SmokeAmerican
Hot-smoked trout
Alder or apple, a short brine, 175°F until the flesh flakes. Smaller than salmon, done before you overthink it.
Made it?
2 hr 30 min · 20 min hands-on · pull 140°F · rest 10 min
Ingredients
2 lb on the fire · ~1.4 lb to the table · 3 plates at 8 oz
- whole trout, cleaned, or 2 lb fillets4 (2 lb)
- water4 cups
- kosher salt1/4 cup
- brown sugar2 tbsp
Method
- 1
Brine 30–45 minutes — trout is thin. Rinse, dry, and air-dry until tacky, 30–60 minutes.
- 2
Smoke 175–180°F with alder or apple until 140°F and the flesh flakes, 45–90 minutes depending on size.
- 3
Rest 10 minutes. Serve warm, or chill for a board. Leave the skin; it is the handle.
If you don’t have it
- Trout → Arctic char, or a thin salmon tail. Char is the closest. A thick salmon fillet wants the dedicated salmon cook.
- Alder → Apple or maple. Never mesquite. Hickory only if you like ham with fish.
Same cook, different day
Fillets only
No whole fish. Skin on, 30-minute brine, 175°F until 140. Even faster.
Pepper-honey
A warm main. Brush honey and pepper in the last 10 minutes.
Chilled for a board
Next day. Cool, wrap, fridge. Serve with lemon and rye, not a microwave.
On the plate
With this, try
- With this dish, try making grilled asparagus.
When the meat comes off to rest. Thick spears, oil, salt. Hot grate 2–3 minutes, roll, another minute. Lemon. Pencil spears go in a hot skillet, not on the bars.
10 min
- With this dish, try making cucumber-onion salad.
Anytime. Better after 20 minutes in the vinegar. Thin cucumber, thin onion, vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt.
15 min
- With this dish, try making blistered green beans.
When the meat rests. Dry beans, screaming pan, char, then garlic off the heat.
15 min