The smoker is now complete and you are ready to try it, the method of curing and smoking that follows is one that I use regularly and it produces good results, if you have your own method or wish to try someone else's then feel free.


Curing and Smoking

First catch your fish and then clean and fillet it, you can split the fish and smoke it whole but the bones can be a nuisance and most people seem to prefer fillets. I don't remove the skin when filleting as it holds the flesh together during cooking and is easy enough to deal with when eating the fish.

Once filleted the fish must be cured, either a brine cure (wet) or a salt cure (dry) may be used but I find that the following, dry salt cure, is the easiest. The reason for the curing, apart from improving the flavour, is that without it the fish will be too wet for smoking and the moisture produced during the hot smoking (cooking) will "wash off the smoke" resulting in a poor flavour.

Sprinkle a layer of cooking salt in a tray and place the fillets, skin up, onto it and then cover with another thin layer of salt. Place the next pair of fillets on top and cover with salt; repeat the process until you run out of fillets. If you prefer it you could use a mixture of two parts salt with one part soft brown sugar but I don't bother.

Leave the fillets for about three hours, more or less depending on how salty you like your smoked trout.

Wash the fillets thoroughly in cold water and pat dry with a paper kitchen towel, at this stage some like to brush the fillets with olive oil but, again, I don't bother.

Place a couple of hands full of oak chips in the base of the smoker (Picture 8), put in the drip tray and bottom rack and place a couple of fillets on bottom the rack, skin down. Now fit the top rack and place a couple more fillets on it, skin down (Picture 9). The lid of the smoker should now be lined with aluminium foil, this is replaced each time that the smoker is used and prevents wood tar from accumulating on the inside of the lid. If this is not done then repeated use of the smoker will lead to a build up of wood tar that will drip onto the fillets spoiling the appearance and taste.

As picture 10 shows, I use the smoker in a garden shed (workshop) which has an extractor fan, you can do it outside, in the garage, or even in the kitchen if you like but the smell is penetrating and lingers for days! The heat source I use is a "workman's" gas ring run from a butane gas bottle but as an alternative you can use a "camping" gas stove (Picture 12). Some smokers use a methylated spirits stove, you can if you wish but it is not as controllable as gas and is a greater fire risk unless treated with care and should never be attempted in doors.

Put the lid on the smoker and place it on the gas ring, the gas should be lit and turned up high until smoke starts to escape from the smoker. At this point the gas should be turned down so that the flames don't quite touch the smoker base (Picture 10) and a very small trickle of smoke escapes. Wait patiently for twenty minutes (you can fill in time by preparing a salad or potatoes or a rice dish to accompany the fish) and then turn off the gas. The trout will now be ready to eat (Picture 11).