Smoking with Bear Mountain Hardwood Pellets...Featuring Smoky Grilled Lemon-Basil Salmon #easysmoking #salmon #woodpellets #summerbbq

I'm super excited to share a new product today that will have you totally rethinking the way you barbecue in your backyard! You can easily elevate your at-home grilling experience with Bear Mountain BBQ’s 100% natural hardwood pellets -- even if you don't own a pellet grill! These premium hardwood pellets create wood-fired flavors and aromas using any gas, charcoal, or electric grill...or smoker. Bear Mountain has created the perfect combinations of hardwoods to produce the ideal flavor profile for different types of grilled meats and vegetables. Stronger hardwoods add richness to steak, medium to mild wood species pair perfectly with chicken or pork, and lighter
fruitwoods complement the delicate flavors of seafood.

Bear Mountain BBQ uses quality natural hardwood to add rich, smoky flavor to grilled foods. They've created the perfect combinations of hardwoods to create optimal flavor for different types of grilled meats and vegetables. Each Craft Blend provides a unique flavor profile to create delicious meats and veggies.  I used Bear Mountain's Sweet BBQ Craft Blends™ wood pellets -- featuring a blend of fruitwoods -- to complement the wild caught salmon in my Smoky Grilled Lemon-Basil Salmon. The pellets were a snap to use via the Sprinkle Method, which is perfect for charcoal grills! As the following video shows, I simply sprinkled a large handful of the wood pellets on top of hot coals -- and they immediately began to smoke.

After adding the salmon to the grill, I closed the lid to allow the pellets to infuse the salmon with a smoky flavor as it cooked. The kiln-dried wood pellets are low moisture, providing consistent flavor. As an added bonus, the pellets burn clean with little ash -- which makes for easy cleanup!

If you love salmon, you'll go crazy for this Smoky Grilled Lemon-Basil Salmon! It features lemon and garden-fresh basil -- signature Summer flavors -- in a simple marinade and flavor-packed rub. The end result is fish that's bursting with the big flavors we love!

Smoky Grilled Lemon-Basil Salmon

a Weekend Gourmet Original

Ingredients (makes three servings):

• Three 4-ounce skin on fillets wild-caught Atlantic salmon
• Rice for serving with the finished salmon
• Thinly sliced lemon and basil leaves for garnish

For the marinade:

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 5 basil leaves, chopped
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped shallot

For the compound butter:

• 2 Tbs. salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 3 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

For the spice rub:

• 1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried parsley 
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

Directions:
Step 1: Add the pineapple juice, soy sauce, olive oil, honey, lemon juice and zest, basil, and shallot to an 8x8 dish. Whisk well to combine and add the salmon pieces to the dish, skin side down. Marinate the salmon in the fridge for one hour, flipping the piece over after 30 minutes to ensure the marinade is infused into the entire fillet.

Step 2: While the salmon marinates, get your charcoal started...and make the other recipe components. For the compound butter, add the softened butter, lemon zest, basil, and garlic powder to a small bowl. Stir until all ingredients are completely combined. 

Step 3: Make the spice rub. Add the salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and paprika to a small bowl. Stir to completely mix all of the spices together.

Step 4: Spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick spray and arrange the three salmon pieces on top, skin side down. Brush a third of the softened compound butter onto each of the fillets. Then, sprinkle a third of the spice rub on top of each buttered fillet. Add a large handful of the Bear Mountain wood pellets to the coals -- as shown in the video above. Add the salmon -- including the foil -- the grill. Cover and cook for approximately 10 minutes.

Step 5: To serve, spoon your favorite rice onto a serving platter -- I used yellow rice. Arrange the cooked salmon on top of the rice. Garnish each piece of salmon with a thin slice of lemon and a basil leaf. Serve immediately.

Wowza is this salmon delicious! It's smoky, but the fruitwoods in the Bear Mountain Sweet BBQ Craft Blends™ wood pellets didn't overwhelm the other flavors in the dish. It was a perfect balance of smoke with bright lemon and basil. To save time, the spice blend and compound butter can be made up to a day ahead and stored until ready to prep the salmon to cook.

Bear Mountain BBQ uses high-quality natural hardwood to add rich, smoky flavor to food. Their wooden pellets are made from 100% premium all-natural hardwoods -- with no flavorings, fillings, or additives. To learn more about their entire line of easy-to-use wood smoking pellets, visit their web page.

Disclosure: Bear Mountain BBQ provided me with sample products to facilitate this original recipe and feature. All opinions are solely my own.