Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Smoking trout

I've posted before (different user name), but not many times. Like many others, I receive a ton of help on this board, so THANKS! I recently purchased a smoker and have smoked trout and catfish twice. The first time was better than the second. The primary issue I had the second time was that the trout fell apart, making it hard to get the bones out. I love their flavor, but there I think I would be well served by getting advice from some of you who have a great deal of experience in this area. I've searched the archives and didn't locate anything that addressed my question, but please forgive me if I just missed it.

Among other things, I'm wondering what temp you smoke fish at, how long you smoke it, and what pre-smoke prep work you do (such as brining).

Bump

Have you seen this old thread?

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=334655&page=1

When I do mine, it is for long smoke periods which helps keep it drier. Sounds like you need to smoke longer and/or hotter. But then hotter isn't cold smoked, which in my opinion is the better tasting.

--Jim

Thanks for the reply. I have seen that string, and it inspired me to purchase the smoker. I also pulled catmandoo's dip recipe from this string, which my MIL tried and said we need to make it a part of our Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions...EVERYONE loved it!

I am interested in hot smoking, and I just didn't see the instructions I was looking for here. Perhaps I should look at other sites, but I thought many here would have experience and be able to share their thoughts. I think I did it right the first time and wrong the second...but I don't know what I did differently other than brining the second batch longer. I also filled the smoker on the second batch, filling every rack with trout that were pushed against each other.

Should I allow space between the fish for better heat distribution and smoke flavor?
Should I flip the trout half way through the smoking session?

I hear low and slow is the way to go, but never done it my self. As a proffesional smoked fish eater though I can tell you that the people who put more time and care end up having taster products.

I don't think I would pack them as tight as you describe. I would think that makes it similar to smoking larger pieces, which I have found definitely takes longer to make them the same consistency as smaller ones, if all done together. It's tough to do a batch when you have large differences in size. Was the second batch larger sizes than the first?

As far as flipping, I think I tried that once and it didn't go so well. The skin wasn't dried out enough to keep it together, and it fell apart. However at the end of the drying it is pretty tough. But try it on one, results may vary...

As you can tell by the pics in that thread, I do a make-shift drier, so I don't have a smoker like you. When I did look at those to purchase, I found that you had to stick with their heat temp range and time frame. Perhaps you can adjust yours? I can't remember if brining longer softens the flesh more, I don't think I came across info that stated it does that. Only that it adds more to the "salty" taste.

All I can say is when it looks to soft( or slimy?), I keep smoking it longer. My batches take from 8 hours to 12, making it a long day because you have to smell that goodness for so long . I think it boils down to types of fish, heat temps, size of pieces, and personal preference. If to soft, smoke longer....... at least that's what I would try.

The key I've found to my smoked fish after placing them in a brine is to place them in the refrigerator overnight to let the meat set up. If I brine and go straight to a smoker, especially after a longer brine, the flesh won't break off in nice pieces along the muscle lines. It kind of clumps when you break a piece off.

Here is the recipe I use:


3/4 Cups Pickling Salt
4 1/2 Teaspoons Pepper
1 Cup Sugar
1 Quart Water
1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke
1/4 Cup Dark Molasses
2 Tablespoons Worcestire Sauce
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning


• Mix all ingredients. Soak fish for at least 3 hours.

• Pat dry or shake off excess brine. Lay on freezer paper overnight in refrigerator. Make sure there is air circulation around the fish while in the fridge.

• Smoke for 5 hours.

North40, I think there is a typo?

You can at pressure of 10 pounds for FIFTEEN minutes or 115 minutes? Might want to correct that. Thanks for the helpful recipe, it looks awesome!!

This is great info! I also searched other sites last night and found helpful info. I will let everyone know how it turns out with my next batch. If it turns out well, I'll give my recipe. Even though the second batch wasn't as "pretty" as the first batch, the taste was about the same...Unbelievable!!

I think what I need to do differently is rinse the fish after brining and pat dry, then allow to sit on a rack with a fan blowing on them for an hour until the get a coating on them. Then smoke a little hotter...200...and not cram them together. I also found a way to remove the bones halfway through the process that seems awesome. I'll reply to let everyone know how it works out!

And, if anyone thinks this seems like a lot of work...I agree, but the taste is absolutely worth it!

BTW, I have a Masterbuilt electric smoker from Lowes. I can set the temperature and the time and it does a great job of keeping both. It came with a meat temp sensor, which was great until I tried to use it for the second batch and it no longer worked...

I removed the pressure cooking part, as I have no idea. It was a recipe I got years ago, but I don't pressure cook and just ignored it. So it's probably best to not steer someone wrong. Thanks.

It is a very good brine for salmon and trout.

I've only cold smoked, but I never pack the fish in there so that they are touching, I don't turn them and I read that brining the fish, rinsing and letting the pellicle form is very important.

Here's the instructions from my smoker:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/20186789/Luhr-Jensen-Smoked-Salmon-Recipe#scribd

Yes. That link I posted on 5-11-13 has some of that info there. There was another good article that I printed back then from searching, but never added a link to it. I will try finding it, but that never goes well.......

IMHO, I would not rinse the brine off. Simply shake off the excess and let it rest. Why remove some of the flavoring you've just added?

I think there are as many ways to smoke fish (.. and cook?) as there are ways to catch them. It comes to a personal taste. Your brine has a lot of different things in it. So, I could understand you not rinsing it. But a traditional brine is more just salt. The idea is for it to permeate into the fish and soak in evenly. Flavor then comes from the smoking process, with different types of wood, with the saltiness thru-out. Not to have a stronger outer coat of flavor. Again, just a personal preference I suppose.

@ FishwithSons: I have read that some folks use a dry brine. This lets moisture that's in the fish be pulled out. Perhaps if your method still yields to soft of a flesh, you might try it this way. I would do a quick rinse to get that coating off when done and still let it form the pellicle.