How can I avoid freezer burning smoked fillets?

[pmmpete]

In the last two weekends I've caught a dozen lake trout:



And I've smoked the fillets:



My question is:  How can I wrap or package the fillets so they won't get freezer burned?  I don't have a vacuum packer.  The fillets are too irregular in shape to wrap tightly with plastic wrap.  If I cut the fillets up into strips or rectangles, I could wrap them pretty tightly with plastic wrap, and could tighten the wrap with a heat gun.  And I could smoke groups of pieces with similar thickness in separate batches.  But I like the appearance of whole smoked fillets.  I think they're more aesthetically appealing.  Your suggestions and recommendations would be appreciated.

[Quarlow]

Well I just put them in ziplock bags and suck the air out with a straw before I got a vac sealer. They lasted well, of course they don't last too before getting eaten.

[duchunter]

Vacuum packer works great!

[pikeman_95]

Well why didn't you give me a call Pete. Just bring them over and you won't have to worry about them in the freezer. The second option is you can get some bags and borrow my vacuum packer. But I still like like the first option better.

Kirby

[beefmann]

food vacuum  sealer

[smoker pete]

As stated, the food vacuum sealer solution is the best option that I know of.  The smoked trout will only get better after spending some time in the freezer  ;D ;D

Drove through Missoula a couple of years ago on the way home after visiting Yellowstone  :D :)  Beautiful country!! ... 

What about checking with a local butcher if you have one.  Mine has commercial vacuum sealers cause they're still a full service butcher (cows, pigs, venison, etc.).

WOW!! ... What a catch.  Beautiful Trout :o :o  Great job on catching and smoking them

In the last two weekends I've caught a dozen lake trout:

[viper125]

Well if you don't have a sealer. I always use to wrap mine real good in plastic wrap then again in freezer paper. Worked good. But the plastic wrap cuts down on the oxygen and is needed before paper. I suppose the good zip locks and paper would do about the same. Just remove as much air as possible.

[thirtydaZe]

i don't k now if this works or not, but i used to go white bass fishing with my grandpa.  we'd catch our limit easy.  us and some family members.

we'd always throw the fillet into freezer bags, and add some water to the bag.  the fillet would freeze inside the water obviously, and was said to avoid freezer burn.

like i said, not sure if this really works or not.

[viper125]

Yes works very good. But I think it would replace the water in dried fish.

[sdcaller]

I used to use plastic wrap and Ziplock freezer bags.
2 years ago I bought a vacuum food sealer.
It's a night and day difference as to how it preserves your frozen fish.
I've kept vacuum sealed smoked fish in the freezer for nearly a year and when you take it out it is just like you smoked yesterday.
It's well worth the investment and you can use it for meats that you buy when they are on sale.
SDC

[pmmpete]

Freezing fresh fish in water is a good way to protect them from freezer burn.  But I agree with Viper125, if you froze smoked fish in water, you'd reverse the drying which you accomplished during the smoking process, and screw up the texture and flavor.  I think I need to buy a vacuum bagger.

By the way, I found a great source of long narrow bags for freezing fresh fish in water.  Ordinary ziplock bags work fine for fillets, which you can fold up, and for several short fish which fit efficiently in the bottom of a ziplock bag.  But ziplock bags are too short for many fish.  Putting a big fish diagonally in a ziplock bag with water doesn't work very well.  But aquarium supply companies sell various sized bags for shipping live fish, and some of the bags are long and narrow, like 4"x16" or 5"x20".  These bags work great for freezing whole fresh fish, it's easy to seal them without any air bubbles, and they only cost about $.06 apiece.  You slide one or more fish into the bag, fill it up with water, and then put a rubber band around the bag just above the end of the fish.  Squeeze out any surplus water, and then wrap the rubber band around the neck of the bag several more times.  There won't be any air bubbles in the water, and the bag won't leak.