Okay, so far this is my best effort, which is why I posted here instead of the Open Forum....Everyone loved it! Just dry enough to be smoked fish, just moist enough to not be fish jerky and perfect taste/texture. Try it!
4 1 lb Rainbow trout...preferably fresh
2 quarts of fresh water
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/3 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of sea salt
Put all the ingredients except the fish in a 1 gallon storage ziplock and let the dry stuff disolve for 15 minutes or so, shake the bag couple of times to facilitate this.
To prepare the fish, I still have yet to perfect this! This time I butterflied them by splitting them in half. Then I removed the backbone...so they would lay flat. I left the rib bones in, they come out easier once smoked.
Now add the fish to the bag of brine. Put into fridge for 3 hours...no longer!!!
Take them out of brine and rinse them off, they will be slimy. (still don't know why!)
Place them on your smoker rack...I sprayed the racks w/ Pam...helped w/ sticking. Then place your rack in the fridge w/ fish on it so that they can pelicle. (sp?) Remove from fridge in about 4 hours...should be nice and tacky and dry.
lightly dust the filets w/ garlic pepper or lemon pepper or whatever you like in a dry garlicy/peppery spice. Put them in smoker on 200 degrees with 1 ounce of hickory....
Open the door in 1.5 hours and basted the filets with teryiaki sauce...or soy sauce w/ some sugar in it...Close door right after basting and smoke for 2.5 more hours. Seems long huh? Believe me, you won't be disappointed if they dry out some....they are awesome...watch out for those darn bones!
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