If you pasteurize the honey first to kill off all the little organisms living inside, you can also add it directly to the fermenter to preserve maximum honey character in the finished product.
I have been trying to find more info on Honey beers and everything I have found so far leads me to believe that Honey is 1. Already pasteurized depending on store brand 2. If wild sorts (raw), doesn't really need to be because it contains natural antibodies which is what preserves it 3. If you boil it, it will lose the enzymes that make the honey flavor thereby defeating the purpose
As I said, I have only read these things from scouring the interwebs on the topic so I am no expert, but I just felt that the statement you made warrants some more research if someone finds this thread.
I am trying to determine when the best time to add it is to get the most flavor, and not have a dry beer people speak of. Some recipes say add at 10-15 left in boil, some say add at flameout, some say when it cools to 100 degrees or so, some people say add at primary. Also a theory is to add the pound 3-4-5 days into fermentation so that the yeast is mostly spent and will not ferment it all out thus leaving the flavor. Some people also say two pounds is fine. I have read on people using it as the priming sugar instead of corn sugar (see threads below). Also there are warnings about creating bottle bombs if it starts fermenting too much in bottling and you used sugar. Many more people say to use honey malt instead.
All very confusing to a newbie.
"When honey is labeled "pure," it means that it has no additives, such as sugar, corn syrup, or flavorings. However, unless it is labeled "raw," it is likely that the honey has been filtered, heated, and even pasteurized before packaging."
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5787891_difference-honey-natural-pure-honey.html#ixzz20u3hKUsZ
Some Flavor Is Lost
The flavors in honey are delicate and easily lost when cooked.
When making products like mead, an alcoholic beverage made from honey, it is recommended not to boil the honey. Boiling is also unnecessary because honey has its own antimicrobial properties.
Some Enzymes Are Killed
All honey contains natural enzymes and bacteria. These microbes are what keep the honey from spoiling. Honey is the only food that will never go bad. When honey is boiled, the enzymes and bacteria within it are killed, leaving the honey vulnerable to spoiling.
Here are similar threads with some of the above ideas in it.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/when-add-honey-boil-111048/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/why-not-boil-honey-76634/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/can-you-prime-honey-231491/
I personally think I may add a pound of it during the wort cooling (90-100deg) so it will stir in easily but not expose it to the 212ish degree temps. If there are people who agree I'd love to hear it and also need to decide if #1 is enough or go with 1.5-2?