I am a smoker. Recently I got a wild hare and substituted my brown sugar in the rib rub recipe that I use with very old crystalized honey. I took it out of the jar in chunks and used a coffee grinder to make it small granules. When I got done, it was the consistency of fresh brown sugar with just a touch too much molasses. I combined this with all my other ingredients and threw the ribs in the smoker @ 225.
I usually have to mist with apple juice to keep the rub moist. Not this time. About half hour into the smoke it started glazing. It did it at such a high temperature that the honey didn't melt off and drip... just leathered up and made the most awesome bark on my ribs that I have ever experienced. The flavor was awesome and tell the truth.... I bet these racks were of the award winning sort.
I tried using raw honey in liquid form to see if I could replecate the results. No go. It was sticky drippy mess. I used the other half of the quart of crystalized honey and BAM!!! (Emeril is my hero) the ribs were awesome.
SO... help a newbee out. Is there a tried and true way to get honey to crystalize nice and hard like that one quart jar that I had? (Have NO clue how old it was)
Thanks all
Mark
I think it all depends on the variety of honey you get, I can't elaborate more than that though.
i think you can add a small amount of crystalized honey into fresh honey and it will "grow" and crystallize everything there. Or maybe you can chill it in the fridge a little... not sure of that will do it. Darker honey does crystallize more frequently though
Do a search for creamed honey. You should be able to find instructions easily.
many honeys will crystalize if you put them in the fridge (not the freezer). if you want to control the size of the crystal, first heat/filter the honey, then seed it with some honey with the crystal size you want (creamed honey for small crystals).
deknow
As has been posted, seed it with crystals. The optimum temp for crystallization is 60F.
Scott
Thanks everyone!
I'll have to get a gallon and seed it. My garage stays about the right temp.
To be continued....
Dyce Method
http://www.masterbeekeeper.org/dyce/creamhoney.htm (http://www.masterbeekeeper.org/dyce/creamhoney.htm)
Seed with the size crystal you prefer (at least that is my understanding :-D)
Basically seed and temperature is what crytalization is all about. The dyce method above should give you all that info. I find that the window sill of my house in the winter is perfect. In the spring and fall when it's cool but not freezing outside, the porch works well...
Quote from: marksmith on April 14, 2010, 06:31:44 PM
I am a smoker. Recently I got a wild hare and substituted my brown sugar in the rib rub recipe that I use with very old crystalized honey. I took it out of the jar in chunks and used a coffee grinder to make it small granules. When I got done, it was the consistency of fresh brown sugar with just a touch too much molasses. I combined this with all my other ingredients and threw the ribs in the smoker @ 225.
I usually have to mist with apple juice to keep the rub moist. Not this time. About half hour into the smoke it started glazing. It did it at such a high temperature that the honey didn't melt off and drip... just leathered up and made the most awesome bark on my ribs that I have ever experienced. The flavor was awesome and tell the truth.... I bet these racks were of the award winning sort.
I tried using raw honey in liquid form to see if I could replecate the results. No go. It was sticky drippy mess. I used the other half of the quart of crystalized honey and BAM!!! (Emeril is my hero) the ribs were awesome.
SO... help a newbee out. Is there a tried and true way to get honey to crystalize nice and hard like that one quart jar that I had? (Have NO clue how old it was)
Thanks all
Mark
So....................when ya inviting us over ;) :-D