Brining Trout Issue

caddisfly7 · #1 04-09-2018, 10:34 AM

Hey AO!

The last time I went to brine some rainbow trout for the smoker, the fish curled in the brine. This caused much of the flesh to fall off the trout and become mushy. I still smoked the fish and it all had an off taste and very mushy. I use a basic brine mixture of salt, sugar, water, and honey. Any ideas as to why? I have used that same basic brine mixture for other batches through out the winter and did not have the same results. Any ideas or has anyone had this issue before?

I wondered if I did not cool down the brine water enough, or if I used too much sugar/salt. I don't tend to measure out my brine ingredients as the amount of trout I am smoking tends to vary (bigger fish days/smaller fish days, GF comes out, etc...). I have tried google but just get the curling when cooking problems. This was curling during the brining process and it happened fairly fast (10 min or so) after putting the fillets in the brine.

Any suggestions or ideas of why this occurred? I would not like to make the mistake again as the fish was difficult to eat.

Thanks

Elchinodiablo · #2 04-09-2018, 12:01 PM

Whirling diesease!!! Just kidding. I really dont know.

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dodgeboy1979 · #3 04-09-2018, 12:11 PM

what type of salt do you use for your brine?

caddisfly7 · #4 04-09-2018, 12:17 PM

Nothing special. Just a table salt. Would you recommend something else?

coors04 · #5 04-09-2018, 12:23 PM

I use course ( pickling ) salt. It's best to have measurement if how much water and salt you use. You can add and subtract other things but if you throw your water to salt of that could be what the issue was and definitely make sure it's room temp or colder before adding fish. Also if you leave the fish in to long it not long enough can make a difference

cube · #6 04-09-2018, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caddisfly7

Nothing special. Just a table salt. Would you recommend something else?

A lot of guys will use pickling salt. Not much different, it's a bit cheaper as it does not have the Potassium Iodide and anti caking agent in it. These agents can add a slight bit of flavor but should not have caused what you see here.

I really don't know what caused your issue here but if I were guessing I would say brine to hot and not enough salt along with a muddy trout.

Good Luck with the next batch

caddisfly7 · #7 04-09-2018, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coors04

I use course ( pickling ) salt. It's best to have measurement if how much water and salt you use. You can add and subtract other things but if you throw your water to salt of that could be what the issue was and definitely make sure it's room temp or colder before adding fish. Also if you leave the fish in to long it not long enough can make a difference

Ok thanks! I figured it was either the salt, sugar, or water/fish temperature. It wasn't time in brine as the curling occurred 10 minutes after the fillets hit the brine. I am going to measure out the salt and ensure everything is room temperature next time. Next round I am also going to smoke the whole, gutted fish, instead of just fillets.

Thanks again and I appreciate the help!

ghostguy6 · #8 04-09-2018, 01:19 PM

I would say the curling effect came from the brine being too hot. Was the fish fresh or previously frozen?

caddisfly7 · #9 04-09-2018, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

I would say the curling effect came from the brine being too hot. Was the fish fresh or previously frozen?

The fish was not frozen. I salted and put in the fridge while I made the brine. I am thinking from all the comments so far that I put too cold of fish into too hot of a brine. I am going to more caution in bringing everything to room temperature next time. I may have just rushed the process!

Thanks

tallieho · #10 04-09-2018, 02:09 PM

get yourselve some pickling salt coarse...table salt has iodine in it .makes for free flowing thru a shaker coarse cheaper & better health wise for you...

dodgeboy1979 · #11 04-09-2018, 03:06 PM

the iodine in table salt will make it mushy and have a strange flavour, use pickling or kosher salt. Your brine should always be cold when you put the fish in or else you cook them, just throw ice in your brine to cool it before you add the fish. An uncooked egg should be able to float in the brine to indicate when you have enough salt.

