First time smoking

Hello .. hoping to get some advice , recipes for smoking fish 

I have an electric smoker , apple , cherry and mesquite chips

mix of fish, most are larger fish ,, lake trout  ,, rainbow ,, browns and kings  

would like to try a few different techniques , brines etc .. any suggestions welcome regards to mixtures , temps and times ... Thanks

I use a mes electric myself. I have built in temp and meat temp probes are useless. Get yourself separate meat and temp probes. The smoke Chanel is also useless I use  A-maze-smoke box. With a mailbox piped in with 3 alum. pipe.

If smoking meat with Sugar n the brine or seasoning I use frog mats and they work great.
 You can also get much info at

smokingmeatforums.com

Halloween is almost here and my wife and 3 year old carved some pumpkins up. We make pumpkin seeds in the oven every year and I was wondering if anybody has made them in a smoker or pellet grill...I would think they would be great.

Getting ready to light up soon. Been a hard road getting here. Started with some nicotine gum and went to patches. Then I chewed for awhile. Getting ready to smoke for the first time. 

Just add some honey

I am just preheating the smoker. Going to do a large batch of lake trout fillets. I am looking for a brush on recipe that you would add after a few hours in the smoke, Also what temp do most use?  I am seeing anywhere from 160 - 225?  I am using apple wood today. I have tried brushing with maple syrup and did not feel it added much. Was thinking of adding some brown sugar to the syrup?  

Smoked eggs are awesome.  I posted a smoked deviled egg recipe on this forum somewhere a couple of years ago.  I recall that there is Siracha sauce in the yoke mixture.  Mmmm.

Well I would consider my first to be a success .. not as much smoke as I wanted - had issues getting it generated -- plan to call masterbuilt to question .. larger pieces needed to be put in oven at 225 for about 35 min or so ... will do larger pcs of fish longer next time .. I brushed half with honey and half with pure maple syrup ... both good ... waiting to get feedback from family ... going to try wet brine next .... also made some smoked eggs while waiting for pellicle to form ,, yummy farts .

Well, how did it go?

I wouldn’t reuse it. All that moisture is from the fish itself and the salt/sugar is diluted. No telling what ratio you have. Then it will get diluted even more with the new batch. Salt/sugar is cheap, pitch it  

That additional sprinkle of brown sugar towards the end of smoking really adds a nice hit of sweetness. Just a pinch on a serving size piece is plenty. 

Did a dry brine , fillets are waiting for the pellicle then to smoker ... wondering if i could reuse the excess liquid to start a wet brine for some more LT ? just add salt and maybe other stuff , or is that dumb 

migr , I was mistaken about skin off --- those were smaller lakers for boil .. thanks tho ...

what about lake trout specific ... dont have skin on

Rinse and dry portion size pieces of trout or salmon filets. Lay on a rimmed cookie sheet. Season with black pepper and garlic powder to your taste. Cover with approx 1/8-1/4” (approx 1 heaping TBSP/ 6oz portion) of 1 part kosher salt and 2 parts brown sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. Lightly rinse excess salt/sugar, pat dry  and re-season with black pepper and garlic powder if needed/wanted to taste. Allow to air dry for 1-2 hours at room temp until surface is tacky. Smoke at 150-175* for 2-4 hours. Pat surface dry every 1/2 hour or so while smoking. Lightly sprinkle brown sugar with about 1 hour left to smoke. 

Additional season can be used for flavor. Cayenne, lemon pepper, Cajun or whatever else you’d like. The above is just a very good basic smoked salmon. Best to do small batches at first to dial in methods and seasoning amounts. I just use a regular Weber kettle grill with charcoal on each side. Mine is a 27” grill and I find around 7-8 briquettes on each side will maintain the temp I need. A 22” would probably only need 5-6 briquettes on each side. 

4-5pound fillets, skin on

4cup water

1cup soy sauce

3/4cup brown sugar

1/4cup sea salt

3/4tablespoon granulated garlic

Brine overnight.  Remove in the morning, pat dry and let sit in a cool place for at least an hour.

I found this brine recipe when my father in law started struggling with COPD and couldn’t have too much salt.  He loved smoked fish and wanted him to at least have a little bit at family gatherings.  I actually like it better than the salty brine recipe that I used for years.

The woods you listed are all good except for mesquite.  I think that’s more of a pork or beef smoking wood.  I use alder exclusively with fish but apple, cherry and hickory are good too. I fell in love with alder in Alaska where they don’t have access to the hardwoods we have here.

I use a charcoal/wood smoker and the thermometer sucks so I go by feel.  I keep the heat low and smoke steady for the first two hours.  I add lump charcoal chunks at the point and stoke up the fire for the last two hours to finish the fillets off.  Usually 1-2 hours more depending on size/thickness of the fillets.

Good luck.  Feel free to PM me if you have ???.