Smoked salt
Encyclopedia
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
product with smoke flavoring. It is a seasoning
Seasoning
Seasoning is the process of imparting flavor to, or improving the flavor of, food.- General meaning :Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings"...
and is used as a shortcut to add smoked flavor to food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
s. Smoked salt consists mainly of sea salt
Sea salt
Sea salt, salt obtained by the evaporation of seawater, is used in cooking and cosmetics. It is historically called bay salt or solar salt...
and smoke volatiles condensed on the salt. An ingredient typically listed on smoked salt is sawdust.
Smoked salt lends a strong smoke flavor and aroma to meats and vegetables, and is suitable for vegetarians.
"Smoked salt" differs from "smoke flavored salt" in that the latter contains a smoke flavored additive and is therefore not classified as a pure salt product.
Smoked salt is typically made from evaporated "sea salt" as opposed to "mined salt". Both types of salt are sodium chloride (NaCl), but mined salt often has a more pronounced "salty" taste due to the iodine added for health reasons; therefore mined salt is typically not suitable for use in the manufacture of smoked salt.
Smoked salt is a manufactured product. There are several ways to manufacture it:
- place salt in a woodWoodWood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
smoker - coat salt with smoke-flavored oilOilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
(typically referred to as liquid smokeLiquid SmokeLiquid smoke is a substance produced from smoke passed through water. Liquid smoke is used for both food preservation and flavoring. While some worry that liquid smoke contains carcinogenic compounds, research suggests that the concentration levels are well under the acceptable limit formed by the...
) (this would be 'smoke flavored' salt) - mix salt with smoke-flavored maltodextrinMaltodextrinMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic spraydried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or...
Natural smoked salt (consisting of only evaporated sea salt and wood smoke, although it is the sea water that is evaporated and not the salt) is much more costly to manufacture and purchase than smoke flavored salt (as in the oil and maltodextrin method reference above). This is due primarily to the cost of the specialized smokers needed and the time required to properly smoke the salt (5-10 days). Since salt is hygroscopic (attracts water), the smoking process typically results in an H2O (water) waste byproduct and will ruin the batches if not done properly. Sea salt, though a dry product, contains water which is naturally attracted to sodium chloride from the humidity in the air. This characteristic of salt has led to the development of often proprietary methods and machinery used in the processing and manufacturing of smoked salt for consumption.
There are three main U.S. sources for natural smoked salt: Saltworks, a Washington manufacturer of hickory, alderwood and applewood smoked sea salt; Smokehouse Salt Company, a Texas manufacturer of hickory and mesquite smoked sea salt and Smokehouse Spices, a New York based manufacturer of assorted smoked spices including mesquite, hickory and fruit wood smoked salts. Each company distributes retail product via websites and physical distribution channels.