Smoked Trout

[tench]

I've started smoking meats this year, and am interested in doing some fish. I've got a Char-Griller Pro without the smoke box, but I've got it dialed in to do a lot of low-and-slow cooking (Maintained temps as low as 180). Any tips/recipes for smoking fish? I've used hickory for my beef, and hickory with whole apples for my pork. Wood suggestions for fish? Also chunks vs chips? Thanks for any info guys!

[ship of fools]

I did a bunch of tuna .....  the steaks with the Montreal steak seasoning turned out awesome 

[budwinslow]

If the fish is trout or salmon, I like a marinade of apple cider (hard if available), brown sugar and salt.  Then smoke at 150 with apple wood until the moisture content is just right. A ratio 1 cup cider, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup salt works well.  The soak time and cook time depend on how thick the fillets are

[perchnut]

I cold smoke with apple wood usually.  Coarse sawdust usually. I soak my fish in a brine of molasses, brown sugar, water, and enough kosher salt to float an egg.  Do the brine over night, and usually the smoke for 10-12 hours.  mmmmm

[Osage]

Sassafras ,sassafras,sassafras ,sassafras! All fruit woods are great,give sassafras a try,puts a delicious sweet smoky flavor in your meat

[JigginRod]

I smoke fish for a living and perchnut had it right. Mix salt with water till there is enough salt to float an egg, or about 30% salinity. Then add anything else to the brine you would like, my favorite is plain light brown sugar, add enough that you can barley see you hand at the bottom of the bucket. Then soak your fish overnight-12hrs. Put it on the smoke rack and put a little more brown sugar on top the fish. Heat the fish till it is dried out then maintain the a fish temp of 145-155 for at least an hour.Then set the smoke and let it go till you get the desired color and smoke flavor.

[appleye]

good stuff thanks for the tips!

[DIRTBALL2]

appleye, Here's a good rule of thumb to follow when smoking! For smoking meat, use a hardwood! Like maple or hickory! For smoking fish, use a fruit wood! Like apple or plum! After I remove the fish from the brine I rinse them thoroughly with fresh, cold water. Then spread the fish out on some old newspaper or paper toweling, allow the fish to set long enough until they are completely dry! When you do it this way, your fish will take on a deeper golden-brown color! Good luck! DIRTBALL2

[TogueHunter]

I've tried all kinds of recipes, but pretty much stay with the salt r brine.  I've been using the same Little Chief electric smoker for over 15 years, and it came with a booklet with tips and recipes.  You can download it in .pdf format for free, here's one source.  http://www.kcgrills.com/recipes.html
One thing I would emphasize is to rinse the fish in fresh water and paper-towel dry before placing them on the smoker.  Skin-side down with a little PAM cooking spray and keep checking so they don't dry out. (unless you like fish jerky)    My Little Chief only averages about 150 degrees, but in the winter I place a cardboard box over the smoker for a little added insulation.   I usually do the smoking out in the back yard well away from the house (both for safety, and to keep the wife from ragging on me).   
  As for the various types of woods... I seriously can't tell much of a difference between them, but the brine makes a HUGE difference.   Good luck! It's a lot of fun, and keep it simple at first and I'm sure you'll do fine with it.

[fisherman58]

I tried smoking fish a few times had a hard time keeping them lit!

[fd757]

 

I tried smoking fish a few times had a hard time keeping them lit!

[Voltaire]

The only fish I smoke are silver bass and they turn out excellent.

[Oldbear]

I make a brine just like Perchnut & JigginRod.  Dry off with a paper towel until it gets a white colored pinnicle on the flesh then proceed.  The long colder smoke the fish or what ever will last longer when not refrigerated compared to a hotter smoke like 180* up as then it gets more cooked instead of dryed & cured.  My favorite fish to smoke are Carp and especially Buffalo.

[iceargo]

I have an old Brinkman charcoal smoker. I use cherry and apple wood trimmings from a friends orchard. Soak the wood real well. Brine: 1/2 cup Kosher Salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 qt of water.(float the egg). 1 capfull of Maple Flavoring, 1/2 capfull of Liquid Smoke. Soak overnight. Pat dry. Smoke for 4 to 6 hours depending on how high your heat was maintained. I also spray Pam on the grate before smoking. I always turnover the fish half way thru cooking. I use this recipe for Suckers I catch in the Spring and Northern Pike I catch ice fishing. Sweet meat.

[Fishking83]

Only fish I have ever smoked is salmon/trout.  For my brine I use 1 gallon of water with 1 cup of pickling salt and 1 cup of brown sugar.  I keep my fish in the brine for at least 18 hours, usually longer.  I always smoke my fish with apple or cherry wood chips.  I always soak my wood chips in beer as well, think it gives it a better flavor.  If you throw dry chips in your smoker they burn up really quick.  Once out of the brine I sprinkle lemon pepper and chef pauls salmon seasoning over the fish.  Smoke at low temps for about 5 hours, always turn out great.  Hope this helps.

[tracker 1]

 have never smoked them but reading this thread makes me think about it. If you don't eat them right away how long could you store them ?

