[ed-Seth: Thanks again to Matt Gase, Michigan grad and CEO of Eat Well Embrace Life, for being a most excellent sponsor of Joe Pichey’s most excellent recipes.
I don’t know if you’re allowed to do this, but I had the three-Peppers (no relation) hummus today with a burrito. It’s… it’s glorious. Don’t judge me.]
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One of my favorite things to munch on around the holidays has always been smoked nuts. I don’t care if they are almonds, cashews or peanuts, they all taste better with a little smoke flavoring and some spicy rub. My biggest complaint, besides how much beer they make me drink, is the cost. A small tin of smoked nuts runs me $5.00 at my local grocery store and they’re gone by the time I get home. Last holiday season, I decided to fix this issue and make my own smoked spicy nuts. Not only did I save a ton of money, but it made fantastic Christmas gifts for friends and coworkers.
While I was giving these away to coworkers, I received a tin of smoked sea salt in return. LIGHT BULB!!!!! The price tag was still on the bottom and read $14.99 for 1/2 cup of this tasty salt. Are you kidding me? I couldn’t wait to get home and fire up the egg and load it up with course ground sea salt. Both of these are super easy and packed with flavor. These are a great snack along side your favorite hummus. I can’t get enough of the spicy Yellow Lentil hummus or the 3 Pepper Extra Spicy. These are a perfect pair on the appetizer table at the next tailgate, or couch-gate for some of us this week.
INGREDIENTS: Will make 1 pound of nuts
- 1 LB of your favorite nuts. (Almond and Cashews work great)
- 2 TBS of Olive Oil.
- 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ Rub
Smoked Sea Salt:
- Course Ground Sea Salt
[Hit the JUMP for the recipe]
Directions:
Fire your smoker up to 225 - 275 degrees. As the smoker is heating up, add your olive oil to the raw nuts. I use 2 TBS for every pound of nuts. Mix well.
Add just enough to coat the nuts and give them a shiny look. You don’t want them swimming in oil, but coated well.
Once they are coated with your oil, toss in your favorite BBQ seasoning. I love a great spicy rub on the smoked nuts. You want to ad more seasoning than you normally would as a lot of the rub will fall off once the nuts dry.
Add the seasoned nuts to a foil pan or your favorite Michigan pan and spread them out evenly. I try to keep them in a single or double layer so each nut can get some smoke.
I usually smoke these in several batches throughout the day. Each batch will take about 2 hours.
Once your smoker gets up to temp, add a few chunks of your favorite hard wood. I like pecan, but any fruit wood will do. If you can find pecan, use it. I use it on almost everything because of its mild smoke flavor. It won’t overpower your food and gives a nice semi sweet flavor.
For the smoked sea salt, it couldn’t be any easier. Throw the salt in a foil pan and toss it on the smoker until it turns a light brown color. Just like the nuts, the salt will smoke faster in a single layer. I just found some extra space on the smoker and threw the salt on there. Once your nuts on the grill, let them them go for about an hour. You will notice they start to lose that sheen as they dry out. After an hour, try one. You will notice they have a bit of a chewy texture. This is normal. Give them a stir with a wooden spoon and return them to the heat for another hour. At the 2 hour mark, they should be nearly done. Try another one and see what the texture is like. They should be hard and have a smokey flavor. If they still have some chew to them, return em to the heat for another 30 minutes and so on.
Salt after 2 hours. Mine went for 3 hours and finished with a light tan, almost caramel color.
These typically take 2 - 3 hours depending on your temperature and how many nuts you have in your pan. A single layer finishes in 2 hours, a double in about 2.5 hours and the dreaded triple layer will go for 3- 4 hours and will keep you stirring all day. Once they done, let them cool for 30 minutes and place them in an airtight container. These will keep for a long time in a tightly sealed mason jar. I’m not sure how long as they are always gone within 3 days at my place.
I’ll take the smoked salt to work and season my boring lunch with it. It also makes a killer salt for the rim of a shot or bloody mary. Just put some in your spice grinder and let er rip for a few seconds. Voila…Smoked sea salt. Store in an airtight container and it will last for months.
Happy tailgating everyone. Let me know how you like the nuts and salt. GO BLUE!!!!!