Smoked Salt

[GB]

I love smoky flavors and have never tried smoked salt so I really want to give it a shot. I found This on eBay. I wrote to the seller to ask what size and shape the crystals are, but have not heard back yet. I did a search online and found a ton of places that sell smoked salts, but most of them charge this much or more for just 3 ounces. Does this price seem too good to be true? What do you think?

I am probably going to get this anyway because even if it is a ripoff I am only out about $8 with the shipping costs.

 

[Raine]

Here's another source.

http://www.chipotletx.com/cart/shop/category.asp?catid=156

 

[GB]

Thanks Raine! Have you ordered from them before? If you have then I will use these guys if the ebay guy doesn't get back to me soon.

I wonder though...between the eBay salt and this site the color difference is huge. The eBay salt is very brown and this site is almost white. I am assuming the darker the color the smokier the flavor. Would this be a correct assumption?

 

[Raine]

Never ordered from these folks. Also check out http://www.theingredientstore.com/g...t_preservation/

Joe is a good guy, one of our bbq buddies. Alix is ordering some from Joe.

 

[GB]

That link didn't work for me for some reason.

 

[Raine]

Try this.



http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9523&referrerid=1153

 

[Alix]

http://www.theingredientstore.com/generalstore/meat_preservation/

 

[GB]

Thanks so much Raine! Looks like a great site and I would love to give one of your buddies some business

 

[SilvrBck]

GB-

I just now ordered this [url="http://www.saltworks.us/shop/product.asp?idProduct=199"]Smoked Salt before even finding this post! [/url]

It is alderwood smoked sea salt and it's reasonably priced. I'll make sure to give a review when it gets in.

Drew

 

[GB]

I can't wait to hear your review Drew!

 

[ch3f]

Would there be a reason you couldnt smoke the salt yourself? Because it is a rock I am just wondering if it can be smoked like you smoke food? Or would you have to add an oil or something with that smoke flavor and then dry out the salt? I used to make garlic salt, with fresh garilc cloves. By blending the garlic clover and koser salt together then cooking the salt just to the point it is dry. Wondering if anybody knows...?

 

[Zereh]

SilvrBck's link was for a salt was just salt smoked over Alder. There were no additives at all. It sounds delicious!! Actually all of the salts there look that way and I'm trying to very hard to convince myself that I don't really need that sampler of Artisan Sea Salts ....

I wouldn't be surpised if somone pops on here and admits to trying to smoke their own salt. There are some mighty talented folks around here.


Z

 

[GB]

Yeah as far as I know it is simple to smoke your own salt. Nothing is added to the salt. It is just smoke and salt and time.

 

[Constance]

Oh boy, here I go again...more eBay! I started out with cookbooks, then moved on to orchids. I had no idea they had spices...

 

[GB]

Constance, do not order for the eBay link I listed. The seller is not trustworthy in my opinion. I asked a question and it took 2 weeks before they answered. They claimed they were on vacation. When I had a follow up question they again did not answer.

I had a very basic question. I asked what size and shape the salt crystals were. Their answer (eventually) was that they are cubes like kosher salt. When I pointed out that kosher salt is not cubes they told me to "buy the product and conduct tests on it". Sorry, but any spice seller who does not know what kosher salt looks like is not getting my business.

 

[SilvrBck]

I'd bet smoking salt is pretty easy. I'd spread sea salt crystals on a fine mesh and just smoke it over smoldering wood chips. You can smoke things in a BBQ kettle by adding a couple of hot coals to a pan of wood chips. The hardest part would be getting a mesh that would hold the salt over the smoke.

 

[Constance]

Well, I got on eBay and ended up ordering the hickory smoked salt, then found another seller who had all sorts of spices in big jars (almost quart of milk size), all for $2.99 each.
I ordered mint, celery flakes, whole dried ginger, dried Shitake mushrooms, dill weed, ground mustard and pot herbs (marjarom and thyme). The seller says they are packed fresh every week. We will see.

 

[TastyNosh]

Try making your own. Make a solution of water and liquid smoke. Mix it with some salt you like, should be wet like beach sand. Then dry it out in your oven or microwave. Then you have the salt you like and can make it as smokey as you want.

 

[SilvrBck]

Sooo, I got in the salt the other day. It came in a nice sturdy resealable bag. It was pretty dark in color, the crystals were fairly large, and, when tasted, had a very distinct alder smoke flavor. Since the crystals are quite large, and the smoke cannot penetrate the entire crystal, there is a small smoke:salt ratio here. What I'm getting at is that to get a really smokey flavor, you'd have to greatly oversalt the food. It was time to try it out! I put some crystals in my mortar and pestle along with some pepper corns, 1 garlic clove, and some fresh thyme. I smeared that paste onto a couple of pork chops. I pan fried the chops in a heavy cast iron skillet a few minutes on high heat per side then I dropped the temp to medium and cooked until I hit 145F on my digital thermometer. I set the chops aside and made a pan sauce with the drippings. Some dry white wine, some beef stock, some garlic, and a touch more thyme and pepper, reduced to a syrup. I served the chops with the pan sauce along with some garlic mashed taters and some quick seared red bell pepper seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

The smokey flavor of the salt was virtually non-existent. I'm sure it was buried deep within all the other flavors I had going on. The funny thing was, was that about 1/2 hour after dinner I had this smokey flavor lingering about that was definitely from the salt.

All in all, I think it probably did add a little something to the pork but didn't overpower the dish, for sure. I think I will try it again next time with simpler seasonings. Just the smoked salt and pepper. See if the smoke comes through more. It was a fun and tasty experiment and one that I will have to repeat many more times!

Drew

 

[Andy M.]

How about if you grind the smoked salt and use it as a condiment at the table?