Smoked Trout

[Bait Be Gone]

Smoked trout skin on or skin off? Thoughts.

[IDbasser]

Skin on.  The meat will peel off the skin easy and the skin helps hold the fish together while smoking and getting it off the smoker.

[SINX53]

My father in law's cousin told me to brine fish overnight, then rinse and dry, then refrigerate overnight again. He said that way you really get a real good pellicle formation.
Is that overkill?

[Bait Be Gone]

Thanks for the info. Got a new smoker for Christmas & going to start smoking fish

[smeltbuster]

My father in law's cousin told me to brine fish overnight, then rinse and dry, then refrigerate overnight again. He said that way you really get a real good pellicle formation.
Is that o[/verkill?
quote] 
Sounds logical if you have the time.I put mine in  a spare refrigerator with a small fan blowing on it for a couple of hours.I must also say,that my son has been doing some experimenting with brining fish longer in a brine with 1/2 the salt.Up to 4 days,and the results have been excellent.He is also hot smoking with charcoal & using maple . Wish I could share it with you all, its some good stuff ! He does not let it form a pellicle, even though I have told him to do so.Pike,salmon,steelhead fillets,no skin. Hey he's 25 & I cant convince him that he's doing it wrong ! Kinda hopin he doesnt listen to me !!!!

[Bait Be Gone]

I am trying out new smoker today! Smoking some trout is it normal to look slimy? I thought it was supose dry it out? Feel like a dumby

[smeltbuster]

If you are doing skin on fillets,try dabbing it dry with a paper towel. It is supposed to dry a little,but you want trout to stay moist.Keep an eye on it,hopefully it will come out fine.Do not overcook it,unless you want trout jerky.

[Bait Be Gone]

Ok thanks smeltbuster do you keep water in your smoker the whole time?

[smeltbuster]

Yes I do. I started using a water smoker about 10 yrs. ago,& I always use water w/ fish. When doing jerky,I dont. How did the trout come out ? One more thing I like to do,is put the fish in the fridge for a few hrs. before eating it.I think this helps the flavor.I personally dont care for anything right out of the smoker.Thats why I put it in a ziplock bag & leave it for awhile.

[Bait Be Gone]

That trout turned out wonderful ! I will have to start smoking more often & try some other meats! Thanks for the help

[slab88]

I was wondering if smoking perch is a good option

[SINX53]

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. !

I just got a smoker last year and the only fish I have smoked so far is whitefish. I was just wondering how smoked northern pike taste?

[smeltbuster]

I love smoked pike,its very mild,probably similar to whitefish.It is not an oily fish,so you have to watch it closely or you end up with pike jerky.Pike jerky is good too,if thats what you want. It will dry out rather quickly.I prefer to smoke skin on fillets. One other thing I mentioned in an earlier post about the brine: At least one time,TRY some vanilla extract in the brine,it gives it a very unique flavor;I have never had anyone complain about it either.Probably 2-4 oz. in the brine.I usually just dump some in & I also taste  the brine to see if it needs anything. Yes I do taste it & if your paying attention you can taste the different things in there,besides all that salt !

[Jim_MI]

I do a lot of cold smoking of salmon and here are some additional tips for that:
1) Cold-smoked fish is raw fish.  If done properly, the fish never gets above 80-90 degrees, which is too low to kill any pathogens.  So it is absolutely necessary that you handle with clean hands and utensils, and freeze the fish prior to smoking.  Freezing will kill any parasites that may be present in the flesh. 
2) Leaving the skin on when filleting will make thin-slicing a lot easier prior to serving.  Keep the smoked fish refrigerated in a ZipLock type re-sealable vacuum bag prior to serving.  Superficially shave off the dry outer surface of the part you are going to serve, and leave it on the rest of the fish to retain moisture.  Use a "salmon knife" (available at cuttlery stores) to make long paper-thin slices. The pink flesh is the good part.  The darker brown fatty tissue from just below the skin should be trimmed off each slice prior to serving. 
3) Cold smoking is best done at warm ambient temperatures.  I learned the hard way that cold smoking a nice salmon on a cold January day will lead to LOTS of soot and moisture from the smoke condensing on the fish, making it inedible.  If you have to cold smoke in cold weather, put a low heat source (100 watt light bulb, for example) inside your smoker to keep the fish temp in the 50-80 degree range.
I know, TMI.  Just lessons learned from lots of trial and error.

