Smoked Mackerel or Rainbow Trout

• 4 cups (1 liter) water
• 1 rounded cup (240 g) salt
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
• 1/3 cup (100 g) Grade B (dark) maple syrup
• 4 whole mackerel or rainbow trout, 10 to 16 ounces (280 to 455 g) each, gutted

1. In a thick-bottomed pot, combine the water, salt, soy sauce, and maple syrup and bring almost to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt.
2. Take it off the stove and chill it in the fridge.
3. Lay the fish in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, cover with the cold brine, and cover with the lid.
4. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
5. When you are ready to smoke, start your smoker.
6. It should be barely warm when you start, and it should take about 30 minutes to reach 85F (30C)inside the smoker that is.
7. It is now that the fish take on that distinctive crust that makes them look smoked.
8. After 1 1/2 hours, the smoker should be at 150F (65C).
9. At the 2-hour mark, it should reach 200F (95C).
10. At this point, the internal temperature of the fish should read (on a good-quality, well-calibrated electronic thermometer) about 140F (60C).
11. Make sure there is always a good cloud of smoke.
12. (I suggest taking readings at 20-minute intervals to make sure you dont overshoot that 140F mark.)
13. You can store the smoked fish in the fridge for up to a week, or you can freeze it for up to a month.

liter, salt, soy sauce, maple syrup, mackerel

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/smoked-mackerel-or-rainbow-trout-388965 (may not work)