Kippered Salmon

Every Saturday evening, I have a little ritual. I buy a side of salmon, cure it with vodka, salt, and brown sugar, and smoke it over apple or cherry. The next morning, we wake up to bagels and freshly kippered salmon—the gastronomic high point of the week. Smoking salmon sounds like a complicated procedure, so you may be surprised to learn that the actual preparation time is under 15 minutes. You don’t need any special equipment (at least no more special than a wok). As for the results, wel