[h1] [/h1][h1]***My apologies to the Moderators, but I have no idea where this should have been posted. Please feel free to move it to the proper location.***[/h1][h1] [/h1][h1] [/h1][h1]Smoked Honey Butter[/h1]
I thought about it for a few weeks, trying to decide if smoked honey butter had possibilities. Finally I decided that it probably did.
After a bunch of research on the subject (I could find lots of info on smoked butter and smoked honey, but nothing on smoked honey butter), I figured, why let a trifle like no information stop me.
So, last Sunday evening I took a pound of butter out of the freezer and let it sit overnight to come to room temperature. Monday I measured out the honey. My research had indicated roughly a 50/50 mix of honey and real butter, so, at a conversion factor of 10.67 fluid ounces of honey to the pound, I obviously needed 10.67 ounces of honey to mix with the 1 pound of butter. Just to make things easier (my measuring cup was in 1 fluid ounce increments) I poured 11 ounces of honey into a shallow foil pan. I had originally planned to use a foil pie plate, as the sides are lower, but all my foil pie plates had small pinholes in the bottom—not really all that great for keeping honey INSIDE the pan.
I fired up the AMNPS with about half a row of apple pellets, and preheated the MES 30 to 100* F—just enough heat to get a good convection through the smoker—and put the honey on the second rack position.
My plan was a 4 hour smoke.
Naturally, about ½ hour in, my neighbor dropped by for some help with his non-functioning electric gate opener. So off we went. When I arrived back home at the 4 hour mark, the AMNPS had burned out. Unfortunately, I have no idea if it had just burned out, or if the fairly brisk wind had speeded things along.
When I brought the pan of honey inside, there was a distinct lack of smoke aroma. I covered the pan tightly with foil, let it sit overnight and checked the honey again in the morning. I had this exact same problem when I smoked some Hungarian Paprika, but after a couple of weeks in a sealed container, it came out perfect. I hoped the honey would too, but figured that, if necessary, I would simply return it to the MES for another round of smoke.
Well, the next morning showed no improvement in the honey. So, try again. This time I mixed the honey and butter together with our old handheld electric mixer. I thought that possibly the butter would help take on some smoke. When I went out to refill the AMNPS, I found the ashes from the first go-round had retained the shape of the pellets perfectly—a pretty good indication that the pellets had flashed into flame and burned very rapidly. Small wonder the honey lacked smoke aroma and taste.
I had cut down the pan and filled it and a pie plate (found one with no holes) with the honey butter
When the AMNPS was smoking well, the honey/butter went into the MES.
No heat this time since the last thing I needed was melted butter. I let the mixture smoke for about 2 hours and then brought the pans inside. This time there was a noticeable smoke aroma.
Naturally, I had to taste the finished product as I was filling two jars. The smell was fantastic, but the taste was harsh. After filling the jars, the small amount of leftover honey butter went into a dish and sat uncovered overnight.
Part of my breakfast every morning consists of a raisin bran muffin Miss Linda bakes for me, with added cinnamon and vanilla. I couldn’t think of a better test for my smoked honey butter, so I spread the muffin generously with the mix.
The taste was fantastic. I found the first bite still a bit harsh, but by bite number two everything was great--sweet, smoky goodness. What little information I could find on honey butter recommended using unsalted butter, but as I prefer a sweet/salty taste, I just used regular butter.
Since I’ll be giving the big half of the smoked honey butter to my buddy Clint and his family, I’ll be forced to make a second batch. LOL. The next time, I’m going to use orange instead of apple in the AMNPS. I think the orange will complement the honey butter a lot better. I also plan to increase the honey content—it simply needed more sweetness. And, lastly, I’ll mix the honey and butter before smoking—that seemed to work better, and lent a nice color to the butter.
Unfortunately, after one taste, Miss Linda’s response was “Nope. I don’t like this at all.” Oh well, I guess she’ll have to eat her strawberry jam and leave all the smoked honey butter for me.
The next morning, I again spread the honey/butter generously on my bran muffin. The difference from the previous morning was a much mellower finished product. It just might be that the honey/butter, like cheese, has to mellow for a bit. I’m not sure, but I do plan to leave the two full jars rest in the fridge for at least a week.
Well, it’s Saturday morning. The butter has had 5 days to mellow and it is fantastic. It has a mild smoke aroma and has mellowed way beyond my expectations, leaving a pleasant smoky aftertaste. I’m VERY pleased. Now I just have to get Miss Linda to try another taste.
Thanks for looking.
