Make Your Own Smoked Salt

I was standing in the grocery store the other day, sniffing jars of smoked sea salts. They all smelled very good, but I couldn’t get past their prices.

“Why,” I thought to myself, “are these sea salts SOOO expensive?”

Of course, if I didn’t have a recipe already at home telling me how to do it myself. I would naturally assume it took some special processing and special ingredients to get them this way. BUT, IT DOESN’T.

Smoking salts at home is super easy and you can make enough to share with your neighbors. And it won’t cost you an arm, a leg and your first born.

There are four methods to making smoked salt: Stovetop, Wok, Charcoal Grill and Gas Grill. I chose the Charcoal Grill method to make Mesquite Smoked Sea Salt. I already had a bag of Mesquite chips on hand, so I said, “why not start here?”

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES TO CREATE SMOKED SALTS

• 2 cups wood chips, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained
• 2 cups coarse salt (kosher or sea)

Set up the grill for indirect grilling (putting all your hot coals to one side and leaving a cool side to work from). Toss the wood chips on the coals. Spread the salt in a thin layer in an aluminum foil pie pan and place it on the grate away from the fire. Cover the grill and adjust the vent holes to medium heat (350F deg.).

Smoke the salt for 1 hour. Cool the salt to room temperature, then move it to a jar and cover.

Prepared grill.

Set tin foil pan on the cool side of grill, away from coals.

One hour later.

Allow to cool completely before storing.

$1.29 and one hour of my time for 1/2 pound of smoked sea salt.