Make Smoked Salt with Two Ingredients and a Microwave

Smoked salt is my favorite thing to sprinkle over food right before serving. Just imagine the charred, smoky notes of an outdoor barbecue sprinkled on . . . everything. Scrambled eggs. Caprese salad. Roasted vegetables. Smoked salt elevates them all. And with only two ingredients and your microwave, it couldn’t be easier to make.

The smokiness in smoked salt comes from liquid smoke. Liquid smoke is exactly what it says it is: condenser-cooled smoke reduced from smoldering wood chips. The best brands are twice filtered and contain no chemical preservatives or flavor additives. I keep the hickory and mesquite varieties in my pantry, but liquid smoke comes in many flavors, so you can tailor the smoked salt type to suit your tastes.

Here’s how to make smoked salt:

1. Stir ½ cup of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke together.
2. Spread the mixture onto a plate and microwave for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Allow the mixture to cool and dry completely before storing to avoid clumps.

After sampling a sprinkle to confirm the intensity of the woodsy aroma wafting around my kitchen, I substituted the smoked salt for kosher salt in dishes I eat regularly. There was a marked difference. The salt imparted a hearty element and subtle—not overwhelming—smokiness. 

Here are some of the ways I recommend using smoked salt:

• Use it to add dimension to Roasted Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli.  
• It works for breakfast, too! A sprinkle of mesquite smoked salt elevated my breakfasts of scrambled eggs and rice with sautéed kale.  
• Do you season your fresh tomatoes? Sub in some hickory smoked salt.
• Upgrade store-bought ice cream.
• Substitute smoked salt for sea salt in these Salted Caramels.

Notably, I will also be using smoked salt to make my collard greens from now on. I don’t always include the traditional pork or turkey in them, so combining the salt and the smoke adds meatiness without the meat.

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