Discover the art of smoking trout cooked on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill. Learn Chef Tom's recipe to create a delicious, smoked trout dip that will satisfy your wildest taste buds!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Brining before smoking: Soaking the trout in a honey-sweetened brine for 6-8 hours seasons the fish all the way through and helps it hold moisture during the long, low-temperature smoke that follows.
- Air-drying the trout before it hits the smoker: Resting the rinsed trout uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours lets a tacky pellicle form on the surface, which helps the smoke adhere better than it would to a still-wet fillet.
- Smoking the cream cheese alongside the trout: Placing a block of cream cheese on the same rack picks up smoke flavor passively during the same 3-hour cook, so the dip's base is already infused by the time you're ready to mix it.
- Building the dip around pickle brine, not just pickles: Adding both the diced pickles and a spoonful of their brine gives the dip tang from two directions — texture from the pickles, and a more evenly distributed sharpness from the liquid.
How to Smoke Trout & Smoked Trout Dip
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.1 stars by 7 users
Category
Appetizer
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Calories
233
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to show us How to Smoke Trout and how to turn your smoked trout into a Smoked Trout Dip!
Ingredients
- 3 rainbow trout
- 4 lb ice
- 2 qt water
-
1 1/2 cup Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine
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2 tbsp Reida Farm Kansas Wildflower Honey
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 8 oz (1 cup) smoked trout
- 4 oz smoked cream cheese
- 2 tbsp shallots, minced
- 1 tbsp chives, minced
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1 tbsp Holmes Made Dad’s Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles
-
1 tbsp Holmes Made Dad’s Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles Juice
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp prepared horseradish
-
2 tsp Kozlik’s Triple Crunch Whole Grain Mustard
- 2 tsp lemon juice
-
1/2 tsp Heat Maverick’s Anti Gravity Hot Sauce
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Tellicherry Black Pepper, to taste
For the Smoked Trout Dip:
Directions
- To make the smoked trout:
- Place the ice in an 8 quart Briner Bucket.
- Combine the water, Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine, Reida Farm Kansas Wildflower Honey, garlic, thyme and red chili flakes in a pot. Bring to a simmer. Whisk. Pour over the ice in the briner bucket. Stir to melt ice.
- Place trout in the brine. Lock plate to submerge. Brine in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
- Remove trout from brine. Rinse under cold water. Place on wire rack over pan. Place in refrigerator at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 175ºF.
- Place a Frogmat (woven silicone coated mat) on the second shelf of the grill. Place the trout & cream cheese on the Frogmat. Smoke until the internal temperature of the trout reaches 145ºF, about 3 hours. Remove the trout and cream cheese from the smoker.
- When the trout is cool enough to handle, peel back the skin and separate the flesh from the bones. Discard the skin and bones. Pick through the flesh to remove any bones left behind.
To make the Smoked Trout Dip:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serve room temp or chilled with crackers and veggies.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why brine the trout before smoking it?
Brining for 6-8 hours seasons the fish all the way through and helps it retain moisture during the long, low-temperature smoke, so it doesn't dry out over the roughly 3-hour cook.
Why let the trout air-dry in the fridge before smoking?
Resting it uncovered for at least 2 hours lets a tacky surface layer (a pellicle) form. Smoke adheres to that tacky surface much better than it would to a fillet that's still wet from rinsing.
Why smoke the cream cheese at the same time as the trout?
Placing a block of cream cheese on the same rack lets it passively absorb smoke flavor over the same 3-hour cook, so the dip's base is already infused by the time you're ready to mix everything together.
Why add both diced pickles and pickle brine to the dip?
The diced pickles bring texture and pockets of tang, while the brine spreads that same sharpness evenly through the whole dip instead of concentrating it in just a few bites.
What internal temperature should the trout actually reach?
This recipe smokes it to 145°F, which matches the USDA minimum safe internal temperature for fish exactly — no correction needed here.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — the dip itself comes together entirely off the grill, but smoking the trout and cream cheese low and slow is central to this recipe's flavor and isn't easily replicated indoors.
Recipe Highlights
Honey brine: Seasons the trout through and through while helping it retain moisture.
Air-dried pellicle: Improves smoke adhesion before the trout goes on the grill.
Smoked cream cheese: Builds smoke flavor into the dip's base during the same cook.
Pickle and pickle brine combo: Layers tang from both texture and liquid.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 233
- Carbs
- 7 grams
- Protein
- 13 grams
- Fat
- 16 grams
- Sodium
- 278 milligrams
