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Started out with a 3 1/4 Steelhead.


Got him all cleaned up and cut into even chunks as he was a bit too long to lay across the rack, I'm using an 008.


Read to take his last swim in Brine Lake. I can't take credit for the brine. The recipe I used was posted here by forum member gpalma. This afterall was my first shot at fish so I felt better using a recipe rather than winging it on my own.

gpalma, my hat is off to you! The brine was awesome and I will for sure be using it again.
Here's the ingredients.


Using the suggestions from other forum members I used 2.6 oz Alder for my smoke.


After brining I rinsed and dried the fish, then allowed it to air dry for 4 hours. My brine time by the way was 6 hours. Here they are after brining/drying. Looks like the brine penetrated nicely.


Now were ready to smoke so in they go.


Set the theremometer with a target of 145*. Set the smoker at 200*


Were smoking. Hmmmmmmmm, no were not. Huh?
Now I read elsewhere on this forum that you should always make sure the smoker is plugged in and I know for sure that I would never forget to do that. Not me, heck no. Uh, duh, well, shoot! Now I plug it in. I'll never admit that to anybody. Heck if you guys found out you'd probably be snickering at me.

Ok, so NOW we're smoking. Much better.
2hr 10 min later the buzzer is buzzin'.


Time for my first look. Yep, I keep the door closed.


Looking pretty good I said to myself. Not bad.


I was wondering how they'll taste and I have to say they were great! Took some to a friends house yesterday and it lasted maybe 10 minutes, GONE! Couldn't of been too bad.

I want to thank all of you and in particular gpalma for the brine. Reading what you have posted out here guided me through this step by step. It couldn't have been easier.

Thanks!
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Ok I give what is a Steelhead my uncle in Oregon talks about them but I still don't know what he is talking about. The only fish I ever caught while on vacation was a flounder and a sturgeon. The flounder kind of caught him self he was on the hook when I reeled in after hours of trying to catch a salmon. The sturgeon my uncle smoked it was yummy.

Good looking fish BTW
quote:
Originally posted by Smokenque:
Ocean going rainbow trout.. for all intents and purposes. They go to the ocean and return in a few years.. big and beautiful. They have to return to the rivers to reproduce like a salmon.


This is the first answer I ever got that made sense. Rainbow trout now that is something worth sinking your teeth into.

Thanks
Great work! Have you thought about preparing those cuts so that the "legs" on each side don't char? For example, when grilling salmon steaks, some will seperate the skin from one leg and roll the exposed flesh into the cavity. Then the other leg is rolled over that. I know I did not make any sense, so here is a crude drawing (hey, I'm a salesman...not an artist).

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