Smoked trout with Texas Pete hot sauce

[Mike N]

Here ya go:

[bassman]

My mouth is watering. When I lived up north I used to smoke steelhead, salmon, lake trout, carp, sturgeon, even suckers on a regular basis. I have a brining recipe given to me by an old fisherman on Isle Royale that turns your smoked fish into candy. When the smoke was rising from my smoker I'd have people wheel through the driveway asking when it was going to be ready. Though if stored well in fridge eating it just out of the smoker was a treat for the tastebuds and your pictures bring that back.

[jhuskey]

Ex-Upper here - in the UP of Michigan they smoked all manor of the fishes, just like in Minnesota.

Hey bassman, care to share that brine recipe with the board? TIA

[bassman]

Brine based on 2 - 6# fish. I did mainly salmon, steelhead and lake trout

2 qts water
4 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups kosher salt
2 cup rock salt
1 tsp pepper
4 capfulls of lemon juice (real lemon) tbsps
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup honey
3 tbsp molasses

Thoroughly clean and pat dry fillets or slabs. Place in brine in cool place overnight. Minimum 12 hours or more.
Pull fish from brine and let THOROUGHLY dry before placing in smoker. I would smoke about 6 hours, first 2
hours heavy smoke and light heat, then about a full hour or so at 170 degrees. Finish for a few more hours with
plenty of smoke until a golden brown. Cool and enjoy.

Note that this is a cooking recipe and not a dehydrating storage recipe. It must be refrigerated and eaten within
a couple of weeks (never a problem). This is moist and delicious way to smoke that I enjoy far more than the salt
brine and smoke until dry of commercial smokehouses.

NOTE: After brining I would lay chicken wire on sawhorses and lay fish (either whole or fillets with skin) on them with a fan blowing across them to dry thoroughly. You don't want to wipe them off but need them dry. I tried pushing the smoking when still damp and doesn't work as well. Now I'm hungry.

[jhuskey]

Thank you Sir! Wow, that is a really sweet brine - I gotta get me some of that! Spring can't come soon enough. Lake Trout is fabulous, and should smoke very well with this recipe. Thanks again.

[Brooks]

Beautiful! It's time to start smoking whitefish here in Idaho.

[bassman]

Yep. Smoked them in MN. In fall there was a netting season for them and if you were lucky you'd get some nets in and out before the ice hit the lakes. You guys in the west catch them a consider them a trash fish. Boney yes but great smoked.

[jhuskey]

At least in Yellowstone National Park, if you catch a Whitefish (and you will), you MUST release it. It is native. I'm just guessing it is somewhat of a different species than the deep water Great Lakes fish, but I'm no biologist.

[Brooks]

Yep, different critter.

And yes, native. And delicious smoked.

[ablecane]

I'll agree, lots of bones, but great tasting!

[Bamboo River]

They all smoke great up here.

[magpie]

Which end do you light?

[Brooks]

Which end do you light?

Depends how fast you want it to burn.

[Bamboo River]

Ex-Upper here - in the UP of Michigan they smoked all manor of the fishes, just like in Minnesota.

Hey bassman, care to share that brine recipe with the board? TIA

Still do here in the U.P. Good sounding recipe bassman.