296044 Sat Feb 07 02:59:38 -0800 2004 14 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1629364 I love grilled food...so much so that I have Two grills, a Ducane natural gas grill and a Weber Smoky Joe. Today I got hungry for some grilled pork. The bad part was that there was nearly a foot of snow between my back steps and the nearest grill and I just didn't feel like shoveling a path to them. I decided to slow bake some pork steak in the oven and add some spicy barbecue sauce--but something was missing, the smoky grilled flavor. I added some Liquid Smoke to the sauce. Not quite as good as hickory, oak, or applewood smoke, but a reasonable substitute. Please tell me fellow hounds, what is your opinion of Liquid Smoke in lieu of real smoke when the snow is just too deep to go outside for real smoky grilled flavor? Any tips for using Liquid Smoke? Do you love the stuff, like the stuff, or just plain hate it? Sat Feb 07 02:59:38 -0800 2004 0 Marco 1 1629365 ...other than that, it's fine. :o) My advice: Get a stovetop smoker that uses wood chips, or smoke stuff in a wok, on a rack - alder, cherry or apple chips won't smell up the house as much as hickory or mesquite. I know how you feel. But spring is just around the corner. Really. No, really! Sat Feb 07 03:10:32 -0800 2004 1629364 0 peg 1 1629371 I don't like it or use it; my preference is to add some minced *chile chipotle en adobo* to my homemade barbecue sauce, even when I'm grilling outside, for that added picante and smokey flavor. Sat Feb 07 06:45:24 -0800 2004 1629364 0 Cristina 1 1629375 I use toasted sesame oil. Either as a marinade or basted on near the end of the cooking time. You can get it in most Asian supermarkets and some chain supermarkets as well. Liquid smoke tastes very artificial and nasty. Sat Feb 07 10:08:15 -0800 2004 1629364 0 The Rogue 1 1629377 Just a foot of snow? If you didn't shovel your way out to your grill or smoker with only a foot on the ground, then you must not really love grilled or barbecued foods! =D My advice: Use Liquid Smoke only in the direst of circumstances. Sat Feb 07 10:28:28 -0800 2004 1629364 0 Kirk 2 1629378 Kirk, I was thinking the same thing regarding the foot of snow comment. One other suggestion. If you have a true deep freeze, I would smoke whatever ahead of time, wrap it and freeze it. Then when you want some que in the winter, you only need to thaw it out and warm it up. John Sat Feb 07 11:22:36 -0800 2004 1629377 0 RibDog 2 1629420 I disagree. I use it in some of my sauces and it is great. Only upon examination, and then disdain, do most people know. I am light-handed and I add it at the beginning of the cooking time. I love chipotles, and that is my preference for adding a smoky flavoring to my sauces. But it also adds heat, which is not always wanted. If used in a small amount, and at the beginning of the cooking process, you would not know it is Liquid Smoke. My two cents. Sat Feb 07 21:45:57 -0800 2004 1629377 0 d2u 3 1629526 "you would not know it is Liquid Smoke" - they invented a brand that makes a smoke ring in the meat? /sarcasm snow makes bbq'ing more fun. Well, not exactly but I'd prefer it be a little cool outside as compared with hot. I use my offset even when there is a foot of snow on the ground. Mon Feb 09 14:03:38 -0800 2004 1629420 0 Dax 1 1629385 I know how liquid smoke is made, thus, I will not use it. It is residue scraped off of the walls of smokehouses, then suspended in an aqueous solution. Uh, no. Sat Feb 07 12:56:31 -0800 2004 1629364 0 BarbaraF 1 1629407 I use liquid smoke in only a very few recipes and I think it's fine, however even just a bit too much than necessary really kills an entire batch of whatever you're adding it to. If you're guessing, my suggestion is to put in a very small amount and add more if needed (like 1/8 tsp. increments or less). The name is very off-putting. If it was scraping from a smokehouse wall, the USDA wouldn't allow it to be sold. Sat Feb 07 19:40:53 -0800 2004 1629364 0 scratchbaker 2 1629416 I use Liquid Smoke in some of my bbq sauces, only after researching it a bit. Here are some links that you can look at to find out about it. I love chipotle, but sometimes the heat you add to your recipe is not wanted, then I turn to Liquid Smoke. Here is their site: http://www.liquidsmoke.net/ I have linked another site for more on the subject. If you have some other evidence supporting that it is carciogenic. I would love to see it. Thanks...Dawn Link: http://food4.epicurious.com/HyperNews/get/archive_swap47001-47100/47096.html Sat Feb 07 21:20:04 -0800 2004 1629407 0 d2u 3 1629417 I also find that if you add it at the beginning of a recipe, it is a much softer flavor. Sat Feb 07 21:21:24 -0800 2004 1629416 0 d2u 4 1629435 I second that and add that a little and I mean a little - like 1/8 tsp goes a long way. Also add it to sloppy joes, thats good eating until I hear from the board that my liver is going to drop out in chunks Sun Feb 08 10:17:23 -0800 2004 1629417 0 Zoe 2 1629418 There's a detailed discussion of how it is made, here: http://www.pecanliquidsmoke.com/liquidsmokefaqs/#howmade Sat Feb 07 21:25:12 -0800 2004 1629407 0 Kirk 1 1629480 It always tastes like dirt to me. Mon Feb 09 07:16:31 -0800 2004 1629364 0 Sandy