3.75lbs steelhead. Cut it up first?

[jpowell]

First attempt at fish. Costco was out of brisket so decided to give this a try. Should I cut it into smaller chunks before dry brining?

 

[barelfly]

I think I have just brined as one piece and then cut into sections when I was about to smoke because I usually try a few different rubs. But i’ve Also just done one entire piece on the smoke as well.

What kind of dry brine are you going to go with? Just a salt or are you adding in some brown sugar?

I love smoked salmon. Even make a bit of a salmon spread once that I put on some crackers and it was really good!

 

[jpowell]

Planning the 4:1 brown sugar / salt brine overnight.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I cut it into sections about 4 in long for ease of handling.  That way the edges get fully brined and pellicle forms evenly before smoking.

 

[Ken]

How did the steelhead turn out?

 

[jpowell]

I ended up cutting the fish into chunks as seen in the pic. I was not expecting them to take sooooo long to cook. 4.5hrs at 170F and it was just barely hitting 135F IT. Fish tasted great, but I would have preferred it to cook a little more from a texture aspect.
The maple syrup glaze was money

 

[Walt]

Looks great. I like to cut in advance into individual portions.  This allows for a much cleaner presentation.  Cutting a flakey 135 degree fish can be difficult to present in a clean fashion. Even if you like it a bit more dense and dry, IT 155 or so, it still difficult to cut clean edges.

 

[Pork Belly]

I would have preferred it to cook a little more from a texture aspect

Your grill or broiler will give you the texture you want.