Liquid smoke: benefits and harm. Composition and use of liquid smoke
Meat) always look appetizing. Their aroma drives you crazy. Many people are happy to buy smoked meats without thinking about how they are made. Typically, liquid smoke is used for these purposes, the benefits and harms of which will be discussed today. What does it contain? Where is the product used? How to make liquid smoke yourself? The answers to these questions are contained in the article.
Composition of the product
Surely you have heard such a phrase as liquid smoke. The composition of this product is unknown to many. And in general, few people know what it is. Let's figure it out together.
What is the technology for producing liquid smoke? This happens as a result of burning wood. The resulting smoke is filtered. Special equipment cleans it of tar and resin, and then dissolves it in water. This produces liquid smoke. depends on the materials used. Typically, bird cherry, beech, alder or apple wood is used for these purposes. Liquid smoke is sold in the form of powdered mixtures, sprays and bottled aromatic liquids. Regardless of the form of release, this product belongs to the category of artificial flavors.
Application
Today, many people know that fish can be cooked not only in the traditional way, but also with the help of liquid smoke. Each of the two options has its own pros and cons. We'll talk about them another time, but for now we're interested in liquid smoke. The use of this product is becoming increasingly common. The main goal is to improve the aroma and taste of fish, meat and various dishes.
Liquid smoke (use in cooking):
- as an additive to sauces (“Grill”, “Barbecue” and others);
- to add amazing flavor to main courses, soups and gravies;
- for fish and meat appetizers;
- for preparing delicacies in the microwave, multicooker or oven;
- for marinating (smoking) meat and fish products.
How to make your own liquid smoke
Many of us have a weakness for smoked meats. But the products presented in stores do not always indicate how they are made. Some smoked products contain resins and carcinogens that have a negative impact on human health and well-being. You can avoid unpleasant consequences by using natural “Liquid Smoke” flavoring. It is sold in almost all supermarkets and chain stores. If you haven’t found this flavoring agent, then don’t despair. Now we will tell you how to prepare liquid smoke yourself. We offer several options.
Method No. 1 - producing liquid smoke from natural smoke
We'll need a cigarette and a frozen glass. What are the next steps? Light a cigarette, releasing smoke into the glass. What will it give? Harmful resins will settle on the walls of the glass. The smoke will be very thick, which means it can easily be poured into another container or onto food.
Method number 2 - using spices
Take soy sauce, curry seasoning, garlic and mayonnaise. Mix them in a deep cup (bowl). We will have a marinade in which we need to soak the meat for main courses or barbecue. In this case, you can do without a nutritional supplement. An excellent option for those who choose a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition.
Method number 3 - original solution
A little sugar, a mixture of green and black tea, rice - all these ingredients need to be wrapped in two layers of foil. Place under meat while stewing or frying. The resulting thick smoke will smoke the dish well, improving its aroma and taste.
Now you know how to make liquid smoke in three ways. Choose any of them and proceed to the practical part.
Liquid smoke: benefits and harms
Doctors do not recommend getting carried away with smoked meats. And people suffering from liver and stomach diseases need to reduce the consumption of such products to a minimum. These are general recommendations. But we are interested in liquid smoke. Benefits and harms - which outweighs? Let's figure it out.
Let's start by listing the positive qualities of liquid smoke. Firstly, it improves the aroma and taste of main courses, soups, cheeses, fish and meat products. Secondly, carcinogens, tar and resins are present in liquid smoke in negligible quantities. Due to this, it is considered safer than natural smoke. Thirdly, smoking food with liquid smoke does not take much time.
Now let's highlight the negative points. It all depends on the dose of the carcinogen. Some manufacturers deliberately overestimate the concentration of liquid smoke. This is done in order to eliminate the unpleasant smell of stale meat or fish. But a large dose of carcinogens is dangerous to human health. In a number of countries, the use of liquid smoke is prohibited. After all, it is considered a strong carcinogen. In Russia, permissible doses of this substance are not defined or regulated.
Liquid smoke: recipes
So, you purchased a bottle of flavoring in the store. What to do next? We offer several recipes for preparing real delicacies.
Smoked chicken
Take a deep saucepan. Place the chickens in it, breast side down. In a separate bowl, combine chopped garlic with black pepper. Sprinkle this mixture over the meat. Product consumption per 1 kg of chickens: 20 g garlic and 4 g ground pepper. Press down the pan with meat with a weight, fill it with brine and leave for 14-16 hours. There is no need to put it in the refrigerator. For the brine you will need (per 1 liter): 10 tbsp. l liquid smoke, 5 g sugar and 50 g salt. When the chickens are ready, apply the sauce to them. It is made from 2 tbsp. l tomato paste and 1 tbsp. l liquid smoke. Let stand for 2 hours. Then send and bake until fully cooked. Meat is served both cold and hot.