Gary
Now before I start, I have to admit that I had never heard of honey butter. Apple butter, yes. But not honey butter. Somehow my buddy Clint and I got on the topic of spreads for different kinds of desert loaves—pretty much your normal conversation for a couple of log haulers each struggling to get 88000 pounds of logs out of the bush in the spring weather---and he mentioned how much he loved honey butter. I thought about it for a few weeks, trying to decide if smoked honey butter had possibilities. Finally I decided that it probably did.
After a bunch of research on the subject (I could find lots of info on smoked butter and smoked honey, but nothing on smoked honey butter), I figured, why let a trifle like no information stop me.
So, last Sunday evening I took a pound of butter out of the freezer and let it sit overnight to come to room temperature. Monday I measured out the honey. My research had indicated roughly a 50/50 mix of honey and real butter, so, at a conversion factor of 10.67 fluid ounces of honey to the pound, I obviously needed 10.67 ounces of honey to mix with the 1 pound of butter. Just to make things easier (my measuring cup was in 1 fluid ounce increments) I poured 11 ounces of honey into a shallow foil pan. I had originally planned to use a foil pie plate, as the sides are lower, but all my foil pie plates had small pinholes in the bottom—not really all that great for keeping honey INSIDE the pan.
I fired up the AMNPS with about half a row of apple pellets, and preheated the MES 30 to 100* F—just enough heat to get a good convection through the smoker—and put the honey on the second rack position.
My plan was a 4 hour smoke.
Naturally, about ½ hour in, my neighbor dropped by for some help with his non-functioning electric gate opener. So off we went. When I arrived back home at the 4 hour mark, the AMNPS had burned out. Unfortunately, I have no idea if it had just burned out, or if the fairly brisk wind had speeded things along.
When I brought the pan of honey inside, there was a distinct lack of smoke aroma. I covered the pan tightly with foil, let it sit overnight and checked the honey again in the morning. I had this exact same problem when I smoked some Hungarian Paprika, but after a couple of weeks in a sealed container, it came out perfect. I hoped the honey would too, but figured that, if necessary, I would simply return it to the MES for another round of smoke.
Well, the next morning showed no improvement in the honey. So, try again. This time I mixed the honey and butter together with our old handheld electric mixer. I thought that possibly the butter would help take on some smoke. When I went out to refill the AMNPS, I found the ashes from the first go-round had retained the shape of the pellets perfectly—a pretty good indication that the pellets had flashed into flame and burned very rapidly. Small wonder the honey lacked smoke aroma and taste.
I had cut down the pan and filled it and a pie plate (found one with no holes) with the honey butter
When the AMNPS was smoking well, the honey/butter went into the MES.
No heat this time since the last thing I needed was melted butter. I let the mixture smoke for about 2 hours and then brought the pans inside. This time there was a noticeable smoke aroma.
Naturally, I had to taste the finished product as I was filling two jars. The smell was fantastic, but the taste was harsh. After filling the jars, the small amount of leftover honey butter went into a dish and sat uncovered overnight.
Part of my breakfast every morning consists of a raisin bran muffin Miss Linda bakes for me, with added cinnamon and vanilla. I couldn’t think of a better test for my smoked honey butter, so I spread the muffin generously with the mix.
The taste was fantastic. I found the first bite still a bit harsh, but by bite number two everything was great--sweet, smoky goodness. What little information I could find on honey butter recommended using unsalted butter, but as I prefer a sweet/salty taste, I just used regular butter.
Since I’ll be giving the big half of the smoked honey butter to my buddy Clint and his family, I’ll be forced to make a second batch. LOL. The next time, I’m going to use orange instead of apple in the AMNPS. I think the orange will complement the honey butter a lot better. I also plan to increase the honey content—it simply needed more sweetness. And, lastly, I’ll mix the honey and butter before smoking—that seemed to work better, and lent a nice color to the butter.
Unfortunately, after one taste, Miss Linda’s response was “Nope. I don’t like this at all.” Oh well, I guess she’ll have to eat her strawberry jam and leave all the smoked honey butter for me.
The next morning, I again spread the honey/butter generously on my bran muffin. The difference from the previous morning was a much mellower finished product. It just might be that the honey/butter, like cheese, has to mellow for a bit. I’m not sure, but I do plan to leave the two full jars rest in the fridge for at least a week.
Well, it’s Saturday morning. The butter has had 5 days to mellow and it is fantastic. It has a mild smoke aroma and has mellowed way beyond my expectations, leaving a pleasant smoky aftertaste. I’m VERY pleased. Now I just have to get Miss Linda to try another taste.
Thanks for looking.
Gary
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