Gonna try to smoke some salmon, have ?

 

  Been talking about trying out my new Treager grill to smoke some costco salmon.  Only instructions I have currently are in a "Cook Book" that came with the grill.  I have 2 bags of pellets, mesquite and hickory.  I've got about a 50/50 mix of the two pellets used for some sliders and they tasted great!
  I'm a complete noob when it comes to smoking foods. 
Anyone have any suggestions?  Again, I'll be using this: http://www.traegergrills.com/shop/grills/BBQ055
Typically how long (@160*F) does smoking take?
What flavor of pellets would be better for fish?
How will I know the fish is done?
  Any info will help, as I've never done this before.
Thanks

This tutorial got me started on smoking salmon in my big green egg: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/smokedsalmon.htm

Ignore the egg-specific info in the tutorial and combine the fundamental concepts with any other advice you can find on the web, in cookbooks, from friends, etc and have a go at it. I would recommend being careful with mesquite and hickory. Very easy to over-smoke items (notably fish and poultry). Then again, personal preference may lead you to love that strong smoky flavor. I go with apple and alder chunks myself. Unfortunately, I have no experience with pellets. Best of luck to you!

If you are looking for more a sweet jerky type smoke salmon try Newcastle Ale in your brine in lieu of any water and smoke with cherry wood....

Basically for a sweet candy-like jerky we use the following ....

Fresh garlic cloves
Pepper corns
Dark brown sugar or honey or any heavy dark sweetener such as molasses or quality maple syrup...or some of of each.
Big bottle of Newcastle Ale or any dark sweet beer
Soy or Teriyaki if you like it even sweeter
Just a touch of Pickle juice (optional)
NO salt...your soy or teriyaki has plenty

Run the blender at full speed to blend the pepper corns and garlic up well. This will help reduce carbonation too
Put fish and brine in a zip lock (remove all air) then place in bowl (trust me on the bowl thingy...we have had bags leak) and place in refer overnight. Turn the bag a few times. Before loading the smoker you can rinse off excess brine, smoke as is, or even add some more honey or brown sugar .....depending on the quality of the fish or ?

Place on smoker racks with plenty of space between pieces of fish to allow even smoking and drying. Low heat is a key too.

We only add one pan of cherry wood (apple and alder are great too) chips and smoke until firm but not too firm as it will get crumbly when cool. Smoking time depends on how much you are smoking, fat content (bellies take time..but are the best), and heat of smoker. We use some old Little Chief smokers that have lasted many years...

Gelbyak is spot on about hickory and mesquite ...they tend to give a harsh ....often burpy smoke flavor

If you are looking for more a sweet jerky type smoke salmon try Newcastle Ale in your brine in lieu of any water and smoke with cherry wood....

Basically for a sweet candy-like jerky we use the following ....

Fresh garlic cloves
Pepper corns
Dark brown sugar or honey or any heavy dark sweetener such as molasses or quality maple syrup...or some of of each.
Big bottle of Newcastle Ale or any dark sweet beer
Soy or Teriyaki if you like it even sweeter
Just a touch of Pickle juice (optional)
NO salt...your soy or teriyaki has plenty

Run the blender at full speed to blend the pepper corns and garlic up well. This will help reduce carbonation too
Put fish and brine in a zip lock (remove all air) then place in bowl (trust me on the bowl thingy...we have had bags leak) and place in refer overnight. Turn the bag a few times. Before loading the smoker you can rinse off excess brine, smoke as is, or even add some more honey or brown sugar .....depending on the quality of the fish or ?

Place on smoker racks with plenty of space between pieces of fish to allow even smoking and drying. Low heat is a key too.

We only add one pan of cherry wood (apple and alder are great too) chips and smoke until firm but not too firm as it will get crumbly when cool. Smoking time depends on how much you are smoking, fat content (bellies take time..but are the best), and heat of smoker. We use some old Little Chief smokers that have lasted many years...

Gelbyak is spot on about hickory and mesquite ...they tend to give a harsh ....often burpy smoke flavor

FOLLOW THIS EXACTLY!!!! I use this one for everything. I made some salmon for xmas and it didn't make it to the table. People ate it right off the smoker rack standing in front of the kitchen sink!