Tweet
Ok, This morning even though I have alot of meat to smoke before winter, decided to do up some Almond's I keep hearing about. I had 3/4 pound in the freezer ( RAW ) I was looking through all the threads about it. Brining, Butter and pam. Well, I remember awhile back looking up roasting salted peanuts online, cause that's one of my favorite foods. It says to boil them with salted water, and then let dry before roasting. A few posts on the almonds said to brine them in cooled saline solution. I remembered the peanut thing I had read about and the reason you boil is to expand the nut allowing the salt to enter. So I made a brine, which was Two cups of water, One Cup Kosher and 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar. When the water came to a boil I added the dry ingredients, and stirred to dissolve as much as possible, then dumped in the almonds and brought this all up to just before a boil and removed, let set for one hour. I think this is a good step, as the salt went into the meat of the nut and not too overpowering. Then layed out on a sheet pan to dry I then put them into pie tin's poked full of holesand off to the smoker. Smoked for 2 1/2 hours at about 230 to 250, Then (BIG MISTAKE) added a pat of butter to each tin along with the sugar/spice mix, one pan was just cinnamon and brown sugar and the other I purchased at an adult store LOL Just kidding.
I have a Nut Roasting Pan, which really is nothing more than a bund't pan, in which a paddle fit's in the center with a crank on top for a constant stirring.
Normally using this nut roaster, it is alot of sugar, 3/4 Cup per pound of nut's and 1 Tbls. of Water which gives it a real good glaze.. And the nuts get a good 1/8th inch candy like coating on them. This is the part I differ from using fat/butter. You only need to use plain ol water to dissolve the sugars to get an even coating on the nuts. So I would say, after smoking them I used about 1/4 cup sugar mix and you would only need a spritz or two of water to get the sugar dissolved and to then again form a candy like coating, which get hard and crunchy, the butter just makes em greasy but it tastes good. My conclusion is the next time I do this will be..
1 Pounds Raw Almonds
Brine.
2 Cups water
1Cup Kosher
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
Bring water to a boil add Salt and Sugar...............disolve somewhat
add Nut's and just bring to a boil.
remove from heat and let rest 1 hour
Dry on a sheet pan overnight uncovered in a dry place.
Smoke 2.5 hours at 230-250 stirring every half hour
add 1/4 Cup sugar/spice mix and continue smoking till sugar heats up.
Add 1 or 2 spritzes of water and stir to coat and smoke for another 15 minutes.
Take out and stir around till somewhat cool and then just every couple minutes afterwords.
These had a nice flavor and I smoked the 2.5 with hickory. But when I added the sugar for another hour switched to mesquite. I just think the coating would be better adhered to the nut a bit more using water.
I have a Nut Roasting Pan, which really is nothing more than a bund't pan, in which a paddle fit's in the center with a crank on top for a constant stirring.
Normally using this nut roaster, it is alot of sugar, 3/4 Cup per pound of nut's and 1 Tbls. of Water which gives it a real good glaze.. And the nuts get a good 1/8th inch candy like coating on them. This is the part I differ from using fat/butter. You only need to use plain ol water to dissolve the sugars to get an even coating on the nuts. So I would say, after smoking them I used about 1/4 cup sugar mix and you would only need a spritz or two of water to get the sugar dissolved and to then again form a candy like coating, which get hard and crunchy, the butter just makes em greasy but it tastes good. My conclusion is the next time I do this will be..
1 Pounds Raw Almonds
Brine.
2 Cups water
1Cup Kosher
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
Bring water to a boil add Salt and Sugar...............disolve somewhat
add Nut's and just bring to a boil.
remove from heat and let rest 1 hour
Dry on a sheet pan overnight uncovered in a dry place.
Smoke 2.5 hours at 230-250 stirring every half hour
add 1/4 Cup sugar/spice mix and continue smoking till sugar heats up.
Add 1 or 2 spritzes of water and stir to coat and smoke for another 15 minutes.
Take out and stir around till somewhat cool and then just every couple minutes afterwords.
These had a nice flavor and I smoked the 2.5 with hickory. But when I added the sugar for another hour switched to mesquite. I just think the coating would be better adhered to the nut a bit more using water.
Comment