Hot Smoking Large Trout

[wheels]

My mate Darren appeared yesterday with this:



All 11 lb of it!

I've both cold and hot smoked trout before but never one where the fillets weigh 3 lb's each.

The temptation is to cold smoke it but, as I have nothing else to smoke at the moment, I think I will be better to Hot Smoke.

I'm thinking along the lines of brining at 80% for about 2.5 - 3 hours, dry overnight, and slowly bringing the smoking temp up to 180°F (82°C) ish over a 3 - 3½ hour period to a 15% total (brine and smoke) weight loss.

Sensible, or not? What would you do?

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Phil

[Hangin_Salami]

I'd throw it in some tinfoil with alot of butter and pepper, then slap it on the bbq!!

[wheels]

After about 6 hours in the smoker I was beginning to wish I had!

[jenny_haddow]

If they taste as good as they look it will be worth the effort.

[wheels]

Jenny

They do and it was! Mmm.

Phil

[saucisson]

They look nice Phil

[Hangin_Salami]

I have to admit, they do look great!

Did you leave the bones in the fillets to smoke it?

Nice work!


Chris

[wheels]

Chris

Yes, I left the bones in, I think next time I would remove them - they're a lot easier to find when the fish is raw.

Phil

[saucisson]

I cured and cold smoked a whole salmon once so I could present someone with a whole fish on a teak plank, then fillet it in front of them, they were very impressed I was impressed I managed to do a reasonable filleting job with an audience

Dave

[wheels]

Dave, Have you no fear?

[saucisson]

Dave, Have you no fear?

Never tell me the odds...

(C-3PO: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.
Han Solo: Never tell me the odds. )

[wheels]

[Hangin_Salami]

The reason i asked is, I'm used to eating smaller whole smoked trout, when you grab the backbone you can pull the bones out in one peice if your carefull. Just curious if that was the case with yours.

Chris

[wheels]

I don't really know the answer to that, as I didn't try it. I am not that experienced at smoking fish.

I pin boned it, removing the individual bones with a pair of 'fine nosed' pliers that I keep for this purpose.

Am I right in assuming that you remove head and tail, open fish flat, and then just pull the backbone, when you do it?

Phil