The Smoky Ingredient Restaurant Chefs Avoid At All Costs

There's almost nothing as satisfying and uniquely delicious as biting into the burnt end of a brisket at your favorite BBQ joint. Pitmasters spend hours stoking wood and monitoring the temperature with hawk-like attention to bring smoked meat to fall-off-the-bone, charred perfection. The well-known barbecue motto is "low and slow," which means every piece of classic BBQ meat is a labor of love. However, it turns out that not all smokey meats are created equal. 

Available since the 1890s, liquid smoke has been gracing shopping lists for well over 100 years (via Wright's Liquid Smoke). It is, quite literally, liquidized smoke that is condensed, distilled, and sold to consumers in bottles. It's considered a shortcut to getting smokey flavor infused into a dish without hours spent over the smoker, and plenty of cooks have used it in dishes like quick-made smoked salmon, barbecue sauce, and Louisiana gumbo. 

All you have to do is simply add a few drops to your meal while cooking, and there you have that classic, smokey flavor. Still, for some restaurant chefs, using liquid smoke is a shortcut they can't imagine ever taking.

In a conversation with Insider, Nevada-based chef Mark Estee relayed that he never uses liquid smoke. "I am not a fan of the chemical taste and chemical makeup of liquid smoke," says Estee. Liquid smoke does contain more than just water and smoke — for instance, Tone's Liquid Smoke also contains molasses, caramel coloring, and white distilled vinegar. However, none of these ingredients are what you'd think of as especially chemically.  

Estee also dissed the pantry staple as being a "slacker" method for obtaining smokiness, noting that wood ovens, logs, and smokers were more authentic ways of infusing smokiness into foods. While that may be a fine enough standard for restauranteurs, we also understand that sometimes you need a quick dose of smokey richness added to your flavor, and may not have the time — or equipment — to smoke your food with the low and slow method. Whether you're adding a few drops to your jambalaya, whiskey cocktail, or Thanksgiving turkey, there's no judgment from us if you decide to throw in a little liquid smoke.