smokin trout

[Rollin with Rolland]

well, it's definitely that time of the year...start heading to your favorite little trout lake and try and catch some of those planters. this is the time of the year i clean the soot out of my smoker and get her fired up again for the summer. i've only been smokin trout for a couple years now, and although i'm pretty happy with my results, there is always room for improvement. I just wanted to share my method and try and get some feedback from some more experienced smokers.Here is what i typically do;

First the Brine. i have been using Smokehouse brand brine, and pretty much follow the directions. Soak fillets overnight in the brine in the fridge.





It says to pat them dry after removing from brine, but i usually don't do that. An old time smoker said i should rinse the slime off in cold water them if possible let them sun-dry. So thats what i do. After they are dry i usually rub on some crushed red pepper (i have found this to be the best for my taste) or i may experiment with a fillet or two of some other spices.

now its time for the smoker. this is my set-up. I know it looks rough, but it was virtually free. It is an old CAST IRON wood stove with an external Weber Smokey Joe for a heat source. the cast iron heats up evenly and seems to maintain temps better.



I start the heat with Kingsford mesquite flavored charcol. once that gets going and my temp hits about 125-140 i will throw in a rack or two of fillets. i let them warm up for an hour or so then throw on some Smokehouse mesquite chips on the coals. I will let it smoke real good for a couple few hours trying to keep it around 125-150. (with an external wood heat source it can be a little difficult to keep the temp real constant.

finally after the smoke dies out (about 4 hours in) i check them tasty trout fillets. Depending on the size, i will cook up to a total of 5-10 hours. let them cool, vacuum seal those babies, and your good to go. I have also tried apple and hickory, but mesquite has worked the best for me.

Well, there you have it. It would be great to hear some advice on my method, and possibly some tips or your recipes. If you haven't already, get those smokers fired up!!

[kuttkilla]

Nice thread. I use a Bradley Smoker and love it. I brine my fish with brown sugar and salt for 1-2 hours (depending on the size of the fish) and smoke on medium heat for 2-3 hours. The fish turns out amazing and I have high quality protein snacks for the next 3-5 months. Even the stockers (9-11") make for great smoked fish. I always look forward to this...an amazing what to eat trout. Thanks for the new thread.

[Rollin with Rolland]

thanks kuttkilla. Is that bradley smoker propane, electric, or wood fire? I have had people tell me that if i really want to smoke a lot of fish (and have them consistently taste good), i should just invest a 100 bucks or two into a decent propane/electric smoker and it will make my life much easier. may have to look into that. Also, do you usually rub on any type of spices, or straight from the brine to the smoker?? Does that sugar give them a nice glaze?? What type of wood chips do you prefer?

[Gone Fishin]

So on the topic of smokin trout.... I love smoked trout but can't stand the bones. I smoked a bunch last year and was wondering if anyone has any easier method of removal. I usually just take pliers to the filet but it can be difficult to get all the little ones out.

[Anonymous]

So on the topic of smokin trout.... I love smoked trout but can't stand the bones. I smoked a bunch last year and was wondering if anyone has any easier method of removal. I usually just take pliers to the filet but it can be difficult to get all the little ones out.

I don't know that there is any way around this. Once they are fully cooked/smoked you can grab the spine and pull up most of bones but there are always those tiny ones left behind.

As far as smoking fish, I'm no expert like you guys but I have smoked a few. I'm partial to just getting it done. Catch, prep, cook. So the brine soak for a day or two doesn't work for me. I usually do a salt, brown sugar, worcestershire brine. I have done some with Mrs. Dash, Creole or Lawry's at different times and they all turned out great.
And I have had great fillets come out of smoking them on a low heat smoke for about 2-3 hours. All done on Weber's. I can't remember the name off hand of the chips I get, but I buy them at Albertson's.



fishnislife

[Rollin with Rolland]

So on the topic of smokin trout.... I love smoked trout but can't stand the bones. I smoked a bunch last year and was wondering if anyone has any easier method of removal. I usually just take pliers to the filet but it can be difficult to get all the little ones out.

i can't say i have a good method to remove bones, but i have only smoked fillets, so no need i guess. I'm assuming you must have done whole fish??

[Gone Fishin]

Well i guess my question should have been more along the lines of fileting and not gettin g the bones. I just filet them like I do my salmon in alaska, but you get all the little bones that come off the spine. On a salmon they are big and easy to remove. On trout they are tiny and hard to find sometimes.

