Lox is one of my favorite foods and when we moved to a salmon river I knew I needed to master making it. This batch was made with chum salmon. Starting with fillets I pack them in a mixture of 1/2 Kosher salt and 1/2 brown sugar, wrap that up in plastic wrap with the end unsealed so that moisture has a place to drain out. Then I put them in a container and place a weight on them, I use a nice flat board with a rock on top but whatever you can improvise is fine, maybe a platter topped with a bowl of rocks. I then put it in a cold place. A refrigerator is ideal but I don’t have one so I use a covered hole in the ground. I leave it for several days, rotating them daily. The exact length of time will vary on the thickness of the fillets, usually 2 to 3 days, but they are ready when they feel firm throughout.
After they are cured, rinse off the salt mixture, and put it in the cold smoker for 3 or 4 hours, not long. The fish should be tacky enough to really pick up the smoke fast and too long will dry it.