Categories: Recipe Inspiration

Crave the Smoky Flavor? Try Our Recipes that Use Liquid Smoke

With liquid smoke, you can attain the smoky barbecue flavor to your food, without actually having to go through the entire procedure. Read the Tastessence article to find out how easy it really is.

What is Liquid Smoke?

It is a seasoning ingredient used to replicate the essence of smoked wood in foods, mostly for different cuts of meat. Wood chips or sawdust from hickory is burned, condensed, and passed through water. This captures and dissolves the smoky flavor effects in the solution. There are other woods used in the process like apple, pecan, and mesquite. So, instead of using the natural resources to cook up a barbecue or get the smoky effect, many chefs use liquid smoke. Ingredients will follow as per usual, what the recipes call for, while adding just a hint of smokiness.

Recipes to Make

Liquid smoke is an excellent addition for any dish as it enhances the flavors. Add it in marinades for meat, with soft cheeses, and for hardening any solution. The technique is quite easy, and doesn’t take that much of time.

Barbecue-flavored Meatloaf

Ingredients

Ground beef, 1 lb.
Egg whites, 2
Onion, chopped, ¼ cup
Celery, chopped, ¼ cup
Ketchup, ¼ cup
Bread crumbs, ¼ cup
Liquid smoke, 1 teaspoon
Salt and black pepper, for taste

Directions
Preheat the oven at 325ºF. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together, except for ground beef, using a hand blender. Now add the ground beef, and again mix everything on a low speed. Make sure you don’t mix the ingredients too much. Wash your hands properly and shape the mix into a loaf. Take a pan, spray some cooking spray in it, and line it with aluminum foil. Place the meatloaf on it, and bake it in the oven for about an hour. Once the meatloaf is brown and firm from the outside, remove it from the oven. Drain excess fat and drippings from the pan, and let the meatloaf sit for about 10 minutes. Cut into equal slices, and serve with creamy mashed potatoes.

Slow Cooker Beef Burgers

Ingredients

Lean beef, boneless, 3 lb.
Ketchup, ¾ cups
Sugar brown, 2 tablespoons
Red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons
Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon
Liquid smoke, ¼ teaspoon
Garlic clove, crushed, 1
Salt and black pepper, for taste
French rolls or burger buns

Directions
In a slow cooker, place the beef and add the ingredients in, except for the french rolls. Cover the cooker and slow cook the mixture for about 8 hours. Once the beef is cooked, remove it from the cooker, and shred it with a fork. Warm the french rolls in the microwave. Place lettuce leaves, cheddar cheese, shredded beef, tomato slices, pickle, and onion slices on a piece of French roll, and top it off with the other piece. Serve the burgers with French fries and ketchup.

Barbecue-flavored Tofu

Ingredients

Extra-firm tofu, 2 packets
Ketchup, 12 oz.
Chili sauce, ¼ cup
Onion, chopped, ¼ cup
Brown sugar, 3 tablespoons
Molasses, 3 tablespoons
Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons
Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon
Butter, 1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon
Liquid smoke, 1 tablespoon
Garlic powder, 1 tablespoon
Chili powder, 1 teaspoon
Cayenne powder, ¼ teaspoon
Salt and black pepper, for taste

Directions
Preheat the oven at 350ºF. Cut the blocks of tofu into bite-size pieces. Grease a baking pan and place the tofu pieces in it. Place the pan in the oven and bake until it turns golden brown for the outside. Till the tofu is cooking, let’s prepare the sauce. Take a pan and sauté onion in butter. As the onion start to turn translucent, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for at least 10 minutes, and do a taste test. Now add the tofu in with the sauce, and combine everything properly. Once the tofu is properly coated, serve it with steamed rice.