About Matt's Nutts
100 Years of Smokehouse Heritage
Barbecue isn’t just a hobby for Matt Elwood—it’s part of his family history.
Born and raised in Kansas City, one of America’s great barbecue capitals, Matt represents more than a century of family barbecue tradition. Growing up around glowing embers and slow-burning hickory, he learned the craft from the ground up, developing an appreciation for the patience, balance, and attention to detail that great barbecue demands.
Over the years, Matt continued refining those skills and eventually brought those time-honored techniques to the legendary pits of the American Royal World Series of Barbecue.
For Matt, mastering smoke and spice was never simply about cooking. It was a standard of excellence passed down through generations.
From the Pit to the Snack Bowl
When Matt brought his barbecue roots from Kansas City to Arizona, his smoked meats and signature barbecue quickly earned a following at catered events, cookouts, and gatherings.
Eventually, that same obsession with smoke and seasoning led him somewhere unexpected: the snack bowl.
Matt wanted to see whether the same principles he applied to barbecue—smoke, seasoning, balance, and patience—could transform a simple mix of nuts into something altogether different.
The goal was authentic barbecue flavor, not just barbecue-inspired seasoning. That meant using real wood smoke to build depth and aroma, then balancing it with savory spices, a touch of brown sugar, and just enough heat to let the character of the nuts come through.
Getting there took time.
- Dialing in the wood blend to create a deep, clean smoke flavor without bitterness.
- Refining the seasoning through dozens of variations until the balance of smoke, garlic, aromatic spices, brown sugar, and subtle heat was just right.
- Curating the nut mix so the almonds, pecans, cashews, and other premium nuts each carried the seasoning and smoke in their own way.
After years of trial, late-night batches, and relentless tweaking, Matt finally arrived at the recipe that became Matt’s Original Nutts.
Friends, family, and plenty of people who know their way around good barbecue kept coming back for more.
That was when Matt knew he had something worth sharing.
Snack Like You Mean It
Today, Matt’s Nutts brings authentic wood-smoked barbecue flavor to a snack that deserves to be taken seriously.
Every batch is smoked in small quantities, carefully seasoned, and packed by hand in Arizona.
They’re made for the home bar, game-day watch parties, charcuterie boards, backyard gatherings, road trips, gifts, or simply grabbing a handful when an ordinary snack won’t do.
The roots may go back more than a century, but Matt is still doing what his family has always done: taking smoke, good ingredients, and a little patience and turning them into something people want to gather around.
From Matt’s Kansas City barbecue roots to your snack bowl…grab a handful and taste the obsession.
Matt Elwood
Matt’s Nutts is still a one-man operation, and every batch is roasted by hand right here in Arizona.
Follow along for fresh batches, behind-the-scenes moments, BBQ inspiration, new products, and a look at what’s happening around the kitchen.
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