BRADLEY SMOKER | "Taste the Great Outdoors"

Recipe Discussions => Vegetables, Cheese, Nuts => Topic started by: Divey on April 06, 2015, 07:06:24 PM

Title: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Divey on April 06, 2015, 07:06:24 PM
I searched through and found as many smoked almond recipes I could find. Many of them had cayenne, chili and other spices but I just wanted smoked almonds as you buy them.

I have noticed that the commercial bought smoked almonds have very fine salt on them so I ground table salt in the mortar and pestle until I was happy with the texture. I had about 900 grams of almonds and I used one tablespoon of safflower oil and coated the almonds with that so the ground salt would stick to them. I smoked them for 2 hours with apple flavoured bisquettes, however, I was of the opinion that there was not enough smokiness so I did them again for another two hours using mesquite.

They are very good now, and, I'm rather happy with the flavour and appearance.

(http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a595/Divey1/IMG_0020%20Medium_zpsitgxcxdq.jpg) (http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/Divey1/media/IMG_0020%20Medium_zpsitgxcxdq.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: tskeeter on April 07, 2015, 08:29:57 AM
Divey, I'm salivating.  Those almonds look really good!
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: piratey on April 07, 2015, 09:35:14 AM
I was smoking canadian bacon this last weekend and had some space in the smoker, so I looked up smoked almond recipes.  I saw one that had me soak my almonds in water for 10 minutes, apply regular table salt and then 30 minutes of smoke.  I was using oak pellets.  Soaking the almonds helped the salt to stick and it ended up working pretty well.  I did think the smokiness was lacking a bit, so I'll increase the smoke time next time.  All in all, I liked it.  Only took me two days to finish the almonds, they were pretty addictive.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Divey on April 07, 2015, 05:49:38 PM
It is amazing that the almonds don't really like to take on the smoked flavour as you would expect. Considering that I gave them a total of 4 hours just does not sound right. However, that extra time with the oven set at 105°C  has made the almonds really nice and crunchy.

A couple of friends demolished a fair few last night with a few home made lagers.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: scubadoo97 on April 08, 2015, 04:08:39 PM
I find they do take on considerable smoke flavor but it blooms as they rest a day or two

I've done them wet and dry. Most often I brine them in a mixture of bourbon, salt and a little brown sugar then smoke. I use perforated pans which helps the smoke get in and around the nuts



Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Gafala on April 08, 2015, 06:34:10 PM
I use cheese cloth double fold, smoke for 2 hours and then let them bloom for a week. I due 20lbs of almonds when I do them.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Divey on April 08, 2015, 08:24:47 PM
I used the metal fly-screen material you can buy from the Hardware store and put that inside the normal BS trays.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: piratey on April 09, 2015, 08:51:13 AM
I used Q-Mats.  I only did a single tray's worth for my first try, but I plan to do more this weekend.  Anyone have a good recipe for sweet almonds, pecans or walnuts?  I liked the salty version, but I kind of want to try a sweet one too.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Jim O on April 09, 2015, 12:04:23 PM
I do the same as Gafala,but put in the over at 225 for about 15-20 minutes to give them some crunch. Mine also take on a stronger smoke flavour after 1-2 weeks rest.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Divey on April 09, 2015, 05:29:28 PM
What are Q mats ???
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: tailfeathers on April 10, 2015, 06:29:48 AM
Q mats are similar to frogmats, they are available from the A-maze-n website. They sell them by the foot in different widths. I bought some and cut them about one inch bigger than a Bradley rack.  Cut a 45 degree slit in each corner then zip tied them to make baskets for smoking nuts, snack mix etc. they work great!(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/10/babeea12bc55e95e5b52d74e0efc12cc.jpg)(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/10/06694bc69761bbd604271261d5976670.jpg)


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Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: tailfeathers on April 10, 2015, 07:08:02 AM
Piratey I've got a good recipe for honey smoked almonds but I'm at work right now. I'll try to remember to post it when I get home.


