smoking trout

[indrut]

I am looking for a good recipe for smoking trout.  I guess soaking it in a brine, etc. would be necessary.  Any recipes you are willing to share would be appreciated.  Thanks.

[sra61]

I just smoked some rainbow fillets last week with Hi-Country's Wild Trout Brine seasoning. They turned out really good.

[appleye]

Hi Mountain Seasoning make a real good brine. I used earlier this fall on some salmon and it was great. Going to do some trout this week for x-mas. Very easy as well. LOL while I was writing this I see the other post.

[HVFD14]

This from last year.  My recipe is in there too.

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=197520.msg1926288#msg1926288

[HVFD14]

Hi Country and Hi Mountain are different companies.  Haven't tried the Hi Mountain, but I really like the Hi Counry for jerky.  And it's a MT product from Lincoln.

[pump]

I soak in a brine of 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 gallon water. OK to adjust down for 1 qt portions. I rinse it off after an over night soak as it is to salty for me if I don't.
I smoke over alder and hardwood charcoal.

[waterloo]

I used to make up my own brine solutions using various receipes.  Last year I purchased some of Hi-Countries brine solution (Wild Trout), and liked it so much that I use it exclusivley now (if I can't find it at my local retailer, I will also use their Gourment Fish brine solution as well).

[Jim F]

I have tried lots of different brine's  & I keep coming back to the simple 1/2:1, salt & Brown sugar. Less salt to taste.
Dissolve the salt in water, add the sugar soak overnight and rinse as pump mentioned.
I sometimes sprinkle the fish with lemon pepper before smoking, fruit woods or alder for the smoke

[Krakkon]

This one is awesome dry rub for trout and salmon.....
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons Black Pepper
1/3 cup coarse salt
1 Tablespoon Dry mustard
1 Tablespoon Celery Salt
1 Tablespoon Onion Salt
1 Tablespoon Garlic Salt

Alder chips work great here...

I cant remember where i found this one but its definately a keeper
Also another Great one floating around the net is called Granny Gutz

[RobG]

This one is awesome dry rub for trout and salmon.....
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons Black Pepper
1/3 cup coarse salt
1 Tablespoon Dry mustard
1 Tablespoon Celery Salt
1 Tablespoon Onion Salt
1 Tablespoon Garlic Salt

Alder chips work great here...

I cant remember where i found this one but its definately a keeper
Also another Great one floating around the net is called Granny Gutz

Do you just rub it on the fillets and throw them in the smoker?

[ByteN2it]

I smoke about 90% of the fish I bring home & most of those are trout. Yes you have to brine but I find overnight is to long with the delicate trout meat-fine with salmon. I've been filleting my trout for several years now rather than smokin' 'em whole and just a few hours in the brine is all they need and then into the smoker-apple's my favorite wood & I keep the brine pretty simple 1:1 salt/brown sugar & some water-Brian

[Krakkon]

with that recipe i brine over night... it turns really liquidy overnight and marinades

[Krakkon]

Here is the Granny Gutz one pulled from steelheader.net

I smoked alot of steelhead with this one last winter and they turned out awesome also the honey really did help make a nice glaze...

Granny GutZ Smoked Fish Recipe
(Family Secret)
In a 5 gallon bucket -
1 Gallon warm water
2 Cups salt (I use morton's table salt)
2 Cups Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoons garlic powder
8 Tablespoons onion powder
2 ounce bottle of mapeline
1 1/2 cups Karo Corn Syrup

Mix it all real good. Add trimmed filets. I like to cut fish to skin (not through) in 1 1/2 - 2 inch strips. (brine gets in better, smokes better). This is enough brine for a 5 rack Big Chief Smoker. Let brine 6 to 12 hours. Dry on paper towels for at least an hour. Brush with honey if you like. Pepper heavily with crushed or cracked Black Pepper. Preheat smoker 1 hour. Smoke fish 6 to 12 hours or until completely done. Smoking time varies depending on wind and weather. On some occaisions I have finished off in the oven at 200 degrees.

[ham_viper]

I don't do a wet brine more of a dry rub here is what I do for kokanees and trout.

Clean and remove head, place in ziplock bags add dry rub of the following:
1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar then pepper if wished.

Let sit in refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. Rinse the brine off the fish and let sit on racks until they get glossy. Then smoke at 150 degrees until they get to 150 degrees. I like apple, cherry, and mesquite wood. This is a delicious recipe that is simple to make.

[chucknduck]

Sounds like some awesome recipes. Gonna have to try some.

Hope I'm not hijacking the tread but I have a couple ?s.  I recently got a free smoker it is not electric.  I've never used one. How do you go about smoking. Jl assuming you use charcoal with wood chips on top. What temp do you use? Can one be used during winter like on a warm 40 degree day?

