Name: Smoked Salt (Tutorial + Tips)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup kosher salt or sea salt

How to make smoked salt at home and what types of salt and smoking woods work best.

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Read on for recipe relevant information and process pictures (2 mins)

How is Smoked Salt Made?

Smoked salt is made by taking a coarse salt and exposing it to wood smoke for a prolonged period of time. The salt absorbs the smoky flavors produced by the burning wood and in result imparts a smoky taste to foods with which it is used.

Some of the most famous smoked salts from around the world include Kauai Guava Smoked (aka Guava Wood Smoked Hawaiian Sea Salt); Iburi-Jio Cherry Smoked (aka Deep Sea Cherry Wood Smoked Japanese Salt); Maine Apple Smoked (aka Parched Salt); Salish Alder Smoked (aka Red Alder Smoked).

Smoke-Flavored Salt vs Smoked Salt

Smoke-flavored salt is different from smoked salt in that it is made by combining salt with smoke-flavored additives and is not actually exposed to smoke itself.

Smoked salt is considered a natural product, smoke-flavored salt is not.

What is Hickory Salt?

Hickory smoked salt is simply a coarse salt smoked with hickory wood. It is the dominant type of smoked salt in the US, followed by applewood smoked.

To us hickory salt is the holy grail for everyday use in dishes. It has the perfect balance of sweet and savory, a touch of spice and a longer smoking time is easily noticeable in the intensity of the flavor.

We smoke our own light and medium-intensity batches (examples used below) while we buy professionally smoked, extremely intense and dark hickory salt from a local spice outfit (a jar of that lasts for years – it is that potent!)

Best Types of Salt for Smoking at Home

Sea salt and kosher salt are best for smoking with hickory, alder wood or fruit woods.

Hickory wood chunks next to sea salt and kosher salt.

Choosing the type of salt to smoke is influenced by how effectively smoke penetrates its grains. This directly affects the complexity of flavor of the finished product.

the salt should be coarse enough so that there is sufficient aeration between the crystals to allow the smoke to penetrate them all
the crystals should have irregular shape so that when the salt is spread out enough nooks and crannies form in between them
the salt should be as moist as possible for a better uptake of smoke to occur

To that end great choices for the home smoker are kosher salt or sea salt.

NOTE: Additional moisture can always be introduced to a batch of salt by sprinkling a few drops of water over the salt to be smoked and promptly mixing it before too much of it gets absorbed by only a few crystals.

Best Wood for Smoking Salt

You can smoke salt with any number of different hardwoods as well as shrubs, hay and even herbs. It is a matter of personal preference – when you vary the wood you vary the flavor.

Traditional choices in the US are hickory, oak, mesquite and fruit woods such as applewood and cherrywood. In Europe the wood of choice is alder.

They each impart different nuances and experimenting to find a favorite is a culinary adventure of sorts.

Mesquite: A Southwestern wood that burns hot and slow. It has the most potent flavor that is both very earthy and sweet. Use it sparingly.
Hickory: A Southern wood that also burns steady and slow. It creates a robustly sweet smoke. Use it sparingly, too much can bring about hints of bitterness.
Maple, Oak, Pecan, and Walnut: These woods create milder smoke and are all excellent options.
Fruitwoods: Apple, cherry, peach, plum. Known to burn quickly with smoke that contains aromas of the fruit associated with each.
Alder and Cedar: Mild wood smoke gets produced by these hardwoods native to the Pacific Northwest.

Basic Procedures for Smoked Salt

You can hot smoke salt or you can cold smoke it.

HOT SMOKING is done using a hot smoker and the temperature is typically above 225 F. Because this method takes less time and can be performed while smoking another food we almost always do it that way. No inefficient expenditure of time or smoking wood – we simply utilize available space in the smoking chamber while preparing a smoked pork belly or smoked beef ribs.

COLD SMOKING uses minimal heat with average temperature of about 80 F, takes a long time and is the way salt is usually smoked at the commercial level.

PELLET TRAY/PELLET TUBE SMOKING is a method that uses a small device (pellet tube smoker, affiliate link) designed to hold smoking wood pellets which are lit and produce smoke for a number of hours. Generally used for cold smoking by simply being placed in the chamber of a grill next to the salt and the lid is then closed. It is an easy and efficient method for home made smoked salt.

How to Smoke Salt

Salt Placement. There are several ways you can do this, choose the one that appeals to you the most.

spread the salt in an aluminum foil drip pan about 1/8 inches thick or
use a grill/smoker dedicated sheet pan and do the same or
for best results spread the salt over a splatter screen to allow smoke penetration from underneath as well; you can fit that over a disposable pan as shown

Smoking Salt. Choose your method, whether hot or cold smoking, set up the smoker accordingly and place the salt in the smoking chamber.

Maintain. Stir the salt crystals every half hour to an hour to make sure they smoke evenly. Keep the smoke source as per your chosen method and continue until satisfied with the results.

