desperatley seeking salmon (help)

[bigredsmoker]

OK I'm a newby and I think I made a mistake in shopping. I wanted to do some smoked salmon so I went to Sam;s club and bought what I thought were 3 salmon filets with skin on. They said steelhead on them and being a salmon novice I didn't think anything of it. Then I start reading a lot of Salmon posts and there are no references to steelhead. Then I research and I find out is a trout. So, am I smoking trout or some type of salmon. I am very confused. So far I brined using Kumoks brine for 12 hours and now I am drying in the garage at about 38 degrees overnight. I am including a picture of my fish (steelhead or whatever). Are these going to turn out good?? Do I do the rest of the recipe as Kumok describes??? Please help, these are for a big party I am having Saturday and I want them to come out good.

Thanks!

Terry

[Wildcat]

I have not smoked fish yet, but I would imagine that recipe is good for any fish.  There are some fish experts on here that should be along before long.

[Mr Walleye]

I can't answer much for you except that steelhead are almost inbetween rainbow trout and salmon. They live in salt water and spawn in fresh water. That's about the extent of my knowledge on them. They have a very similar flesh and oil content so I don't see any reason they won't turn out fine using Kumox's recipe.

Mike

[Smoking Duck]

We catch steelhead quite a bit in Lake Michigan and the rivers around here.......you'll have no problems Terry.  In fact, other than fishermen, not sure if many could tell you the difference between the two when it comes to preparing them.

Good luck!

[bigredsmoker]

Thanks for the info guys! My fish has a nice pelicle on it this morning and will go in the smoker today. One thing I did read was that the little piece of belly meat on my filets is not very good, so I think I will just cut that off before the smoke. I have read conflicting reports on smoking time for Salmon. In one recipe I saw 5 hours of smoke and others say only 2. Anyone have a quick answer for me??

Terry

[iceman]

I usually put 2 to 3 hours of smoke to my salmon depending on the thickness and how much fish. The rest of the time is just cooking. Personally I like the belly meat. I would give it a smoke to and just pull it out sooner. Makes a good snack. :)

[Gizmo]

Belly meat makes excellent fish jerky.

[Carter]

I've always thought of Steelhead and Rainbow trout as the same thing.  Delicious.  ;D

I haven't tried them for smoking, but I've got to believe that you should follow the same rule as for the Salmon.

From your picture, it looks like those fish are going to turn out great if you stick to the times indicated.

I only smoke for an hour and a 40 minutes (6 pucks) & I have used Alder so far.  I've been really happy.  You may want to try light on the smoke for your first batch, and then add more as you go.

As for the belly, I've discovered somthing interesting.  If I sample the fish right out of the smoker particularly in the area of the belly, I don't like it at all.  In fact, i've found that it turns my stomach a little bit.  I think it's because you're basically eating straight hot fat.  But once it goes into the freezer for a day or two, it's like everything settles down a bit and every part of the fish tastes good.  You wont be able to stop eating it.

I think your rainbow trout will work out great.  I'm going to try some rainbow or salmon/trout cross pretty soon because it's quite a bit cheaper than regular salmon.

Your guests will love your fish I'll bet.  I did 10 lbs of the stuff for Christmas and gave it to my clients.  I had one client call me today and say "It was better than anything I've ever tasted at an expensive specialty store."

Good luck and let us know how things work out.

Carter 

[gillgetter]

We catch steelhead up here on Lake Michigan and the ajoining rivers.We catch streelhead, salmon, Lake trout, Brown trout and Coho aorund here. Steelhead is a fresh water fish, NO saltwater up here  :D They live in Lake Michigan and migrate up the local rivers to spawn, similiar to salmon but at different times of the year.
Steelhead is close to salmon, however it is a little oily compared to Salmon. Basically recipes for salmon will work for steelhead also.
I've smoked steelhead many times and they turn out nice. Steelhead is also a good canidate for the grill.
How did it turn out for you??

[bigredsmoker]

It actually turned out really good. I am not a Salmon fan, but I thought it was good and my guests loved it. Thanks for the info.

Terry