Smoked salt generally does come from sea salt flakes that must have been spread over wood smoke before now, blending its salty components with a few smoky undertones as the case should be.
The absorbed smoky flavor is basically what the smoked salt is all about, since there is no trace of artificial additives afterward, ensuring the flavors remain pure and unadulterated.
Generally, it is one very versatile ingredient everyone should have since it is a powerful flavoring agent that can serve different purposes ranging from being used in various culinary seasoning meats like pork, beef, and chicken down to covering up for the absence of smoked meats in vegan and vegetarian dishes.
However, there are days when you might find yourself in a situation where you might be without smoked salt in your kitchen and still need to carry on with your cooking; at such a point in time, you might need to go in search of some easy swaps to come to save your dinner.
Well, should you need help and suggestions in that regard, below have been highlighted 7 of the best substitutes for smoked salts.
7 Best Substitute For Smoked Salt
1. Smoked Paprika
Smoked paprika as a substitute for smoked salt is a must-have inside the drawers of different households, particularly those households trying native cuisines such as Spanish, Turkish, and Hungarian dishes.
Made basically from roasted dried peppers, which must have been heated for weeks over oak wood, smoked paprika is considered an ideal substitute for smoked salt because of the smoky flavor it adds to dishes whenever you choose to apply it.
To stick with this option of a substitute for smoked salt, all that is expected of you to do is to stick with ½ tablespoon of paprika for every tablespoon of smoked salt.
2. Chipotle Powder
Chipotle powder comes in next as another popular ingredient that can be easily swapped in for smoked salt in certain dishes that are common in the Asian continent and popular in Southwest and Tex-Mex cooking.
Similar to the aforementioned smoked paprika, the chipotle powder is made by basically smoking and drying chili peppers over a wood fire and then turning them into powder form through grinding.
As a substitute for smoked salt, you should always have it at the back of your mind that aside from the smoky flavor the chipotle powder has got to offer, they can be very hotter and spicier, meaning you should stick with ¼ to ½ tablespoon of chipotle powder for every tablespoon of smoked salt.
3. Smoked Tea
Smoked tea generally is also known to be a great choice of substitute that can always be swapped for smoked salt. As a substitute for smoked salt, our focus would be on the Chinese lapsang souchong tea, which some persons also refer to as Camilla sinensis, a black tea that is smoked over a fire for many days.
To put into use as a substitute for smoked salt, all that is expected of you to do is to grind its leaves turning them into powder form, before proceeding to add your other spices together with it inside of your dishes.
However, there is also the option of having them blended inside of your recipes or soaking the leaves in water to add as a tea inside of your sauces and stews.
4. Canned Chipotle Peppers
Similar to the aforementioned chipotle powder but with a different profile, the canned chipotle pepper as a substitute for smoked salt is one that came about from being soaked and canned in an adobo sauce.
As a substitute for smoked salt, canned chipotle peppers do their magic when used inside of soups, and other dishes where peppers are already an ingredient. To get the right proportion to swap for smoked salt, you can always use the ratio 1:1 and still enjoy the same spiciness and smoky flavor.
5. Smoked Meats
Smoked meats are a substitute for smoked salt and do not require you to do much to bring that smoky flavor to your dishes. It is an easy option of a substitute to stick within the sense that you can always use pre-smoked meats rather than non-smoked varieties since you crave that smoky flavor inside of your foods soups, stews, and casseroles.
Talking about smoked meats, there is the option of using any chicken, pork, or beef to serve that purpose, after which all that would be expected of you to do is to add your vegetables and starches to spice things up in your meal.
6. Charcoal Briquettes
Another great option of a substitute for smoked salt you should fancy is the charcoal briquettes, which should do a great job of acting as a flavoring agent inside of your recipes and dishes.
To get the very best results from this option of a substitute for smoked salt, all that is expected of you to do is to heat the charcoal brick over a fire until it is smoking, before moving to place it in a small metal or ceramic bowl insidea container alongside the food you want to have seasoned with its smoky flavor.
7. Wood Chips
Should you be craving an even bigger presence of wood-smoked flavor over charcoal-grilled flavor, then the wood chips are definitely what you should be sticking with as your substitute for smoked salt.
This option of a substitute can be tried out using applewood, pecan, or any of the hickory varieties, of which it would be expected of you to heat the wood chips before proceeding to seal them inside a closed container until when needed inside of your dish.
Conclusion
In conclusion, choosing the right choice of substitute to stick with for smoked salt all depends on your choice of the dish being prepared. A case scenario is for grilled meats where smoked paprika or chipotle powder is of top recommendation since they add their smokiness and spiciness to dishes.
On the other hand, for vegetarian dishes, smoked teas are usually suggested because of the subtle smoke flavor they bring inside soups and stews.