Buzhenina
1 kg of pork should be stuffed with garlic and carrots. Salt and pepper. Fill with liquid smoke (4 tbsp). To ensure that the meat is evenly soaked, you need to massage it for 3 minutes. Wrap the pork in foil, place in the oven and bake until done.
Smoked ribs
Prepare a mixture of black pepper, chopped garlic and liquid smoke (4-5 tbsp). Rub the ribs (1 kg) with it. Place the meat in the refrigerator for a day. Then we take it out and bake it in the oven. You can serve the ribs hot. They will be a great addition to the second course. When cold, smoked and baked ribs are an ideal beer snack.
Sausages
Take sausages (sausages), remove the casing from them. Apply liquid smoke to the surface. We send processed foods or into the oven. Bake until fully cooked. The dish is served with a side dish (rice, mashed potatoes, pasta).
We smoke mackerel at home
We offer you a simple recipe. You can also do it at home. Liquid smoke is one of the main ingredients. If you strictly follow the recipe, you will get a tasty and aromatic fish.
Grocery list:
Preparation:
1. Frozen mackerel should sit in a plate at room temperature for a couple of hours. After this, you need to start cleaning it. We cut off the head and remove all the insides. Rinse the fish with cold water.
2. Make the brine. Take a pan, pour warm water, add sugar, husks, salt and your favorite spices. The brine should boil for 15 minutes. Next, remove from the stove and cool.
3. Add the above amount of liquid smoke to the brine. We put the mackerel in there. Cover the top with a lid and set a slight pressure. Place the pan with fish in the refrigerator for 4 days.
4. Take out the mackerel and dry it using paper napkins. Now we hang it for 12 hours. Be sure to place a baking tray under the fish so that the fat can drain there.
5. To complete the process, wrap the smoked fish in cling film. It can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 7 days.
How to identify foods cooked with liquid smoke
Today, stores offer a huge selection of smoked meats. The method of their preparation is indicated extremely rarely. But it is possible to distinguish a naturally smoked product from one soaked in liquid smoke. We carry out a visual inspection. An orange or golden color of the product, as well as uneven coloration, indicate the use of liquid smoke. Naturally smoked meat should have a dry surface, not an oily one.
Afterword
Now you can easily prepare liquid smoke. The benefits and harms of this flavoring have been discussed in detail by us. Whether to use it or not is up to you.
Everyone tries to save, write down, improve the recipes of their favorite dishes and, of course, reveal them to their acquaintances and friends. Various smoked products were no exception. They are loved for their unsurpassed taste, aroma that combines the smell of meat or fish with the smell of smoke, as well as beneficial properties that can be listed for a long time.
Even without special knowledge about the procedure for smoking fish, it is not difficult to guess that you can get a natural delicacy in a specially equipped smokehouse. It is usually set up on the backyard of a private house, so a certain category of people who live in apartments or simply do not have the opportunity to fully smoke fish mistakenly believe that they are not destined to try home-made smoked meats.
Recipes that allow you to imitate smoking will help destroy stereotypes. They are based on substances that give the product a color, smell, and sometimes even taste similar to smoked meats.
Folk craftsmen perfectly depict smoked fish using tea, sugar, and soy sauce. In a word, all products are used that do not harm the body and can bring the taste of cold or hot smoked fish closer to the taste. On sale you can find a special liquid called “liquid smoke”. More and more fish recipes involve this ingredient. We will reveal several secrets that will allow you to cook fish yourself, the taste of which is similar to the result of exposure to natural smoke.
Composition and use of purchased product
Liquid smoke is added directly to the product, since it is relatively harmless to the body. Here the term “relatively” is due to the fact that, by and large, harmful substances can be found in every product.
This flavoring is an aqueous solution of wood decay products. The material used is alder, bird cherry, beech or aspen.
The smoke from the smoldering of these tree species after condensation is presented in the form of soluble and insoluble fractions in water. The condensate goes through several stages of purification, as a result of which solid particles, tar, ash and harmful hydrocarbons are removed. The complex process of preparing the substance does not end there. The smoke solution is once again purified and goes through the distillation stage. Additional flavorings are added to it, and only after that the liquid extract is infused until fully cooked.
Liquid smoke in Russia is of industrial importance. Many food industry enterprises use it to prepare smoked cheeses, meats and fish in order to simplify the process and, as a result, reduce production costs. It is also available for free sale. Many people prefer to smoke fish with liquid smoke, spending a minimum of money and a couple of hours of time, rather than going out of town and starting the complex and lengthy process of natural smoking.
