Smoked Hot Chocolate
Well, it was two days before Christmas. Gonna be cold tomorrow and for the next while. Definitely hot chocolate weather. This time of year, I find that I drink a lot of hot chocolate—somehow it just seems to fit the season perfectly.
So, I figured to up the ante on the hot chocolate situation. I decided to smoke it.
Now I’ve been kicking this idea around for a while, and did some research on smoking chocolate. There just doesn’t seem to be much agreement on either the duration of the smoke or the choice of wood. OK. That just meant that I get to use the wood of my choice and smoke it for as long as I feel it MIGHT need.
I started with a 1.8 KG (about 2 pound) tin of hot chocolate and divided it up into as many shallow pans as would fit in the MES 30.
Then I filled 2 rows of the AMNPS with Jack Daniels pellets, lit both ends, and got them smoking well.
I loaded up the MES and put the AMNPS in the mailbox mod. The hot chocolate cold smoked for 4 ½ hours with fairly heavy smoke. At that time I brought all the trays inside (it was a lot warmer in the kitchen), stirred the chocolate around in each tray, and scooped everything back into the original tin. I capped the tin and let it sit for 24 hours. A longer rest would probably be better, but I was champing at the bit to try some.
Today, after shovelling snow and taking the hound for a walk, I was more than ready for a steaming mug of hot chocolate. I brewed it up the same as always. That was the only aspect that was the same. The smell was mild, mellow and smoky. The taste was delicious—chocolatey, with a subtle smoky goodness. It was like sitting by the campfire out in the bush, relaxing on a cold winter day. I loved it!!! Miss Linda, on the other hand, was not overly impressed. She much preferred her unsmoked mug. Well that means I get to take it all with me after Christmas when I head north for the winter log haul. Works for me. LOL
The experiment, IMO, was an unqualified success. About the only thing lacking was a touch of peppermint (I was out of the After Eight chocolates I normally add to the mix). If you love hot chocolate, you really should try it smoked. It’s both simple and delicious. I’m pretty sure you’ll be hooked too.
Thanks for looking.
Gary
