Ok, ok, ok... hear me out. What are your thoughts about smoked... ice cream???

[realdocBBQ]

So... strange thing...

A few months back, I tried some vanilla ice cream with chili crisp on it and I actually liked it. The Wife wasn't impressed, but she's not a huge fan of chili crisp in general.

Well, yesterday, I stopped at the local frozen custard place because The Wife asked me to pick one up for her. I got her one and got me one, when I got home I put mine in the freezer. The garage freezer. It's a side-by-side with the fridge on the other side, and I had the night before put in 23 lbs of cold smoked bacon into the fridge. I can smell the smoke in the garage. It smells good. When I open the fridge, it's a pretty potent smoke smell - I been doing lots of bacon and sausages in there and the smell pretty well permeates it now. That's ok, I don't mind.

But when I took my frozen custard out yesterday evening and ate it while watching a TV show, I could swear I tasted SMOKE on my ICE CREAM! And guess what??? I LIKED IT! Seriously...

Now I'm trying to figure out how to do an experiment with this - how to cold smoke it, keep it COLD and frozen and yet get a couple of hours of cold smoke on it. We have some seriously cold weather coming the next couple of days... like, lows of 12F overnight. And according to WeatherUnderground's hourly forecasts, we're not going to get above freezing again until Friday at noonish.

I'm thinking I get a quart or two of vanilla, or a quart of vanilla and a quart of chocolate, kinda spread them out in a quarter sheet tall sided foil pan, and put them in the offset, light the smoke tube in the firebox and cold smoke them for a couple of hours, like I do with my bacon lately. Should be able to get a little smoke flavor on them, then take them out, put them back in the container, or a ziploc or a plastic leftovers dish, put them back in the freezer to rest overnight, then try the next day or two.

What do you think?

I dunno, I was kind of... shocked, when I tasted smoke in my ice cream, I think from it circulating in the fridge and freezer off the bacon I had cold smoked, but even more, I was shocked that I liked it! I'm still not sure if I just 'convinced' myself of it, maybe it was on my clothes or my skin, but, I'm... intrigued, I guess the word would be.

Anyone think this sounds like a good plan?

I don't usually eat a lot of ice cream, but The Wife was a bad influence on me. Now I'm really interested to give it a try! But it's gotta be below freezing outside, I don't want to risk it melting at all. And I gotta go pretty light on it, I don't want to overdo it.

Votes?

Yay or nay???

[realdocBBQ]

Alright, I asked my wife about it - she had a single bite of my ice cream (don't they always???) - and she actually said she thought she tasted smoke on it as well! And wasn't disgusted by it. So it WASN'T my imagination!

She actually asked me what flavor it was, and it was a vanilla frozen yogurt with hot fudge and Butterfinger pieces in it, but she says she asked because she thought she tasted smoke and she thought I was gonna tell her it was some kinda smoky something or other.

Then I thought, what flavors would go well with smoke? I think the chocolate would, but then, something with nuts, or caramel too, something like a butter pecan (like my previous smoked chocolate cayenne bourbon pecan pie), or a Rocky Road or something like that. I've never heard of this - I'm sure SOMEONE has done it somewhere, but I've never heard of it. And now I'm afraid to look, for fear someone else will have beaten me to the punch. lol Again - I'm sure SOMEONE has... but I think it may be an interesting experiment.

[Finster]

Ice cream is my kryptonite. I’d probably try it, but I’m skeptical.
Im not really a fan even of sundaes. Why ruin perfectly good ice cream by putting a bunch of toppings on it.?
Good ice cream doesn’t need embellishments

[realdocBBQ]

I get that. This is just... something a little 'different'. Not likely to be a regular thing, and of course, would only be available to produce when ambient outside temps are well below freezing. But I'm interested, I think.

[STEbbq]

I’d try it but I’d avoid super sweet flavors. Something nutty, salty, with maybe caramel. Brownie chunks, or coffee flavor.

[realdocBBQ]

Oooh yeah, something coffee would be good.

[Jerod Broussard]

Kinda like frying everything or sous vide everything, I don't need to smoke everything.

[Michael_in_TX]

I never pass up a chance to post a Steven Raichlen video.

Hickory Smoked Ice Cream with Rum Raisin Sauce.

The smoked ice cream segments begins at 20:50: https://www.pbs.org/video/steven-rai...-behind-smoke/

[SheilaAnn]

Not watching the video above (can’t stand his delivery) I would find a way to smoke the ingredients, then churn the ice cream. And I agree on the salty, caramel route.

💩 now my wheels are spinning for a certain ice cream recipe I have that could work as smoked💩

[Skip]

I agree on his delivery. He details every step as though his audience knows nothing at all. He's knowledgeable but I'm not a fan.

[JCBBQ]

Firstly, I can’t stand him either. Secondly, I agree 100% to smoke the ingredients then churn.

[TripleB]

Kudos to you for doing it

[Huskee]

I think it will work but how long is long enough vs. too long? That will be something to keep in mind. I wouldn't do your whole supply for the same time. Maybe do some at 20-minute (or whatever) intervals, label which is which, and then sample them tomorrow so your taste buds aren't affected by running the smoker, and so the smoke has time to sit. If you've ever smoked cheese you know what I mean there, trying it right away is usually awful. Anyway, then you can see which time frame(s) worked best, and if any time frames ruined the ice cream, then you didn't ruin all of it.

[realdocBBQ]

This is exactly what I am considering.

[WI Bubba]

I'm with SA in this one. If I were to try it I would make an ice cream base, smoke it, and then churn the smoked base. If you don't have an ice cream maker then no time like the present to get one.

[Kascon11]

Just try a smoke gun, no need to get all complicated,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072RCDQJS?psc=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ct_Y7G2XERSNG3SSRKJPJPN

[realdocBBQ]

Meh. I don't have one and I'm not going out to buy one for a small experiment like this. And I like to run my stickburner, it's fun. So no, I don't think I'll ever have a smoke gun - that's for folks who don't want to run a smoker. That's not me. No offense, plenty of folks will want and/or use it for an occasional light smoke on a cocktail or a single plate of food or something... that's cool. But just not me.

[Kascon11]

I just was thinking, it is 9:00 PM, it is cold and rainy, but you gotta have some smoked ice cream now. It was an option. However, with that being said, With all that bacon you are making can you just add a bit of that to a scoop or two? I do like a bacon maple glaze donut, so why not ice cream?

[realdocBBQ]

I do not mind the idea of bacon in ice cream for flavor - but the texture I expect might change things too much. I do like chunks and crunchies in my ice cream, but bacon, even crispy bacon, might get soggy and have a weird texture. I also noticed this with chocolate chip cookies, so I took to using just the bacon GREASE instead of butter. S00per d00per win.

[smokenoob]

I prefer to keep them separate. I smoke something and then eat ice cream! 🤪

[Spinaker]

I am working on my ice cream addiction.......so I have to pass. Not a lick since Jan 1.

If it is ice cream, I would eat it.

[bbqLuv]

First, try putting a smoky BBQ sauce on a scope of ice cream.
Add a few drops of liquid smoke to milk and cream and make your own.
Add smoked salmon to a milkshake

[FireMan]

Is it wrapped in bacon?