Chex Mix?

[Buck Flicks]

'Tis the season for Chex Mix. I love the stuff. Two questions: does anyone have an awesome recipe they're willing to share? I really don't like the commercially packaged chex mix because it just tastes like they put seasoned salt on everything, and we all know the magic is in the butter and Worcestershire sauce more than the salt.

And ... has anyone ever smoked their chex mix? I want to do this, but I'm not sure how to adjust the time and temp for a smoke as opposed to the oven.

Alternatively, I can add a dash of liquid smoke to the butter/Worcestershire sauce combo for a smoky flavor. I'm already planning on smoking some mixed nuts for holiday gatherings, so I'll already have the SnS running and nuts don't take very long, so I'll definitely have some fuel left to burn.

[HouseHomey]

I love old school Chex mix. I didn't know that it's commercially packaged. The recipe used to be in the box when I was a kid. My mom made it all holiday season.

[Huskee]

I've heard (never tried myself) that Meathead's Memphis Dust (MMD) is great on it! And popcorn.

If you want to smoke Id' say after the butter (so it's moist) plop it in in waves- 1 sample for 15 min, one for 30 min, one for 60, etc etc etc...see what's best.

[dshaffes]

I've made homemade Chex Mix twice since Thanksgiving and used the basic recipe. Here's a link to the recipe I used: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/...hex-mix-105404

i modified it by adding a cup of Cheese It crackers to the mix. I'm going to make my next batch on the Traeger.

[Spinaker]

I buy one large bag of the Jalepeno, Cheddar and Regular Chex mix. Then I throw them all in to a large mixing bowl. Then I add a lot of melted butter, some Worchestire sauce and a touch of hot sauce. Then I mix. As I am mixing, I shake in some garlic and onion powder.
Then I dump out the mixed Chex on to a large baking sheet. I try to spread it out as even as possible. Then I bake it at 400 F for about 10 mins. I really love this stuff.

[JGrana]

All I can say is "wow". Sounds crunchy good.

[Spinaker]

Oh it is. I love it. Its like crack though, I can't put it down!

[HouseHomey]

My stomach just rumbled!!

[dshaffes]

That sounds really good.

[Buck Flicks]

Another problem I have with the pre-packaged chex mix ... not enough peanuts. The cheddar mix is pretty darn good, though.

I love the idea of Cheez-its. That's gonna happen.

The smoke will happen on Tuesday evening. I'll post results. I think this will require a light touch with the wood chips.

[Spinaker]

Another problem I have with the pre-packaged chex mix ... not enough peanuts. The cheddar mix is pretty darn good, though.

I love the idea of Cheez-its. That's gonna happen.

The smoke will happen on Tuesday evening. I'll post results. I think this will require a light touch with the wood chips.

Just throw in some peanuts of your own. I like to add assorted Honey-roasted nuts. Makes for a really nice touch.

[Buck Flicks]

I do. If I can't find Virginia peanuts, I get dry roasted.

[texastweeter]

Use old bay seasoning, and smoke the nuts and butter first. Oh and add hot sauce!

[Buck Flicks]

Hmm... great idea. I think this is what I'm going to do. Smoke the nuts (making smoked mixed nuts tonight anyway) and butter, then mix it all up and put it in the oven. That'll keep the smokiness to an acceptable level. Love Old Bay.

[Buck Flicks]

So I spent the evening smoking nuts (my wife was giggling all evening over that phrase) and watching for Geminid metors. I'd say that ultimately both endeavors were disappointing. Smoked the dry roasted peanuts for the Chex mix first - with a mix of Old Bay and cayenne pepper. They turned out odd... the smoke ... essence? on the nuts reminded me of a wet leaf fire, instead of a nice hard wood smoke. It wasn't very pleasant (acrid.) Should I have left the water out of the reservoir in my SnS? Did I have the temperature too low? I was keeping it below 250.

The smoked mixed nuts, however turned out nice. I used Old Bay, cayenne, and chili powder. I opened the vents a little bit to boost the temp. Mostly because I didn't want to be up all night.

The Chex Mix ... I'm not sure why, but it's just not the same as my childhood memories. Maybe I didn't use enough Worcestershire sauce, but it's just not very zesty. Also, 10 minutes at 400 degrees was a little too much (in my oven.) I had two trays, and the mix in the bottom tray got scorched. My oven might run hot. I'll have to use my fireboard to calibrate. Sounds like a nice vacation project.

[texastweeter]

Remove the water pan when smoking nuts or cheese. I use fruit wood on nuts. Add a bit of hotsauce to the Worcestershire sauce, don't forget a bit of onion and garlic powder. On the chex mix. I find convect makes a crispier chef mix. I'll do a write-up soon when I make it for this Christmas.

[dshaffes]

I take a different approach to cooking the mix. I put the mix in a roasting pan and cook at 250 for 1 hour, and stir the mixture every 15 minutes. Comes out perfect!

[fzxdoc]

I buy one large bag of the Jalepeno, Cheddar and Regular Chex mix. Then I throw them all in to a large mixing bowl. Then I add a lot of melted butter, some Worchestire sauce and a touch of hot sauce. Then I mix. As I am mixing, I shake in some garlic and onion powder.
Then I dump out the mixed Chex on to a large baking sheet. I try to spread it out as even as possible. Then I bake it at 400 F for about 10 mins. I really love this stuff.

Whoa, this sounds so good! I usually just mix Jalapeno, Cheddar, Regular, and Extreme Habenero together, toss in some mixed nuts and call it a day. Mixing in more ingredients and baking for 10 minutes kicks it up several notches, I'm guessing. Thanks, Spinaker for your spin on this. I'm definitely going to give it a try after I load up on the required bags of Chex Mix at the local Fastop or Get 'n Go. The grocery stores only carry the milder mixes.

Kathryn

[Buck Flicks]

I'm going to try again this weekend. Changes will be:

MORE peanuts, and no water in the reservoir.
NOT the Hot & Spicy Chex mix. Maybe the regular, cheddar, and jalapeno.
MORE butter.
MORE worchestershire.
ADD a little Soy Sauce.
ADD Cheerios.
ADD pretzel sticks.

Try the 250 degrees at 1 hour finishing method.

[texastweeter]

What temp on smoker for yer nuts... lol

[Buck Flicks]

I bumped it up to 250-260 for the mixed nuts. It was at 220-225 for the dry roasted peanuts.

[texastweeter]

just did a batch of mixed and a batch of dry roasted. 250 with apple wood for an hour. I really like roasting them when raw with butter and old bay at about 325, but didn't have any.

[fzxdoc]

Keep us posted, Buck Flicks . Your changes sound pretty tasty.

Kathryn