Hot smoking
It is more difficult to imitate hot smoking of fish than cold smoking, since you will have to perform two fundamental operations: saturate the fibers with flavoring and bring the fish to a state of readiness at an elevated temperature.
The cooking process begins as usual with cutting and salting the carcasses. You can smoke fish with liquid smoke both before and after baking. First, let's look at a popular recipe in which the fish should be smoked first.
- It must be remembered that with natural smoking the smoke penetrates deeper into the fibers, so large carcasses will have to be cut. This can be done by cutting them in half along the spine or by making cuts along the back. Salting fish will not take much time, because subsequent temperature treatment will reliably rid the meat of microorganisms. The carcass is rubbed with a mixture of salt and pepper, then sent to the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
- Salted fish contains a lot of salt on the surface. They get rid of it by soaking. All carcasses are immersed in water for 1-2 hours and then dried.
- Smoking with liquid smoke will not take long. The liquid is poured into a container so that it is convenient to immerse the whole fish in it. For large carcasses, exposure to flavoring for three minutes will be sufficient. Smaller fish are immersed in the concentrate for even less time.
- Now it’s time to give the fish the consistency it would have under the influence of temperature. In simple words, it must be baked in the oven or in a slow cooker.
After correctly carried out manipulations, all that remains is to enjoy the delicious dish. Let’s not hide it, there is still a difference in taste with naturally smoked fish. However, if you weigh the savings in time and money, you can overlook such inaccuracies.
- An alternative way to salt fish before the smoking process is to marinate it in brine. First you need to prepare the marinade, it is made in vegetable oil with the addition of lemon juice. Remember that wild garlic, dill, thyme, and garlic go well with the taste of fish. All spices are added to taste.
- If you decide to smoke river fish, then you may have to get rid of the specific smell of algae. A solution of vinegar essence removes unpleasant odors well and breaks down fibers, but it is undesirable to use it, because it itself has an unpleasant odor; lemon juice will take on this role.
- You only need to add a few tablespoons of smoky extract to the liquid marinade. This will be quite enough, since it is not recommended to use chemicals in large quantities. There are even recipes in which liquid smoke is applied to the carcasses during ventilation using a sprayer.
- Further, the algorithm will be identical to that described. Many housewives prefer to use a convection oven; it will prevent the fish from burning, baking it evenly on all sides.
There is a radically opposite way to cook smoked fish at home. First, it is salted or marinated, and then baked in the oven, and only the cooked fish meat is treated with liquid smoke. Split fibers allow liquid to pass freely, so there is no need to soak the fish for a long time. After it has been in the flavoring for a couple of minutes, it should be dried and ready to be served.
Cold smoking
It is even easier to imitate cold smoking using a smoky extract than hot smoking. All you need to do is follow the salting technology. The principle is that the fish is salted and becomes suitable for consumption. Then, with the help of a flavoring agent, it acquires the desired taste.
Salting fish can be done with either dry or liquid marinade. With simple salting, the carcass is cut along the ridge into two parts. Each piece is generously sprinkled with salt and pepper. If you are preparing fatty fish (chum salmon, mackerel), then the pieces are wrapped in cling film and placed in the refrigerator. For fish with fibrous meat, you will have to prepare pressure.
The salted fish is soaked in water to remove excess salt. The total salting time is distributed as follows: the fish lies in the refrigerator for about a day, soaks for 2-3 hours. At this stage, we have received a semi-finished product for natural smoking, smoking with liquid smoke or for drying. The salt had time to be absorbed into the fibers, so the fish became edible.
It is not recommended to place fish in a concentrated solution of the extract, so it must be diluted in the following ratio: five tablespoons of the substance per liter of water. The carcasses should lie in the resulting liquid for several minutes. They are then removed and dried again. In a day, the dish will be ready to eat.
Benefit or harm
There are many opinions on this issue. Looking ahead, we note that there is no single positioning of the additive as harmful or beneficial compared to natural smoking. There is the fact that there is no tar and ash in the solution. These elements are considered the most harmful to the body, so supporters of the use of liquid smoke use facts to highlight the benefits of the extract.
Doctors have a different opinion on this matter; they believe that consuming smoked products is fraught with the development of cancer. Liquid smoke in this regard can aggravate the situation significantly.
In a number of European countries, such flavorings are prohibited. Here in Russia, they are not only freely available, but also used on an industrial scale. This is economically beneficial, but few people think about what is more harmful. The fact that the extract is made from natural smoke makes the buyer trust the product. Fans of active recreation will not exchange the crackling of wood in the fire or the bustle around the barbecue for anything.
