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quote:
quote:
Originally posted by Qnorth:
I've always just used a pyrex baking pan. Pour the almonds in, add spice, add a little butter to make everything stick, and smoke for an hour or two. Stir maybe once or twice.
Interesting, in your pan, do you have them all on top of each other (as you would cook a macaroni in the oven), or just in one layer ?


Sorry, I missed your question. I usually just pour them in the pyrex pan, not too deep but not worrying too much about the depth. As long as you stir a couple times, they will all get the smoke.
Have one of those metal woks w/ the holes too. Tried Pags recipe & placed them in the wok & worked fine for me.

Turned out very good, the wife & my mom keep saying they're addicting! Seems like less salt than the store-bought "smokehouse" almonds, which is not a bad thing IMO.

The seasoning kind of clumped up on the almonds, but that's my fault for not reading directions closely. Mixed up all ing. for seasoning before tossing in almonds. Taste's an A. Appearance is more like a C, C-. Oh well, just gives me an excuse to make some more Wink
I just completed a "shootout" article on cold smoking, and compared a DIY soldering iron smoker, a hand held food smoker called The Smoking Gun, and a Cookshack.

I smoke a lot of almonds too, and recently I've found cold smoking gives a better taste. I use two recipes. One is similar to what Pags posted, and that's what I used for the test. The other is loaded with honey and maple syrup.

I have had trouble with the latter recipe in hot smoking. The nuts tend to caramelize and can get a little nasty tasting with the char. With cold smoking plain for about 20 hours they are mild but clearly smoked, and then the gooey stuff can be added and cooked in the Cookshack at 225 for a couple of hours and come out clean and tasting perfect. The recipe I used was more of a test against other equipment because those can be hot smoked easily.

What I found was that the soldering iron smoker gimmicks work just fine if 1) your food absorbs smoke in 2 hours or so, or you can let it go as long as you like if 2) you don't mind spending a small fortune on wood chips. The Cookshack is a bit of a pain with the ice and all, but the economy is unprecedented. I was able to hold it at 72 degrees.

The hand held Smoking Gun is a very cool gadget. It's not good for anything but short term flavoring, but for putting a smoke flavor on anything from shellfish to a salad it works great.

I get my almonds at Costco, $10 for 3 lbs.

Here's the article if you'd like more details.
I'll be glad to post both recipes, but tonight I'm looking at some minor revisions, based on the cold smoking. I'll post when it's done.

In the meantime, Pags, here's a real find, and you can get it at the Folsom Outlet Mall at the kitchen store. Fits the Cookshack like a glove. $10.

Thanks. Looks like it would work well with chicken wings too.

I just did 7.5 lbs. of almonds, 5 lbs using the recipe I've used but substituted Yoshida Teriyaki for the Worcestershire and 2.5 lbs using TN Q's recipe with a little pecan rub on the maple syrup instead of the chicken rub. Put the maple almonds into the oven without smoking. Both turned out very good. As suspected, my daughter and granddaughter really loved TN Q's recipe. I should have used a little Pam on the cookie sheets holding the maple covered almonds. They really stuck fast(like cement) even though the cookie sheets were non stick. By popular request, some of the smoked almonds are heading to Chicago.

WinCo just raised the price of almonds again to $3.88/lb from $2.88 originally and the almonds seem smaller, so it looks like Costco next time as suggested by Donna.
quote:
Originally posted by LCNSac:
I'll be glad to post both recipes, but tonight I'm looking at some minor revisions, based on the cold smoking. I'll post when it's done.

In the meantime, Pags, here's a real find, and you can get it at the Folsom Outlet Mall at the kitchen store. Fits the Cookshack like a glove. $10.



What is this actually called? Looking for something like it, but don't have a clue what it is called to see if I can find one on-line or one locally? Thanks for the help.
Is there an advantage using a colander/steamer/strainer in the process of smoking nuts? Wouldn't this create an increased mass; thus taking much longer for the heat to penetrate to the 'center' nuts? Part of the process of smoking is thoroughly heating the nut and partially drying for that increased crunch and concentration of flavors. Seems to me it would require frequent stirring of product to ensure relatively even exposure; definately not recommended if there are any sugars in the coating.
Last edited by tnq
quote:
Originally posted by TN Q:
Is there an advantage using a colander/steamer/strainer in the process of smoking nuts? Wouldn't this create an increased mass; thus taking much longer for the heat to penetrate to the 'center' nuts?


Instead of laying them on a solid sheet, putting them on a rack with fine netting will allow the smoke/heat to penetrate all sides. You don't have to use one like the picture (with the curved sides)

there's a product, like a silpat, that is basically a flexible rack.
quote:
Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
Instead of laying them on a solid sheet, putting them on a rack with fine netting will allow the smoke/heat to penetrate all sides. You don't have to use one like the picture (with the curved sides)

there's a product, like a silpat, that is basically a flexible rack.


Agreed 100%. However, image provided appears to show a mass of nuts that are not in a single layer. If you're layering, the use of these types of accessories would not be as efficient as using a flat surface for smoking nuts. Silicon screening and mats do work great for for this and many other applications.

DB
I agree. I've tried every combination and the single layer works best. The problem is capacity with the Smokette.

The nuts in the picture are untreated, and it does require stirring once or twice during the smoking process. When using sugars you can apply the sugars to the smoked raw nuts, and use the oven or even a grill to finish. For smaller quantities the Smokette is fine, but I find cold (best) or hot smoking the untreated nuts first produces a more buttery flavor.

I also do lots of smoked shrimp/prawns. I haven't tried it yet, but I'd think the basket would work well there too.

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