Trophy King
Brine- I smoke a lot of fish and always in large quantities. I’ve used no brine, dry brine and wet brine. They all work but I like a wet brine when I have the time. The natural juices in the fish tend to get a little bit like gel when there is no brine. If u use a dry brine of salt, sugar and spices you will be amazed on how much moisture comes out even after an hour but when u smoke it comes out a bit dry for me. Fine for dip but a bit dry for eating chunks. Wet brine replaces the moisture with salty, sugary wetness. I use water, brown sugar, soy sauce and Everglades cactus dust for my brine. 24 hours for big quantities than I will air dry in the fridge for several hours till the flesh turns dark and gets real tacky and shiny. That is called a pellicle and helps the smoke adhere to the fish. Try all the methods! I shoot for 200 on the temp for 2-3 hours for a big batch but I’ll pull early if it looks like it’s done. Overcooked smoked fish isn’t great. Should be real firm and not juicy but still have moisture and not be dry.
Trophy King
Smoked salmon is generally a cold smoke and much different than a hot smoke which is what I do. Your trout could be done either method as well as salmon but they are very different. Cold smoked salmon has the consistency of raw fish like the lox or nova salmon that goes on a bagel. I don’t have any experience with cold smoking.
Trophy King II
If you like to eat seafood watch this dude here
https://youtu.be/I-qxoWAlk-A?si=rqM-V7o79om_LozR
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The Japanese use 50 below zero for 24 hours, at 10 below zero it takes 7-10 days. At Zero it takes 2 weeks for the parasites to be killed. I have been buying Salmon by the case for years, freezing for 2 weeks before eating raw (making Poky bowls). Toothy fish even in the Caribbean have parasites. I say enjoy what you eat, adults are adults so they can live by their own rules. Still your sear looks extremely tasty.Originally Posted by Mud
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Trophy King
Risk < Reward
i did a thorough Activity Hazard Analysis and determined my 90 min freeze was sufficient risk mitigation compared to losing the silky texture of the wahoo from a complete freeze.
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Trophy King
2 hrs at 200 degrees light smoke with alder wood. Gonna be hard to stop eating as is to make fish dip tomorrow. Light smoky taste with hints of brown sugar and soy. Firm texture slightly chewy crust but tender in middle.
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Trophy King II
Mmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmmm, you're making me hungry
2 hrs at 200 degrees light smoke with alder wood. Gonna be hard to stop eating as is to make fish dip tomorrow. Light smoky taste with hints of brown sugar and soy. Firm texture slightly chewy crust but tender in middle.
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You're Rockin' my taste buds now too!
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