilling glaze to coat them in a sweet and savory finishing sauce.
Can You Make Salmon into Burnt Ends?
Ah, the age-old question of “will it burnt end?” We’ve been asking this question a lot over on the Hey Grill Hey YouTube channel, and you’d be surprised to know that salmon makes for excellent burnt ends!
Obviously, these salmon burnt ends will not taste anything like the classic Brisket Burnt Ends, but you will end up with a delicious little nugget of seafood goodness. These are definitely an awesome thing to try!
Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends
Smoked salmon burnt ends are the burnt ends you didn’t know you needed. If you don’t want to call them burnt ends, you could also call them smoked salmon bites, smoky salmon nuggets, maple bourbon salmon bites, or even bite-sized pieces of heaven.
Pick your favorite if you’re opposed to burnt ends being anything but brisket point. No matter what you call them, I can guarantee these will be a little bite of BBQ you keep coming back to over and over again.
Ingredients for Salmon Burnt Ends
Here’s what you’ll need to make these salmon burnt ends. This recipe only requires 3 ingredients, making it a quick and easy thing you can make without a whole lot of shopping beforehand.
- 2-pound salmon filet
- 4 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub
- 1/2 cup Hey Grill Hey Maple Bourbon Glaze
Both the Sweet Rub and Maple Bourbon Glaze can be purchased pre-made from the Hey Grill Hey Store. You can also find these products at many retailers across the United States!
If you don’t have either of these on hand, no stress! You can also make them from scratch using recipes here on the site. Check them both out at my recipes for Best Sweet Rub and Maple Bourbon Glaze.
How to Make Salmon Burnt Ends
Now that you have all your ingredients assembled, you’re ready to make these burnt ends!
- Prep. Cube the salmon into 2-inch pieces, aiming to make them all similar in size. Season them on all sides with Sweet Rub.
- Smoke. With your smoker preheated to 225 degrees F, place the cubed and seasoned salmon on the grill grates. Close the lid of the smoker, and smoke the fish for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees F as read by an instant-read thermometer.
- Sauce. Drizzle Maple Bourbon Grilling Glaze evenly over all the salmon. Close the lid, and continue to smoke for another 15 minutes or until the salmon reaches 145 degrees F.
- Dig in! Remove the salmon from the smoker to a serving dish. Serve these up immediately. They taste best when they are fresh out of the heat.
Did you love these guys? If so, please let us know what you thought of them in the comments below. If there is anything else you like us to burnt end, be sure to leave your suggestions in the comments as well. You’ll never know what we might cook up next!
Tips for Making Burnt Ends with Salmon
Now that you get the basic gist of how to make these, let me hit you up with some tips to help you get the best-tasting salmon nuggets out there.
- Use a fatty filet of salmon with the skin removed. For this method, a King salmon or Atlantic salmon will yield the best results. It has the right amount of fat to keep things juicy and the filets are thick enough to make the cubes an even size.
- Pick a light wood. This salmon isn’t in the smoke for a very long time, so choosing the right type of wood is important to get the flavor you want. Maple, pecan, cherry, or alder will give you a nice smoke flavor without overwhelming the delicate flavor of the fish.
- Buy the ingredients beforehand. These salmon bites are SO EASY when you use the pre-made BBQ Rub and Sauce I sell in my store, but you can also make these at home. I love providing the recipes, so whether you’re making everything from scratch or using the bottled ingredients, your results will be perfect.
More Burnt Ends Recipes
If these salmon burnt ends didn’t hit the spot, no fear! Hey Grill Hey has a bunch of other burnt ends recipes to satisfy any craving you may have. Check out a few of our favorites below.
Salmon Burnt Ends Recipe
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Salmon Burnt Ends
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pound salmon filet skin removed
- 4 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub recipe link in notes section
- ½ cup Hey Grill Hey Maple Bourbon Glaze recipe link in notes section
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F with a mild hardwood like maple, alder, cherry, or pecan.
- Cube. Cut your salmon into cubes that are about 1 1/2-2 inches and as similar in size as you can get them for even cooking.
- Season. Season the salmon cubes on all sides with the Sweet BBQ Rub.
- Smoke. Place the salmon cubes on the smoker grates, close the lid, and smoke for about 1 hour, or until your salmon reaches 125 degrees F in the thickest part.
- Sauce. Drizzle the salmon bites with the Maple Bourbon Glaze, close the lid, and continue cooking until the salmon reaches 145 degrees F (about 15-20 minutes).
- Enjoy. Remove the salmon to your serving platter and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Purchase it from the store HERE: Sweet Rub
- Make it from scratch using this RECIPE: Best Sweet Rub Recipe
- Purchase it from the store HERE: Maple Bourbon Grilling Glaze
- Make it from scratch using this RECIPE: Maple Bourbon Glaze Recipe
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these today with two salmon filets cut into 1.5 inch pieces, used the sweet rub and maple bourbon sauce and they were fantastic! Served with chili garlic rice.
Made these with a sweet cherry rib rub and Stubbs sweet and sticky sauce. The sauce was a touch thick so I’ll thin that out a bit with water or apple juice next time. But all in all these were the bomb (or bomblets). Thanks for the vid and recipe.
Only 4 stars ’cause I haven’t actually made them yet. But they look incredible and I can’t wait to.
This looks like the most perfect.