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Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: piratey on April 10, 2015, 09:25:38 AM
Quote from: tailfeathers on April 10, 2015, 07:08:02 AM
Piratey I've got a good recipe for honey smoked almonds but I'm at work right now. I'll try to remember to post it when I get home.

Awesome!  I'd like to smoke some this weekend.  My salted ones from last weekend only lasted two days.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: piratey on April 10, 2015, 09:27:28 AM
I saw tailfeather's qmats in some other thread and used those as my inspiration.  Did the same thing, except I didn't zip-tie the corners to the actual rack, since I wanted to be able to remove it when doing other products.  It worked great for smoking cheese and almonds.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: tailfeathers on April 10, 2015, 11:21:49 AM
For sweet smoked almonds try this one. 3# almonds 6 oz honey 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup melted butter 1 tsp sea salt 2 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp nutmeg. Combine all, stir into almonds and refrigerate 6 hrs, stir every hour or so. Spray frog mats with pam and spread almonds in a single layer. Smoke at 200 until dry, rotate racks periodically.

Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: tailfeathers on April 10, 2015, 11:31:26 AM
For clarification, the baskets I made are just zip tied at the corners but they are not attached to the racks, even though it may appear that way in the pictures.
Also, if you make the above honey smoked almonds I would recommend that you line your v tray with foil, making sure to cut the foil in the center drain hole and all vents. They turn out really good but they make one sticky mess as far as cleanup.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: ragweed on April 12, 2015, 03:38:31 PM
TF's honey smoked almonds are absolutely fantastic!!!  I have to hide them from the rest of the family, then dole them out one bag at a time or I'd be making a batch everyday!
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: piratey on April 13, 2015, 01:04:00 PM
I tried the honey almonds recipe, but after 5 hours at 200 degrees, the almonds were still not dry.  I ended up taking them out since I had to leave home.  How long should it take to dry them out?

They did make one super sticky mess for cleaning up.  yikes.  Even with the foil on the v-tray, the honey got onto the tray in the places where i cut holes for the vents and the drip hole.  I think next time, I will put a disposable aluminum pan on the bottom rack to catch the drippings.

I thought one way to dry out the almonds would be to put them into the house oven at a higher temperature.  It turns out that 400 degrees for 20 minutes will dry the honey, but also roasts the almonds.  I now have a tray of heavily roasted (sometimes burned) honey almonds.  I still like the taste.

The other two trays are still quite somewhat sticky, but I think the house oven will dry them off at 200 degrees. I'll post again when I have a chance to try it.  I like the taste of the almonds, but the stickiness is a problem for storing.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: tailfeathers on April 13, 2015, 06:50:16 PM
Don't know what to tell you. I've never left them in for more than three hours or so and they turn out ok. They won't be completely dry when I take them out but I just let them cool then break up the stuck together lumps of nuts. I assume you had your top vent completely open?


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Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: piratey on April 15, 2015, 11:33:34 AM
Yes, top vent was completely open.  Wife roasted the second and third racks in the house oven at 200 for 20 minutes and almonds dried completely.  One thing I did notice was that after taking the almonds from the smoker, they dried a little more just sitting on the kitchen counter.  Maybe that also helped, along with the oven a few days later.  I like the recipe, thank you.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: iceman on April 16, 2015, 04:34:13 PM
One thing I found out was humidity has a lot to do with the drying process. I smoke a few batches of almonds each year up here but always had trouble in the spring and summer. (Melting snow and rain). Then I realized it was over 75 % humidity. Winter and fall was always at 50% or less and no problems. I'm just tossing this out there to ponder. It might be some of the problem. Another thing is after they cool down a bit they get dryer and a bit more crunchy.  ;)
Sure sounds like a great recipe.  :)
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Divey on April 16, 2015, 11:15:16 PM
These Smoked Almonds are just getting better  :)

I decided I would do a much larger batch next time and went to the markets here to see if I could buy the Raw Almonds much cheaper that locally. They were $17.00AUD per kilo which equates to (including today's exchange rate) $13.24USD per kilo or $6.02USD per lb and, $16.15CAD per kilo or $7.34CAD per lb. I bought four kilos and will do them this weekend.