pikeman06 · #12 04-09-2018, 03:27 PM

Quart of water...half cup of white sugar....Half cup of coarse salt. Use good quality water. Mix until it's dissolved. Put your fish in. Glass or plastic no metal refrigerate. Soak about 12 hours for average size fish... rinse them off. Let them sit on the racks for about an hour and you should get a tacky glaze on them. Then I pat them down with a brown sugar and spice mix. smoke with alder about 8 or ten hours then I finish them in the oven at 325 fir 15 minutes to make sure they are actually cooked. I don't smoke whole fish as I found they don't cure evenly. I fillet them and trim them up nice and presentable I even take the skin off and scrape that grey crap off the meat. Makes a very nice product without the fishy taste for whites and trout. Throw a few chunks of willow in for a tangy taste. Barbecue sauce of your choice in the original wet brine is a dirty trick too. About a cup. That's my procedure I've tried them all. Don't try to smoke frozen fish that's been thawed. It will get a Sandy texture that doesn't work for smoking. Fine for frying tho.

Red Bullets · #13 04-09-2018, 03:49 PM

Try using a dry cure instead of a wet brine.

pikeman06 · #14 04-09-2018, 05:30 PM

Dry rubs are for guys that don't know how to cure fish. It's a chemical reaction with the correct mix of salt sugar and water that's been used for a hundred years as opposed to the crap you buy off the shelf at cabelas read the ingredients on that dry rub stuff. Just like jerky....everyone's a pro now with that premixed bag of chemicals.

pikeman06 · #15 04-09-2018, 05:36 PM

Dry rubs are for guys that don't know how to cure fish. It's a chemical reaction with the correct mix of salt sugar and water that's been used for a hundred years as opposed to the crap you buy off the shelf at cabelas read the ingredients on that dry rub stuff. Just like jerky....everyone's a pro now with that premixed bag of chemicals.

archercurt · #16 04-09-2018, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pikeman06

Dry rubs are for guys that don't know how to cure fish. It's a chemical reaction with the correct mix of salt sugar and water that's been used for a hundred years as opposed to the crap you buy off the shelf at cabelas read the ingredients on that dry rub stuff. Just like jerky....everyone's a pro now with that premixed bag of chemicals.

Now that there is a pile of bologna my friend, I have a dry brine recipe that would knock the socks off of any wet brine. Thati will guarantee. If our like your smoked fish salty then wet brine for 24hrs is a great idea. If you are buying a bag of brine off of the shelf then yes....but a brine wet or dry is simple. I for one prefer dry. I can have it brined and smoked in one day. None of this 24 hr stuff. Pm me if you would like an easy dry brine recipe that works every time.

Red Bullets · #17 04-10-2018, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pikeman06

Dry rubs are for guys that don't know how to cure fish. It's a chemical reaction with the correct mix of salt sugar and water that's been used for a hundred years as opposed to the crap you buy off the shelf at cabelas read the ingredients on that dry rub stuff. Just like jerky....everyone's a pro now with that premixed bag of chemicals.

I don't profess to be a pro. Just to clarify I am not talking about commercially bought cures either.

I grew up around home made wet brines and dry cures. My dad and uncles had a big smoker on the farm and my grandfather had it before them. And I'm pretty sure my great grandfather smoked fish before them too. Our family cured and smoked lots of meats, fish and poultry for more than a century. Up to 75 fish or birds at a time. I used to buy 25 or more whitefish at a time myself from the commercial netters at pigeon lake since the 1970's and most of those fish were dry cured before going into the smoker. I used a variety of blends of herbs, spices and peppers depending on the size and kind of the fish I was smoking. And no more salt than necessary. And depending on the kind of fish it would determine the kind of smoke I used..

Some of the recipes I use also call for some liquids in the 'cure' so they are maybe not a true dry rub but more like a marinade. Some of those liquids have salts in them. Things like lemon, lime, orange, pineapple or apple juice, soy or teriyaki sauce, honey, maple syrup, rum, tomato juice, wines, vinegars, worcestershire sauce, scotch or vodka. It's nice to add flavours instead of just salt and smoke to some kinds of fish.

Depending on the size of the trout or other fish determines how long you let the fish cure in either brine or rub. IMO only, either the wet or dry curing methods work.