Barbecue: Smoked and Spiced Nuts Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Jul. 16, 2020

Even with the holidays out of the way, there's no rest in party planning for me with my big 3-0 birthday bash coming up next weekend. Part of my game plan is to make sure I'm free to drink liberally, not tending to cooking or serving as I tend to be at most of my shin-digs. So if I want to sneak in some barbecue or grilling into the festivities, it has to be something that can safely be cooked ahead, which led me to try out these smoked and spiced nuts.

I don't think I'd ever fire up the smoker or grill to just make nuts, but if I have something else going, say a ham or some ribs, these are a good use of the extra heat and smoke, especially if there's a party in my future. The recipe is easy, just take some mixed nuts and toss with a simple spice mixture, then smoke until they're nicely toasted.

I've made roasted nuts a couple times before, but the addition of smoke here gives them a new, robust flavor that will keep me happily munching away as I continue toss back the beers at the start of a new decade of my life.

Smoked and Spiced Nuts

Adapted from Weber's Charcoal Grilling: The Art of Cooking with Live Fire by Jamie Purviance

Recipe Details

Barbecue: Smoked and Spiced Nuts Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 60 mins
Total 65 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon light brown sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

  • 2 cups mixed salted nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews, etc.)

  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, mix the sugar thyme, rosemary, cayenne, and mustard powder between your fingertips.

  2. Pour the nuts into a 9x13-inch pan. Add the oil and seasonings. Toss to coat the nuts evenly, and then spread them in a single layer.

  3. Fire up your smoker to 225°F. Add 3 to 4 medium chunks of smoke wood. When the smoker is at temperature and the wood is burning and producing smoke, place the pan of nuts in the smoker.

  4. Smoke until the nuts are toasted and have a nice smoky flavor, 30 to 60 minutes, shaking the pan with tongs a couple times to prevent the nuts from burning.

  5. Remove the pan from the smoker and let the nuts cool completely in the pan. Serve at room temperature or store in an airtight container.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
216 Calories
19g Fat
9g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 216
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 118mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 27mg 2%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 241mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)