Hi all. I just got my Bradley smoker for Christmas and i want to try smoking some brook trout. I have never done this before so i have a couple of questions. What i would like to do is smoke the fish so i can take them for lunch later on. I think i therefor have to cure the fish as well as smoke them. I have some different cures that i have bought but i am not sure if i have to use the cure or just smoke it. Also how long should you smoke the fish for? I bought some of the Bradley Apple pucks for the fish. Thanks for the help.
I have never cured fish before I smoked it. I put it in a brine which is mixed at the rate of 1/2 cup salt.1/2 cup sugar in 1 gallonof water and then any other spices you like with fish. I usually soak overnite and put fish out at room temp. until it dries,you can see the sheen on it. Then into the smoker. Lenght of time is your choice to how much smoke and how well you want it done. Just google fish brines and you will get thousands. Thks Piker
Jolt you will see reference to the sheen that Piker is talking about around the forum as a Pellicle.
As for curing, the salt in the brine is a cure.
Hi Jolt;
Welcome to the forum.
As for a brine for trout, the link below is one of the best I ever used for trout.
Smoked Trout (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=265)
I prefer a dry cure. I use a gravlax style cure (Kosher salt, brown sugar, black pepper, fresh dill, scallions, cilantro (herbs ground in a food processor with a habanero or two)). Pack the salt/sugar/pepper blend (cure) into the flesh side of the fish. Place herbs on top of "cure" and drizzle with a little tequila. Wrap in cheese cloth and place on a rack over a pan in the fridge. Weight fish down and cure for 2 days. After 2 days, rinse off the cure, dry thoroughly and place back in fridge on a rack for 12 hours (pellicle formation). Cold smoke for 2 to 3hours with cherry or alder. Vacuum seal and place in fridge for 1 week (to allow flavor development). YUMMY!!!