Smoking Fish 101

One knife I think earns its place in any serious fish setup is a flexible fillet knife.
Not because it looks fancy — because that flex makes a huge difference when you’re following the backbone, working around rib bones and taking skin off cleanly.
Victorinox’s Fibrox fillet knife is one of those simple workhorse knives we recommend for fish processing.
If you’re still doing most of your fish work with a stiff chef’s knife, this is one of those tools where you notice the difference pretty quickly.
👉 https://smokingfish101.com/go/victorinox?src=fb-page&act=2026-09-24-victorinox-fibrox-facebook-page
Victorinox is the Official Knife Partner of the Smoking Fish 101 Championship Series.

We’re getting down to the final stretch of the Q3 Salmon Championship.
If you’ve smoked salmon this season and you’re proud of it, don’t leave the photo sitting on your phone.
We’re looking for the best smoked salmon photos from the community — backyard smokers, traditional smokehouses, hot smoked, cold smoked, whatever your style.
Entries close October 1.
If you’ve been thinking about entering, this is the time.
👉 https://www.smokingfish101.com/championship?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=championship&utm_content=facebook_group_final_week_sep23
Let’s see what you’ve got.

Q3 Salmon Championship | Smoking Fish 101 Enter through October 1 and compete for prize packages from Wild For Salmon, Victorinox and ThermoWorks.

Did you miss our first Smoking Fish 101 newsletter yesterday?
If you thought you were already signed up but didn’t receive it, your email may have been sitting in our old signup system.
We’ve started fresh with the new Smoking Fish 101 newsletter.
If you want the next one, make sure you’re on the list:
https://www.smokingfish101.com/newsletter?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sf101_newsletter_signup_sep_2026&utm_content=first_newsletter_followup
New guides, techniques, seasonal smoking ideas, contests, gear and community updates — straight to your inbox.
You’ll also get the free Smoking Fish 101 Master Guide when you join.
If you received yesterday’s first issue, what did you think?

ThermoWorks just released a limited-edition Brook Trout Thermapen ONE — and this one is pretty sharp.
I’ve been using a Thermapen ONE for a few years now and recommend it without hesitation. When you’re smoking fish, getting a fast, accurate internal temperature reading without leaving the smoker open any longer than necessary really matters.
ThermoWorks has also been one of Smoking Fish 101’s longest-standing photo contest sponsors. We partnered with them for a reason — they make excellent equipment, and I use their products myself.
If you like the Brook Trout design, this edition is limited:
https://smokingfish101.com/go/thermoworks-thermapen-one?src=fb-page&act=2026-09-20-brook-trout-launch-fb-page
Anyone else already using a Thermapen ONE? Maybe we should have a Thermapen photo challenge?
— Mike
Affiliate link — Smoking Fish 101 may earn a commission if you purchase through this link.

Easy Cold-Smoked Coho Salmon Recipe by Smoking Fish 101 group member Anthony Solovyev.
Used mesquite smoking pellets in a homemade cold smoker, smoked a total of about 9 hours in cold smoke. Brine was a 3:1 ratio of brown sugar to salt and additional spices that I like to add, the basic spices I always add are garlic powder, black pepper and paprika. I then dry brine the fillets in the fridge for 24 hours, lightly rinse the fillets and then dry with a fan blowing on them about 10 hours on each side. Flip them after the front side reaches a nice pellicle, then dry skin side for further 10 hours, then in the smoker they go.
These look fantastic Anthony - good luck in the Q3 Salmon Championship Photo Contest!

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.

Smoking Fish 101

Cold Smoke Silver Cohos - 24 hours with alder wood. Thin strips for dried fish / salmon jerky. No filter needed.
This photo is an entry in the 2026 Smoking Fish 101 - Salmon Championship Series by group member Wanda Isaacs from Klawock, Alaska. Good luck in the competition Wanda! Follow Smoking Fish 101 to get new recipes and contest updates.

Fully dried Red salmon strips. Dried using the traditional cold smoke method with green cotton wood. All of our fish is caught on the Kenai River and brought home to be processed. I grew up with the subsistence lifestyle and I still do it the way my late father did it. Fishing reminds me of him, it was his passion and now it is mine. Little side note, this is my first ever uluaq and it’s still going strong!

This is an entry into our 2026 Smoking Fish 101 - Q3 Salmon Championship photo contest. If you know anyone who smokes amazing fish with a decent camera eye and should enter into the contest, here is the link: https://smokingfish101.com/championship

Good luck in the Smoking Fish 101 Salmon Championship Wendy!

Nothing but salt and cold smoke.

A glaze may add some sweet shine, but this salt-and-smoke sockeye can go toe-to-toe with anyone’s salmon candy.

Should we run a Sugar-Free Smoked Fish Photo Contest—no sugar, no glaze, just salt, smoke and skill?

Thanks for sharing, Phillip R.