Hot Smoked Trout
This is very good in sandwiches, especially in the summertime. Do not use thin or poor quality trout. It just is not worth the considerable effort to use anything but a fat, prime rainbow trout(Don't use brown trout either; the flesh is always too soft, and smoked trout should be slightly "chewy") A minority opinion is that smoking is the best way of preparing a "slab," or skinny trout,  but when you spend the time involved in  this recipe, you'll understand.

Fish Smoker: I use a stainless steel "Dissco" brand, with two grills, each of which is 165 mm
wide and 300 mm long, resulting in a total grilling area of 330 mm by 300 mm. The total depth of the smoking container is 150 mm, with the two grilles almost centered vertically(80 mm below the grills to the sawdust pan, and 70 mm above to the lid.) A non-stainless model I used previously had only about 90 mm of vertical height from bottom to top and seemed to work fine, also.

Ingredients:
Fillets from a fat,  2 kilogram Taupo/Tongariro rainbow trout. Leave the ribs, flying ribs and skin on.
1 tablespoon of sea salt
1/2 cup of brown sugar

Method:
1.Distribute both the salt and the brown sugar evenly over the flesh side of the fillets; rub the mixture into the flesh, being careful not to hurt your fingers on the cut-off ends of the flying ribs.
2. Leave the fillets flesh-side down (in an oven pan or other suitable container) for 12 hours.
3. Remove the fillets, discard excess liquid which will have been produced, clean and dry the pan,
and then re-place the fillets, flesh-side up this time. Leave for another 12 hours in the 'fridge.
4. Sprinkle an even layer of manuka(or other preferred hardwood) sawdust over the bottom of the smoking pan.
5. Fill the two alcohol containers of the smoker almost completely full with methyl alcohol.
6.Carefully light the alcohol, place the two fillets skin-side down on the grills, cover the container with the lid, and then place the covered container over the burning alcohol heater. (I further secure the whole assembly by placing a grapefruit-sized rock on top of the lid).
7. When the alcohol stops burning, after about 20 minutes, the smoking is complete.
8. You can eat it immediately, but I prefer to leave the smoked fillets in the 'fridge for at least another day. It seems to keep for at least 6 days in the fridge. Also, you can easily remove the rib-cage after smoking, and remove, less easily, the flying ribs. Just make sure you don't swallow a flying rib.

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