How to Smoke a Trout

1. Fill the large pot with water and soak the wood chips. Experiment with different kinds of wood chips to determine which best suits your taste. For fish in general, fruit woods such as apple or cherry provide excellent flavor.

2. Put charcoal into the fire pan of your smoker and soak with charcoal starter. After the starter has had a chance to soak in, ignite the charcoal and wait until there is an even gray ash over all the coals. (Alternately, use a chimney-style charcoal lighter to avoid using lighter fluid).

3. Clean the trout by making a cut from the anus to and through the lower lip. Pull out the guts and gills and discard. Rinse the trout in clear, cold water.

4. Dry the fish with paper towels and sprinkle your favorite seasonings on both the inside and outside. Use any seasonings you like, but basic garlic salt, pepper, and dill are always a good combination.

5. Spray the cooking racks in your smoker with non-stick cooking spray. Lay the trout on the racks bottom-side down, spread open with enough space between the fish to allow the smoke pass between the fish.

6. Take handfuls of the soaked wood chips and distribute evenly over all the charcoal and close the smoker door. Small trout should only take about an hour to cook, and larger ones will cook in an hour and a half to two hours. The trout are done when the internal temperature registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.