kevindalyus wrote:Thanks guys, just picked up some raw cocoa nibs and planning on baking them this weekend....does that 158F number sound right? I can understand baking at 300F, but 158F seems a bit low.
The nibs are already roasted, the 158F is just to get close to Pasteur's magic limit at 161.6F (using beersmith to convert from metric) That temp is enough to make the nibs sweat enough and get potent.
At the brewery we put the nibs in hotel pans and run them 2-3 X 4 minutes in a convection oven
(turning them at every "X" to get an even effect on the nibs.
The reason i prefer a shorter contact time is that the nibs from my experience can add some tartness to the beer. Depending on your beerthat extra acidic note might or might not be a welcome addition.
But I'll rather do a second addition if you're not satisfied after the first one. (just as when dry hopping)
Pull addition 1 out and hit the beer with addition nr 2.
