Smoke flavor

Smoking is a method of cooking meat and other foods over a fire. Wood chips are added to the fire to give a smoky flavor to the food. Smoke flavorings are produced by a wood-burning process called “pyrolysis”. The volatile organic compounds in wood break down and turn into smoke when burned – creating that unmistakable flavor that cannot be replicated in an oven.

As an alternative to traditional smoking, producers add them to a range of different foods to give a “smoked” flavor. The most important components of wood smoke are an oil known as syringol and a substance known as guaiacol. Both syringol and guaiacol are produced when a plant polymer presents in wood, called lignin, is burned.

Smoke flavor is a yellowish to reddish water-soluble liquid to add flavoring to any kind of food whether it’s meat, fish, or vegetables. Among the most popular flavors that it offers are applewood, mesquite, and hickory.

Prior to the late 19th century, the only way to get a smoky flavor in food was to cook it over a fire. In 1895, Ernest H. Wright (of Wright's Liquid Smoke) invented liquid smoke. He noticed a black liquid dripping from the stovepipe that heated the print shop he worked in.

He then experimented with wood combustion and found that by condensing the hot smoke from a fire, a smoke-flavored liquid would form.

Smoke flavor can be added to foods which are not traditionally smoked (such as soups, sauces or confectionery). Marinades and sauces are a natural fit. Try mixing it in salad dressings, chicken salads, brushed onto chicken before being breaded and fried.
Smoke flavor