Smoke fish/meat with almond wood?

by R A Coachman

Almond wood for smoking? Never heard that one before.

A response and answer for...

Smoking With Almond Wood?

Yeah, sure. Almond is a great wood to smoke fish and meat with...

I'm assuming that you may have already checked out our page about smoking fish. It briefly talks about the methods and techniques of cold smoking, hot smoking, and curing fish. It also gives a quick list of the types of woods most commonly used for smoking fish.

Almond wood is abundant where I live, here in California. There are tons of almond tree orchards scattered throughout the state, so almond isn't too difficult to come across around here.

There are many areas outside of California where almond is very scarce. Which might be why you haven't heard of people using it to smoke their fish and meats with. From what I've discovered, there are quite a few people that are unsure about using almond wood too because of the availability of it.

More Information About Smoking Fish With Almond Wood

Fruit woods and nut woods are usually good for smoking meat and fish. Some people like to combine different types of wood to experiment with and to generate a variety of unique flavors infused into their meat.

One thing to think about is that almond trees are said to be actually more related to fruit trees than nut trees. The wood still provides a nutty flavor much similar to pecan, while also giving a mildly sweet and smooth accent.

Almond burns slow and hot, so you want to keep that in mind for temperature control. It's best to use larger pieces and chunks, rather than small chips. The fresher, the better. As with any other types of woods, you can soak the almond wood as you like, such as in whiskey, wine, or whatever liquid you would normally prefer.

So yes, almond is a nice wood for smoking. I hope this helps you out a little and answers your question. If you can get a hold of some almond wood, why not give it a try, and report back here to let us know how it worked out for you.