Smoked Lassen Trout

I have been using this recipe for many years and it is pretty good. It is mild flavored which allows the taste of the trout to come through and works well with salmon also. I think the original recipe came from Salmon University in an article titled “Northwest Salmon Candy”. I got the recipe from a NCKA member (Rockfish). The amounts of ingredients are for a Little Chief smoker. Lassen trout are similar to steelhead in their size and taste.

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup kosher or canning/pickling salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons Tellicherry black pepper finely ground plus more freshly coarse ground
12-15 medium sized trout fillets or 8-10 large trout fillets cut into strips of flesh about 3/4" to 1" square, but still attached to the skin

Directions:
Brining
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Use a whisk to blend the ingredients. Break up any chunks of brown sugar with your fingers. Place fish into the bine mix coating all sides. In a second very large glass or ceramic bowl, place fish skin side down. Repeat with additional fillets layering the fish flesh to flesh and skin to skin until done. The fish will start to emulsify so don’t fill to the top. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or up to 24 hours rotating fish from top to bottom half way through. The amount of time you keep the fish in the brine and the amount of salt you use in your brine mixture will determine how firm the flesh of the fish becomes, and how salty the taste of the end product will be. I usually brine the fish before going to bed and remove them from the brine when I wake up. It works fine but sometimes the fillets on top need a little more brine time.

Air Drying
Gently rinse the fish with cold water and shake off the water and gently pat dry with paper towels. I freshly grind some Tellicherry black pepper on the fillets. I think Tellicherry peppercorns are the best tasting. You can buy them in bulk at Costco. Wash the smoker racks, dry and spray with oil. Put the fish on the smoker racks arranged by thickness. Put the smoker racks in the smoker with the thickest fillets on the bottom, thinnest on top. Let the fish air dry for 2 hours. You want the room temperature to be around 60 degrees. Good airflow around the fish is important. I use a small fan to help with the drying process. I do the air drying outdoors because my wife doesn’t like the smell. At the end of the air drying phase, the fish will have a pellicle which is a glossy sheen.

Smoking
Put the smoker in direct sunlight and protected from the wind. Preheat the smoker for 15 minutes. Fill the smoker pan level with alder wood chips. I think alder works best with trout but you can use other wood chips. Close the door and smoke for 3-6+ hours. Some people add another pan of wood chips after 2-3 hours but I don’t because I don’t like trout to have a heavy smoke taste. Check the fish after 3 hours on hot days. Outdoor temperature, direct sunlight and wind can change smoking times dramatically in a Little Chief smoker. In general, you need an outdoor temperature of about 70-75°F or more to get a Little Chief to 160°F or higher. I added a thermometer to the top of my Little Chief smoker. If the smoker doesn’t get to 160 degrees, I know I will have to finish them in the oven. The fish has to reach 160°F internal temperature (use a thermometer) for at least 30 minutes at some time during the smoking cycle, preferably toward the end. This temperature will kill most food spoilage bacteria, and combined with proper refrigeration will ensure a safe product. If the smoker does not get hot enough to produce an internal temperature of 160°F in the fish, the smoked fish can be transferred to a home oven set at 225°F for a final heat treatment. Convection ovens are great for this task but set at 200°F. Bring internal fish temperature to 160°F and bake for at least 30 minutes. Adjust the oven temperature as needed throughout this baking period to maintain the 160°F internal temperature. Fish should look caramel in color when done. After cooling at room temperature, I vacuum pack and freeze the fillets I am not going to eat in the next week. Smoked trout can be used as appetizers, or in salads or pasta. Life is good.

Scott

Some more pics...

Looks good to me.

Excuse me, I must go wipe the drool from my computer keyboard.

Nice write-up , think I'll try this this weekend....final batches of last fall nook and coho. Fall salmon coming....gotta clear the freezer. .CAN'T WAIT!
Used a similar recipe last time, came out pretty, but WAY too salty. ...this recipe has quite a bit less salt.
Been trying to get a good "candied" effect....anybody else care to share their tips for this drier, glazed type of smoking? Would also like to infuse a little heat into it....
Again, nice detailed write-up....thanks GB2!

Nice write-up , think I'll try this this weekend....final batches of last fall nook and coho. Fall salmon coming....gotta clear the freezer. .CAN'T WAIT!
Used a similar recipe last time, came out pretty, but WAY too salty. ...this recipe has quite a bit less salt.
Been trying to get a good "candied" effect....anybody else care to share their tips for this drier, glazed type of smoking? Would also like to infuse a little heat into it....
Again, nice detailed write-up....thanks GB2!

  Try to not even use any salt. Your salmon are salt water fish.
  For a "candied effect" try spritzing your salmon with some Cpt. Morgan's Spiced Rum. I have had awesome results.

Looks very tasty I'm going to try it on a few red filets this week

Nice write-up , think I'll try this this weekend....final batches of last fall nook and coho. Fall salmon coming....gotta clear the freezer. .CAN'T WAIT!
Used a similar recipe last time, came out pretty, but WAY too salty. ...this recipe has quite a bit less salt.
Been trying to get a good "candied" effect....anybody else care to share their tips for this drier, glazed type of smoking? Would also like to infuse a little heat into it....
Again, nice detailed write-up....thanks GB2!

  Try to not even use any salt. Your salmon are salt water fish.
  For a "candied effect" try spritzing your salmon with some Cpt. Morgan's Spiced Rum. I have had awesome results.

Thanks, Mark.....liking the rum idea....a little spritz for the fish, a little spritz for me.....

Will the fish "cure" properly without salt at all? I like a little salty, not overpowering.  Want to get a little sweet and hot into it.

  Your fish will "cure " just fine. The smoke will take care of that.
  The Cpt. Morgan's will add a little bit of citrus (think orange juice) sweetness.  For some "hotness" try a little white pepper on there. It's a combination that I like a lot.

If you want a sweet with a bite mix 1/2 cup of Maple syrup with 1/4 cup of Saracha in a small bowl and brush it on the fish every 30-45 minutes as it is smoking like a glaze and you will get that sweet candy with a bite.  I got it off the computer while searching for something different.  I gave it to the guys at work to compare with other recipe and They all like the Saracha and syrup.  I had made a simple dry brine, a wet brine, and the Saracha/Maple syrup and all liked the Saracha and Maple syrup.  Lots of different recipe out there so catch lots of fish to try them all. 

Thanks, guys....Probably try both this weekend.  Think I got enough fish to fill the 2 little chiefs.

Nice write-up , think I'll try this this weekend....final batches of last fall nook and coho. Fall salmon coming....gotta clear the freezer. .CAN'T WAIT!
Used a similar recipe last time, came out pretty, but WAY too salty. ...this recipe has quite a bit less salt.
Been trying to get a good "candied" effect....anybody else care to share their tips for this drier, glazed type of smoking? Would also like to infuse a little heat into it....
Again, nice detailed write-up....thanks GB2!

  Try to not even use any salt. Your salmon are salt water fish.
  For a "candied effect" try spritzing your salmon with some Cpt. Morgan's Spiced Rum. I have had awesome results.

I have never used a brine which didn't have salt in some form. Will have to give it a try. I have high blood pressure so no salt works better for my health. Here is some info on what the salt does.
http://www.cookshack.com/store/Smokin-Okies-101-Series/Brining-101#_Toc528293325