Smoked Trout - An Appetizer for New Year's Eve

Today Natasha requested that I make something different for New Year's and I smoke something different than usual. How could I say no?

Today's ingredient - Whole Rainbow Trout

Begin with a brine of water, salt, sugar, lemon juice, chili pepper and garlic powder, cover and brine overnight.

Get home and fire up the smoker with charcoal, cherry and apple wood, watch it take a lot longer to get up to temperature in this cold.

Place fish on the smoker grills, close it up and walk away (coming back to check on it occasionally).

Wait and voila:

Remove the skin and either eat the goodness right then and there (it's hard not to), or turn it into a salad, a smoked fish spread, or nice pieces ready for the table.

Not a bad special creation for the New Year's table.