Smoking & Brine Recipe

        Fish like salmon and trout are perfect for smoking. You can use whole fish or parts, but fillets with the skin still on are better than other cuts. Cold smoking requires temperatures of around 80 degrees F. for several days. Hot smoking however can be done at temperatures of up to 200 degrees F. and only takes a few hours. If you can maintain a low smoking temperature, below 150 degrees F. for the first hour or two, then the fish will have more time to absorb smoke flavor. Turn up the heat after 2 hours to around 200 degrees F to finish it off. Make sure that the fish is heated all the way through to at least 165 degrees F. Remember when it comes to low temperature cooking it is always better to be safe than sorry.
        It's important to remember that smoked fish is not preserved and if you don't eat it right away then you need to refrigerate it. If you plan to freeze the smoked trout, we recommend removing not only the bones but the skin as well. You should keep only the meat of the smoked trout to freeze.
        Brine for a min. of two hrs, remove fish from brine and air dry fillets for an hr. Plan on 1 quart of brine per pound of fish. The brine can be simply salt and water. 2 1/2 tablespoons of plain salt, meaning salt without iodine, per cup of water. A better recipe would be:
BRINE SOLUTION FOR SMOKING TROUT
3/4 cup of coarse salt 1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of soy sauce 1 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. each of:  onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, Tabasco sauce, Worchester sauce


Supplied courtesy of:
Gloria & Dave Hedley----------------------------------- Rainbow Trout Hatchery
phone 519-357-2329