Ingredients (for 2 portions)

2 fresh, gutted trout (300-400 g each)
Natural salt for degumming

For the spice stock:

• 1 juniper berry
• 1 bay leaf
  (alternatively: herbs or herb mixtures as desired)

For the brine (10%ig):

• 150 g natural salt (without anti-caking agent)

For smoking:

• Beech wood/chips
• 1 handful of juniper berries
• fresh sprigs of rosemary or juniper
• Beechwood flour
• Smoking hook
• (1 small stainless steel bowl)

First, the trout are de-slimed. To do this, rub the fish with salt and brush under cold running water.

For the spice stock:
Lightly crush the juniper berry and bring to the boil briefly with the bay leaf in approx. 1.5 l water. Strain the spices and leave the stock to cool. This spice stock is then used as the basis for the brine.

For the brine:
150 g salt with the spice stock on Add a total of 1.5 liters of brine. Stir until the salt has dissolved. Place the trout in the brine and leave in a cool place for 20 hours. (After approx. 16 hours, the fish meat will absorb the salt.) A shallow plastic or stainless steel bowl is best suited for this.

After the brine bath, rinse the trout again thoroughly under cold running water and remove any mucus and salt residue. Pat the fish dry well with kitchen paper.

Remove all removable parts from the Merklinger (firebricks, grill grate, metal plates).

Hang the trout on the smoking hooks. (Do not use S-hooks, otherwise you may end up with only the heads hanging from the hooks).

Hang the fish in the holes of the baffle plate in the Merklinger with sufficient space between them, or insert the smoking insert and hang the trout in. (They must not touch each other).

In the next phase, the fish dry. This takes about half an hour. Leave the flap on the smoke pipe and the combustion chamber door open during this time:
Make a small fire in the combustion chamber. The temperature should slowly rise to approx. 100°C to dry the fish. Position the fire so that no liquid or fat can drip into the fire. You can also hang the fish on one side and place a stainless steel bowl underneath. And make the fire on the other side next to the bowl.

The fish should now feel somewhat leathery. The eyes begin to turn white.
 
In the next phase, the fish are cooked:
This takes approx. 15-20 minutes. During this time, the temperature in the Merklinger is slightly increased again. The pieces of wood must not be too large and too much wood must not be added. Only allow the temperature to rise slowly to approx. 160°C.

Now it's time for the actual smoking:
Cover the flame with beechwood flour. Spread juniper berries and sprigs of herbs on top. Close the flap in the smoke pipe and the door of the combustion chamber (also close the hinges). The trout will now hang in the smoke for approx. 45 minutes. If necessary, add smoked flour to the embers so that the trout absorb enough smoke flavor. The temperature may drop to 60-70°C during this time. The trout are ready when they have reached a core temperature of 60°C.


 
Tip:
The total smoking time depends on the filling quantity and the weight of the fish!