I've put a ton of fish in the smoker and honestly, its tough to screw up.
1. Just realize that everyone likes something different so take advice with a scoop of salt! Some like fish that's hard, dry, & salty, while others like moist & mild. Thickness of the fillets or fish should be kept in mind. If you've got an assortment of fillet thicknesses, then you'll have something for everyone so don't worry about it. You can let those thin pieces get over-salted in the brine or dry out in the smoker, and let the other thicker pieces be the opposite. You'll get the hang of it. Experiment until you get what YOU want.
2. I use a dry brine. I've done it overnight, and 24 hours. Nobody has been able to tell a difference. A wet brine would be a different story since you can't control it as well. A dry brine lets you sort the fillets and apply lighter amounts of the mix on the thinner pieces and heavier amounts on the thicker pieces. Flip once during the brine.
3. What I think makes a bigger difference than brine time, is amount of brown sugar. I started with more brown, and have substituted with white sugar. Too much brown sugar for too long seems to affect the flavor, to me.
4. I use Kosher salt, white sugar, and brown sugar. Sprinkle on fillets that are sorted by thickness. Some like to test the flesh after brining but before smoking... its basically lox (talking salmon here).
5. Definitely let the pellicle form! This is what keeps the fats, juices, & oils in the fish and the reason why you need to do this crucial step.
6. Start low and slow, and raise temp as you go. Pull pieces as needed. I use alder and apple for fish, but I don't think you can go wrong here.
Jason
