Warning! Smoked nuts can become quite addictive! Who doesn’t love nuts? Especially nuts that are covered in salt or sugar? Nuts are always a treat at holidays, bars, and sporting events. They are also great with all other types of foods like sweetbreads, salads, and trail mix.
It doesn’t take that much time to smoke nuts, and you can use any kind. In this article, we will go over what you need to start smoking nuts today. We also have a couple of great recipes that have proven to be excellent.
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Getting Started
Any smoker will work for the job as long as it is indirect heat and can control the temperature. You can also use any wood you would prefer. Usually, most people will use hickory or mesquite when smoking nuts, but if the recipe goes better with other woods, that is fine.
All different types of nuts can be smoked as long as they have been deshelled. Many nuts come in the shell, so make sure to take them out before smoking them. For the most part, you want the nuts to be coated in something fatty like oil or butter to take on a lot of the smoke flavor and protect them.
So, a marinade or rub is always welcomed. Even though the smoking time is very short and seems easy enough, make sure to have a water bucket near emergencies and a sanitation bucket with a rag for accidents.
The Smoking Process
For the most part, the smoking process is always the same. The temperatures are still in the same region of 200-250 degrees. And the amount of time is still in the two-hour range. This is for hot smoking, but if you wanted to cold smoke your nuts, you could as well.
However, the process is too long and pointless when it comes to smoking nuts. Nuts are naturally fatty and dense and don’t need too long of good smoke to take on great flavors. During the smoking process, you want to make sure to keep moving the nuts around, flipping them over, or give em’ a little shake to make sure the smoke comes in contact with all sides of the nuts.
Once they are done smoking, it is recommended to let the smoke cool down completely before consuming it. Some nuts may have softened up during the smoking process.
Sweet and Sticky Smoked Pecans
These pecans are going to be hard to put down! They are great by themselves and even better when accompanied by a salad or yogurt at breakfast. Indulgence will turn into obsession faster than you think.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pecans halves
- 1/3 cup butter
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
Directions
Preheat, the smoker to 250 degrees. In a large saucepot or pan, melt the butter. Then add all the other ingredients except for the pecans. Mix well and make sure the sugar dissolves. In a large bowl, combine the pecans and sugar mixture.
Make sure to mix well and get all the nuts completely coated in the mix. Place a Silpat or a piece of wax paper on a sheet tray. If you don’t have these, then grease the sheet pan generously with butter or lard. Now lay the nuts on the sheet tray and spread them out.
With this recipe, it is best to place the pecans on the tray one by one. Place the sheet tray in the smoker and allow to smoke for about 2 hours. Once they have finished, remove them from the smoker and allow them to cool before serving.
You also may have some trouble separating them if you didn’t spread them out. They can caramelize and stick to each other very easily.
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Smoky Spiced Almonds
These nuts are not too spicy but may knock the socks off ya’ if you’re not careful, so keep a glass of milk nearby, just in case.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds whole roasted almonds
- ½ cup butter
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. Tabasco
- 1 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Onion powder
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 tsp. Black pepper
- 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. Red pepper flakes
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
Directions
Preheat, the smoker to 250 degrees. In a large saucepot or pan, melt the butter. Then add all the other ingredients except for the almonds. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients well until all the almonds are covered in the mixture.
Grease up a sheet pan with cooking spray or butter and spread the nuts on the pan evenly. Smoke for at least 2 hours to have a deep rich smoky flavor. Make sure to keep moving the nuts around during the smoking process to get an even smoke.
Remove the almonds from the smoker and allow them to cool down completely before serving.
Conclusion
We hope today’s article will help you on your journey to learn How to Smoke Nuts. Smoking, like cooking, is open to interpretation, so feel free to interpret it away.
Stick to the basics and match your tastebuds to your favorite nuts.
Click here for our article 17 Things You Can Smoke in a Smoker
