Laker Preparation

[chunkytrout]

He's thawing in the sink right now and i started wondering the best way to prep this brute. I never really prepped fish over 4 or 5 lbs for eating. Should I steak him, fillet...? Smoke (I know that's alot of prep) broil, bake, grill? This is my first LARGE trout. Whatta fight!

[the big dipper]

I guess you got your fish cooked, how and how did it turn out? I just smoked two fillets from a 7# laker last week. I smoked it on my gas grill.

I laid the fillets on top of two oak firewood chunks (to keep them away from the direct heat - freshly split side up) and put a piepan of hickory and cherry smoking chunks down in the rocks, kept a very low flame and it turned out pretty good .

I used a dry rub brine (brown sugar and salt) about 1/2 cup of each sprinkled on the fish, rolled the fillets in saran wrap to cure for a day, and smoked it the next evening when I got home from work (5 hrs in the grill). Next time I'll add a little fresh ground black pepper to one fillet. First I need more trout first.

[redhooks]

Last year my friend cubed some up and then panfried them with onions and some Tony Cacherere's Cajun Seasoning and they were great. I caught one over the weekend and will be trying this tonight-can't wait for dinner time.......
redhooks

[chunkytrout]

Well, the pan fried and baked were awesome. The smoking, did not quite turn out so good. Too much heat and not enough smoke. I too did it on my gas grill but, just when it started smoking good, flash! the chip pan burst into flames. Charbroiled trout! I had the fish elevated off the grill but my grill sucks (cheap). As I plan on more smoking (fish, birds, deer) I think maybe I ought to invest in a real smoker.

[Surface Tension]

Chunky Wrap your wood chips in tin foil and leave a little hole so they cant flash. Only light one side of the grill and put the fish off to the side.