[smeltbuster]

I do a lot of cold smoking of salmon and here are some additional tips for that:
1) Cold-smoked fish is raw fish.  If done properly, the fish never gets above 80-90 degrees, which is too low to kill any pathogens.  So it is absolutely necessary that you handle with clean hands and utensils, and freeze the fish prior to smoking.  Freezing will kill any parasites that may be present in the flesh. 
2) Leaving the skin on when filleting will make thin-slicing a lot easier prior to serving.  Keep the smoked fish refrigerated in a ZipLock type re-sealable vacuum bag prior to serving.  Superficially shave off the dry outer surface of the part you are going to serve, and leave it on the rest of the fish to retain moisture.  Use a "salmon knife" (available at cuttlery stores) to make long paper-thin slices. The pink flesh is the good part.  The darker brown fatty tissue from just below the skin should be trimmed off each slice prior to serving. 
3) Cold smoking is best done at warm ambient temperatures.  I learned the hard way that cold smoking a nice salmon on a cold January day will lead to LOTS of soot and moisture from the smoke condensing on the fish, making it inedible.  If you have to cold smoke in cold weather, put a low heat source (100 watt light bulb, for example) inside your smoker to keep the fish temp in the 50-80 degree range.
I know, TMI.  Just lessons learned from lots of trial and error.

  On average, how long do you smoke the fillets for? I have been wanting to try cold smoking for some time now,just havent done it. Thanks.

[FishinHank]

Working at a salmon hatchery, I usually smoke a lot of fish every year. I just brine them, leave them out so they dry out a bit and then into the smoker they go. I like using a mix of apple and cherry wood.

[Jim_MI]

  On average, how long do you smoke the fillets for? I have been wanting to try cold smoking for some time now,just havent done it. Thanks.

Depends on the thickness of the fillet and whether you have skin on one side or not.  For typical 1-1/2" thick fillets with skin on, I'll go for 6- 8 hrs or so.  I use a Smoke Daddy cold smoke generator attached to my Sears gas grill barbecue, so not the ideal setup but it works for me.  You could go shorter with a better-sealed smoker.

[cold_feet]

This is my method of smoking fish I took this idea from a book about smoking meat fish and whatever and follow it as close as possible. The end results is perfect the Product you are smoking never becomes over salty if you follow the weight to time rules I post. My brine starts with a Gal of spring water or more ( enough to submerge fish in)  Use Spring or filtered so their is no taste of chlorine or other impurities. Add enough salt (Kosher or NON ionized)to float a egg or potato which is 80% salinization . I do add 1/2 lb brown sugar,Black strap molasas about 1/2 bottle A half cup lemon juice, cut up 1 onion or use onion powder.If you are doing Salmon or Trout add Dill. Mix the brine in a non metal container and use to imerse fish in. Scale the fish and wipe it off with a solution of 4 parts water to 1 part vinigar this will remove the fish slime. then rinse in cold water. Imerse the fish in the brine and weigh it down with a plate or something but be carefull not to put a air pocket next to the fish Keep the brine cold about 35deg put ice in a plastic bag so as not to dilute the brine. Now here is why you weigh the fish. Each piece should be close to the same weight and do not use a total weight of the fish only the pieces. Say you have a Pike that weighs 15 lbs cleaned well it might be to big for the smoker so you cut it in quaters. Now you have 2 side with the weight of 71/2 lbs each cut again in quaters that makes each piece 3 3/4 lbs apiece. The brineing time for 3 3/4 lbs is 4hrs.  I'll put down the weight to time.
Under 1/4 lb 30 min
1/4 to1/2 45 min
1/2 to 1 lb 1 hr
1 to 2 lb  2 hrs
2 to 3 lbs 3 hrs
3 to 4 lbs 4 hrs
4 to 5 lbs 5 hrs
 For Oily fish Like Salmon, Trout and such add 15 min to the brine time  Fish in the rounds (or Whole) add 15 min to brine time. This scale of time of brineing worked great for me for yrs never to salty and the fish has a great flavore and hold up great for at least 3 to 4 wks in the fridge. After you finish brineing rinse the fish again under cold water  the put on a wire rack to dry What I do is put it next to a small fan to allow air to circulate around the fish. It must dry to form the Pellical . The pellical is a gloss that forms on the meat of the fish kind of like a varnish.Leave it under the fan untill the fish is dry the longer the better. Remember to keep the fish cool. Now put the fish in the smoker if you are useing racks oil the racks so the skin doesnt stick . Pike because it does not have a lot of oil in the flesh you can baste the fish with oil to keep it from drying out too much The time of smokeing their are no set rules to follow but if you push on it with a fork and it flakes you are done or a thermometer reading of 140 deg in the center of the flesh. If by some dumb chance you see a white liquid on the flesh when you are smokeing the fish it is caused by not drying he fish enough to form the pellical It will not hurt the taste or hurt you eating it just remember the time you used to dry the fish and add more time to the drying process. The type of wood you use is your preference but a rule of thumb is Fish stick to fruit woods or light smoke Alder Maple is one Cherry Apple Pear Peach.  Other hardwood like hickory is more for Meats. One thing to remember is not to over smoke. One hour of actual smoke is about right the rest of the time in the smoker is cooking and drying.  I do not recommend a cold smoke for fresh water fish. The Freshwater fish can carry parasites and other things to make a person sick if eaten raw or totally uncooked. The temp of 140 to 160 will kill everything that will harm humans. This is my method and I wont argue it with those who do it differently.   One more thing Cool the fish before eating it tastes better. One other note Do not think you can take fish that has been in a freezer for a year and make it taste better by smoking it. If you got bad fish it will taste bad if your fish is fresh you can expect to get excellent results. The end results are based on what you begin with such as fresh fish.
If anyone wants to know anymore just PM me

