Liquid Smoke Help

[liuzhou]

I have been given* a bottle of liquid smoke, an ingredient I have zero experience of, never having cooked with it or knowingly consumed it. I would appreciate any help on how to use it (if I should at all) and any opinions on this brand. I have consulted Mr. Google, but the information there is contradictory, as usual.

 

 

Unfortunately the label giving tips for usage has been covered over by a Chinese label which doesn't translate the information.

 

 

* I think I inherited it bcause the person who gave it to me didn't know what to do with it, either.

Edited February 12, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[AAQuesada]

it's fine in very small amounts. too much can be over powering  but i've used in as part of a smokey mashmallow fluff in a take on smores. We tried smoking the sugar but it didn't work as well as the liquid smoke. Liquid Smoke is often used in BBQ sauce to cover up something that wasn't actually smoked. 

[Duvel]

I am using liquid smoke very sparingly, so my only bottle was still purchased in Hong Kong, more than two years ago.

There are two items I like it with: my favorite is ribs, where I brush it on the full meat slab before springling them with dry rub, marinating them and cooking in a low oven until tender. It gives a smokey background flavor that is quite different (at least for me) from using a smokey BBQ sauce.

 

The other item are chicken parts (e.g. drumsticks) where it is part of an all purpose marinate. I find it especially useful when using together with sous vide, but also marinating and panfrying gives nice results (if you do like this smokey touch).

 

I read a lot about adding it to chili (as in chili con carne), but I found using smoked paprika / smoked chilis works much better for me.

[Maison Rustique]

Very light touch in anything you want to have a smoked flavor. Here are some recipes. They even have it used in cocktails. Not so sure I'd try that, but maybe I'm wrong.

[liuzhou]

Just now, Maison Rustique said:

Very light touch in anything you want to have a smoked flavor. Here are some recipes. They even have it used in cocktails. Not so sure I'd try that, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

Yes, I saw that but I tend to distrust recipes from the manufacturers. Not exactly impartial.

[Tropicalsenior]

That brand is probably one of the best. As everyone else said, use it sparingly. One bottle will last me about 4 years and I do keep it refrigerated. I used it more in barbecue sauces and in baked beans. It has a flavor very similar to the black vinegar that I mentioned in another thread.

I read something about the process of making it and it is completely natural not something that is chemically reproduced.

Edited February 12, 2022 by Tropicalsenior
Addition (log)

[shain]

I suggest you experiment with some basic preparation, to see how it works for you. Maybe half a drop in an omelette, with some cheese, over toast.

[liuzhou]

1 minute ago, shain said:

I suggest you experiment with some basic preparation, to see how it works for you. Maybe half a drop in an omelette, with some cheese, over toast.

 

Of course. I just thought I might get some pointers from more experienced users.

[blue_dolphin]

I bought a bottle for a smoked salmon spread recipe a friend gave me. As everyone has said, it can be quite effective in small quantities. 
 

My first bottle fell out of the cabinet in the Northridge earthquake, broke and leaked all over the place. Everyone who came over for ages afterwards thought something must be burning! 

[Maison Rustique]

4 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I bought a bottle for a smoked salmon spread recipe a friend gave me. As everyone has said, it can be quite effective in small quantities. 
 

My first bottle fell out of the cabinet in the Northridge earthquake, broke and leaked all over the place. Everyone who came over for ages afterwards thought something must be burning! 

I used to make a smoked salmon spread with this--everyone loved it and always asked me to bring it to parties. I want to say it was from the BH&G cookbook. Been a few decades since I made it.

 

That earthquake was a doozy. A friend who lived in Toluca Lake lost much of his extensive wine collection.

 

[KennethT]

16 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I bought a bottle for a smoked salmon spread recipe a friend gave me. As everyone has said, it can be quite effective in small quantities. 
 

My first bottle fell out of the cabinet in the Northridge earthquake, broke and leaked all over the place. Everyone who came over for ages afterwards thought something must be burning! 

One of the trucks that would commonly deliver to/pick up from us had a 55 gallon drum of some kind of vanilla syrup break and spill all over teh truck.  You could smell it for a half a year!

[chromedome]

27 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Of course. I just thought I might get some pointers from more experienced users.

 

 

These are not earth-shaking tips - nothing you wouldn't puzzle out in short order - but the big hazard with this stuff is adding more than you want. I usually tap my couple of drops into a small bowl and then dilute it with oil or a neutral liquid, then brush it on. If adding it to a sauce, I'll scoop out a bit of the sauce, stir in my drop or two, and then add it back. That way, if I'm heavy-handed and get more than I'd intended, I can simply hold back some of the mixture and not overwhelm the dish.

[scott123]

I haven't made gumbo in a while, but, my local (Northeastern U.S.) price for andouille sausage was so high that I ended up taking ground pork and making my own with some liquid smoke.  Was it as good as the real deal?  No, but, for about $2/lb, it was fantastic- and worked flawlessly in gumbo. I don't have my recipe in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it was less than 1/8 t. to 1 lb ground pork.

 

One other thing worth mentioning- I've never come across concrete evidence for this, but, I've seen endless conjecture that cheap bacon is done with liquid smoke rather than being smoked in an actual smoker. If this true, having only bought cheap bacon for  about a decade, I can contend that, at the right quantity of smoke flavoring, it can produce some of the best bacon I've ever had. As sacrilegious as this might sound, I won't even go near expensive bacon these days. The cheaper, the wetter, the better, imo.

Edited February 12, 2022 by scott123 (log)

[gfweb]

I use it occasionally in dips and sauces.

Have a light hand with it.

Useful stuff

[mgaretz]

I use it occasionally, usually in pea or lentil soup that also contains ham.  You can use it anytime a recipe calls for smoked meat (like bacon) but have none on hand.  Liquid smoke plus salt will take the place of most smoked meat additions (if the addition is for flavor, not the mail protein).  It is made by condensing actual smoke.

[Maison Rustique]

I post a cookbook from my collection every day on Facebook. Look what is coming up tomorrow.

[heidih]

OMG we had that booklet. Vanished long ago. My ony memory of using liquid smooke was to make a huge amount of BBQ sauce for my wedding - different meats on commericisl outdoor rotisseries. Guests really enjoyed it but as usual I'd winged it and have no "recipe" to share.