# Liquid Smoke



## lmw80 (Apr 18, 2006)

What is it really and how/what do you cook with it?  I see it in a lot of crockpot recipes.

Thanks.


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## Andy M. (Apr 18, 2006)

It's a liquid that has been exposed to wood smoke and absorbed the smoke smell and taste.  You add a small amount to a dish to add smoke flavor when appropriate.

For example, if you are cooking ribs or pork butt in the oven instead of over smoking wood chips, you could add the liquid smoke to the meat in the oven to add the smoke flavor normally provided by the wood chips.


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## mish (Apr 18, 2006)

lmw80 said:
			
		

> What is it really and how/what do you cook with it? I see it in a lot of crockpot recipes.
> 
> Thanks.


Welcome to DC, Imw80.  Liquid Smoke has been sitting in my fridge for a while.  Guessing I bought it for a recipe I never got around to making.  Would love to see ideas/dishes I could use with Liquid Smoke.


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## GB (Apr 18, 2006)

Andy I was under the impression that it was smoke that was condensed. I am not sure where I first learned that, but just recently I saw Alton brown make liquid smoke by bulding a wood fire with a large chiminy. He then placed something on top (I can't remember exactly what the setup was). There were a few different pieces, but I can remember that ice was involved and a bowl for collecting the resulting liquid smoke. Basically the smoke rose up, hit the cold metal surface, condensed, and dripped down into a collection bowl.


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## Robo410 (Apr 18, 2006)

the ice and heat from the smoke causes the air to condence, the air has smoke particles in it, they condence as well with the moisture etc.


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## Andy M. (Apr 18, 2006)

There is no moisture in smoke to condense.  I was trying to describe the same AB episode.  I guess I could have been clearer.


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## Aurora (Apr 18, 2006)

I regularly add liquid smoke to many of my bean recipes. It's great to add smoked flavor to vegetarian dishes instead of adding smoked bacon, pork neck bones, hocks, shanks or turkey wings.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 18, 2006)

I use liquid smoke in my baked beans (sometimes), in gravies, to enhance meat dishes, and add to certain vegies such as green beans, and corn.  It comes in various flavors.  Most commonly, I've seen hickory and mesquite flavors.  The tastes are substatialy different.  

You can also ad liquid smoke to home-made barbecue sauces, dry rubs, marinades and brine solutions.  It does wonders for many fish dishes as well.  I even used it to successfully add flavor to some overly bland slab-bacon I had purchased.  It saved the bacon, litteraly. 

It is a versatile liquid.  you can een rub a few drops on a ham-steak, or pork chops.  But a word of caution; Liquid Smoke is a concentrated flavoring, and can be very bitter if too much is used.  Generally, only a few drops will be needed.  And my favorite rule holds espcecially true with this flavoring agent.  That is; you can always add more flavor to a dish if required, but once it's in the dish, it can't be taken out.  In other words, add minute amounts to begin with, test, and add more if needed.

Also, too much Liquid Smoke can result in heartburn.

It's a great product, but needs to be used correctly.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Hopz (Apr 18, 2006)

I suppose it is good to hear someone likes Liquid Smoke... I do not know where I picked it up, but I am under the impression that it is generally a bad thing.
Either a health issue, or a taste issue, or both.
My wife's dad was a food industry "insider" all his working life, (executive V.P. of a large food operation) and if he even suspected I had a bottle of it, he probably would have taken his daughter back and shot me. He was a Cajun too, so you know he liked smoke flavor.
If you want smoke, there are other ways to get it.
I'm not saying its bad, just that I have a deeply held belief, based on nothing much....


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## mish (Apr 18, 2006)

Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> I use liquid smoke in my baked beans (sometimes), in gravies, to enhance meat dishes, and add to certain vegies such as green beans, and corn. It comes in various flavors. Most commonly, I've seen hickory and mesquite flavors. The tastes are substatialy different.
> 
> You can also ad liquid smoke to home-made barbecue sauces, dry rubs, marinades and brine solutions. It does wonders for many fish dishes as well. I even used it to successfully add flavor to some overly bland slab-bacon I had purchased. *It saved the bacon, litteraly.*
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for all the ideas.  

GW  

Maybe I could try adding it to ribs, burgers, chicken or a roast?

GB, was reading up a bit on Liquid Smoke & the distilling? process was likened to bong water


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## Michael in FtW (Apr 19, 2006)

Humm ... want to eat at your house sometime Mish ... "Bong Water"! (Actually I had to go to the William Jefferson Clinton presidential memorial library website to find the definition of that term.)

But, basically you are right. Build a fire, use a vacuum to draw the smoke through a water filter ... you get liquid smoke. The flavor componets in the smoke are water-soluable, the bad stuff like tars and PAH's (carconogenic stuff) are not - they can be seperated from the water as easily as the tar and nicotine and such in my Science Fair experiement back in 11th grade.

So Hopz - the problem isn't that it is bad for you (probably safer than grilling a steak on the gill) but yes - it is a _VERY_ concentrated flavor and should be used judiciously.


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## mish (Apr 19, 2006)

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> Humm ... want to eat at your house sometime Mish ... "Bong Water"! (*Actually I had to go to the William Jefferson Clinton presidential memorial library website to find the definition of that term*.)


 
Mike. I found it on Cheech and Chong's Up in (liquid) Smoke DVD.


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## lmw80 (Apr 19, 2006)

Wonderful, thanks for all the responses!


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## Diane1415 (Apr 23, 2006)

Alton Brown used soaked wood chips for his smoking source. just be sure that there is no glue in them such as used to make plywood, use pure wood.


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