Quite often you can find a bottle in the store with the curious name “Liquid Smoke”. Not all people know what it is and what it can be used for. If curiosity gets the better of you or you get your hands on one of the bottles of liquid smoke, then it’s time to take a closer look at this flavor. It is with this that light smoking of any product occurs, since liquid smoke replaces the real smoke that can be obtained from a lit fire. Any piece of meat acquires an exquisite smoky flavor, and to prepare such a dish you do not need to go out into nature or light a fire in the yard. This will greatly simplify life for lovers of meat or fish fried over a fire, since liquid smoke will give them the opportunity to enjoy the delicacy at any time.
Liquid smoke is very easy to use, and anyone can handle it. Usually, instructions are written on the label of the bottle, which must be read before using the flavor. As a rule, to get a dish with a smoky flavor, you just need to add a few drops from a container of liquid smoke, for example, to a marinade, and then fry the meat. The result is a delicious kebab that is difficult to distinguish from the one cooked over a fire.
It can also be used for cooking herring, mackerel and any other fish. If you want to get delicious smoked pieces without spending extra time and effort on it, then liquid smoke will be an excellent option. You just need to add it to the fish so that within a few minutes it acquires a smoky taste. Everything is extremely simple, and most importantly, you don’t have to spend money on a smokehouse.
Methods of application
As you can already understand, smoking with liquid smoke is popular both among sausage and meat producers, and among ordinary people at home. Everything is extremely simple. You will need to take, for example, a whole raw chicken. It must be rubbed with salt, spices, garlic and other products that are usually used for this dish. Of course, the recipe already turns out delicious, but you can make it more original and appetizing by using sauce with liquid smoke.
Read also:
The whole truth about the beneficial properties of smoked mackerel
For this you will need:
- liquid smoke - 30 g;
- mayonnaise - 50 g;
- crushed garlic - 4 cloves.
All this must be mixed and rubbed into the chicken. You can let it sit for about 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. After about an hour, it will be ready, and it will taste as if it had just come from the fire. By the way, a similar recipe with liquid smoke can be used to cook any other meat at home. Smoking will be felt in every juicy piece.
Smoke can also be used for lard, if you are tired of just salting it and want to try something new. It is important to properly prepare the brine, in which you need to take 6 tbsp per liter of water. spoons containing liquid smoke. You should also put salt, spices, and bay leaves there. The lard should be boiled in this brine for about an hour, then dried and grated with pepper and garlic.
Many people love smoked fish, so you may need to make your own. If you don’t have a home smokehouse, then liquid smoke is a good option. After the fish is salted and dried, it must be placed in a container with liquid smoke. You need to leave the snack there for a few minutes, after which it needs to be hung in a cool place. As a last resort, you can spray liquid smoke on it using a spray bottle, if suddenly there is no special container.
“Liquid smoke” is a flavoring agent that is used to add smell and taste to meat products, first and second courses, and cheeses. With its help you can get the smell of smoked meats.
How to use Liquid Smoke correctly
It is believed that “Liquid Smoke” is more harmless than natural smoke, which is obtained as a result of smoldering wood, since this flavoring is completely absent or contains very small quantities of tar, resins and carcinogens. But too much of it is harmful to health. Therefore, when using this flavor, you should follow the instructions. Liquid smoke is used before or after preparing the product. If you use it at the beginning of the cooking process, meat, fish or cheese will be better saturated with the aroma of smoked meats.
“Liquid smoke” well muffles the taste of stale meat or fish, which is why some companies use it in the production of smoked products
To cook meat or poultry with the aroma and taste of smoked meats, you need to prepare the following ingredients: - 1 kg of meat or poultry; - 1/3 cup of liquid smoke; - 1/3 glass of dry white wine. - salt and pepper to taste. Cut the meat or chicken into small pieces, place it in a small saucepan, salt and pepper it. Pour white wine and liquid smoke into the pan. Place the meat in the refrigerator overnight. The next day you can prepare the dish. Preheat the oven to +250°C, place the meat on a baking tray and place it in the oven for half an hour.
Recipe for cold smoked fish
To prepare cold smoked fish you will need the following ingredients: - 1 kg of fish (mackerel, herring, capelin, etc.) - 1/3 cup of liquid smoke; - salt and pepper to taste.
Place small fish in layers in a three-liter jar. Large fish (mackerel, herring) can be placed in a container of a suitable size. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper, add liquid smoke, close the lid tightly and refrigerate for two to three days. After this time, hang the fish on the balcony or in the kitchen to dry. In a day it should be ready.
