Oregon Coast Waves - 1.11

Reservoir 2 are heavily stocked with
hatchery rainbow trout from late winter
well into spring, and they’re the perfect
spots to take vacationers and locals of
any age because you’re almost always
guaranteed to catch a fish, including
some fat “trophy” sized rainbow trout.
In fact, while we were there this past
Saturday morning, we watched a man
pull a 16-inch rainbow trout from the
reservoir right in front of us.
While we typically fish right off the
bank, we have seen some anglers
launch small rafts or rowboats into the
reservoir, and it looks like a ton of fun,
too. No motors are allowed in these
waters though to help preserve water
quality, so it’s non-motorized rafts or
boats only.
So if you’re looking for a great way to
impress guests or just a full day of family
fun, Big Creek Reservoir is always a
great time and almost always guarantees
some great eats.
Smoked Trout
Recipe by, Smoked Meat Sunday —
www.smokedmeatsunday.com
Ingredients
Whole salmon or trout fillets
Smoked Trout Brine
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
Smoked Trout Glaze
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper,
optional
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
1. Combine the brine ingredients in a
food safe container.
2. Place your fish fillets in the container,
and then liberally sprinkle the brine
over your fish. Every nook and cranny
of the fish fillet should be covered
with your dry brine. Once the fish is
adequately covered, cover the pan with
saran wrap and place the whole pan in
your refrigerator.
3. Let the fish brine for at least 3 hours,
and up to 6 hours. Any longer and it
will be too salty.
4. After the trout has been brined, rinse
each of the fillets thoroughly, and then
pat dry.
5. Place the fish on a grill rack, and then
put the rack on the sheet pan you were
using before, and back in the fridge with
the fish! If you don’t have room in the
fridge, you can put the fish in a cool,
well-ventilated area. The fish will need
to sit out for at least 3 hours. This step
produces a tacky film on the surface
of the salmon, called the pellicle. The
pellicle will help your trout or salmon
hold more of that smoke flavor you’re
looking for, and it keeps the fish from
cooking too quickly.
6. Set your smoker up to cook with
indirect heat at around 140 or 150
degrees, and then place your trout or
salmon fillets on the grill grates.
7. Combine the glaze ingredients in a
small bowl.
8. Stir the ingredients until the honey
and brown sugar has dissolved, and
then set aside.
9. At the end of each hour, brush your
fish with the glaze.
1
0. After 2 hours, increase the
temperature in your smoker by 20
degrees. Repeat this process every 2
hours.
11. Smaller trout only take a few hours
to smoke, but larger lake trout and
salmon can take several hours. Check
the temp of your fish with a good meat
thermometer after a few hours, and
when the fish has reached an internal
temperature of 145 degrees, you can
pull the fish from the smoker.
12. When the fish is done smoking
you can eat it warm, or let it cool for
about 60 minutes before putting it in an
airtight container in the fridge.
Farm Fresh
Rhubarb &
Strawberry Cobbler
I absolutely love meeting new people!
Talking to strangers and striking up
conversations with the people I meet
around town is something I cherish,
although there seems to be a major
divide in the world these days with
everyone feeling the need to “pick a
side” in one way or another. I’ll admit,
I can be just as guilty of this, but what’s
more important to me is a connection
to other fellow humans through what
brings us together in the first place. And
sometimes through those connections,
amazing new friendships are built.
You see, when we meet strangers —
whether at a farmers market, our favorite
restaurant or even just down along the
bay raking for clams — we know that we
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