I have bought a stainless steel fish smoker and various smoker chips.
However i just cannot seem to get the fish to taste right always has a somewhat burnt taste rather than the smoked taste of bought smoked trout. I filleted a trout and cooked it yesterday and it looked fanatstic but tasted like it was burnt.
I tried different burner fuels but still no change, also should i lay the chips directly on the bottom of the smoker or in a foil envelope with a hole in?
I have tried tio smoke a fresh killed fish and also soaked one overnight in water, but still the same.
I have noticed however that the inside of the smoker lid gets some moisture on which drips back down onto the fish and the bottom of the smoker which may cause the burnt taste?
Anyone got any help/tips i would be most greatful.

I bought a smoker last week.... Filleted the trout and put them in salted water for a couple of hours.... I used oak saw dust (chips are fine)... wet the dust/chips in water before using them... I had charcoal lit and turned white.. as you would when BBQ'ing... A bowl is then placed above the charcoal with the dust/chips in it... I dont like my fish too salty so these fillets are removed from the water.. patted dry and placed on a grid above the dust/chippings.... left for 20-30 minutes and they are perfect!!... Forum Police...Please note!! This is how 'I' do em!!!... hope this is of help?

Are you salting the fish before smoking it?

First of.. Smoked salmon etc that you buy is cold smoked and the taste can not be replicated in a small home smoker.

Hot smoked fish like the trout you are dealing with will have a completely different flavour. The fish will benefit from been dry rather than wet and you shouldnt soak it before hand. Salting is preferable

Successful home smoking can mean a good bit of trial and error and the difference in taste that small temp changes make is amazing,.Get hold of home smoking and curing by keith Erlandson,,,Brilliant book will help no end

I personally salt my fish after filleting and leave for a couple of hours before smoking them. I have a Brinkman smoker now, which is about as close to perfection for my taste as I have found
I use lumpwood charcoal and always put water in the bowl above the charcoal, this keeps the smoke as cool as possible in this type of smoker and allows you to prolong the process without drying out the fish.
I am currently using beech chips soaked in Bourbon and put them directly onto the coals.
Thats about it mate, I do fish, good pork sausage and whole chickens in the same manner Delicious.

__________________
Cheers and Beers
Bob

Did you remember to soak the wood chips first?

I know it might sound daft but if you use chips or dust that is wet it ensures that the wood "smokes" rather than burning - which can give the fish a bitter taste.

I'll be round in a bit!!...

Thanks guys some interesting information that should with a little luck help me find success.

I suspect the problem is as the FoG suggests. Dry wood chips burn too fast and produce too much heat.

It sounds to me like you're burning the fish because your smoker it too hot. Do you have an oven thermometer? If not buy one and see what your smoker reads after it's been closed for 15-20 minutes. I suspect what might be happening to you is your smokers temp is creeping up to 350++ degrees because your wood or dust is burning too well.

As I've often posted, I use a Weber kettle grill as a smoker and heat control is everything. I burn a couple of golf-ball size lumps of charcoal in an old bread pan and that's PLENTY of heat. I put the occasional wet wood chip on top of the coals and keep the bottom air intakes almost completely closed. You want the minimum air intake possible that still allows the fire to burn.

Grouse

I used to use a 50 gall oil drum for hot smoking mackerel, but for trout - 4 or 5 at a time instead of 40 or 50 - I've been using my Weber grill, set up like this:

http://www.bluesmoke-bbq.com/037spli...plit_grill.php

I like to smoke them with the skins on (I gut and top-and-tail them to fit), as the more bitter tastes from smoking are then on the skin and a very small surface area of meat.

It's imperative to brine the fish: 80% solution is about a pound and a quarter of salt in 4 pints of water, and this will salt up to 10 trout (in two 'sittings' - I use a washing up bowl, put 4-5 trout in, place a board on top and weight it to keep the fish submerged. After an hour or so I smoke them, and brine the second lot if I'm doing more than 5).

I don't like them too salty, so I score the thickest part of the meat and brine for about an hour and a quarter for (what started out as) 2-3lb fish. Dry them thoroughly and cook smoke for an hour or so - make sure that the thickest part of the meat reaches 140 degrees F (I use a Weber meat thermometer).

This is a Juancho's Smoked Trout page:

http://www.bluesmoke-bbq.com/064_gri...oked_trout.php

He does a dry rub, otherwise we agree....

I use lumps of hardwood (ash, atm, as I have some), and the Weber air in/out system means that the heat and smoke is pretty controllable - just takes a bit of practice. Yum...

Works for me (and the suddenly many friends who like smoked trout...).

HTH

Paul