I got to talking Q with my knife sharpening guy and he said that he loves smoking his own salt. In a nutshell his method is: Kosher salt in a fine colander, throw pellets in a smoke tube, light one end, throw it under a kettle lid in his driveway with the salt, let it smoke for 3 days.
I'm intrigued, but before I invest the time and effort I wanted to see if anyone here has smoked their own salt. What's your method and how are the results?
I smoke it for at least 4 hours on my Weber kettle. I form an "oven pan" out of aluminum foil, with a 1/2 inch tall edge. I spread out sea salt evenly, and thinly. I then smoke it at around 225° F for at least four hours. Turns out great, but it needs time. The reason I use aluminum foil is because then I can just throw it away when done.
Do you get a strong smoke flavour? I have tried a couple of the store bought smoked salts and the flavour is very mild. I think I would prefer a bit stronger.
Thanks Henrik . If I've ever had smoked salt, I don't know it. Has AR delved into this topic yet, I haven't hunted for any info here yet. I'd like to learn more about the different applications, variations, and flavor impact.
It has a mild smoke flavor. To increase it, I would spray it ever so lightly with water (get a good mist from the spray bottle). That will help the smoke stick. Don't spray too much, to avoid 'melting' the salt.
JGrana is the man to talk to for smoking salt. He has sent me Smoked Garlic Ghost Pepper salt, it is amazing stuff. Speaking of which.....I need to re order!
I use a stainless steel splatter screen that I have cut the handle off of. I spread the salt across it and set up my Weber kettle with the snake method. I place wood chunks all around the snake and let er rip. Usually goes 6 to 8 hours.
Hi badf00d, Sorry been out of town! Unfortunately, I am out of last years salt... But, I have a new crop of Ghost Peppers and garlic growing away for this year.
As far as recipe, pretty simple.
I start with Himalayan Pink Course salt. Amazon carries them. They come in 2.2lb bags. Usually order 2.
I have found that smoking the salt takes the longest. I don't spray or add moisture, just long times in the smoker. I have a KBQ so I can use a full shelf. I pour 1 bag on a large aluminum tray and smoke along with my ribs or chicken or brisket. I the salt twice!!! It takes a lot of time to get smoke on them. After the first smoke, I pour the salt back into the bags they came in and let them store for a while. The second smoke is a bit more involved ;-)
The second smoke out is the fun one! I pour the salt back onto a pan. Take my just harvested Ghost Peppers and cut them in half. Lay them on top of the salt. On the garlic side, I like to get some smoke on them. Tricky little guys!!! They tend to cook and get a bit soft. I have found that by slicing the gloves BEFORE smoking makes them easier to grind later. So, slice the gloves - roughly 1/3s and add on top of the salt as well.
I eyeball the quantities - I have found the ratio of peppers and garlic in the photo below to work best. Note that the garlic are still a full clove. I have adapted my process and now slice them. They dry so hard that a full clove is a beast to grind smaller!!!
Pop in the smoker and keep an eye on the peppers and garlic. Maybe 2 or 3 hours on low smoke (again, I am always smoking some kind of meat).
Once the peppers are dark a bit, take them and the garlic slices off the salt and put them in a dehydrator on low for a day or so. Let the salt stay in - they take the smoke slowly!!!
Once the peppers and garlic are dehydrated, I run them through an old grain mill from my homebrew days. You can also use a food chopper - grind until they are roughly the size of the salt crystals
WARNING - the pepper dust at this point is crazy. I wear a mask now. Or, sneeze for the next 30 mins. Also, do the grinding outside!!!!
I then mix all together and put in a big tupperware container for a few weeks to blend the smoke and flavors. Done.
I can bag up for friends and family that already have spice/salt/pepper grinders or I purchase some on ebay and give away.
Pre-smoke: (a few peppers are already dehydrated. They take up the smoke fine.
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