Chesnuts

[stephen44]

Any one roasted these in a fire pit ? -got any tips please

thanks

Stephen

 

[d.n.f.]

You need to cut a small x on the top of the chestnut.
Don't put directly over the flame.
Helps to have one of those special chestnut roaster pans.
Shake the pan to prevent burning.

All the chestnuts out my way are moldy.
Best of luck.

 

[granpajohn]

Any one roasted these in a fire pit ?

Yes we have.
My (italian) wife has many decades experience roasting chestnuts, always using the oven. We have always found that the biggest problem, (at least in our area), is getting fresh nuts that aren't molding/spoiling.
So anyway, about 2 weeks ago, we did a side-by-side comparison using the wood burner and the electric toaster oven. She even consulted a cookbook, just to be sure.
We did the usual cutting of an X on the flat side of the nut. (Belive it or not, we have a special chestnut knife for this. Looks like a miniture linoleum knife.)
I put some of the nuts into a double wrap of aluminum foil and tossed it on the coals. Never touched flame. Stove was plenty hot at the time. Turned out OK, but admittedly, one side was overcooked, slightly burnt even.
Others went into the oven at 400, taking about 7 minutes, I seem to recall. No worse.
The wood ones were slightly more flavorful, but tough to say.

Results: The woodstove nuts might have been better if turned over and cooked for a shorter time. I'll estimate 4 minutes. Possibly an extra layer of foil would help. The biggest problem was the usual moldy/spoiled nuts. Had to pick away the bad parts.

Years ago I did this in an open hearth fire using a wire basket. Much more pleasant. I don't keep the door open on my 4100 because of smoke into the room. (Not a lot, but still annoying.)

Unlike popcorn over an open fire, I've found that chestnuts don't need any additional fat, (we used to use a bacon strip). The nuts have a high oil content on their own. That's why they burn your mouth like a greasy pizza, and why they can be so filling.

After all that, I might try them in the stove again someday. More fun.

 

[HeatsTwice]

A carpenders knife works great for sliceing the "x" on the flat side. The kind I am refereing to has the razor blade insert and slides in and out of the handle by a thumb slide. Extending the blade the minimal amount is ideal for cutting the chestnuts without risking cutting your fingers.