Welcome to Brainstufe, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vog obamb here. You've probably had liquid smoke in barbecue, sauces, ketchup and marinades. Maybe in ribs, wings, cheese, or vegetarian burger patties, And yes, if you're a fan of McDonald's beloved mc ribbed sandwich, it's part of what
gives that cult favorite its flavor. A liquid smoke is, as it says on the label, a smoky liquid flavoring that can help cooks replicate in seconds the taste, if not texture, of having smoked a food for hours, a secret ingredient to some and a blasphemous sheet to others,
like devoted barbecue enthusiasts. A liquid smoke is made from actual condensed smoke that goes through a purifying process, so a food made with it can taste pretty undiscernible from a food to which you know smokey smoke has been applied. Though the product we know today was invented by Ernest W. Wright in liquid smoke actually dates back to the seventeenth century, when wood vinegar was used as a flavoring agent and
preservative for meats. All right. Meanwhile, was inspired to create liquid smoke from a memory he had as a child of dark liquid trickling down his stove pipe. He improved the process of condensing and collecting smoke in water and commercialized the process by the start of the twentieth century. By the nineteen sixties, liquid smoke was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and stocked in most supermarkets across the continental United States on its own and in
packaged sauces, deli meats, cheeses, snacks, and more. A bottle is shelf stable for up to two years, and you can incorporate it into an endless number of recipes, from dressings to dips two stews. Though a little goes a long way, and yes, it is made from real smoke. Producer will start by heating wood chips or sawdust until they start to smolder and smoke the stage right before they would produce actual fire, at which point the wood
starts undergoing thermal decomposition, also known as pyrolysis. The exact chemical composition of the wood plus the amount of moisture it contains, are going to affect the temperature at which the wood starts breaking down and how much smoke it produces, and what compounds are in that smoke. The producer collects that smoke in a chamber that's relatively cool and contains water, vapor, and some of the stuff in the smoke will condense
and collect into a water based liquid. Note that when you smoke a food over a fire, you're forcing the smoke condensed directly on the relatively cool food. The process is technically very similar, but when you're making liquid smoke, you're getting the smoke to collect on water instead of food. But you may have heard that smoke is bad for you,
and it is. That's why. After it's collected, liquid smoke goes through a multi stage filtration process to remove compound that you don't want, such as known carcinogens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or pH What you're left with are a few groups of compounds that give liquid smoke its color, flavor, and functional properties like antimicrobial properties, all mixed into a
watery base. Some brands bottle it and seladas is. Others flavor and color it with stuff like vinegar, salt, and sweeteners. For industrial food production, it might be further processed into an oil or a powder for easy addition to say barbecue flavored snap chips. Of course, no clever food flavoring is without its controversy, and liquid smoke is no different, and when applied to food, it's not exactly like the sensory experience of the food having been cooked by smoking.
A liquid smoke tends to be a little less bitter or acrid, a little less powerful on the palate, and less penetrative unless you take steps to really get it in there. And of course, part of what you get when you smoke a food food is texture from that food havn't been exposed to low heat from the smoldering wood for probably a long time, which can break down tough connective tissue and make foods really tender. Liquid smoke
won't do that. Though of course, you can cook food low and slow in say a Dutch oven or s Suvi bath for the texture, and add a touch of liquid smoke for the flavor, it still won't be exactly the same thing. Though. Today's episode is based on the article liquid smoke, Why You Either Love It or Hate It on how stuff works dot com, written by Jeremy Glass. Or more about liquid smoke check out my other podcast Savor. We did a whole episode on it back in November.
Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with house to works dot com, and it's produced by Tyler Clay. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.