Peppered Salmon

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon crushed whole allspice
1 salmon fillet with skin, 3 to 3 ½ pounds and 1 to 1 ½ inches thick
about ½ cup mixed whole peppercorns
about ½ cup apple or hickory wood chips
1 tablespoon honey
2 or 3 thin red onion slices
fresh dill sprigs
condiments (capers; 1 cup minced red onion mixed with 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice; sour cream; thin toast; lime or lemon wedges

In 1 to 1 ½ quart pan, bring 1 ½ cups water, sugar, salt, ginger, bay leaves, and allspice to a boil over high heat
Stir until sugar dissolves completely; cool slightly
Rinse salmon fillet, pat dry, and lay flat with skin down in a rimmed pan about 12 x 15 inches
Pour sugar-salt mixture over salmon
Cover pan tightly and chill fish at least 4 or up to 24 hours; occasionally spoon brine over fish

Mound 16 charcoal briquets on grill and ignite
Pour enough hot water over peppercorns to float them; soak for at least 15 minutes
Soak wood chips in warm water for at least 15 minutes
Pour brine off fish; rinse with cool water; pat dry
Place fish skin side down on foil; cut foil to shape of fish
Rub honey on fish; drain pappercorns and scatter over fish
When coals are dotted with gray ash, push half to each side of firegrate
Drain wood chips and scatter 2 tablespoons on each mound of coals
Set grill 4 to 6 inches above firegrate; lightly oil the grill
Place salmon on foil on center of grill (no coals should be beneath fish)
Set an oven thermometer on center of fish
Put lid on barbeque and open vents to ¼ inch
After 30 minutes, add 3 briquets to each mound of coals; repeat every 30 minutes
Check often to make sure temperature stays about 160° if temp drops, open vents slightly; if temp goes up, close 1 or 2 of the vents
Add wood chips as needed to produce a faint, steady stream of smoke
Cook salmon until center is 140°, about 1 ½ hours
Using foil and wide spatula, slide fillet onto a baking sheet without sides, then transfer fish from sheet to a platter