Are these prices similar to what you pay for Raw Almonds in the USA or Canada ???
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: piratey on April 17, 2015, 09:13:10 AM
I bought a 3 lb bag from Costco for $17 US before trying the honey almond recipe.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: tailfeathers on April 17, 2015, 01:12:23 PM

Quote from: piratey on April 17, 2015, 09:13:10 AM
I bought a 3 lb bag from Costco for $17 US before trying the honey almond recipe.
x2


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Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Divey on April 18, 2015, 10:03:07 PM
Quote from: piratey on April 17, 2015, 09:13:10 AM
I bought a 3 lb bag from Costco for $17 US before trying the honey almond recipe.

Thanks for that, very similar price to what I have here.  :)
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: piratey on April 20, 2015, 02:35:08 PM
Which is sad, considering that I live in California, one of the largest almond producing states in the U.S.  Should be cheaper, since they don't have to ship it anywhere but the local Costco.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Meatatarian on December 03, 2016, 08:21:33 AM
Quote from: tailfeathers on April 10, 2015, 11:21:49 AM
For sweet smoked almonds try this one. 3# almonds 6 oz honey 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup melted butter 1 tsp sea salt 2 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp nutmeg. Combine all, stir into almonds and refrigerate 6 hrs, stir every hour or so. Spray frog mats with pam and spread almonds in a single layer. Smoke at 200 until dry, rotate racks periodically.

I know this is an old thread but I just tried this recipe with apple smoke and a 7 day bloom....EXCELLENT!!
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: SlickRickDFW on December 02, 2017, 09:40:26 AM
How long did you smoke the almonds? Just looking for any recent updates/hints on this thread...
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Gafala on December 02, 2017, 09:56:19 AM
Smoke for 2 hours and then let them bloom for a week. I due 20lbs of almonds when I do them.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Matth on February 24, 2018, 11:26:59 AM
I'm going to try using popcorn salt.  That is about as fine a textured salt as one can find.

Quote from: Divey on April 06, 2015, 07:06:24 PM

I have noticed that the commercial bought smoked almonds have very fine salt on them so I ground table salt in the mortar and pestle until I was happy with the texture.

(http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a595/Divey1/IMG_0020%20Medium_zpsitgxcxdq.jpg) (http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/Divey1/media/IMG_0020%20Medium_zpsitgxcxdq.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Gafala on February 24, 2018, 10:59:34 PM
I get my almonds from the Nut Stop at $6.99per pound, Roasted salted almonds, that way all I need to do is smoke them I get 25lbs at a time. It's about time I do some more only have 1lb left.

Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Habanero Smoker on February 25, 2018, 01:34:00 AM
Quote from: Matth on February 24, 2018, 11:26:59 AM
I'm going to try using popcorn salt.  That is about as fine a textured salt as one can find.


I take my salt and place it in my mini processor. I use my Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor. A couple of pulses will turn it into a fine powder. On a side note, if you need confectionery sugar, and you have none on hand, it will turn granulated white sugar into confectionery with a few pulses.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Divey on February 25, 2018, 08:13:54 PM
I still have trouble getting the salt to stick to the almonds. I'm going to try using some lightly beaten egg white with the salt to see if it sticks.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: Habanero Smoker on February 26, 2018, 01:34:53 AM
Quote from: Divey on February 25, 2018, 08:13:54 PM
I still have trouble getting the salt to stick to the almonds. I'm going to try using some lightly beaten egg white with the salt to see if it sticks.

I've done that and it works very well. I have the best success by smoking the almonds first, next using egg white to help the seasoning to adhere, then finishing in the kitchen oven.
Title: Re: Smoked Almonds.
Post by: swemax on March 01, 2018, 10:28:50 AM
I mix the salt with a bit of water into a slurry
And then mix it up with the almonds
Then dry them on low temp in the oven (convection)
Once dry they go into the bradley


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