Liquid Smoke - What it is and How to Use It

Ever since people have been cooking food over fire, they have known that smoke can enhance the flavor of a dish. It can also preserve food. Smoked meat and fish lasts longer than when it is not smoked or preserved in another way. Meat used to be smoked before the invention of refrigeration, in order to give it a longer shelf live. The organic acids and chemicals in smoked are able to lower pH and this acidity can destroy bacteria cell walls, which is why smoked foods last longer.

If you smoke food somewhere enclosed, the smoke will form a brown liquid. This liquid can be gathered up and then used to flavor and season food without the need for a smokehouse.

Smoke contains elements to provide flavor and other ones to give an antibacterial effect. Smoke, including liquid smoke, tends to be calorie free and fat free. Some kinds of liquid smoke contain a tiny amount but this is usually because of the ingredients added to the liquid smoke itself. Liquid smoke can be used if you do not have a charcoal grill but you enjoy the smoky flavor.

Liquid Smoke - What it is and How to Use It

Different Smoke Flavors

The main flavor in smoke is from the "pyrolysis" of the wood and this has a kind of burnt sugar taste. Alder wood is traditionally used in Europe for smoking and beech or oak are alternatives. In the United States, mesquite, hickory, apple, plum, cherry, alder, oak, and pecan are all popular woods for smoking. Each one can give a different flavor.

Some people use corncobs to smoke ham or bacon. Raw rice, tea, and sugar are sometimes heated in the bottom of a wok to smoke Chinese tea. Peat can be used for smoking barley malt, an ingredient in some beers and in Scotch whisky.

How to Use Liquid Smoke

You can apply liquid smoke to meat before you cook it to give the food a smoky taste. You can also use it with fish, poultry, or vegetables but remember that the taste is very strong so you will only need a couple of drops.

You can also spray it on to the lava rocks of a gas grill so that the food tastes like it was cooked on a charcoal grill. Do this before you ignite the grill though, for safety reasons.

An Easy Recipe for a Smoky Red Wine Sauce

Baste your steaks or chicken pieces with this sauce as they cook, for a really delicious flavor. You can also double this recipe and use half of it for basting and serve the rest with the steak or chicken.

What you will need:

• 1 minced clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

How to make it:

Heat the olive oil in a pan over a moderate heat, and then add the chili powder, garlic, and cumin. Cook for one minute. Add the red wine and simmer for two minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, liquid smoke, and ketchup and simmer for another couple of minutes. You can make the sauce two days ahead if you like. Simply cover it and refrigerate until you need it, then warm it up gently in a pan.

Liquid Smoke - What it is and How to Use It

You can do a recipe search for more liquid smoke recipes if you have a certain meat, fish or cuisine in mind. It is also possible to peruse food blogs for cooking inspiration and new ideas.

RecipeDirectory.org Where the Web Searches for Recipe Sites