Cooking with Liquid Smoke

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With summer around the corner, a lot of people are planning for a barbecue party. To give meat the real 'smoke' taste, liquid smoke comes in handy. It is one of the ingredients that is being used in restaurants, without the common man getting an inkling about it.

To make liquid smoke, a substance produced from smoke is passed through water. The smoke can be used as a preservative and flavoring-agent. There are only two ingredients that go into making it, namely wood (that is used to burn) and water (to liquidize the smoke).

Understand the Process

Either 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.

Recipes to Incorporate Liquid Smoke

Barbecue Sauce

As a main ingredient to make barbecue sauce, the recipe is easy to follow. Use the sauce you make with this recipe on meat, vegetables, tofu, etc.

Ingredients Ketchup, 2 cups Brown Sugar, ½ cup Liquid Smoke, 3 tbsp Cayenne Pepper, ½ tsp Celery Seed, ½ tsp

Method In a grinder, combine brown sugar, celery seed, and cayenne pepper. Add ketchup and blend well again. Finally, add liquid smoke to finish the sauce.

Red Wine Barbecue Sauce

This is another recipe that goes well with all types of meat. It can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week or so.

Ingredients Fresh Rosemary (minced), 2 tsp Shallots (peeled and minced), 2 Olive Oil, 1 tbsp Red Wine, ¾ cup Tomato Puree, ⅔ cup Worcestershire Sauce, 2 tbsp

Garlic (minced), 3 cloves Dark Brown Sugar, ⅓ 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. Add rosemary and garlic, and sauté for another 2 minutes. 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. Add tomato puree and other ingredients, except for butter, and let the sauce simmer for 10 to 12 minutes till it thickens.

Stir the mixture well and add salt and pepper to it. 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.

Since it is a concentrated liquid, you will have to be careful with how much you're adding into your dishes. Overuse of this ingredient can ruin the taste of the dish.