[Dave]

Great thread. I’ve been smoking the trout and salmon my wife and I catch each year for about 10 years now. I am no expert but have tried several of my friends homemade “brine recipes" and a few store bought brands. None of them have come close to the amazing results I have had using the Luhr Jensen trout & salmon brine which is sold at most sporting goods stores and Fred Meyer for about 3 bucks. I soak the fish in the luhr Jensen brine in the refrigerator for around 24 hours before rinsing, patting dry, them putting the fish on my charcoal smoker. I use hickory or mesquite wood chunks instead of chips which I soak in a bucket of water for about 12 hours before smoking the fish. I find the chunks last much longer than chips so adding the wood is less frequent, (maybe once during the 3 to 4 hr smoke time). I have used a few different smokers to include the little Chief and two electric hot element smokers. I found the Little Chief great for cold smoking but it’s an all day process that requires feeding wood chips often. The electric smokers I have had, (2 total), both had hot element failures after maybe 4 or 5 uses, so I gave up on those. I then went to a charcoal smoker (GrandMac Series Triple Crown smoker / BBQ), a fancy title for an inexpensive smoker you can buy at Lowe’s, which has produced great smoked fish every time. I use the Match Light Mesquite charcoal which I allow to become completely white before adding the wood and starting the smoking process. As mentioned, about 3 to 4 hours later the fish is done. I remove the racks and let the fish cool before patting dry and packaging in my food saver. I store in the refrigerator for up to one year and enjoy it often. I find that the longer I leave it packaged, the better the flavor. I just had some pink salmon this last week that I smoked last September and it was amazing. Thanks to everyone for sharing their smoking recipes and techniques with everyone. Good luck and good fishin.

[Rollin with Rolland]

Well i guess my question should have been more along the lines of fileting and not gettin g the bones. I just filet them like I do my salmon in alaska, but you get all the little bones that come off the spine. On a salmon they are big and easy to remove. On trout they are tiny and hard to find sometimes.

i am extremely jealous, i have neither been to AK or filleted a salmon, but can't wait to do both!! Maybe the trout i fillet up are so small that i miss those bones. i just cut down the spine and around the ribs, and haven't noticed anything unusual. But if you got a different technique i'm always down for learning something new.....(oh, and what's with this cutting the throats/gills out here??? my fishing career began in the midwest, and have never seen it before. What is the purpose??)

[Rollin with Rolland]

Great thread. I’ve been smoking the trout and salmon my wife and I catch each year for about 10 years now. I am no expert but have tried several of my friends homemade “brine recipes" and a few store bought brands. None of them have come close to the amazing results I have had using the Luhr Jensen trout & salmon brine which is sold at most sporting goods stores and Fred Meyer for about 3 bucks. I soak the fish in the luhr Jensen brine in the refrigerator for around 24 hours before rinsing, patting dry, them putting the fish on my charcoal smoker. I use hickory or mesquite wood chunks instead of chips which I soak in a bucket of water for about 12 hours before smoking the fish. I find the chunks last much longer than chips so adding the wood is less frequent, (maybe once during the 3 to 4 hr smoke time). I have used a few different smokers to include the little Chief and two electric hot element smokers. I found the Little Chief great for cold smoking but it’s an all day process that requires feeding wood chips often. The electric smokers I have had, (2 total), both had hot element failures after maybe 4 or 5 uses, so I gave up on those. I then went to a charcoal smoker (GrandMac Series Triple Crown smoker / BBQ), a fancy title for an inexpensive smoker you can buy at Lowe’s, which has produced great smoked fish every time. I use the Match Light Mesquite charcoal which I allow to become completely white before adding the wood and starting the smoking process. As mentioned, about 3 to 4 hours later the fish is done. I remove the racks and let the fish cool before patting dry and packaging in my food saver. I store in the refrigerator for up to one year and enjoy it often. I find that the longer I leave it packaged, the better the flavor. I just had some pink salmon this last week that I smoked last September and it was amazing. Thanks to everyone for sharing their smoking recipes and techniques with everyone. Good luck and good fishin.

That's a good idea about using chunks instead of chips, dave. one of the slight "imperfections" about my system has been i really have to tend it. To keep things consistent, i really have to hang over that thing every hour. chunks would probably help. And what about temp.? Do you have a thermo. on that GrandMac? I think at 125* i'm kinda in between a cold smoke and a regular smoke, that's why it takes me so long. I thought i read somewhere cold smoking is between 80*-100*, does that sound right?? no spices, just brine? I definitely prefer mesquite as well. I'll have to give Luhr 's a try, now all i need is to catch some d**n trout!!

[Dave]

Hey Roland,

I think the temp is about 130 or 140. There is a temp gage on the smoker but I have really never paid attention to it. The racks are near the top of the smoker so the fish isn't too close to the hot coals which is good. I crack the top cover vent so the smoke rises to where the fish are so the fish are in the heavy smoke the entire time. This smoker does a great job in a short amount of time. The Luhr Jensen is great stuff. Correct, no spices, just the brine. You could add to it if you wanted t but it isn’t necessary. You will love the results. Let me know hoe you do.