Smoked Almonds

The oils in nuts are a great vehicle for smoke. These smoked almonds will make for a tasty party snack and a great conversation piece.

Special equipment: We recommend using a charcoal grill or a smoker for this recipe. You will also need long heatproof tongs, matches or a lighter, newspaper, 2 buckets of water (one to soak the wood chips and the other to refill the aluminum loaf pan), 2 oven mitts, 1 disposable aluminum 8-inch square pan, 1 disposable aluminum 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, and an oven thermometer.

A chimney starter, which looks like a large beer stein, is handy for lighting charcoal. They can be purchased at hardware stores or online.

Lump charcoal is preferred because the charred pieces of wood burn hotter and cleaner than briquettes, the uniform black pillows made from carbonized wood and a starchy binder. If you do buy briquettes, avoid the self-lighting ones, which are laden with chemicals.

Buy pure, resin-free, bark-free wood chips. Choose your wood chips based on the origin of the ingredient you are smoking. For example, use cedar chips for Pacific salmon and hickory chips for Southern catfish. For this recipe, we recommend hickory chips, but any wood will do. Wood chips can be purchased at most hardware stores and grocery stores during the summer months, or online.

This recipe was featured as part of our smoking project.

• 1 1/2 cups raw, skin-on almonds
• 2 cups hickory wood chips
• 8 quarts lump charcoal, plus more as needed
• 2 teaspoons canola or olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
• 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar, plus more as needed

1. 1Using a sharp knife, punch holes in the bottom of the square aluminum pan. Add almonds and spread in a single layer.
2. 2Soak the wood chips in a bucket of water for at least 15 minutes.
3. 3

   Prepare the grill: Remove the cooking grate and set it aside. Fill a chimney starter three-quarters of the way with charcoal, then pour the unlit charcoal onto one side of the charcoal grate. Using tongs, stack the charcoal in a slight slope against the side of the grill bowl. Remove 1 cup of the wood chips from the water, shaking off any excess, and lay the damp chips in the middle of the unlit charcoal. Fill the chimney again halfway with charcoal. Place the chimney on the charcoal grate next to the unlit coals. Twist two or three sheets of newspaper, form the twisted paper into rings, and place them under and inside the chimney. Light the newspaper through the holes at the bottom of the chimney. After about 5 minutes, the charcoal should be red and flames should have appeared toward the top of the chimney.



4. 4Carefully pour the lit charcoal onto the pile of unlit charcoal on the grate. Use tongs to stack the lit coals on the pile. Top the lit charcoal with the remaining 1 cup drained, damp wood chips. Set the empty chimney aside. Place the cooking grate back on the grill. Fill the 9-by-5-inch aluminum loaf pan three-quarters of the way with cold water and place it on the cooking grate over the hot charcoal (the cold water is needed to keep the grill temperature low). Set an oven thermometer in one of the grill lid’s vent holes or on the cooking grate near the edge of the grill and opposite the charcoal. Cover the grill, making sure that the bottom and top vents are open and that smoke is coming out of the vents. (If smoke is not coming out, check your fire to make sure it is lit. If it’s not, relight it, using tongs to transfer the warm charcoal from the grill back into the chimney starter.) Let the grill heat until it reaches at least 250°F, about 15 minutes.


5. 5Place the aluminum pan of almonds on the cooking grate but not over the lit charcoal. Cook, covered, making sure the grill lid’s vent is over the almonds (not the fire), until the nuts are smoky and toasted, about 30 to 45 minutes. Shake the pan of almonds halfway through the cooking time. Also, occasionally check the grill temperature. It should be between 250°F and 300°F. If it is too hot, add more water to the loaf pan (it evaporates) and close the lower vent by half. If the temperature is too low, make sure the bottom and top vents are open, or you may need to feed your charcoal by lighting more in the chimney.


6. 6Transfer the almonds to a bowl and toss with oil, salt, and sugar. Taste and season with more salt and sugar as needed.