A Complete Guide to Smoked Salt: What It Is, the Different Types, and How To Use It

Salt is the single most important ingredient in the kitchen. Just about every savoury (and many a sweet) dish uses salt in some capacity, and it can be used in so many different ways: cooking, grilling, BBQing, baking, curing and finishing, just to name a few.

But what about when you need something a little extra? If you think your dishes could use some aroma and complexity, you should definitely consider using smoked salts. In fact, once you start using them we are sure you will wonder how you ever lived without them.

Smoked salts are a bold, flavourful way to add flame-grilled aroma and smoky complexity to just about any dish.

Smoked salts are a wonderful, natural way to add flame-grilled smokiness to a dish without resorting to using bitter, artificial tasting liquid smoke, or going through the hassle of smoking the food yourself.

What Is Smoked Salt?

Smoked salts are sea salt flakes that have been infused with smoke from real, untreated wood. No artificial flavors or colors are used at all. The salt is smoked with bark-free woods for up to two weeks. During this time, the wood imparts its own unique flavour profile to the salt, which can range from subtle to bold to sweet.

Smoked salt is perfect for enhancing the salinity of a dish while imparting the smokiness inherent to burnt wood, and the flavour unique to different types of wood. It is perfect for anyone from meat-eaters who want to beef up a BBQ, to vegans and vegetarians looking to add flame-grilled flavour to a dish.

If you’re wondering how to smoke salt, the traditional process involves exposing salt to smoke from real wood over an extended period so the flavour develops naturally within the crystals. The exact method, wood and smoking time all influence the finished flavour, which is why professionally smoked salts can vary so much in depth and character.

How To Use Smoked Salt

Smoked salt is perfect for use in the kitchen where you think a dish could use a little richness and aroma. And with the range of flavour options available, the creative possibilities are practically endless. 

Here are just some of the ways you can use smoked salt:

• Use it in lieu of grilling: If you don’t have access to a BBQ or grill, or if you want that flame-grilled flavour without the hassle, smoked salt is your best friend. Meat, seafood, veggies - anything can benefit from its smokey touch.
• Use it to season a snack: Smoked salts are a great way to beef up a snack. Sprinkle it on a grilled cheese sandwich. Add it to a salad or fresh veggies like cucumber or cherry tomatoes. Throw a pinch onto some melon for a salty-sweet snack.
• Sprinkle it on your breakfast: If your breakfasts are getting a little bland, try sprinkling some smoked salt on your eggs or avocado.
• Use it in sauces, stews, marinades and soups: If your sauces, stews, marinades and soups are crying out for some smokiness, add a pinch of smoked salt.
• Use it as a salt rub for your meats: Either on its own or as a part of a herb and spice rub, take your meats to the next level with some smoke salt. Salmon, tuna, chicken, burger patties, steak - just about anything will benefit from the boldness of smoke.
• Garnish your drink with it: Some smoked salt on the rim of a bloody mary or tommy’s margarita will give you a cocktail experience like you’ve never had before.
• Use it on your sweet dishes: If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, why not add some smoked salt to your sweet dishes? A pinch on some salted caramel ice cream works a charm. Or how about in a smoky bourbon syrup? Or a sprinkle on some fresh fruit?

Smoked Salt vs Liquid Smoke: What’s the Difference?

One of the biggest differences between premium smoked salts and lower-quality alternatives is how the smoky flavour is created. At The Salt Box, our smoked salts are naturally slow-smoked over real, untreated wood, allowing the smoke to become part of the salt itself. Nothing artificial is added.

Liquid smoke, by comparison, is a concentrated smoke-flavoured liquid that is added directly to food. While both can create smokiness, naturally smoked salt gives you seasoning and real wood-smoke character in a single ingredient, with the flavour developed through the smoking process itself.

The practical difference comes down to control. Smoked salt lets you season and add smoke in one motion, and you can see exactly how much you are using, a pinch at a time. Liquid smoke is better saved for marinades and sauces, where a few drops disappear into the mix. For finishing a steak, a tray of roast vegetables or a bowl of eggs, smoked salt gives you the flavour and the satisfying crunch of the flake without the risk of tipping the dish over the edge.

Types of Smoked Salt

Smoked Alderwood Salt - Salt that has been slow smoked over red alderwood, which is the traditional smoking wood of the North American Indians. It’s as robust as it is versatile - the perfect way to naturally add a beautiful smoked flavour to a wide range of dishes.

Smoke Mesquite Salt - Salt that is naturally cold-smoked with mesquite wood to give it a distinctive sweet flavour that is straight out of Texas. In fact, it is the official salt of the Texan BBQ. Perfect for red meats, poultry, or just about anything cooked on the grill.

Smoked Hickory Salt - Salt that is cold-smoked with hickory wood that imparts a flavour that is both sweet and savoury, and has a strong, smoky taste. This flavour epitomises Southern U.S. cooking - perfect for ribs, burgers, red meat, pork, turkey, maple syrup, honey, ham, bacon and even prawns.

Smoked Applewood Salt - Salt that is cold-smoked with sweet apple wood, which gives it a scrumptious sweet, fruity, woody flavour. Out of all smoked salts, this is the most delicate. It pairs perfectly with shellfish, fish, poultry and roast veggies.

Extra Bold Smoke Salt - Salt that is naturally smoked with a blend of seven carefully selected woods over two weeks to create a hearty smokehouse flavour. It has an intense, rugged taste that is rich and enticing. Use in marinades, sauces, stews, chili and soups. Or sprinkle on top of pork, chicken, tuna, salmon or steak for that “just-grilled” flavour.

At The Salt Box, we choose smoked salts that are naturally slow-smoked over real, untreated wood. This traditional process develops the smoky flavour naturally within the salt itself, with no artificial smoke flavourings added. We believe this creates a more authentic flavour that lets both the quality of the salt and the character of the wood shine through.

Whether you prefer the delicate sweetness of Applewood, the bold character of Mesquite or the deep smokehouse flavour of Extra Bold, our Smoky Sisters range makes it easy to bring genuine wood-smoked flavour into everyday cooking.

Smoked Salt FAQs

Is smoked salt naturally smoked?

Yes. At The Salt Box, our smoked salts are naturally slow-smoked over real, untreated wood rather than flavoured with artificial smoke additives. The smoking process allows the character of the wood to develop naturally within the salt, creating a genuine smoky flavour that varies depending on the wood used.

How long does smoked salt last?

Kept dry and sealed in an airtight container, smoked salt lasts more or less indefinitely. The smoky aroma is at its liveliest in the first year or so, but the salt itself will not spoil.

How much smoked salt should I use?

Start light. The smoke flavour is concentrated, so a small pinch goes a long way. For the biggest impact, use it as a finishing salt - sprinkled on at the end - rather than cooking it all the way through.

Can I use smoked salt instead of regular salt?

Yes, as a seasoning or finishing salt. Just remember it brings smoke as well as salinity, so it shines on savoury dishes and grilled food rather than on sweet baking where you only want the salt.

Is smoked salt vegan?

Yes. Our smoked salts are simply sea salt and real smoke, which makes them suitable for both vegan and vegetarian cooking - a great way to add flame-grilled flavour without the meat.