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  • A fishy question

    A buddy of mine asked me if I would smoke some Rainbow trout for him. He would prefer that it was hot smoked. So my question is....



    HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
    I have never smoked fish. So I guess I am looking for everyones help and advise.
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  • #2
    Rainbows don't have (usually) the fat lakers do... but should work OK. Follow the salmon posts... Light salt/sugar, maybe some CBP/onion- let sit in fridge 12 or so hours...rinse and dry for a few hours... smoke 'em.

    Anyone have specific rainbow instructions??
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    • #3
      Thanks Rich for the quick response.
      Will do some more reading on this.
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      • #4
        I've found the key is to brine the fish & to NOT fillet the fish. Tried the fillet method and it was the worst piece of fish I've ever tasted. If it's already cut up, I'd just go ahead and fry it.

        I'd post my brine recipe, but I'm out of town until Thursday. If you're still interested, LMK, and I'll post it Thursday am. Couldn't even begin to tell ya what was in it, other than salt n pepper.

        Simply gut and behead the trout. Brine for about 8 hours. Use toothpicks to hold open the chest cavity to allow some some penetration. Before smoking, take the fish out of the brine and pat dry. Let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes until a light film (follicle I think???) forms on the fish. Toss it on the smoker.

        Trout will smoke quick, so you've got to keep an eye on it. 30-60 minutes tops (unless they're monsters). When the meat starts to flake, it's done. When you pull it out, gently grab the backbone and most, if not all, of the rib bones will come out with it.

        Use a light wood, such as apple or maple. Probably best to avoid mesquite or hickory, as it absorbs a lot of smoke.

        I've done this numerous times with both rainbow and brown trout. They both cook/taste about the same.
        Last edited by nomorecoop; 10-20-2009, 09:36 PM. Reason: added add'l comments
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        • #5
          I am looking forward to reading your post. Unfortunatly, the fish is all ready filleted and frozen. And that's all I can tell you at this time. My buddy has not brought the fish to me yet. I will not be smoking this until some time in November. This should give me lots of time to ask questions and be prepared for it.

          Thanks for all the help everyone.
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          • #6
            I have done a lot of trout, some big, some small. So anything 12" and under, I would consider small, 12"-24" I would consider big.... 24"+ I would treat like a small Salmon or Steelhead. I use Kosher salt as a base and go from there (Brown Sugar, Maple syrup, Garlic, etc) if you wanna add different flavors.

            I go 1 hour with a fairly good covering of Kosher salt on the small ones, 1.5 hour on big trout and 2 hours on the 24"+ size.... (That's a BIG trout) pull them outta the brine, rinse in cool water, pat dry with paper towels and set on racks to dry.... BUT now is the time I will introduce Brown Sugar, Syrup, Seasoning, etc.before I start the drying process (I even put a fan on them for a couple hours) to help them dry a bit and form the pelicle...before smoking cooking...

            Alder is the KING in the pacific NW, but VINE MAPLE is also very good and I have used Hickory on Steelhead/Salmon but never Trout.

            BIG KEY: Not too much smoke!
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            • #7
              too bad they still dont have there hides on yet. i brine mine and ad a lil extra brown sugar befor smoking. ditto what rich says about the fat, the bigger lakers for sure have more fat and also the great lakes lakers have more fat than the northern mn or canadian shield lakes. they even have a different color meat. the great lakes are a lil more pale in color and seem to have more fat(better forage i am sure). but even rainbows are an oily fish which is desireable in a fish to smoke. all your best fish for smoking are of the oily types... whitefish,salmon,trout,char(which includes the lake trout-it really isnt a trout but is a char, same as the brook trout),smelt, but all these fish families are related. they all belong to the salmonoid family. i am convinced somehow these fish, especially the ocean going salmon are responsible for carrying alder seeds with them from some far away land and depositing here in north america!!! maple also works well for me.

              here is brine recipie from a prev post.

              smoked fish brine

              2 3/4 cups pickling salt
              10 qts cold water-use good water
              1 cup brown sugar
              2 tbls garlic salt

              soak avg sized pieces 24 hrs, soak in fresh water 1 hour

              big thick pieces of fish, may require more time and smaller less. once out of brine set on a rack with a fan blowing across fish til outside of fish dry, a coating will form on it called the "pellicle", is now ready for smoker. i also like to rub some brown sugar on the meat
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