After a great day on the Bay..
Thought I’d send along some ideas for a great way to prepare that Rock for a holiday treat or halftime snack.
Step 1) Catch the Rock
Step 2) Fish cleaning
Simply scale and gut the rock
I remove the Gills also. Wash and clean out the insides to remove all bloodlines etc.

Step 3) Score both sides to allow sugar/brine to soak in
Sugar/Brine Mix:
1 cup of Brown Sugar
1 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of sea salt or Kosher salt
2 or 3 cups of water
Boil and stir brine/sugar mix until dissolved in a pot

Step 4 ) brine the fish for 6-8 hours or overnight
Lay fish in a pan or dish big enough to cover the fish with water and brine mix.
I found an aluminum roasting pan works great
I pour the hot brine mix over the fish and fill with cold water until covered.
I usually brine only half at a time and I turn the fish after about 4 hours to get brine mix into both sides.

Step 5) Smoking
I use an electric smoker set at 200 degrees for 4 hours
I use hickory and apple chips mixed, but any flavor should work.


Rock will be a beautiful smoky brown and be moist ready to be served.
Found it better if left to cool down or can be wrapped and refrigerated for later.