Yes, Salmon does pair well with Apple smoke.  Good call on that, DD.

Matter of fact, if I could only choose one wood to smoke with, it would be apple.  Goes pretty well with everything.

Thanks PD, good ideas.  I'm adding your note to my "smoker file!" 

prouboy

I have a Traeger wood pellet grill smoker and think it is great. Easier to use than a big green egg I think.

Smoked salmon is very good, especially with a brief brine.

A thermometer is helpful for monitoring temps.

Practice on ribs. They are forgiving and it is hard to smoke them too long but easy to go too short. The advice to wrap them up in foils and towels is good. I wrap them in foil, put them in a paper grocery bag, and the hold them in the oven at 160 degrees until ready to eat. If you use sauce, sauce them for 20-30 minutes on the smoker before wrapping.

Something I love, but I never see anyone else do, is smoking chuck eye steaks, ~1.5-2 inches thick, with a chile powder/salt/brown sugar based rub. It does not take long for the fat to render and then it is like a hige ribeye. Serve with some home made bbq sauce and it is great.

BTW, the Traeger is and excellent baked potato grill. Rub the taters with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and put on high for 1 hour. Perfect.

The Traeger's are now made in China. My friend has one and although it works well, he has basically rebuilt it a couple of times under warranty because it keeps breakng down. Were I to buy another, I would get an American made Memphis grill or similar. They get a higher max temp. They can be used as smoker, oven, or grill which is very convenient. You can use a variety of wood from mesquite, to fruit woods, to hickory.

Have you smoked the pheasant yet?  I have had and used a number of smokers over the years.  Like many good things, the results can be delicious, but the process takes time.me.
Anyway, curious about the pheasant, as I have plenty and need some new recipes.
I have never smoke pheasant, as they are so lean and dry to start with.  Many of the meats that smoke well are fairly fatty.  Brining salmon overnight with a little brown sugar works very well. 

Just curious, hope the birds turn out well.

I have to agree with Snow_Dog ... The EGG is a great smoker/grill combo. I went to Indianapolis last August to visit family and my brother in law said that there was an EGG cooking event at a ACE hardware store called Sullivans Hardware on the northside near Keystone at the Crossing that weekend. There were about 30 EGGs set up and different EGG HEADS  cooked all kinds of food ( brisket, veggies, crabcakes, chicken, pork, etc.) The food was delicious and all chefs were willing to share cooking recipes. EGG manufacturer reps were there answering questions and had new EGGS for sale. Eggs that were used for cooking that weekend were priced ata nice discount. They had live music, beer and we had a great time sampling foods cooked on the EGG. Apparently it is a annual event and attended by several hundred Hoosiers. May want to check it out if you are in the area. I didn't buy one ... but my brother in law did and he is very happy with his EGG. In his opinion "pricey" but worth every penny. (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)