Smoking Trout

Has anyone here smoked any Trout? Got ant tips? is it a similar process for brining as Salmon? I figure just do it like Salmon, should i adjust the brine time any?

depending on how much you have I would do an 8 hour brine. pull them out and pat dry then let them sit out and air dry before you you smoke to develop the pelic, the stickness that they need to smoke good. other then that just do the same as salmon.

I smoke about 30 trout, each December, (I buy them ) and give them away for christmas gifts. I leave the head and tail on but remove all other bones (spine etc.) then smoke them belly down. I would recommend using a brine like you would for salmon but brine them way less.  If you brine them to long they get over cured and the end product suffers. I use 20 inchers (get them from a wholesale supplier) and I only brine them 4 hours. Rinse, let the pellicle form and then smoke

To prepare larger trout (18"+) for the smoker, this is what I do:
1. Fillet trout (save carcasses for crab bait)
2. Depending on fillet thickness, brine for 2 - 4 hours in a dry brine (well, it's dry at first).
3. Lightly rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Sprinkle with course pepper, and air dry for about an hour or until pellicle forms.
5. Smoke.

Works for me...

- Karl

To prepare larger trout (18"+) for the smoker, this is what I do:
1. Fillet trout (save carcasses for crab bait)
2. Depending on fillet thickness, brine for 2 - 4 hours in a dry brine (well, it's dry at first).
3. Lightly rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Sprinkle with course pepper, and air dry for about an hour or until pellicle forms.
5. Smoke.

Works for me...

- Karl

This is how i'm gonna do most of it. dry brine of salt,brown sugar and a few spices and do a wet teryaki brine for the rest.

This is how i'm gonna do most of it. dry brine of salt,brown sugar and a few spices and do a wet teryaki brine for the rest.

How much do you have?!

So far 5 18-20 incher's!! Big thick ones they planted in Empire lakes. The 20 incher was bank caught unfortunatley, so no extra points..

my boys thingk that smoked trout is candy....it never lasts long enough to give any away...i sue the same dry brine method as described about...how many hours does your smoking typically go? do you cold smoke or hot smoke?  i used to have aan old fridge i used but i dont think it worked that weel cause it was too air tight and didnt breathe enough...sort of like "steaming" instead...i "think" the key is more like "air drying" with smoke as the curing agent...i like to use alder wood the most

So far 5 18-20 incher's!! Big thick ones they planted in Empire lakes. The 20 incher was bank caught unfortunatley, so no extra points..

Make that 6 18-20 inchers, caught one today.

Meet Tiny, my smoker, cedar lined: It has ten 3/8ths inch holes near the top on each side and a couple holes in the bottom under the heat element to draw in air. I can plug the holes for more or less air. It's nice and smokey smelling now, the pics were from when it was new. I use Apple and Alder mostly for fish and cheese and mesquite for beef.

That looks like one sweet smoking machine.

Yea, it turned out awesome!! Can smoke major poundage of meat. Here it is after a bunch of smoking, too bad there's not smellapic, it smells so good...

CBY, unless you share - your neighbors must really hate you for all that smellocity emanation . 

CBY, unless you share - your neighbors must really hate you for all that smellocity emanation . 

I'm pretty sure my neighbors have never eaten as much fish as they have in the last year and a half...

A good cold smoke on those puppies, other wise they are just cooked fish.

CBY you should try a gravlox treatment on those big fish. Then buy some bagles and cream cheese, with red onion and cappers ect...

A good cold smoke on those puppies, other wise they are just cooked fish.

CBY you should try a gravlox treatment on those big fish. Then buy some bagles and cream cheese, with red onion and cappers ect...

Gonna go for an 8 hour smoke. I don't care for Gravlox that much, too much on the raw side for me.