Just thought I would pass along my first experience with smoking trout.
It’s as good as smoked salmon…at least if you use Eagle Lake Rainbows in the 18-20 inch range. Meat looks like salmon, too.
First time ever smoking fish (light the tail, smoke the mouth ;)) and it came out durned good. Happy with this one.
Mike
I had some just yesterday. Darned good eatin’.
What’s your brine recipe? I use about equal parts brown sugar, salt and Rooster sauce. Brine for four or five hours, let the filets dry a bit and then smoke. I use apple and alder mostly.
Nice glad you enjoyed it.
I use equal parts brown sugar and salt, and some dill, a few knobs of butter and a pinch of pepper, Yum! Any fruit wood is good as is Oak, Tea Tree etc. Some dried herbs in the wood chips can add a bit of flavor as well.
I only keep fish from areas that I know do not produce trout with a muddy taste, Don’t like that at all.
All the best.
Mike
… is another possibility.
About a dozen years ago, a friend took me fishing on Cummings Lake just south of Ely NV. Similar size rainbow trout on a diet of scuds so the fishies had flesh that was a salmon pink. Excellent eating.
While I still had a good number in the freezer, I decided to try dehydrating them. Thawed them, baked them for about 45 minutes at 350F, and then put them in a food dehydrator set on high ( around 140F as I recall ) for something like 12 hours. Kind of a rainbow jerky, but without any seasoning so it was more like concentrated salmon flavor rather than smoked salmon or trout jerky.
The dehydrated trouts were a major source of nutrition during a five day, four night backpack to … where else … Rainbow Bridge National Monument. A quart bottle full of the dehydrated trout lasted all five days with no spoilage, with enough left over for a celebratory snack for all seven people on the backpack.
John
I like to smoke trout…IF I can find papers big enough…
Brad
I use brown sugar and salt and smoke over manuka chips. Very nice. If you know that the area produces a muddy flavour trout, soaking the fish in brine overnight should help reduce, or even remove, that flavour. It’s not actually mud in the fish, but is a protein they produce and the salt helps break it down apparently.
Brine was saltwater for about 20 mins while the fire got hot. Smoked over pear wood chunks, 150 deg for 30 mins, then 225 for 30 mins. At least I tried for 225… The fire got away for a few mins and it got a little hotter…I am still a noob ith my smoker…and a total noob on fish
I’ve got a recipe book for smoking fish (The Kiwi Smoker, by Carl Scott). It’s just a little paper back booklet, but full of neat ideas. Here’s what he suggests for trout and salmon:
Brine:
3 litres water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pickling salt
1/2 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp bay leaves
Immerse the fish in the brine for 5-6 hours and refridgerate. (If this amount isn’t enough to completely cover the fish, then increase proportionally)
Remove the fish from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Place in the fridge for another 6-12 hours.
Then, smoke your fish (time depends upon size of the fish, temperature, what kind of smoker you have, etc).
I’ve not actually tried this yet, but it would be worth a go if I can think to prepare the fish the day before!
Yesterday we went to a event where the Indians (Umatilla Tribe) were smoking salmon on sticks using Alder logs. I don’t believe that they brine them. tasted like Salmon with a slight smoke flavor. It was good.
After my first experience with very little brine, I don’t see the necessity.
Because I am a neophyte, please explain the need for sugar in a fish brine
Just adds a nice flavor! If you are hot smoking you do not need to brine the fish as such, just rub on some salt and sugar if using and let it sit for half an hour before smoking. A hot smoke should take no more than half an hour a cold smoke can take up to 24 hours, but probably more likely 8 hours or so. If smoking to preserve then the fish should be very well air dried after brining before smoking.
The sugar in my view really makes the fish taste good, I find if I do not use sugar the fish tastes only of the bitter salt and smoke, but with the sugar the salty smokey flavor is much improved. It goes very well with a single Malt!
As usual it is all down to taste, if you like your fish done without sugar, go for it!
All the best.
Mike
Man, you guys have me thinking. I just got a new grill/smoker for Fathers Day. I think I’m going to have to give it a try. Thanks for the recipe Jeff!
TT.
Take a look at the Luhr Jensen Little Chief smoker. I’ve used mine for years and it does a great job.
Dave
Oh, I have it already. This is it behind my jeep…its a beast! It has a propane grill on the left and a charcoal grill/smoker on the right. I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun I’ve had experimenting with smoking different foods since I got it.
TT–small world. that is the exact smoker I used to make the trout.
Here is a nice book on the subject.
http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/fishing-books/073510100003.aspx
Brad
maodiver,
LOL, it is a small world. I LOVE my grill/smoker. I even built my wife a 12x14 ft patio to put it on, lol.
Can’t wait to have a look at that book too, Brad.
TT.
“Just thought I would pass along my first experience with smoking trout …”
Immediate thought to this first sentence is … ‘You’re going to need a bigger piece of wrapping paper’. Second thought, ‘maybe you should grind the trout up before putting it in wrapping paper prior to smoking?’ Third thought … 'Forget first two thoughts and just enjoy the trout.
Allan
The purpose of the brining is, in part, to remove any muddy flavours. Also, when you add the spices and herbs to the brine, the point is that the brine will get drawn into the fish and take with it some flavourings. The salt and sugar, which is usually added post-brine for a bit, pulls more water out of the fish and pulls the salt and sugar into the fish. This helps to firm up the flesh a bit (so that it flakes nicely after it’s smoked) and to pull the salt and sugar into the flesh. Often, the excess is washed off the fish, so only that which is drawn into the flesh remains to provide the flavour during cooking.
