Liquid Smoke

To make barbecue, man has come up with charcoal, gas or electric grills, however, none of them are compatible enough to provide the delicious natural flavor to the meat that one can get from using natural wood. Briquettes came into existence, but they did not prove to be of use. This is when liquid smoke came into the picture. To make liquid smoke, a substance produced from smoke is passed through water. The smoke can be used both for food preservation as well as flavoring. There are only two ingredients that go into making it, namely wood, that is used to burn and water, to liquidize the smoke.

Process of Making Liquid Smoke

Mesquite or hickory wood is used to make liquid smoke. These days pecan or apple wood is also used to make liquidized version of smoke. A large supply of wood is placed inside a large oven, known as retort. The wood itself is not burnt to make the smoke, but it is intensely heated using another source to create a slow smolder. The smoke is then gradually drawn out of the retort for further processing. Now the smoke composes of tiny smoke particles, that are held in water vapor. Using refrigeration techniques, the surrounding air is rapidly chilled. Then the liquidized smoke is sent to oak barrels for aging. After the aging process, the concentrated liquid is filtered to remove any impurities and then bottled. Normally smoked salt is used as substitute for liquid form of smoke. The other alternative is to buy smoked meat itself.

Liquid Smoke Recipes

We will now see some delicious recipes using liquid smoke flavoring. At this stage, do you have a question, where to buy liquid smoke? You can buy it at any of the supermarkets. It is normally placed in the seasonings section, normally closer to Worcestershire sauce.

Barbecue Sauce
Liquid smoke is most widely used in barbecue. The sauce you make with this recipe can be used with any kind of meat and also with vegetables, tofu, etc.

Ingredients

• Ketchup 2 cups
• Brown Sugar 1/2 cup
• Liquid Smoke 3 tbsp
• Cayenne Pepper 1/2 tsp
• Celery Seed 1/2 tsp

Method

• In a grinder grind brown sugar, celery seed with cayenne pepper.
• Then add ketchup and blend well again.
• At last add liquid smoke, blend and your sauce is ready.

Red Wine Barbecue Sauce
This is another barbecue sauce, that goes well with all types of meat. It can stored in the refrigerator for over a week's time.

Ingredients

• Fresh Rosemary (minced) 2 tsp
• Shallots (peeled and minced) 2
• Olive Oil 1 tbsp
• Red Wine 3/4 cup
• Tomato Puree 2/3 cup
• Worcestershire Sauce 2 tbsp
• Garlic (minced) 3 cloves
• Dark Brown Sugar 1/3 cup
• Balsamic Vinegar 1 tbsp
• Molasses 3 tbsp
• Tabasco 1 tsp
• Liquid Smoke 1 tsp
• Dry Mustard 2 tsp
• Butter 1 tbsp
• Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper as per taste

Method

• In a sauce pan, sauté shallots in olive oil for 4 to 5 minutes, till they begin to take on a little color.
• Then add rosemary and garlic and sauté again for another 2 minutes.
• Now add red wine to the sauce pan and bring it to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and let it simmer till only half the amount of liquid remains in the pan.
• Now add tomato puree and other ingredients other than butter and let the sauce simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, till it is thickened.
• Add salt and pepper and stir well.
• Add butter and remove it from heat.
• Let the sauce cool to room temperature, before you use.
• If you want to store it, cover the sauce tightly and refrigerate.

If you like the flavor of liquid smoke, you can also add it to meatballs, etc. It goes well with the Indian cuisine also. Just a small tip before we close, remember that liquid smoke is a concentrated liquid, hence you will have to be careful with the quantity that you use. Overuse of this ingredient can ruin the taste of the dish.