You do business right - you win.If there wasn't that extra win in it for him... well, that project just didn't get the go.
You price yourself competitively - you win.
You do something clever - you win some more.
This is one of those wins.
You might have guessed by now - I'm cheap. I really dislike paying money for something I can make myself for a fraction of the cost. Case in point... Smoked Salt.
Smoked salt adds a unique layer to any meat preparation; it tweaks scrambled eggs to make them amazing; it makes brownies something special; it makes shellfish sing.
A lot of the recipes I write utilize smoked salt - so, I go through a lot of it. Now I could pay $20.00 for a 4-ounce bottle of lower-end salt and have enough to last me for a month... or so...
..or
I can buy a 2-pound box of Kosher (or Sea) salt, a bottle of natural liquid smoke and make my own. It's better, I know what is in it, it doesn't take me all afternoon, and I have yet another "hand-crafted" goodie to pop into gift baskets this season.
90% of the salt I use is hickory smoked. Although, I do keep a bottle of alder wood smoked, as well as mesquite. We're going to do the standard hickory today - but the preparation works with any.
and yes... I know... this really isn't smoked salt. It's smoke flavored salt - but at 20 bucks for 4 ounces. I can live with it.
*A word of warning - read the label. Make sure the smoke you are using is just smoke....and water. Liquid smokes with additives cannot be used for any curing or brining processes where you are using sodium nitrate (curing salt) due to off-gassing.
Ingredients
1 2-lb Box of Kosher (or Sea) Salt - you want large crystal salt
1 Bottle Liquid Smoke (I like using Lazy Kettle. They have a variety of smokes to work with... and they are just smoke.)
1 Large Non Stick Skillet
1 Tablespoon
1 Silicone Spatula
- Turn the hood fan on
- Place the skillet on high and add in 1/2 the box of salt
- Stir the salt in the pan and heat until you feel the heat radiating up through the salt - about 5 min on high
- 1 Table spoon at a time, add the liquid smoke - stirring and turning the salt to incorporate it quickly
- Heat until all the moisture is gone and the salt is one again dry.
- Repeat with the next tablespoon of smoke
- Continue until the salt has the coloring you want. I typically add 1/2 bottle of smoke to 1/2 box of salt.
- Once the salt reaches the color / smokiness you like, turn off the heat, leaving the pan on the burner
- Let the salt cool completely, stirring occasionally
- Once it is cool, bottle the salt in jars with a non-metal seal
- Label the jars and you're set for smoky goodness whenever you want it.
- The salt will keep indefinitely. I have some apple wood smoked salt that I produced last year that still is just as fresh as the day it was made.
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