Smokey the Trout

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   It has finally cooled down in Walnut Creek, CA with night time temperatures dipping into the 30's on an almost regular basis. Being a bass fisherman, that also calls an end to tournament season and a tougher bite on the Delta, which makes you work so hard that it sometimes takes the "fun" out of "fun fishing." Well that is when I switch over to other types of fishing that thrive in colder weather of fall and winter. I dusted off the 5-foot ultralight rods and 2 lb. test the other day and headed to Lafayette Reservoir for some trout fishing.

   For the short amount of time I spent early in the morning the outcome turned out well with two very nice rainbow trout that were about 2 1/2 pounds each. I immediately knew how I was going to spend my Saturday on a long Veteran's Day weekend. It would be a day filled with college football, a few good brews, and tending to a smoker full of two of the freshest trout. If you haven't had "hot" smoked trout, it is delicious and probably my favorite way to eat a trout.

   There is a difference between a "hot" and "cold" smoked fish. Cold smoked fish is what you typically see, such as salmon in the store that is more dried out and takes as much as a couple days to complete. Hot smoking a fish is different in that it creates a moist piece of fish that still has that smokey goodness and only take a few hours to complete.

   The first step to a good smoked fish is to brine it. This prevents the fish from drying out during the cooking process and gives you a chance to add some good flavors to the trout. Don't get scared of this process as making a brine is simple and for this recipe, a trout only requires a few hours in the brine. Here is my brine solution recipe.

Trout Brine

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup of kosher salt
-1/2 cup of light brown sugar

-1 quart of water

-1/2 can of light lager beer

1. In a bowl or pitcher combine the water, beer, salt, and brown sugar.

2. Stir until all of the salt and sugar has dissolved.

3. Place the two whole trout in a gallon sized ziploc bag and pour the brine over the fish.

4. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours making sure that all parts of the fish are submerged in the brine.

  While waiting for the brining magic to happen, I flipped on the Penn State-Nebraska game (on scandal Saturday) and cracked open a six pack of Black Diamond's Steep Trail Amber Ale. Four hours have passed and it's time to get your smoker going. Fire it up to about 200 degrees and fill it up with either alder or hickory wood. Yesterday I went with hickory, which has a little bit stronger smoke flavor, which I don't mind on fish when only in the smoker for a few hours. Ok, it's time to SMOKE!!!

Smoked Trout

Ingredients:

-Two whole trout (about 3 lbs. total) brined

-1 tbsp. olive oil

1. Remove the trout from the brine and rinse well with water and then pat dry.

2. Rub olive oil on the outside of the trout and place on one of the smoker's racks.

3. Place the rack in the preheated smoker, close the door, and add more wood as needed during the smoking process.

4. Smoke the trout at 200 degrees for about three hours.

5. Remove the trout from the smoker and remove skin and bones while the fish is still warm.

6. Flake the fish apart and enjoy.

  This fish is excellent on its own as an appetizer or main dish. You can also serve it any way you would serve smoked salmon such as on a cracker or bagel with cream cheese and capers. Later on this week I will share a recipe for an amazing smoked fish dip that is an excellent way to use the leftovers. However you choose to enjoy this great smoked trout remember it always tastes better when you were the one that harvested the fish from the water and when enjoyed with good friends and an amazing craft beer.

CHEERS!!!