[Anyfish]

I am into dry curing before smoking.  The 1/2 cup salt to 1 cup brown sugar ratio is great for trout, steelhead and salmon.  You can add spices like mustard powder and garlic at will.  I layer the dry mix over the fillets in a plastic or glass tub at least overnight up to 24 hours if I want a more cured product.  I like to then rinse the fillets, cook them in an oven for 15-20 minutes if they are thick and then smoke 3-4 hours depending on the thickness of the fillets.  Then I'll re-moisten with water and pack them in a plastic or glass container in the fridge overnight.  The same method works great on red meat like ducks, geese and venison but adjust the ratio up for more salt 50/50.

[TJet Apprentice45]

What temp. do you all try to get the fish to know they are done?  I'm just getting into smoking fish and want to make sure I get my first batches done really well.

thanks

[HVFD14]

I don't take temps, but I look at the fish for texture and color.  You should get a little "glazed" color to it and it should just be able to flake apart.  When I say flake, I don't mean chunk apart, but lightly flake.

[Krakkon]

I dont take a final temp either but 4 to 5 hours at 150 to 175 will usually get you right in the ball park of being done....
But like HVF says check it every couple hours  to see if it is flaking..

[eroknroll]

I fillet the trout and leave the skin on one side, this allows the brine to soak up faster and the fish smoke faster as well.  I usually brine for about 4-6 hours.  The skin helps hold everything together.  I don't measure ingredients but this is what I usually use in order from highest to lowest amount.

Kosher Salt
worcestershire sauce
brown sugar (sometimes)
soy sauce
garlic and onion powder
lemon juice

Don't be affraid to try things out.   I personally think that the salt and smoke are responsible for 90 percent of the flavor anyway. The thing that will ruin your batch faster than anything else is them being too salty.  That takes a little trial and error.

[bitterroot]

Try Salmon University website, here is the link to the recipe I have been using for trout and salmon.
http://www.salmonuniversity.com/rs_htss01_index.html
 

[indrut]

Hey everyone, thanks for all of the responses and recipes.  Now I just need to get fishing.  Thanks again.

[pump]

I have smoked large trout split and filleted. Either works for me. Kokes are done whole. My charcoal smoker has a water pan that is important to fill and a temp gauge on the side. I want to cold smoke around 175F until it flakes easily.

[mslajiggy]

Nice. Looking forward to trying some of these.

[cast and blast]

I have the best in the west.  I use 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup salt, a little soy sauce in one gallon of water.  Now the trick.  I use Jack Daniels Whiskey Barrel wood.  You won't believe the flavor. 

[JBL44]

Been smoking fish for lotsa yrs., tried every recipe in the book. Easiest, no fuss recipe is, fillet the trout, leave skin on, layer fillets in deep stainless cooker and lighty salt (plain) followed with a dusting of granulated garlic, add some corse ground pepper if you like. Keep layering fillets, skin side down till all fish are coated. DO NOT ADD WATER! Cover pan and refridgerate for 12 hrs. Rinse fillets and pad dry. I use a Big Chief electric smoker and alder wood chips. Depending in size, lay fillets skin down, 3-4 per rack. Give fish 2 shots of smoke chips in 6-8 hrs. of smoking. Now here is the neat thing I discovered by accident. One time I got a phone call at the same time I unplugged my smoker. Forgot all about the fish till the next morning. To my surprise the fillets had set up nice and firm and had a sort of shine to them. Was leary at first, but man oh man were they great! Been using this method for some time, and all my buddies beg me to smoke their fish for them.

[TJet Apprentice45]

I did a batch the other night of Bighorn River Browns that turned out great.  Pretty simple, coated each fillet with salt, pepper and brown sugar... really rubbed it all into the fillet's well.  Let sit in fridge over night, rinsed the next day and dried on a paper towel.  Then smoked @ 190 for 3 hours.  Like JBL said, I left them in the smoker for another 5-6 hours while it all cooled down.  They really set up well and look great.  Oh and they taste great.  I think this batch will be headed to a spicey cream cheese fish dip.

[bigskygal1]

I've been smoking trout for quite a few years in a Little Chief smoker.  I use a wet brine overnight (whole fish not fillets) and a mix of apple wood and cherry wood in the smoker.  It's delish!

[RobG]

My trout have been having a fishy aftertaste that I attributed to the fish oil that collects on the meat when it is laid flat on the rack while smoking. To test this theory, I put a toothpick through the tail portion of the filet and hung them from the rack. They turned out great and didn't have the fishy aftertaste. Maybe just luck, but I think I did everything else the same.

[PerchAssault]

Smoked Fish Brine
 
1 Cup Soy sauce
1 Cup Apple Cider
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Morton Tender Quick
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Garlic salt
1 tsp Onion salt
1 tsp Black pepper
 
Mix all ingredients well.  Soak fish 2 days
 
Remove and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Do not rinse fish
 
Smoke fish with your favorite hardwood until soft and pliable.  We smoked 2.5 hours at 170 for up to inch thick fillets. 
Moisture will be mostly gone.  Fish will flake easily.
Baste fish on the flesh side with a glaze of 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1.5 Tbsp soy sauch and ¼ tsp ground ginger.