Pecan Mead recipe?

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Wildbill001

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While finishing off my 2nd to last bottle of JOAM tonight, I told the wife what I was planning on starting this weekend:
  • Pumpkin Pie Mead
  • Blueberry/vanilla mead
  • Strawberry Mead -- maybe. Haven't completely decided on this one yet.

She surprised me by asking if I could make a pecan-flavored mead. :rockin: Kewl! So I told her I would check it out. But in my short searching career, I have not yet found any recipe for such a potentially tasty beverage.

Anyone have any ideas as to how I would go about this or suggestions or pointers to any recipes?

Bill W
 
qmixalot.com/how-to-make-pecan-extract
You could go this route and add to taste prior to bottling.

Or
http://www.lazymagnolia.com/index.php
This brewery uses pecans as a grain in beer, some sort of mashing clearly involved. Maybe they'd be willing to explain their process if you emailed them?
 
I'm doing a test batch of pecan mead.

I made a batch of medium/dry wildflower mead, and set aside 1 gallon to try this.

After some forum and internet research, I decided to make an extract. I chopped up a bunch of roasted pecans, put them in a jar, poured cheap vodka over them until the bits were submerged. This was placed in the fridge for about 2 months. Every once in a while, I'd shake the jar. I got about 1/2 c. Smelled and tasted amazing.

1/4 c was put in my 1 gallon jug of mead. I kept the rest in case I need to add more.

The mead is still clearing. My plan was to add fining agents and rack after Christmas (and, of course, give it a taste).
 
I have made nut extracts before: Almond and Hazelnut to be precice. I also make vanilla extract and mint extract. My best sugestion is to use unsalted nuts, if you get raw then roast them a bit. Also if there is any of that papery casing like there is around hazelnuts then remove it. The skin is sometimes quite bitter. Then I do a rough grind on the nuts in the coffee grinder. Put in a jar fill up with vodka or rum to just above the settled nuts and shake once a day for a week, leave in at least 2 months. Then run through a screen and then put a coffee filter in the cleaned screen and run it through the filter. You can do this more than once. I then let sit a day and then put in a sauce pan on low and simmer for a bit to reduce the volume a bit. You can make it easy. You may want to let it sit a couple a days before use.

I haven't seen many successful nut mead recipies. Most call for extracts.

I hope it works for you.

Matrix
 
Matrix4b said:
I have made nut extracts before: Almond and Hazelnut to be precice. I also make vanilla extract and mint extract. My best sugestion is to use unsalted nuts, if you get raw then roast them a bit. Also if there is any of that papery casing like there is around hazelnuts then remove it. The skin is sometimes quite bitter. Then I do a rough grind on the nuts in the coffee grinder. Put in a jar fill up with vodka or rum to just above the settled nuts and shake once a day for a week, leave in at least 2 months. Then run through a screen and then put a coffee filter in the cleaned screen and run it through the filter. You can do this more than once. I then let sit a day and then put in a sauce pan on low and simmer for a bit to reduce the volume a bit. You can make it easy. You may want to let it sit a couple a days before use.

I haven't seen many successful nut mead recipies. Most call for extracts.

I hope it works for you.

Matrix
Click to expand...
Having often wondered about nut based drinks of any type, how does the extract making work given that nuts are high in fat/oil ?

As I would have thought that while the oil would probably dissolve, does it settle out when mixed in with the mead (creating, possibly a fat or oil layer) ?

Can't check the links here ATM - using work phone.......
 
Based on the research I did, the vodka (or other high proof booze) is supposed to dissolve the oil. I didn't see any in the extract once it had sit for 2 months, and I don't see any floating on the surface of my mead. I'll post a pick once it clears and give my opinion of flavor.

I used roasted, unsalted pecans.

If this works out well, I might try others. I was thinking to try acorns, but missed the gathering window this year.
 
Zaffo said:
Based on the research I did, the vodka (or other high proof booze) is supposed to dissolve the oil. I didn't see any in the extract once it had sit for 2 months, and I don't see any floating on the surface of my mead. I'll post a pick once it clears and give my opinion of flavor.

I used roasted, unsalted pecans.

If this works out well, I might try others. I was thinking to try acorns, but missed the gathering window this year.
Click to expand...

I found no oily layer as well. Now as it extracts it may look like it is seperating into an oil layer. This is why I shake it for the first week, it also happens to help agitate it so that all the nut meat gets surface contact with the alcohol. Indeed the alcohol does disolve the oil, it takes time. That is why I give it 2 months. I may try some smaller bottles at different time frames and compair the extraction flavor. I just need to figure out a good way to test taste it. I particulary enjoyed making the hazelnut extract. The smell after roasting is incredible.

Wonder what walnut would be like with such a bitter nut.

I have been experimenting with nuts and mead for a little while. A few batches. Seems the extract route is the best and I always like home made extract.

Matrix
 
I also make a toasted pecan extract, but ramp it up and make a sipping cordial by essentially layering toasted pecans, brown sugar and pure grain, or vodka, or my fav-E&J VSOP. The brandy one is most requested and I gave away four dozen pints for holiday gifts this past weekend. The alcohol soaked nuts are wonderful on ice cream and used in baking. Made a killer cream cheese and drunken nut stuffed french toast at Thanksgiving. Thinking a basic mead plus the extract/cordial would be quite nice. The hazelnut Matrix talks about is great. I know the Italians make a liqueur using green walnuts.
 