Pork pastrami recipe
To prepare pork pastrami you will need: - 1 kg of pork (neck), - 100 ml of water, - 20 g of salt, - 30-40 g of Liquid Smoke flavoring, - 5 g of sugar, - 0.5 g of sodium nitrite, - black ground pepper, garlic - to taste.
Cut the meat along the line of muscle separation into rectangular layers 2-3 cm thick. For better salting, make diagonal cuts on the pieces. Mix water, spices and flavoring until smooth and rub onto pork pieces. Place them in a saucepan or bowl and refrigerate overnight. Then place the meat on a baking sheet (you can pre-wrap it in foil) and bake in the oven at 150°C until cooked. Cool the pastrami and wrap it in parchment or cellophane.
You will read about freeze-dried products in the next article.
Liquid smoke is very easy to use, and anyone can handle it. Usually, instructions are written on the label of the bottle, which must be read before using the flavor. As a rule, to get a dish with a smoky flavor, you just need to add a few drops from a container of liquid smoke, for example, to a marinade, and then fry the meat. The result is a delicious kebab that is difficult to distinguish from the one cooked over a fire.
It can also be used for cooking herring, mackerel and any other fish. If you want to get delicious smoked pieces without spending extra time and effort on it, then liquid smoke will be an excellent option. You just need to add it to the fish so that within a few minutes it acquires a smoky taste. Everything is extremely simple, and most importantly, you don’t have to spend money on a smokehouse.
Methods of application
As you can already understand, smoking with liquid smoke is popular both among sausage and meat producers, and among ordinary people at home. Everything is extremely simple. You will need to take, for example, a whole raw chicken. It must be rubbed with salt, spices, garlic and other products that are usually used for this dish. Of course, the recipe already turns out delicious, but you can make it more original and appetizing by using sauce with liquid smoke.
For this you will need:
- liquid smoke - 30 g;
- mayonnaise - 50 g;
- crushed garlic - 4 cloves.
All this must be mixed and rubbed into the chicken. You can let it sit for about 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. After about an hour, it will be ready, and it will taste as if it had just come from the fire. By the way, a similar recipe with liquid smoke can be used to cook any other meat at home. Smoking will be felt in every juicy piece.
Smoke can also be used for lard, if you are tired of just salting it and want to try something new. It is important to properly prepare the brine, in which you need to take 6 tbsp per liter of water. spoons containing liquid smoke. You should also put salt, spices, and bay leaves there. The lard should be boiled in this brine for about an hour, then dried and grated with pepper and garlic.
Many people love smoked fish, so you may need to make your own. If you don’t have a home smokehouse, then liquid smoke is a good option. After the fish is salted and dried, it must be placed in a container with liquid smoke. You need to leave the snack there for a few minutes, after which it needs to be hung in a cool place. As a last resort, you can spray liquid smoke on it using a spray bottle, if suddenly there is no special container.
Some people may be surprised to learn that liquid smoke is used not only for meat, but also for various soups. Smoking, the taste of which is quite unusual and pleasant, can be easily achieved using this flavoring agent. You just need to add a few drops to a pan of soup or borscht and then stir. Now it will seem that the recipe was prepared with some kind of smoked meat, and for this you will not need to specially buy meat. Liquid smoke is a beneficial alternative available to every person at home.
Harmful or not?
Of course, any smoked meats are very tasty, but they are not always healthy. Doctors do not recommend using them for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as it can be dangerous to health. This is about general advice, and now you should understand specifically the properties of liquid smoke.
More detailed information about the benefits and harms of “Liquid Smoke” in this!
It, like any substance, has its positive and negative sides. Speaking of benefits, it should be mentioned that this flavoring makes food tasty and allows for quick and easy smoking. This is really good for people who don't want to spend a lot of time preparing delicacies. As for the composition, this smoke contains much less tar, resins and carcinogens than regular smoke. This undoubtedly makes the dish less harmful than if it were cooked over a real fire.
With such positive properties, we should not forget that liquid smoke still contains carcinogens. That is why it is highly not recommended to increase the established dosage, otherwise the resulting dish may adversely affect human health. Otherwise, there is no particular harm from liquid smoke, so there is no reason to worry that it will cause poisoning or cause a dangerous disease. If you do everything as indicated in the recipes, nothing like this will happen.
Liquid smoke can be safely used at home, as it is practically harmless, and dishes with it have an exquisite smoky taste. Having purchased a bottle of this substance, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the method of its use. It is important and necessary to follow the indicated dosages so as not to spoil the meat and not make the recipe harmful. What exactly to cook with the addition of flavoring - each person can decide for himself. There are quite a few options, and each of them is interesting, so you can safely experiment by changing the ingredients.