we have old-fashioned 'raceways" where we raise trout- rainbows on this
go-round. we did not harvest them at the end of the summer last year,
and now they are HUGE! won't fit in a frying pan! One baked trout feeds
three. if we smoke them;
1. can they be wrapped and frozen?
2. should we get one of those vacuum sealers?
3. don't think they can be strung up and hung in the smoker because of
their weight. can we lay them down on old refrigerator racks?
4. Anything else I'm not thinking of?

"Gret" ) writes:
> we have old-fashioned 'raceways" where we raise trout- rainbows on this
> go-round. we did not harvest them at the end of the summer last year,
> and now they are HUGE! won't fit in a frying pan! One baked trout feeds
> three. if we smoke them;
> 1. can they be wrapped and frozen?

Our local supermarkets sell large frozen whole lake trout and white fish.
You can buy these, slice them into frozen fish steaks (it takes arm muscle
to do it), and repackage for the home freezer. Not smoked. Would that make
a difference?

> 2. should we get one of those vacuum sealers?
> 3. don't think they can be strung up and hung in the smoker because of
> their weight. can we lay them down on old refrigerator racks?
> 4. Anything else I'm not thinking of?
>


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Gret wrote:

> we have old-fashioned 'raceways" where we raise trout- rainbows on this
> go-round. we did not harvest them at the end of the summer last year,
> and now they are HUGE! won't fit in a frying pan! One baked trout feeds
> three. if we smoke them;
> 1. can they be wrapped and frozen?
> 2. should we get one of those vacuum sealers?

Yes and yes. I get good results with a tilia vacuum sealer.
It does a great job of keeping frozen hot smoked fish, better
than plain wrapping. With large pieces I cut the smoked fillets
to a smaller size before vac packing them.

> 3. don't think they can be strung up and hung in the smoker because of
> their weight. can we lay them down on old refrigerator racks?

Yes, that works. Oil the rack first. You can also cross section
the pieces before smoking if you need to.

> 4. Anything else I'm not thinking of?
>

I like to use a basic brine on trout.

1 C sugar (white or brown)
1 C salt
1/2 gallon water

Soak for 2 hours, then air dry.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

"Gret" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> we have old-fashioned 'raceways" where we raise trout- rainbows on this
> go-round. we did not harvest them at the end of the summer last year,
> and now they are HUGE! won't fit in a frying pan! One baked trout feeds
> three. if we smoke them;
> 1. can they be wrapped and frozen?
> 2. should we get one of those vacuum sealers?
> 3. don't think they can be strung up and hung in the smoker because of
> their weight. can we lay them down on old refrigerator racks?
> 4. Anything else I'm not thinking of?


Actually, I suggest packing them on dry ice and send them to me at......



Cheryl

Gret wrote:

> 1. can they be wrapped and frozen?

One way to preserve trout by freezing,
is to put the trout in a plastic bag with enough water
so that the trout is inside of a block of ice.
No feezer burn that way.
That's what I and all the fishermen I know, do.

--
pete

Reg-
thanks for the great advice. we've only smoked once before in this
cinderblock smoker. we had help from the man we bought the property
from. At that time we brined overnight, then smoked the fish for a
whole day. are you describing a 'hot smoke' method? how long for the
fish to air dry? how long are they in the smoker?
its getting cold, so a quicker process would be better, i guess. (esp
since tomorrow may be warm- hate doing a lot of fish in the cold!)
i've read good things about tillia- but lots of models and BIG price
range. what do i really need? is this a home depot item?
Reg wrote:
> Gret wrote:
>
> > we have old-fashioned 'raceways" where we raise trout- rainbows on this
> > go-round. we did not harvest them at the end of the summer last year,
> > and now they are HUGE! won't fit in a frying pan! One baked trout feeds
> > three. if we smoke them;
> > 1. can they be wrapped and frozen?
> > 2. should we get one of those vacuum sealers?
>
> Yes and yes. I get good results with a tilia vacuum sealer.
> It does a great job of keeping frozen hot smoked fish, better
> than plain wrapping. With large pieces I cut the smoked fillets
> to a smaller size before vac packing them.
>
> > 3. don't think they can be strung up and hung in the smoker because of
> > their weight. can we lay them down on old refrigerator racks?
>
> Yes, that works. Oil the rack first. You can also cross section
> the pieces before smoking if you need to.
>
> > 4. Anything else I'm not thinking of?
> >
>
> I like to use a basic brine on trout.
>
> 1 C sugar (white or brown)
> 1 C salt
> 1/2 gallon water
>
> Soak for 2 hours, then air dry.
>
> --
> Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Gret wrote:

> Reg-
> thanks for the great advice. we've only smoked once before in this
> cinderblock smoker. we had help from the man we bought the property
> from. At that time we brined overnight, then smoked the fish for a
> whole day. are you describing a 'hot smoke' method? how long for the
> fish to air dry? how long are they in the smoker?
> its getting cold, so a quicker process would be better, i guess. (esp
> since tomorrow may be warm- hate doing a lot of fish in the cold!)
> i've read good things about tillia- but lots of models and BIG price
> range. what do i really need? is this a home depot item?

Yes, I'm describing hot smoking though some of it pertains
to cold smoking too, such as drying. The drying step can be
done in the fridge (about 6-8 hours) or at room temp with a
fan (2-3 hours). You want a smooth, dry surface with a slight
gloss to it, known as a pellicle.

I try and keep the temp below 200 F, in the 180-190 F range.
That gives a nice, burnished surface. Much higher and you get
condensation on the surface and the look, flavor and texture
will not be as good.

How much you cook it is a matter of taste. For certain fish
like salmon I like to slightly undercook it. The internal
temp is about 130 F and it's not completely opaque in the
center. For others like trout I prefer it completely cooked
and opaque all the way through, about 140 F. For things like
swordfish I go a bit higher.

Here's a very good write up on the subject. Note especially
the brine strength and duration. My process is very close to
what you see here.

<http://www.3men.com/threemen1.htm>

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Can you describe how you raise trout in a raceway? and what a raceway looks
like? You got me really curious!
"pete" > wrote in message
...
> Gret wrote:
>
> > 1. can they be wrapped and frozen?
>
> One way to preserve trout by freezing,
> is to put the trout in a plastic bag with enough water
> so that the trout is inside of a block of ice.
> No feezer burn that way.
> That's what I and all the fishermen I know, do.
>
> --
> pete

our raceways are concrete tanks, obout 4 ft wide by 10 ft long. there
are two, with cutouts connecting them. water supply is overflow from
our artesian well, which flows out of the ground at 45-48 degrees.
perfect for brook or rainbows. at the other end, excess flows out,
emptying into a brook..
(permits obtained from DEC-state conservation). we buy 6 inchers in the
spring and feed all summer