Smoked Sugar
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A few months ago, I wandered, unaccompanied by another (more responsible) adult into a spice merchant and could literally feel my brain kicking into gear as I was browsing through all the ingredients.
There were a few that caught my eye, but bourbon smoked sugar entranced me. And I promise it will entrance you too. Obviously I bought some, and then promptly set about recreating it!
Smoked sugar has a rich, smoky undertone to the sweetness and can enhance and elevate pretty much any recipe you add it to. It’s a great way to add a subtle smokiness to recipes traditionally cooked indoors as well as drinks, and garnishes.
This guide to smoking sugar is dedicated to endless possibilities.
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Tips
- Sugar melts at 367f, so as long as your smoker has the ability to smoke at 180f or lower, you should not run into any issues with melting your sugar during this process.
- This process is a LOT like making smoked salt, it’s mostly hands off, and the prep work is super easy. But don’t forget to stir, stirring helps to redistribute the sugar and increase the surface area of the sugar exposed to the smoke.
- Spritzing the sugar with water actually improves the smoke uptake as smoke tends to stick better to cool, wet surfaces.
Key Ingredients
Sugar: I’ve used coarse decorating sugar, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for this recipe. Granulated sugar due to it’s versatility, it has a balanced sweetness but neutral flavor, ensuring it enhances the sweetness without influencing flavors too dramatically. Using this type of sugar ensure that we can impart a sweet smokiness to our recipes without adding other flavors.
Decorating sugar because, why not? The smoker is running already! There is nothing saying you cannot play around with this! Try a bit of brown sugar, or raw sugar, so you can keep adding smokiness to your sweet treats.
Avoid powdered sugars, as your pellet grill has a convection fan which can blow the sugar around and make a mess or cause a safety issue.
How To Smoke Sugar
Prepare The Smoker:
- Start your pellet grill according to manufacturer’s directions at set temperature to 160 or 180f, or whatever your lowest temperature is. If your smoker has the super smoke option, select it.
- Scrape grill grates clean if necessary, and remove upper rack or racks.
Prepare The Sugar:
- Meanwhile, add 1 cup of sugar to a disposable pie plate and spread into an even layer.
- Spritz the sugar with a small amount of water. The trick is to add just enough moisture to dampen the surface of the sugar but not allow it to melt. I have a misting bottle that I keep in the kitchen filled with water, and it comes in so handy for this project.
Smoke The Sugar:
- Place prepared baking sheets or foil pans on smoker.
- Smoke the sugar for 3-4 hours, stirring every 30 -45 minutes. Feel free to spritz the sugar when stirring. Less time on the smoker will equal a more delicate smoke flavor while more time will result in a stronger smoke flavor. Consider how you may be using the smoked sugar when determining time spent on the Traeger or Pit Boss.
- Once smoked, remove the sugar from the smoker and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, stirring once of twice to dissipate the heat before transferring to an airtight container, like mason jars, for storage. If the sugar clumps together from the spritzing, just mash it lightly with a fork. The brown sugar will dry out and clump for sure, so it needs a little love before packaging!
- The smoke flavor will equalize in the container and ‘mature’ a bit after resting – I recommend letting the sugar rest for at least week or so before use, but that’s just a recommendation, you can use it right away if you like.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
There are so many ways to use an ingredient like smoked sugar. It adds a smoky complexity and can really elevate your recipes. Try it:
- As a finishing sugar to top your creme brulee
- In chocolate chip or sugar cookies
- Roll your ginger snaps in it
- In your pumpkin pie
- As a cocktail glass rimmer or in an old fashioned
- In homemade marshmallows!
- In your sous vide ice cream or chocolate ice cream for a deeper flavor
- In your morning coffee
- In your cowboy candy or canned cherries
See what I mean? The opportunities to add a little extra pizzazz are pretty much endless.
Let me know in the comments below how you’ve been using your smoked sugar!
More Elevated Ingredients
Best Pellets For Smoking Sugar
There are a few stand out options for this recipe, here they are in my preferred order!
Pecan: pecan pellets offer a faint nuttiness and vanilla flavor that is perfectly suited to baking.
Apple: apple pellets lend a mild sweetness with great smoke. Plus you’ll probably have some on hand if you make my smoked cheese and smoked bacon!
Cherry: cherry pellets give fantastic color along with a sweet tartness to your smoked sugar.
Batch + Storage Information
Batch:
Whatever you put into this recipe you will pull out! 4 cups of sugar will equal 4 cups of smoked sugar.
Although the batch is infinitely scaleable, I would absolutely recommend trying it out with a smaller volume to ensure you like the end product before you get too adventurous and try smoking a 10lb bag of sugar!
Storage:
Smoked sugar can be stored just like regular white sugar, with one exception, smoked sugar should be stored in an airtight container to help contain the volatile smoke aromas which will dissipate overtime in a non-sealed container. Keep it in a cool, dry location.
๐ Printable Recipe
Smoked Sugar
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Prepare The Smoker:
- Start your pellet grill according to manufacturer's directions at set temperature to 160 or 180f. If your smoker has the super smoke option, select it.
- Scrape grill grates clean if necessary, and remove upper rack or racks.
Prepare The Sugar:
- Meanwhile, add 1 cup of sugar to a disposable pie plate and spread into an even layer.
- Spritz the sugar with a small amount of water. The trick is to add just enough moisture to dampen the surface of the sugar but not allow it to melt.
Smoke The Sugar:
- Place prepared baking sheets or foil pans on smoker.
- Smoke the sugar for 3-4 hours, stirring every 30 or so minutes. Less time on the smoker will equal a more delicate smoke flavor while more time will result in a stronger smoke flavor. Consider how you may be using the smoked sugar when determining time spent on the Traeger or Pit Boss.
- Once smoked, remove the sugar from the smoker and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, stirring once of twice to dissipate the heat before transferring to an airtight container, like mason jars, for storage. If the sugar clumps together from the spritzing, just mash it lightly with a fork. The brown sugar will dry out and clump for sure, so it needs a little love before packaging!
- The smoke flavor will equalize in the container and 'mature' a bit after resting – I recommend letting the sugar rest for at least week or so before use, but the smoked sugar can be used immediately too.