Simple, quick, smoked almonds

[Stickbowcrafter]

I was visiting a friend in Montana last week and doing some hunting and fishing. His snack of choice for the trail was smoked almonds. The packaged ones he buys were not bad. That got me thinking about a recipe I remember seeing in one of my smoking resources (Charcuterie by Ruhlman & Polcyn).

I picked up some raw almonds at the market today. I don't have the fancy mesh grates for my OBS so I just covered the original grates with foil and poked lots of holes with a corn cob holder. I did this to two trays and loaded them up with 12 ounces of almonds a piece.



Into the OBS they went, using my cold smoking box set-up. I cold smoked them around 80-90 degrees for 2 hours with 6 hickory bisquettes. It helps to have a beautiful assistant  ;D



Out of the smoker after a 2 hour cold smoke and into a bowl with:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon finely ground kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons chile powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper



The recipe I have calls for placing the dry ingredients in a spice or coffee mill and grind them as fine as possile to make them adhere better to the nuts. I used an electric coffee bean grinder which worked well to powderize the dry ingredients. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the oil and spices in a bowl and toss with the almonds to coat. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring several times. Remove from oven, taste and add additional salt/seasoning if needed.



Again, the beautiful assistant comes in handy for the taste test  ;D



After cooling, store the almonds in an airtight container.



The whole process took less than 3 hours, which was a nice change from the longer time demands usually associated with smoked foods. Absolutely delicious finished product too. You should really try this one.

*Recipe is for 1 pound of almonds* I used 24 oz. because they were sold in 12 oz. packages at the market. I actually would not have minded a little more kick but my wife does not share my love of spicy and she thought they were perfect.

-Brian

[Consiglieri]

Looks like the beautiful assistant liked the product!  I'm in almond country and there's no excuse why I haven't tried this yet.  Almonds everywhere; harvest almost complete.

[Habanero Smoker]

The almonds look good, but not as much as you assistant.

If you don't have any screens, or jerky trays, Reynolds makes aluminum grilling sheets that are already perforated and are disposable. But they are so thick that they can be easily wiped off and reused; especially if you find the nonstick type. It may save you a few minutes. I often find them in one of those dollar stores.

[HCT]

With such a beautiful assistant it's no wonder that the almonds came out fantastic. :)

[Wildcat]

She is a real cutie Brian!  Thanks for posting this.  I love almonds and this is a must try.

[West Coast Kansan]

Priceless pictures, great stuff  :)

[Stickbowcrafter]

Thanks for the tip Hab. I'll have to look for those screens. I have some jerky screens I use in the oven but they are just about 1/2 inch too big for the OBS.

Thanks for the compliments on my assistant. She has an older sister who is just as adorable. God has blessed us with two beautiful, healthy assistants.




-Brian

[Wildcat]

 :o Wow!  Two heart-breakers!  ;D ;)

[hillbillysmoker]

Life is sooooo good.

[Smudge]

My one attempt at smoked almonds was a disappointment because the almonds did not have the crispness and crunchiness one can find in a can of Blue Diamonds. I believe I soaked them in salt water for a time, and this may be why they lost those two important attributes.

I'll try this method and see if I can get better results.

[Habanero Smoker]

I have brined almond in the past before smoking. After smoking place them in a 300°F - 325°F and continue to slow roast them. Keeping a close eye on them and stirring occassionally. That will crisp them up.

[Stickbowcrafter]

No problems with crispness or crunchiness with the method I followed above. The almonds turned out much better than anything store bought I have ever tried.

-Brian