What is Smoked Salt?
Unless you’re a serious salt connoisseur, you’ve probably never tried smoked salt. In fact, you may not even know what it is. If that’s the case, let us introduce you to this simple but delicious salt variety that could add some serious spice to your food seasoning game.
Smoked salt is salt that's been infused with smoke from natural, bark-free wood in a smoker. Many smoked salts are smoked for around 48 hours. But you can smoke them for a shorter or longer period depending on how bold you want the smoky flavor.
Even though true smoked salt is simply salt that’s been smoked, there are brands that create a smoky flavor in their salt using a flavoring called liquid smoke or artificial additives. Some brands add artificial coloring too. So if you’re looking for simple, clean, and real smoked salt, you need to read the label (or buy our new Smoked Redmond Real Salt. More on that below).
What Are the Different Smoked Salt Flavors?
At some point during your journey into smoked salts, you’ll notice that you can get smoked salt in a variety of flavors. How’s that possible if smoked salt is just salt that’s been smoked? Shouldn’t it all taste pretty much the same?
Nope. There’s a big factor that influences the flavor of smoked salt: the wood that’s used to smoke it. Some of the most popular woods used for smoking salt are:
- Alderwood: Native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, red alderwood has been used for centuries by Native Americans to smoke meat and salmon. Because it provides a bold, smoky flavor, red alderwood is often used as a base for the smoking process even when other woods are added.
- Mesquite wood: Mesquite wood is the most popular smoking wood in Texas. It has a strong smoky (but also slightly sweet) flavor.
- Sweet applewood: Sweet applewood provides a more mild flavor than some of the other woods. It tends to be sweet, fruity, and somewhat woody.
- Hickory wood: Hickory wood is incredibly popular for smoking meats, but it works great for salt too. It has a strong smoky flavor that’s a little sweet and a little savory
- Cherry wood: Cherry wood has a light, sweet flavor that’s not as overwhelming as some other smoking woods. It’s smoky, smooth, and slightly fruity.
For a really complex and robust flavor, some smoked salt makers use a combination of several different types of wood in the smoking process (our Smoked Real Salt Chef's Blend combines five different types of wood).
How Do You Use Smoked Salt?
When we said that smoked salt could add some serious spice to your food seasoning game, we weren’t kidding. There are soooo many ways you can use smoked salt….and some of them are kind of surprising. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Add an instant BBQ flavor to dishes without grilling.
- Make healthy snacks like salads, fresh veggies, and even fruit more exciting.
- Spice up everyday foods like grilled cheese, soup, and eggs.
- Create smoky sauces and marinades.
- Make a smoky, flavorful meat rub.
- Top off cocktails (like a margarita or Bloody Mary) in a more creative way.
- Give your desserts a sweet-smoky-salty contrast.
Ready to get your hands on some smoked salt to make something scrumptious? Well, before you buy, you should know that not all smoked salts are created equal. Some smoked salts are made with artificial additives and coloring like we mentioned before. And many smoked salts are made with processed table salt. We’re not big fans of that stuff here, which is why we decided to make our own smoked salt using our unrefined ancient sea salt.
Smoked Redmond Real Salt is simply smoked Real Salt. No liquid smoke, artificial additives, or artificial colors. It’s made with an all-wood smoking process that’s much cleaner and healthier than using wood and a fuel source like gas to keep the fire going like some other brands do. And it comes in three mouthwatering flavors: Hickory, Cherry, and Chef’s Blend.
The smoking process for all three flavors starts with a red alderwood base and additional woods are added to make each flavor uniquely delicious. Our Hickory Smoked Real Salt is smoked with hickory wood for 30 hours for a strong, smoky flavor. Our Cherry Smoked Real Salt is smoked with cherry wood for 30 hours for a smoky but slightly fruity flavor. Our Chef’s Blend is smoked using 5 different types of wood for 42 hours for a deep, robust flavor with hints of espresso and cocoa.
Is your mouth watering yet? If it is, grab a bag (or two or three) of Smoked Redmond Real Salt now. We only have so much of this limited release product, so get yours before this offer goes up in smoke.
