Smoked Salt?

[Willy]

Meatloaf tomorrow, so I'm thinking for fun I'd smoke some salt. Does having water (in the SnS) cause clumping issues with the salt?

[Jerod Broussard]

Are you using the freezing cold brick wrapped in foil method?

[Willy]

I didn't even know it existed--I wuz just gonna spread some salt out in a thin layer on a plate. I'll Google the brick thing.

[OneEyedJack]

Smoked salt recipe from Cook's Illustrated:
Mix 1/2 cup Kosher salt with 1 tsp liquid smoke in a small bowl.
Spread mixture on a large plate and microwave, stirring every 60 secs. for 1-2 minutes.
Mixture will dry further as it cools.
Use flavored salt to enhance grill flavors on quickly grilled foods.
Also, it is really good sprinkled on a chocolate/caramel dessert!

[Atalanta]

Keep us posted, Willy . I want to do some when I can finally fire up the Weber/SnS. Figured that might be a way to test playing with temps. I think this video touches on it, haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Dr. Blonder on Salt.

[Dr ROK]

He covers it at 38 minutes into the vide.

[Willy]

Y'all simply MUST watch the Doc Blonder video on salt as given in Atalanta 's post immediately above mine.

[vandy]

Instead of using all that wood to smoke it myself I just got a 5lb bag from here, https://www.seasalt.com/applewood-sm...192=91&203=493 great stuff, very smoky.

[Spinaker]

Love me some Smoked SALT. JGrana Sent me some amazing Smoked Ghost Pepper Salt. Hopefully he chimes in. Because he knows whats up when it comes to the smoking of Salt. Holy moley was that stuff good. I couldn't keep it in the grinder!!

[Willy]

Wowsers! Ghost Pepper!?

[Spinaker]

Oh, Dude, its unbelievable. So So good. Willy

[Mr. Bones]

It is alla that @Spinaker!!!!

[ssandy_561]

I have smoked salt three times on my Weber kettle.

I bought a large stainless steel splatter screen and cut the handle off.

I set my grill up for the snake method and usually use hickory all around.

I put the screen on my cooking surface, spread the sea salt over the screen and mist it so gently with water and let er rip.

About every hour or so I'll stir up the salt a bit and gently re-mist with water.

At the end I just let the coal die out and let the salt cool right on the grill.

[Willy]

I like the splatter screen idea a lot!

[ssandy_561]

Here it is in the grinder

[Spinaker]

Gorgeous!! I love the color the salt takes from the smoke.

[JGrana]

Thanks Spinaker , I will chime in!

I have been doing the Smoked Ghost Garlic salt for a number of years. It started when I had a pretty good harvest of Ghost Peppers and some home grown garlic. As I was about to do a day of smoking some ribs, I thought - peppers, garlic, salt all smoked and dried - should be good.

With a spare rack on my first smoker (vertical propane) I put some course salt on the bottom of a 8X8 pan, put some Ghost Peppers cut in half and peeled garlic cloves and let er rip. I learned a lit that first time. I now make a 4 lb batch every year - my friends and family ask for it every Christmas!!!

Here is what I have found to be a good process:

1) I use Himalayan course ground salt
2) As far as the peppers - I always cut them in half. I don't remove the seeds. You could do this recipe with Habanaros or Jalapenos. I always grow Ghost so that's what I use.
3) I have found that garlic picks up the smoke great - but once you smoke them, they get very soft. After smoking, I put the peppers and garlic into a food dehydrator until they are dry. First main lesson learned - if you leave the garlic cloves whole and dry them - man they are harder than steel bullets. I now slice them in half or more if large before I put them on the salt in the smoker. Still come out a bit soft and sticky, but much easier to grind after dehydrating!
4) Since the salt is bone dry (and the peppers/garlic moist), the salt needs a LONG time in the smoker but the peppers and garlic dont. Second lesson - bigger surface area, longer smoke for the salt. I now have a KBQ smoker that can take a full cookie sheet. I put around 1 1/2 lbs of the salt on the cookie sheet - good surface area. I then put the peppers and garlic on top.
5) I put this tray into the smoker when I begin the smoke. But, after a few hours, I check the peppers and garlic. By now the peppers and garlic and nice and dark and the peppers are getting dry. I usually pull the peppers and garlic after 2-3 hours - when the peppers are getting pretty dry, but not bone dry. I then put the peppers and garlic into a food dehydrator.
6) At this point, I stir the salt crystals up a bit, kind of turn them over. I keep the salt in for the entire smoke.
7) After drying the peppers and garlic, I put them through an old grain grinder. I don't want the peppers and garlic too small - I want them to get their final grind in the salt grinder at the table.

As I said, the salt being dry, doesn't take smoke very fast. I might experiment next time by doing a lite mist of water on the salt.
Third lesson learned - when handling the peppers, gloves are a good thing. Not mandatory, but a good idea.
On the other hand, when you grind the peppers and mix all the ingredients together - I now wear a mask. All the time. Period. If not, you will have a sneezing fit that will last for quite a while!!! With all the salt, garlic and pepper dust floating around - wow, clears up the old sinus. I also never mix in the house (unless you don't want anyone in the room few a few hours ;-)

Some pics that do just as good as explaining!:

Before: ( note a few of the ghost peppers are already dry. I had some early and dried them to keep them from going bad - came out fine - post smoke I couldn't tell the difference between the fresh and dry - the picked up the smoke fine)



After:

[Spinaker]

Great write up. I am still in your debt. That stuff is amazing.

[Atalanta]

Have you found a difference between using a porous vs solid surface? I'm guessing the salt layer is thin, not deep.

[JGrana]

Atalanta, I hadn't tried on a porous surface, maybe put a layer of paper towels down first? You are right though - I go for a thin surface, lots of surface area. The salt being dry and hard takes a long time to build some smoke in it.

[Willy]

Report on results: I put the salt (Maldon SS for the large crystals) in a thin layer in a bowl and smoked it along side a meatloaf for about three hours. The salt took on a nice browned color, but NO perceptible smoke flavor. I'll try the cold brick idea (Thankls Jerod Broussard and the thin mesh splatter guard (Thanks ssandy_561 ) ideas next.

I'm really not sure why I am doing this as we almost never use salt on the table--it all goes in while cooking and I'm sure smoked salt wouldn't be noticeable in most cases.

[EdF]

Oh, you know ... the occasional potato or egg or spanish tortilla or ...

[ssandy_561]

I love putting smoked salt on freshly steamed vegetables. Also eggs and potatoes. I have also been know to cook a thin steak for about 4 total minutes in a cast iron skillet. I'll use the smoked salt on that since it wasn't on the grill long enough to pick up a smoke flavor.

[Willy]

Another report: For grins, yesterday, I fired up the Weber/SnS and smoked some salt on a fine mesh screen. Did it for about seven hours, spraying with a water mist several times. Beautiful color, but no perceptible smoke flavor to my taste buds. This AM, I tried OneEyedJack 's liquid smoke/microwave idea (a few posts above). A couple of minutes, and BINGO! It lacks the darker color, but it is golden and it tastes smokey. One could always toss some on the barbie for a deeper color.

Want smoked salt? Use liquid smoke!

[EdF]

Lol!

[OneEyedJack]

We had the most amazing dessert at a French bistro restaurant in Occidental, CA, where they sprinkled a small amount of smoked salt on top of Pot du Creme (sp?) chocolate mousse dessert. It was amazing how the chocolate flavor was enhanced by the smoked salt!