Outlaw Smoked Catfish

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Ingredients:
2 to 4 lbs. of catfish fillets.
2 TBS. Oil or Butter
2 Qts. of cold water
1/2 cup of Sea Salt
This makes enough brine for 4 pounds of catfish fillets.

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except the catfish in a large bowl or pot.
Stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
Place the fillets in the brine and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees.
Time things so it's ready to smoke the fish after its hour of brining is up.
A very light smoke with a mild wood like Alder or Apple is best for this recipe. 
Remove the catfish from the brine and give it a quick rinse. 
Lay fillets on a rack inside a pan and pat both sides dry with paper towels.
Season both sides of each fillet with the seasoning of your choice. (See Below)
Spray or brush the fillets lightly with oil or butter. A butter flavored cooking spray works great for this.

Seasoning:
A simple salt and lemon pepper seasoning works great with this. My favorite is a good coating of Cajun seasoning. As with most recipes, you can easily adjust the amount and flavors to your liking.

Smoking:
Place the pan with the fillets, flesh side up, in the preheated smoker.
Using very little smoke, cook the catfish to the done temperature. (If unable to control the amount of smoke, you can tent the fish with foil.)
Done internal temperature is 145 degrees. Be very carful not to exceed this temperature or the fish may dry out quickly.
It's important to check each fillet with an instant read thermometer as the temperature gets close to insure correct doneness. the flesh should be flaky when checked with a for fork.
It should take about an hour to an hour and a half, but like all BBQ, it's done when it gets done. The important thing here is the internal temperature, not the time. The fish needs to reach the safe internal temperature of 145 degrees, but every degree over is only drawing the moisture from the fish.
Serve the catfish as an entree', as a snack with crackers, as a sandwich on a bun with tartar sauce, or make a delicious smoked catfish dip.
Can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days or wrapped and placed in the freezer for up to 6 months.