I decided to start my smoking experimentation off with a single trout fillet. I found a generic brine recipe online and used it. Unfortunately, I found it far too salty for my tastes. Coupled with that was the problem my burner had getting up to temperature and maintaining it.
I was struggling to get my internal temperature up to 200F and by the time that happened (I put my fillet in when the temperature got to 120F), my fillet had been smoking and cooking away for about 5 hours. I had only put in enough wood chips to smoke for about an hour so the smokey taste was good if a little on the subtle side - or perhaps it was difficult to taste due to the overpowering saltiness of the fish.
Unfortunately, the fish itself was quite dry due to my overcooking it. I had even put a water bath into the smoker to try and moisten the fillet as it cooked. I shudder to think how dry it might have turned out had I not had the water bath there. I ended up having to pair the fish with my salad in order to cut the saltiness and dryness. It wasn't a great first try but neither was it a disaster.
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