293167 Fri Jun 13 14:56:33 -0700 2003 9 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1603035 Anybody know how some places get the smokey taste in baba ganoush? I've tried just about incinerating the eggplants, etc. but no luck. I usually use: baked/broild eggplant Olive oil lemon juice tahini cumin cardamon Thanks. Fri Jun 13 14:56:33 -0700 2003 0 StriperGuy 1 1603039 I am not suggesting this, but I know some recipes call for liquid smoke! Fri Jun 13 15:04:36 -0700 2003 1603035 0 Coyote 2 1603055 Liquid smoke is actually a natural product. A cooking magazine, I think Cook's Illustrated, did a comparison of various brands and the only one they liked was Wright's.I just found the issue and there are two kinds, mesquite and hickory. The hickory-flavored was preferred. It is made by burning hardwood which creates smoke and the smoke is condensed and purified. Fri Jun 13 15:57:30 -0700 2003 1603039 0 Marcia 3 1603066 Any health concerns with this stuff? Fri Jun 13 16:51:14 -0700 2003 1603055 0 Coyote 4 1603069 Not that I am aware of. It is approved by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration. Though the article says it is VERY concentrated and should be used quite sparingly. It seems to be an ingredient in many barbecue sauces. I've never used it myself. Fri Jun 13 17:35:02 -0700 2003 1603066 0 Marcia 5 1603075 It's very easy to use too much liquid smoke. At least for me, it is. Maybe, I have a heavy hand. I gave up on using it in anything. It's easy to put the eggplants on the grill. It doesn't take very long. Last summer I forgot to prick one and it exploded. I have 2 eggplants in my garden not big enough to pick yet. After reading/thinking about Baba Ganoush, I'm tempted to pick early. That's what bad about me reading this board........I always want the food I'm reading about. Fri Jun 13 17:52:03 -0700 2003 1603069 0 southerngirl 6 1603116 Liquid Smoke is often the mysterious missing ingredient in the marinade for home-made beef jerky. Sometimes I'll mix a drop with butter when I'm cooking salmon, or a drop or two in a marinade. But yes, it is easy to use too much. I always wondered why my Baba Ganoush never turned out right. Thanks. Fri Jun 13 23:47:12 -0700 2003 1603075 0 Betty 1 1603041 Although it is a Greek recipe with added tahini sauce, the method of getting that smoke in there is traditional accomplished via Charcoal. Grilling the eggplant over charcoal is the only way to do this. A simpler way of imparting a 'smokey' flavor is to either add liquid smoke or, in a restaurant only, to grill over a gas grill. The reason it is accomplished this way in a restaurant is because they tend to grill ALOT. This gives the gas grill the flavor of 'smoke'. Otherwise at home it is difficult to copy without that charcoal. Fri Jun 13 15:11:54 -0700 2003 1603035 0 DSW 2 1603082 I had good success with baba ganoush last summer cooking over charcoal as suggested. In each case, I threw the pierced, whole eggplants on after taking what I was cooking for dinner off the grill and left them viturally unattended until they were a charred heap. The method was introduced to me while watching Alton Brown (I believe the show is called Good Eats) on the Food Network. The show was all about eggplant and it was very enlightening. Fri Jun 13 18:15:40 -0700 2003 1603041 0 StephenB 1 1603177 I simply char the eggplant by holding it with tongs over the open flame on my gas cooktop. You want to really char the entire outside of the eggplant. Yeah it's a little messy but the tasty is infinitely better than baked/broiled. Also -- use skinny Japanese or Italiand eggplants rather than globe eggplants. They soften quicker and the smoky taste permeates all of the flesh. Sun Jun 15 22:03:14 -0700 2003 1603035 0 foodfirst