Smoked salt is what you may want to try adding to your recipe if you want to turn your dish into something delectable. It is an aromatic salt enhanced by two-week smoking of select barks known for their distinctive smell. Some of the types of wood used in this particular type of smoking are maple, cherry, oak, alder, and apple.
Suppose you want to try this special seasoning in one of your dishes. In that case, you may need to know about the process, the different types of, and ways to use smoked salt. Here’s an article to guide you for that purpose, so keep reading.
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How To Smoke Salt
In many cases, smoked salt makers use coarse and kosher types. Others use Himalayan pink salt because of its aesthetic quality. Generally, you could buy this product from its retailers, such as SaltWorks and others. If you want to make your own brand, you may pick between the standard methods, including:
Hot Smoke
In this process, you may need a gas or pellet grill. Heat your grill to 275°F. While heating, fill a disposable aluminium pan with a generous amount of salt. Then, place the wood chips of your chosen bark based on your grill model. Stir the salt and chips until the former reaches your desired aroma. You may repeat this process to make the smell even better.
Cold Smoke
You need a gas grill and a cold smoker to cold-smoke a salt. In many cases, this process is only used below 80°F throughout the heating and smoking. Because of the low and slow heat, the salt takes much of the bark’s flavours. However, you may need to use a heavy-duty aluminium pan so the salt won’t melt quickly.
Traditional Method
In this process, you need to light up the pieces of bark you like. Ensure that you’ll burn them in a slow and low fire so that they’d emit the smoke the salt needed. Then, put your salt in a pan. Continue heating the pan until the salt dries up and the colour changes. Also, you may need to stir the salt for it to be evenly smoked and enhance its flavour.
Types Of Smoked Salt
The different types of barks affect the aroma profile of the seasoning. Some salt makers even add aromatic herbs to enhance further the salt’s flavours. For more ideas of these types of salt, you may taste the following:
Hickory Smoked Salt
It offers a combination of sweet and smoky flavours. This type generally uses the cold method to expose the salt in its needed smoke for a long time. Many chefs add a pinch of this salt on their red meat, pork, burger patties, and ribs.
Applewood Smoked Salt
It provides an apple-like sweetness and woody aroma. Many persons choose this type for seafood dishes, poultry, and fish. Many consider the taste to counter the stench of the mentioned.
Alderwood Smoked Salt
It undergoes a prolonged smoking process. In addition, many consider this salt to be the traditional smoked salt as this was common in North American Indian cooking. Because of this, the Alderwood suits any dishes.
Mesquite Smoked Salt
This salt is commonly used in enhancing the flavours of meat, especially Texas barbecue. It offers a good mix of sweet, salty, and smoky tastes many meat lovers enjoy. You could also use it in other grilled dishes.
Chardonnay Oak Salt
It is one of the most challenging to produce because it typically uses the chips of old oak barrels that have been used as containers for chardonnay wine. However, it’s one of the finest salts to provide a unique and savoury flavour ideal for soups, sauces, and seafood.
Combined Bark Salt
It's considered the salt for all seasons because it uses a variety of barks. By this, it combines a vast range of flavours ideal for any fish, red meat, veggies, pork, and poultry. The rich taste of combined bark salt is also perfect for soups and sauces.
Ways To Spice Up Your Dish With Smoked Salt
If you think your dish is bland, you may need to add some of this special seasoning to turn it into a delicacy. And with the wide range of flavours, you could choose the taste you want to dominate in your dish and taste buds. Here are some of the ways you may want to try:
For Seasoning
Whether you want a fruity-salty taste or an apple-like sweetness to your salad or sandwich, you may season it with the particular salt you love. Furthermore, you could also mix the smoked salt into a dish for a different twist. For example, if you need to boost the sweetness of a fish recipe, you may season it with a pinch of this salt.
For Grilling
Rub your desired salt to your meat, ribs, or chicken to beef up their taste. You could add a pinch of the seasoning to your barbecue sauce or marinade for better results. In addition, the salts could also provide a flame-grilled or smoked flavour even if your dish isn’t grilled or exposed to heat and flame.
For Preparing Sauces And Soups
Drop a pinch of to your sauce and soup if you think they need some flavour enhancement. Apart from these, the smoked salt could incorporate smokiness and sweetness that’d satisfy your palates.
For Garnishing Your Cocktail Drinks
To boost your cocktail drinks, you may add some salt to your drink’s glasses or rims. It could be perfect for margaritas, tequilas, and Bloody Marys.
Wrapping Up
If you’re looking for methods to enhance your dishes, adding a pinch of smoked salt could be a simple yet effective way to spice up your food. With the cluster of salt types you may select from, you could recreate your recipe and turn it into something mouth-watering.
Apart from preparing your version, you could also buy ready-to-use from trusted salt makers. You may need to read reviews and customer feedback to narrow down your choices and make the most of your dish in choosing a salt product.
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