Summary

Ingredients

• 6 trout (s), gutted and washed

For the brine:

• 2 liters water per kg gutted fish
• 120 g salt per k utted fish
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 3 bay leaves
• 0.5 teaspoon ½ pepper

Also: for smoking

• 10 juniper berries
• Incense flour
• spirit

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Instructions

1. Following these instructions, I smoke my trout in the table smoking oven. I can only warmly recommend retrofitting a thermometer, as this allows the cooking process to be better controlled.
2. Since I freeze my fish immediately after catching them, I first have to thaw them and wash them thoroughly. They should be well gutted and without gills, because they don`t look nice afterwards. I usually leave the scales on because the skin is not eaten. Due to the long rest period, you should put the fish in the brine in the evening and cook them the next day.
3. First dissolve the salt with water from the kettle and mix in the mustard seeds, sage, bay leaves and pepper. Then stretch the solution with cold water to the correct mixing ratio. Then put the trout in the cooled / lukewarm water.
4. After 12 hours, take the fish out of the brine and wash them thoroughly. Then place the trout on paper towels to dry. The fish are ready for the smoker when they are dry enough that the skin feels slightly wrinkled like paper. The long pickling time is particularly suitable for thawed fish and results in a particularly even salting of the fish. Even if you leave the fish in for an hour longer, this hardly has any negative effects.
5. In the meantime, prepare the smoker. Line the lower part of the oven with two strips of aluminum foil, which will make cleaning much easier later. Also wrap the drip tray that comes over the smoking flour with aluminum foil. Put 2 - 3 tablespoons of smoked flour and approx. 10 juniper berries in the hollow in the bottom. Fill the alcohol burners according to the instructions of the oven.
6. Put the grids with the fish in the oven. Make sure that the fish do not touch each other.
7. Now light the alcohol burner and the smoking process begins. This usually lasts 15 and 20 minutes and begins as soon as the temperature is at least 60 ° C. The temperature should not exceed 90 ° C, if necessary take the stove off the fire for a short time or close the alcohol burner a little.
8. When the time has elapsed, check one of the fish. The dorsal fin must be easy to pull out, then the fish is ready, if not, leave the fish in the oven for 5 minutes longer. Keep an eye on the temperature.
9. The smoked trout taste delicious and are usually eaten warm.