Nut shells for smoke

[Mike Rockwood]

Seeing as how there have been flakes and a briskness in the air, as well as a whole host of turkey-related posts on a number of different forums, I figure I might as well post a holiday related question.

During the holiday season, my familly enjoys buying whole, unshelled nuts to have in a bowl throughout the holiday season for snacking. This leaves us with a pile of assorted shells. I'm talking, pecan, walnut, almond and hazelnuts(filberts).

It's my understanding that pecan shells can be used for smoke. This is way cool!

Now, does anyone have a method to using nut shells? Should you use only one kind at a time? Does mixing them cause issues? Are there any that should not be used? How about amount? A "handfull" per cook? Should they be soaked? Should I just toss them in my compost bin as I've done in the past? Is there a matrix somewhere showing what kinds are good for what meats/poultries?

Thanks again for you input!

 

[Mike Chavez]

Your right. It is way cool. I await the responces with you.

 

[Pat Barnes]

I have a friend who gives me pecan hulls each year
when he picks the nuts from his trees. I just greab a handful,dip them in a can of water,shake the excess and throw them on the fire. The hulls
are more porous than wood so they absorb a lot of water quickly. They give a nice sweet flavor to almost anything. I really like them.
There is a Q place outside of Austin,Tx that used
them to do brisket and it is good. They have great pecan pie,too.