Roasted almonds are always a favorite, the nutty flavor mixed with smoke is always a great food bite. Add in a little Dizzy Pig Swamp Venom and the heat gets picked up for a taste unlike any other!
- Start with raw almonds. These can be found in the baking section of your grocery store. Chef’s Naturals are what I find locally.
- Soak almonds in water for 10 minutes. Drain well.***
- Coat with olive oil and mix well with your hands.
- Shake on a light coat of table salt. Do not use kosher salt as the grains are too big and will just fall off after a short time.
- Season with a heavier shaking of Dizzy Pig Swamp Venom and toss to coat.
- Prepare smoker or grill indirect at 325°F with plum wood or other fruit wood.
- Place in pan with side (perforated if possible) and place your pan on the cooker. Or you can use tin foil with the ends folded as sides. I use a vegetable pan I found in the camping section of a department store and cover the bottom with foil to prevent burning the almonds through the holes of the pan.
- Stir every 5 minutes, and re-coat with your seasoning each time. You’ll only do this twice since the almonds will be dried enough after 10-15 minutes that any added seasoning won’t stick anyhow.
- Remove after 20 minutes, or when the almonds are nicely browned.
- Allow the almonds to cool. They will be soft until cooled, and will possibly be quite noisy while they are cooling and some will crack open.
***Why soak? You will find that your seasonings fall off after a short time. Salt just doesn’t want to stay on the almonds. Through some trial and error, attempts of soaking in a brine solution, etc. I have settled on a short soak in water to help with this. The salt now melts onto the almonds. In addition if the almonds are soaked long enough they will swell in size, and it will change how dense they are after roasted. 10 minutes won’t swell the almonds much at all. If you prefer this, use a warm water and soak 20-30 minutes. Try it both ways and see what you like the best.
