After a few recent discussions about smokers andcooking I thought I'd take some pictures of my hot smoking process with a couple of trout Amir Trapper and I got on Sunday. I had three fish at home two of about 2lb and 2.5lb. I thought it a good time to hot smoke and take some pictures as I went along.

After filleting the larger fish (badly) and top and tailing the smaller fish I rubbed them all with a good amount of "Kiri's Amazing Dry Cure" Mix that is available at all good shopping outlets. If you can;t find it then send me a cheque for £12,568 and I'll send you some. Yes its's that good!!!

Anyway you end up with this:



Then You take the whole(ish) fish and stuff the cavity with a mixture of herbs and lemon slices. I used Parsely, Dill and corriander.



Season with pepper but no salt as the cure should have done this for you.



In the mean time you light the coals in the base of the hot smoker and put a bottle of wine into the water bowl, along with the bay leaves. I used whiote and I happened to have a glass of red left which I chucked in. top up with a couple of pints of water to make sure it doesn't dry out during the cooking



Take the fish and place on foil on the griddle, with the thicker fish lower down and the thinner fillets on the top level





Close the lid on the smoker and throw a handfull of damp oak chippings onto the fire.

Twenty minutes later you have this.
after having removed the skin which is a very easy process.



Ten minutes after that you have this:



The last thing that is left to do for a perfect dinner is to throw the farmed rainbow trout into the bin because they taste like mud, order a take away and make a resolution to only put that much effort into proper game fish like Salmon, seatrout, or sea bass.

The problem is that next time I try to palm the fish I catch off onto someone they mustn't be a member of this forum!!!

Rgds,
K

Kiri, great write up, you keep putting ideas in my head which cost me money.

You are dead right about the farmed rainbow...

Excellent write up mate. Very informative and very funny.

Hope all is well.

Grant

Dear FB

Many thanks for the parcel - how thoughtful of you to recall it was my birthday a few months ago!

I cannot describe the excitement as I unwrapped the carefully tied brown paper packaging, nor yet the delight when I realised the contents were vac packed smoked trout.

They do look wonderful although am I correct in assuming the single 'bite' out of each fish is part of the smoking process?

Iam so pleased with these gifts, that they will not be opened until the most special of occasions. As it happens, my ninety five year old Grand Mother has invited some two hundred guests to her forth-coming Bar-Mitzvah.

Although generally in frail health, as members of the 'Sunny-Dene Care Home Dining club' I really think they will appreciate your skill with a smoker and split-cane Hardy.

Again, my thanks in anticipation of a truly memorable meal!

ATB

Ian

My Dearest Fallow Buck.

Many thanks for the parcel - how thoughtful of you to recall it was my birthday a few months ago!

I cannot describe the excitement as I unwrapped the carefully tied brown paper packaging, nor yet the delight when I realised the contents were vac packed smoked trout.

They do look wonderful although am I correct in assuming the single 'bite' out of each fish is part of the smoking process?

Iam so pleased with these gifts, that they will not be opened until the most special of occasions. As it happens, my ninety five year old Grand Mother has invited some two hundred guests to her forth-coming Bar-Mitzvah.

Although generally in frail health, as members of the 'Sunny-Dene Care Home Dining club' I really think they will appreciate your skill with a smoker and split-cane Hardy.

Again, my thanks in anticipation of a truly memorable meal!

ATB

Ian

Tasted of mud?
The water was a bit muddy come to think of it.
Not exactly a crystal stream to start with.
I suppose Amir and I, lashing it to a foam as we honed our casting skills didn't help?

But there's a great sense of community down there. As you peer into a tree, trying to free your fly, you notice dozens of others already there and know that you are in good company

Ian, did I tell you I'm off fish for the moment? Don't waste any of your precious gift by mistakenly putting it in the minibar for me.

Brian,

I was on the phone to my fishing buddy Ken in Ireland yesterday. They were out on Glencar fishing for some Salmon and Sea Trout complaining that I hadn't been over this year. I'm usually there at least twice given the chance. He's placing bets he won't see me for 5 years after the kids!!

Anyway the reality is that the Rainbows can be a fun way to pass an afternoon the way many deer stalkers enjoy shooting a couple of rabbits on a summers afternoon (just because you can), but I remember why I stopped doing it.

The flip side of this is that I really don't care what sport I'm partaking in prvided I'm doing it in good company, so in the end one of the neighbours I'm sure wil be less fussy than I and be happy to take the crappy trout.

Another positive is that I finally managed to christen my SLT 4wt which I've been waiting for a chance to do for a couple of years!!

Rgds,
K

Kiri, sorry I was not criticising fishing for stocked rainbow's - I've had good fun at this often, I was just agreeing with you on their eating qualities.

Anyway, I love shooting rabbits, I like eating them even more....

As for the kids restricting your fishing trips, it won't be 5 years, just 3-4 at the worst, then you can start taking No.1 son along. I am now at the point where I can't even put a coat on without "daddy, where are you going?", "daddy, can I come?".

More my own criticisms that yours matey.

As for the bunnies agreed, just a parrallel where some look down on certain types of sport, but the truth is that as long as you are out and with mates it can all be good fun

It's too early in the mornnig still and I'm struggling to formulate my thoughts accurately!!

As for theKids, I'm lucky in my sport to enjoy a great variety of good sport, and recently take more pleasure from sharing it with people that appreciate the chances than actually pulling the trigger myself. The opportunity to shoot and fish with Leon and any of his siblings I might be blessed with is the only thing i feel could make my sport any better.

I can't wait for all of that stuff!!

K

Ah the trout!

Yes a fun but frustrating afternoon was had by Trapper Dave and I, Mr. Fish of course caught three in rapid sucessiopn once he worked out where the fish were.

I can echo Dave's comments about the the remarkable fly-catching properties of the trees, It was rather comforting to see a tangled mess of other people's flies hooked on the same branch you've just caught....

A day of discovery, for me and a couple of tailgaiting Polish builders

Amir,

Hopefully you will redeem yourself tomorrow. Weather looks good and today is a flat calm day so I'm hoping we should have a comfy day at sea.

FB