If I'm understanding you all right. If you make your own extract you get the liquid extract in its purest form and nuts that have a alcohol taste to it ?
 
scottv said:
If I'm understanding you all right. If you make your own extract you get the liquid extract in its purest form and nuts that have a alcohol taste to it ?
Click to expand...

Essentially yes. But you pick up more from the nuts than just the alcohol they were steeped in--the roasted, toasted nut, sugar if you opted to make a sipping cordial. You do not have to keep the nuts after extraction is complete.
 
Crap! I never thought to save the soaked pecans. Would have been AWESOME on a baked brie, with a little brown sugar. Dang!
 
Zaffo said:
Crap! I never thought to save the soaked pecans. Would have been AWESOME on a baked brie, with a little brown sugar. Dang!
Click to expand...

Actually, no it wouldn't. The nuts have most or all of the flavor sucked out at that point. I tried it with almonds once, tasted like cardboard. But that was an intesting test to see if the extraction worked. I wouldn't even use the spend nuts for filler in bread.

Matrix
 
I thought I might of read once in BYO magazine or something like that to freeze the vodka nut extract when you think it's done and then scrape off any oil that might come to the top.
Trader Vic makes a amazing Macadamea liquor that I think would be great mixed into some mead for flavoring. Yummy!
 
Y'all stop it now I'm wanting to try this and I promised myself only traditional till I get a few under my belt.
 
scottv said:
Y'all stop it now I'm wanting to try this and I promised myself only traditional till I get a few under my belt.
Click to expand...

You really only need one under your belt. Then you can experiment. I recomend you start simple. First with a Melomel and then a Meglathin, and then a combined fruit and spice. Then experiment with technique and many combinations. Also, In most cases I recomend oaking.

Matrix
 
My first is a peach melomel in 2nd fermentation looks like vomit and tastes like dry strong alcohol. But. I'm going to be patient and just let it sit
 
scottv said:
Y'all stop it now I'm wanting to try this and I promised myself only traditional till I get a few under my belt.
Click to expand...

Interesting statement since most people try a JOAM first which is not at all traditional.

I say experiment. You know why I love mead? Because I can try anything and it's perfectly fine. Add anything to wine and some idiot relative that fancies themselves an amateur sommelier will get uppity on you. Mead is so unknown to the general public that you can experiment and people no preconceptions about "what should be".

As for oak... I HATE oak. A little bit is OK in a few rare wines that it actually compliments the natural flavors. Too often I find that people use oak too often because they either can't recognize the flavors or are afraid the wine will not have enough "complexity". Two weeks ago the wife an I went to a winery in Clifton, VA. called Paradise Springs. Aside from the generic name, the wine itself was really bad because of Oak. The oak was the only fricking thing you could taste.

So no to oak!
 
:rockin: WOW. Some great ideas. In reading through all the posts, I think I like the idea of an extract the best. I can then adjust the "pecanness" to our liking. In fact, as I think about it as I'm writing this, it dawns on me that I can start both the extract and a traditional mead. Then I can use part of the mead to flavor and have some as a traditional. Outstanding! :ban:

Thanks.

Bill W
 
Ok, I bottled my Pecan mead today.

The flavor is there. You catch a hint of pecan at the finish. Unfortunately, there's not much pecan in the nose. A strong honey would easily overpower the taste. That said, per my wife, the alcohol flavor is still pretty strong. Maybe some age will pull the pecan out.

I think, however, the process I followed has merit. Next batch, I'll make more pecan extract. I think double, or even triple might do the trick. Before I add it to the mead, I think I'll boil the extract down to concentrate the flavors.

I also wonder if oaking might help draw out the pecan.

At the end of the day, I made an enjoyable mead (in my humble opinion), so that, in itself, is a success.

Cheers!
 
Given the qualities of Pecan, have you thought of pecan chips or spirals instead of oak?
 
Well, based on what I've read, most nuts have oil in them, and it's important to get rid of it. It seems the oil can cause spoilage or off flavors. You shouldn't simply chop up some pecans and dump them in a wine like you might with assorted herbs, fruit or oak chips.

Making an extract seems to address this problem.

It might also be a good idea to choose nuts that have a strong flavor. Macadamia, Cashew, and Sesame might not have enough oomph to make themselves known (but I might try anyway, just for giggles). I've been thinking to try acorns this coming fall.
 
Zaffo said:
I've been thinking to try acorns this coming fall.
Click to expand...

I seem to remember a field trip from elementary school to a native America. Indian community that made acorns into a paste for cooking/eating. They had to prepare them a specific way to leech out something that would make you sick. You might want to do some research.
 
Crome Wikipedia

"However, if properly prepared (by selecting high-quality specimens and leaching out the bitter tannins in water), acorn meal can be used in some recipes calling for grain flours."
 
Yes. I've done some research on acorns. They are definitely edible, but tannin is the problem. I don't know if it will make you sick, but, from what I've read, the tannin levels are so high they taste awful (which is why you don't see acorns for sale at the grocery store). Also, from what I've read, acorn meal (once cleared of the tannin) has a short shelf life (but tastes terrific).

That said, making a liqueur might be the way to go (See the Spanish Liqueur called Bellota), and there are certain acorn types that have less tannin than others. Some are actually easy to eat for humans.

But I digress. Pecan extract does work in mead, and it tastes very nice.
 

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