Damian Magista of Bee Local Honey is game for just about anything. We've watched him put beehives on the roofs of highrises wearing nothing but jeans and a t-shirt. We've seen him nosh on antique honeycomb so dark with age it looked like wood. Recently, he and BJ Smith of Smokehouse 21 decided to try smoking honey. And it totally worked.
Smith poured Magista's honey in a pan and put it in his smoker, using white oak chips for one batch and cherry wood for another. The result was so good he put it on his menu, drizzling it over bacon molasses cornbread muffins. Other restaurants wanted to give it a try too. Imperial, Urban Farmer, Laurelhurst Market and Holdfast Dining all have a stash that they're using on certain dishes.
If you want take some smoked honey home for your own culinary experiments, it's for sale through Bee Local's site, as well as at Jacobsen Salt's tasting room. Or you can pick up a jar next time you're at Smokehouse 21.