TIP: We like to smoke two different salts by stacking them on top of each other as shown below. We have kosher salt at the bottom and sea salt on top of the splatter screen fitted to the disposable pan (side clips are most helpful here). The sea salt gets more intense flavor and color over the same length of time (about 5 hours for each).

How Long Should You Be Smoking Salt?

It depends on the smoking method, the type of salt you are using and how intense you want it to taste.

Hot smoke for 4 to 6 hours, until the salt reaches your desired intensity of smokiness.
Cold smoke for 10 to 12 hours. The same applies to using a pellet device for cold smoking.

Note that salt color is not a perfect indicator of smoke flavor intensity. Your best bet is to simply taste a few of the crystals after a couple of hours and decide if you want to continue with the process.

We like to make a lightly smoked kosher salt for everyday use (just like table salt) and a longer smoked sea salt to use as a finishing salt or part of seasoning mixes whenever we want a stronger smoky taste.

TIP: Introducing moisture to the smoking chamber can dramatically speed up the times for hot smoking. Simply place a pan filled with water near the salt. The moisture from the evaporating water enhances the smoke absorption and speeds up the process. When the salt is left to cool down after the desired intensity of flavor is reached it dries out beautifully. This trick works great at average temperature of the smoking chamber of 250 F and the time tends to be considerably less – about 2 to 3 hours.

How Long Does Smoked Salt Last?

Indefinitely, it has no expiration date. Store in an air-tight container and provided that there is no excess moisture you can enjoy it as needed for a long time.

Smoked kosher salt - every flake has been infused with smoke.

This lightly hot smoked flakey salt is perfect for everyday use.

How to Use Smoked Salt

as finishing salt – to flavor cheeses like mozarella, ricotta, goat cheese or ice creams that can use a fancy touch
to season just about any savory side dish you can think of – broccolini, snow peas, roasted potatoes, boiled potatoes with butter etc.
in dishes using meats and sausage – stews, slow roasts and braises to impart smoky nuances
when grilling meats on gas grill or searing them in cast iron

Recipes Using Smoked Salt

Spare Ribs in Oven – make these fall-off-the-bone tender pork ribs just as the recipe says but instead of BBQ rub use smoked salt and black pepper to taste. Do not use BBQ sauce in the second stage, simply allow them to form a crust. If needed, further season with smoked salt just before you serve.

Smoked Salt Compound Butter – bring a stick of unsalted butter to room temperature. When soft, add the smoked salt of your choice to the butter, to taste, and press with a fork until well combined. Transfer onto parchment paper and roll into a salami like shape, folding the ends of the paper. Refrigerate and use with steaks, chicken, mashed potatoes etc.

Cocktail Glass Rim – use homemade smoked kosher salt to rim the edge of glasses for margarita cocktails.

Smoked Salt Mashed Potatoes – boil peeled starchy potatoes until soft, drain the water, add unsalted butter and a bit of heavy cream or milk and smoked salt to taste. Mash until creamy (or transfer mixture to stand up mixer and mix until creamy).

Smoked Cream Cheese
Smoked Chicken Thighs
Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Smoked Beef Back Ribs

Smoked Salt (Tutorial + Tips)

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes

How to make smoked salt. Use hot smoking, cold smoking or cold smoking with a pellet tube. Vary the smoking wood to alter the flavors of the salt. Smoke for longer if you want more intensity of flavor.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup kosher salt or sea salt

Instructions

HOT SMOKED SALT

Spread the salt in an aluminum foil drip pan about 1/8 inches thick. Alternatively, use a baking sheet dedicated for smoker use or a splatter screen mounted over a drip pan to increase aeration. (Refer to pictures in post).

Set up the smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions and add wood as per the manufacturer's instructions.

Place the salt in the smoking chamber at about 225-250 F or even as high as 300-325F. Smoke for 4 to 6 hours, stirring every half an hour or so to make sure all crystals get exposure to the smoke. Stop smoking once the salt tastes the way you want to.

COLD SMOKED SALT

Set up the smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions and add wood as per the manufacturer's instructions.

Place the salt in the smoking chamber and maintain a temperature of 80 F or lower. Smoke for 10 to 12 hours or until the salt reaches the desired intensity of flavor. Stir it from time to time to make sure smoke penetrates all sides of the crystals.

PELLET TUBE/TRAY COLD SMOKED SALT

Spread the salt in an aluminum foil drip pan about 1/8 inches thick. Alternatively, use a baking sheet you have dedicated to smoker use or a splatter screen mounted over a drip pan to increase aeration. (Refer to pictures in post).

Place on the grates of a gas grill and next to it place a lit pellet tube or tray with your pellets of choice. Smoke for 6 to 12 hours replenishing pellets as needed, until the salt is smoked to your liking.

Notes

We recommend hickory wood if you are smoking salt for the first time. It imparts flavors perfect for both savory and sweet dishes.