Vine-Smoked Trout

Ingredients

• 4 servings canola oil for brushing
• 4 servings sage fresh for garnish
• 4 servings lemon wedges fresh for garnish
• 4 servings pepper black freshly ground to taste fine
• 4  trout whole cleaned

Equipment

• grill

Directions

1. Fill your charcoal chimney with briquets, set the chimney on the bottom grill grate, and light, or prepare a fire in your smoker. For a gas grill, turn half the burners to medium. Rub the trout all over with the canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. When the coals are ready, dump them into the bottom of your grill, and spread them evenly across half. Scatter the wood chips on the hot coals, or place them in a metal container close to a burner on a gas grill.
3. Place the trout on the grill grate on the indirect-heat side of the grill. When the smoke starts to rise, close the lid.
4. Smoke the trout at 225° to 250°F for 45 to 60 minutes or until the fish begins to flake when tested with a fork in the thickest part and has a smoky aroma.
5. Garnish with rosemary or sage leaves and lemon wedges.
6. Suggested wood: Grapevine or alder
7. Excerpt from 25 Essentials: Techniques for Smoking, by Ardie A. Davis, © 200
8. Photographs © 2009 by Joyce Oudkerk Pool. Used by permission of The Harvard Common Press.