Brined for 36 hours (large fish had to cut it in half to fit on the smoker tray)
(http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o566/rye-guy/IMG-20120404-00003.jpg)
This is a photo of the Char on the racks at 5am ,i wanted it smoked by 3pm
(http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o566/rye-guy/IMG-20120406-00011.jpg)
Thats a big ole fish.
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Looks like a big fish, How'd it turn out flavor wise?
I like the Char, how was it?
It was just ok for me, this is a very rich tasting fish. I wouldnd go out of my way to buy one. Unless someone has a better way to do them. I always like new ideas, let me know.
There aren't any arctic char in my area, but I have read that they are similar to lake trout, and I have smoked a lot of lake trout. A suggestion for fish that big: fillet them and remove the lateral bones. They'll take the brine better, and they'll absorb the smoke better. You could also cut the fillets up into serving-sized pieces before smoking them, and then vacuum pack the pieces.
When doing char and other sea-run trout I always treat like salmon. Fillet and dry brine for 24 hr. I like to score the fillet every inch down to the skin before the brine so it takes better. The score also helps the eating of the finished product.
Another advantage of filleting the fish and removing all the bones before you brine and smoke the fish is that they are a lot easier to eat. You don't have to do a messy deboning process on the smoked fish. You just peel off the skin and chow down.