Hot-Smoked Trout

Smoke your freshly caught trout yourself - with a simple brine and beechwood for perfect flavor.

Ingredients

• 2trout (fresh, approx. 400 g each)
• 1 literwater
• 60 gcoarse sea salt (non-iodized)
• 1 tspsugar
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tsppeppercorns (roughly crushed)
• 3 tbspbeechwood smoking dust

Instructions

1. Make the brine: dissolve salt, sugar, bay leaves, and pepper in cold water. Fully submerge the trout and brine in the fridge for 8-10 hours.
2. Remove the trout from the brine, rinse briefly, and pat dry with paper towels. Air-dry for at least 2 hours until the surface is slightly tacky (pellicle).
3. Put the smoking dust in the drawer of the smoker. Hang or lay the trout on the rack - the bellies should not touch the dust.
4. Heat the smoker on medium flame. Smoke at 70-85°C / 160-185°F for about 40-50 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the dorsal fin pulls out easily.
5. Let the trout rest for 10 minutes. Enjoy immediately or cool and refrigerate - keeps 3-4 days in the fridge.