[Nevada Ice]

We like to use a brine of  around 1 3/4 cup of salt (pickling or canning salt) per gallon of water, put a raw egg (in the shell) into the brine and it should float up to about the size of a quarter, much more than that the fish will be quite salty. after you get that done add in 2 cups of dark brown sugar, 2 table spoons each of black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, mix it until the sugar and salt are dissolved.  Fillet the trout leaving the skin on, put the fillets in the brine and we like to let them rest there for 6 hours if the file ts are around 1/2 inch thick, a little experimentation here to get the flavor you want, longer will give a stronger salt taste. Take the meat out and lay it on a clean old towel (don't use one of your wife's new ones), we have several that we save for just this. let the fish dry until it from a film that feel slight sticky, this is known as pell (not sure why), this should be in a cool area, we put ours out in the shop, takes 3-4 hours usually around 40-45 degrees. 
Then I get the smoker ready to go, I like to smoke fish with a low temp, 140° F. and 5-6 hours.  We have a Cajun Smoke Injector, and uses wood pellets, for fish you will get the best flavor from the fruit wood, alder or ash.  Hickory or mesquite is a bit bold for our taste for fish, great for red meat though.  We use this brine for Cornish game hens or turkeys, use a thermometer to bring the heat up to 170° to make sure they get cooked properly.

That is the way we do it out here in Northern Nevada, not saying that is the only way, do a search on the internet for a truck load of information.
Okay I'll shut up now finish my beer.
Les

[JigginRod]

Tracker 1 the smoked fish I sell lasts about 21 days in the fridge and 6-8months in the freezer if wrapped in freezer paper.

[Fihaddict]

I have been smoking salmon/steelhead for last couple of years. The quick way is to cut the fish in bones in 6-7 inch blocks and put it for couple of hours in mixture of 1/3 brown sugar 2/3 kosher salt and add plenty of dry dill and fresh grounded black peppers. Keep it refrigerated. Than smoke it in 160-190F with apple wood chips for about 1,5 hours. ( Put a film of olive oil on the grills before putting the fish,wipe excess of salt and air dry fish for half an hour before smoking). Call it done after it flakes off with light pressure on it. Use vacuum sealer if you planning to keep it longer than few days and refrigerate or freeze it. Bon apetite.
Mike

[frozengator]

there is two ways of smoking fish regular low and slow and cold smoking.  Look into the cold smoking too.  they do a lot of cheese that way too.

[Icefisher40]

I have NEVER had smoked fish before... I think I'm missing out... 

[frozengator]

smoked salmon is awsome

[jiggenfrogs]

Lots of good tips, rinsing and drying with paper towel is key and also I like to cut the filets in strips about 2" wide and 4"long and place strips of the same thickness on the same rack.  Good luck, smoked fish is a great thing :)a

[JigginRod]

Just remember if your are looking to do cold smoking the fish with still be raw when finished. Lox or cold smoked salmon is salt brined salmon that has been smoked at room temp so it is not cooked. Other types of cold smoked fish(other than salmon) should be cooked before eating. Hot smoking or keeping the internal temp of the fish at 145-150 for atleast an hour will produce cooked fish. Also be careful if you are looking to vaccum pack smoked fish. Because the fish will look and seem fine well after the perishable time period the vaccum package can lead to botulism.

[perchnut]

I cold smoke for most of the time, then put the heat up a bit at the end to 'cook' it.

[smeltbuster]

I got my first smoker when I was 13, that was 38 yrs.ago.You will definitely want to stick with a brine with Kosher salt & brown sugar,and anything else you want to put in it.I also add Mexican vanilla extract,liquid smoke ,garlic powder & 1/2 a lemon.I agree withToguehunter the brine makes a huge difference,but I usually cant tell much difference with what wood I use.I am going to try the sassafras that was reccomended,I have tons of it here,& that sounds like it might be good.I smoke mostly salmon,pike & smelt, plus jerky.The smelt get brined for 3-4hrs. & hot smoked for 1 hr.max. !

[tbirdbassr]

I have never done anything with sasafras but I did a brisket once with mullberry. It came out so good I dont smoke a brisket without it!!! Maybe if I manage a trout through the ice ill go trim some junk trees and try that this winter.

[frozengator]

I have never done anything with sasafras but I did a brisket once with mullberry. It came out so good I dont smoke a brisket without it!!! Maybe if I manage a trout through the ice ill go trim some junk trees and try that this winter.

Do you use fresh wood or do you season for a year?

[coboy]

Do you use fresh wood or do you season for a year?

You really don't want to use green wood. Even though a lot of methods require soaking the wood ahead of time before starting the smoking process, It still is seasoned. With green
wood you would have some sap and tannins to deal with and I don't think it will char the same and produce the same flavor.

[smeltbuster]

You definitely want to use seasoned wood,I also soak my wood for at least 6hrs. in water.I also do prefer oak for pork butts & ribs.Other than that,cherry,apple,maple ,hickory,mesquite is what I use.I do now have some seasoned  sassafras in the barn, ready to try on my next batch of pike.