[frozengator]

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

I should have listen to what you said about checking the egg. I did some steelhead this weekend. It was really good just a touch too much salt. I didn't really measure. I just used mortons sugar cure and koshar salt. And most of your recipe. Next time I will though. I used the sugar cure because when I do chickens thats what I use.

[macchia182]

These are some great recipes and ideas.  Thanks everyone for sharing so far.  I'm a newbie to the smoking world.  I think I have decided on which smoker I want to purchase.  The Landmann 38" Two Drawer Vertical Gas Smoker.  Anyones thoughts on this smoker.  I was trying to decide between propane and electric.  I think propane is the way to go for me. 

[HIMO]

Also be careful if you are looking to vacuum pack smoked fish. Because the fish will look and seem fine well after the perishable time period the vacuum package can lead to botulism.

I vacuum seal and then freeze. problem solved.

                                                                                             HIMO

[Retiredbum]

Is there anything better? Last year scored good on trout, just smoked the last of my stash. Looking forward to more ice and fish this year. It don't get any better than that. I use a small Mini Chief  with alder wood. Works good.

[NYSporty]

Whats your recipe for the brine?

[Osage]

I smoke trout every season,I prefer sassafras wood instead,it puts a sweet flavor to the smoke,but others are good also.

[Retiredbum]

I will have to try that wood,  Honestly I read in a steelhead mag, to chunk fish put in glass dish, sprinkle fish with Morton tender quick and let sit 20 mins.   Rinse in cold water, Pat dry with paper towels , Let sit on racks for about an hour, And then Put in smoker I use alder wood, one pan first hour, then 2nd pan 2nd hour,  I go 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Total, Best smoked fish I ever eaten,  But everyone does it their own way. It don't last long,  I eat around the bones. I don't know why I just do. 

[Retiredbum]

That's   Morton Tender Quick  Home Meat Cure.  I ordered it from Morton Online. It has all the things you need in it.

[IDbasser]

I did use alder with my fish, but I started using pecan and like it better.  I use 1 part kosher salt and 2 parts brown sugar with some Montreal's seasoning in it.  sprinkle generously on the trout and let sit overnight to 24 hours, rinse well with cold water, pat dry, sprinkle with the Montreal's seasoning again, not too much, just a little, and let sit 30-60 minutes, then put it in the smoker.  Everyone seems to really like it.

[TeamBlueGear]

I can't wait to smoke a bunch next week. Ive been Steelhead fishing and have 4 or 5 fish filleted but want to fill the smoker before I fire it up so need a few more. I'm going to try the salt/brown sugar brine mix. How long do you guys smoke it for and what temp.

[Osage]

I can't wait to smoke a bunch next week. Ive been Steelhead fishing and have 4 or 5 fish filleted but want to fill the smoker before I fire it up so need a few more. I'm going to try the salt/brown sugar brine mix. How long do you guys smoke it for and what temp.

Coincidently,the salt/ brown sugar brine mix is good for brining beef,pork,chicken,turkey and any fish.I add black pepper and on occasion a small bit of cloves in the mix.my smoker has a firebox on one end,I place the fish/ meat as far from the heat as possible,usually keeping the temp no higher than 250*.As far as time,it varys vastly depending on thickness mostly.I go by feel, and looks,I admit,I have to let it cool a bit in order for me to tell if it's done.When I think it's done by feel and looks,I take out a couple medium pieces,let it cool and sample,it's not scientific,but it works for me.

[IMP]

try pecan wood chips