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I've been experimenting with this for a while and I think I've got it figured out now. Here's how to make smoked almonds that really are smokin hot.
I start out like Dawn's recipie only with about half as much salt. When the water is boiling and the salt is dissolved I throw in some sliced open hot peppers. Fresh or dried will work. My last batch I used two Bhut peppers and three lemon drop peppers. Some folks thought that was too much heat but most really liked them. The first lesson learned with the bhuts is to cover the pan as soon as the peppers are added to the hot liquid. The vapors coming from the pan are unbreathable...trust me. Then while the liquid is still hot I add the nuts and cover them up overnight. The next day I strain them and put them wet on a pan and into the smoker. Any wood will work to smoke them but hickory seems to be the wood of choice. I try to take them out of the smoker before they get too crunchy because they get crunchier as they cool. Depending on the type and the ammount of peppers used, these things will light up your taste buds.
Now Im trying to figure out what to do with the leftover brine...I'm thinking add some sugar and herbs to brine some chicken thighs for smokin hot kickin chicken or something like that....
I start out like Dawn's recipie only with about half as much salt. When the water is boiling and the salt is dissolved I throw in some sliced open hot peppers. Fresh or dried will work. My last batch I used two Bhut peppers and three lemon drop peppers. Some folks thought that was too much heat but most really liked them. The first lesson learned with the bhuts is to cover the pan as soon as the peppers are added to the hot liquid. The vapors coming from the pan are unbreathable...trust me. Then while the liquid is still hot I add the nuts and cover them up overnight. The next day I strain them and put them wet on a pan and into the smoker. Any wood will work to smoke them but hickory seems to be the wood of choice. I try to take them out of the smoker before they get too crunchy because they get crunchier as they cool. Depending on the type and the ammount of peppers used, these things will light up your taste buds.
Now Im trying to figure out what to do with the leftover brine...I'm thinking add some sugar and herbs to brine some chicken thighs for smokin hot kickin chicken or something like that....