Plan to smoke some Rainbow Trout on Christmas Eve morning any tips on getting the pellicle to perfection prior to smoking?- a lot of time and method variances online.
Current plan is wet brine but I could do 1/2 dry brine if someone has a must try method also.

I tried to smoke a trout once but I couldn't keep it lit.

I always wondered how the trout could get the cigarette lit underwater.

Good luck

I like a dry brine. I usually shoot for three hour brine and about a three hour pellicle

I use Steven Raichlen recipes for fish quite often, not saying they’re the best but I have had good luck with them, and here is the link to his website.

https://barbecuebible.com/

Brings to mind this video by yukonjeff.
Makes my mouth water ......
Good luck with yours, E eye

fillets or whole fish
my dad mostly does fillets
you can absolutely do it a day or 3 ahead and keep it chilled in the fridge

most people like it cool anyway

thanks for the video , got me thinking about making fish jerky

that is what we called it when dad over smoked one good and salty really dry

I am going to have to try drying fish on the dehydrator now

Done trout for years and they turn out great. I fillet them and make a dry rub of 50% canning salt, 50% brown sugar and a a cup of pickling spice without dill. I put the mixture in a blender to mix it well. take the fillets and put them in a glass dish and cover them well with the mixture about and let them sit for 24 hours. I rearrange them a couple times, it will make its own brine. Take them out and rinse the big pieces of spice off with cold water and then pat them dry. Once they are dry I wipe them down with a light coating of cooking oil, enough so they will not stick on my smoker grate. Smoke them on low heat with apple or alder my favorite for six hours and enjoy.

We tried smoking some steelhead. They were better than salmon and cheaper in the stores.

What I do and the adults and grandkids love them, take a brownie pan feel it half full of water, cut up a garlic bulb, half cup of salt and brown sugar and mix well, put trout in marinade overnight, pat dry and place on your smoker, I have a brinkman and it takes about a hour and half.

Forellen Rauchen

I remember buying smoked trout at local fests in Germeny. They were served on a stick like a corn dog. Funky looking to an American but they were good.

A quick rinse after brining, then place on rack and air-dry in front of a fan until dry to the touch.

I have a little master built electric smoker works pretty good i love smoking trout the fillets just peel right off can't remember what temp an how long have to look at my notes on that

Have experience smoking tuna for retail sales in a seafood market. Only two ingredients required. Non-iodized salt for 45 minutes, rinse and toss in Dixie Crystal brown sugar for 30 minutes. Smoke with oak and hickory.

Bet trout would be good prepped like tuna.

I use a dry rub. These smoked. brook trout filets are from trout around 3/4 lb- 1 1/2 lb.. 4-6 hours in the dry brine is plenty. Be careful to not let them stay in the brine too long, they will end up being to salty. Bigger filets can brine longer.

For lake trout I like a cup of corse salt or 3/4 cup fine table salt, one cup brown sugar, shot of pancake syrup if you wish, to a gallon of water. Soak fresh trout 10-12 hours, previously frozen trout 6-8 hours. Rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Put trout on rack in front of fan for 1/2hr or so. Smoke to your preferred doneness.

I plan to fillet with skin on- we're trout fishing a farm in the morning.

Thanks- I plan on using the fan in the upstairs of my workshop where it's clean and a little cooler.

freezing first, then the brine, the freezing breaks the water in them and the brine goes in deeper and accept more smoke
to each their own ways

First part of the recipe is complete- my grandson caught 6. Difficult fishing conditions as they were scattered.

Scattered = 6" apart and 3 layers deep
Pretty fish!

Telling a 3-year old that he's only going to catch what we can use after he said I'm going to catch them all was challenging- I had to bribe him with Gummy Bears to avoid a meltdown

Preparing the Pellicle- Currently air drying with a fan per Waggler's advice

Ah nothing like the pay pond, I believe it is where most kids start, and that were they get the trout fishing addiction, I know I did.

Will trap for fish
Great place to barter for nuisance trapping

Awesome

Here was where I landed with rub- 5.5 hrs and rinsed and patted dry
3 T of Kosher Salt
1/4 Dark Brown Sugar
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp of Dry Mustard
1/2 tsp Roasted Garlic
1/4 tsp Onion Powder

yukonjeff >> great video!!!! Thanks for that.

Trout the only way to eat them is smoking IMO.

Eagle eye,
I would have put them on racks so the skin side dries out too.
The only reason being is that if you place wet skin on your rack in the smoker it can stick to the rack a little.
Should still taste fine though. Maybe you still have time to dry the skin before smoking, or grease up the smoking rack pretty good.

Really good to know but that ship has sailed ... however, I did have them on racks uncovered in the fridge, they were dry until I rinsed them

Here's the part where I hope ADC doesn't look at the post- using the Traeger today because I can't babysit the temp. I'm shooting for an internal temp of 145. It would be nice to have similar size fillets, but I added them from largest to smallest at 15 minute increments.

Mmmmmmmm !
You need a bigger Traeger ! .... and take that young'un fishin again !
Dang that looks good, Thanks