1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstufe, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren vog obamb here. You've probably had liquid 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: smoke in barbecue, sauces, ketchup and marinades. Maybe in ribs, wings, cheese, 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: or vegetarian burger patties, And yes, if you're a fan 5 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,799 Speaker 1: of McDonald's beloved mc ribbed sandwich, it's part of what 6 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: gives that cult favorite its flavor. A liquid smoke is, 7 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: as it says on the label, a smoky liquid flavoring 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: that can help cooks replicate in seconds the taste, if 9 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: not texture, of having smoked a food for hours, a 10 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: secret ingredient to some and a blasphemous sheet to others, 11 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: like devoted barbecue enthusiasts. A liquid smoke is made from 12 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: actual condensed smoke that goes through a purifying process, so 13 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: a food made with it can taste pretty undiscernible from 14 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: a food to which you know smokey smoke has been applied. 15 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: Though the product we know today was invented by Ernest W. 16 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: Wright in liquid smoke actually dates back to the seventeenth century, 17 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 1: when wood vinegar was used as a flavoring agent and 18 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: preservative for meats. All right. Meanwhile, was inspired to create 19 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: liquid smoke from a memory he had as a child 20 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: of dark liquid trickling down his stove pipe. He improved 21 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: the process of condensing and collecting smoke in water and 22 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 1: commercialized the process by the start of the twentieth century. 23 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: By the nineteen sixties, liquid smoke was approved by the 24 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: US Food and Drug Administration and stocked in most supermarkets 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: across the continental United States on its own and in 26 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: packaged sauces, deli meats, cheeses, snacks, and more. A bottle 27 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: is shelf stable for up to two years, and you 28 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: can incorporate it into an endless number of recipes, from 29 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: dressings to dips two stews. Though a little goes a 30 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:54,279 Speaker 1: long way, and yes, it is made from real smoke. 31 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,639 Speaker 1: Producer will start by heating wood chips or sawdust until 32 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: they start to smolder and smoke the stage right before 33 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: they would produce actual fire, at which point the wood 34 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 1: starts undergoing thermal decomposition, also known as pyrolysis. The exact 35 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: chemical composition of the wood plus the amount of moisture 36 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: it contains, are going to affect the temperature at which 37 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: the wood starts breaking down and how much smoke it produces, 38 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: and what compounds are in that smoke. The producer collects 39 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: that smoke in a chamber that's relatively cool and contains water, vapor, 40 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: and some of the stuff in the smoke will condense 41 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: and collect into a water based liquid. Note that when 42 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: you smoke a food over a fire, you're forcing the 43 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: smoke condensed directly on the relatively cool food. The process 44 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: is technically very similar, but when you're making liquid smoke, 45 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: you're getting the smoke to collect on water instead of food. 46 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: But you may have heard that smoke is bad for you, 47 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: and it is. That's why. After it's collected, liquid smoke 48 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: goes through a multi stage filtration process to remove compound 49 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: that you don't want, such as known carcinogens like polycyclic 50 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: aromatic hydrocarbons or pH What you're left with are a 51 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: few groups of compounds that give liquid smoke its color, flavor, 52 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 1: and functional properties like antimicrobial properties, all mixed into a 53 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: watery base. Some brands bottle it and seladas is. Others 54 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: flavor and color it with stuff like vinegar, salt, and sweeteners. 55 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: For industrial food production, it might be further processed into 56 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: an oil or a powder for easy addition to say 57 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: barbecue flavored snap chips. Of course, no clever food flavoring 58 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: is without its controversy, and liquid smoke is no different, 59 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: and when applied to food, it's not exactly like the 60 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: sensory experience of the food having been cooked by smoking. 61 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: A liquid smoke tends to be a little less bitter 62 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: or acrid, a little less powerful on the palate, and 63 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: less penetrative unless you take steps to really get it 64 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: in there. And of course, part of what you get 65 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: when you smoke a food food is texture from that 66 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: food havn't been exposed to low heat from the smoldering 67 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: wood for probably a long time, which can break down 68 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: tough connective tissue and make foods really tender. Liquid smoke 69 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: won't do that. Though of course, you can cook food 70 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: low and slow in say a Dutch oven or s 71 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,039 Speaker 1: Suvi bath for the texture, and add a touch of 72 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: liquid smoke for the flavor, it still won't be exactly 73 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: the same thing. Though. Today's episode is based on the 74 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: article liquid smoke, Why You Either Love It or Hate 75 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: It on how stuff works dot com, written by Jeremy Glass. 76 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: Or more about liquid smoke check out my other podcast Savor. 77 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: We did a whole episode on it back in November. 78 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership 79 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: with house to works dot com, and it's produced by 80 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: Tyler Clay. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit 81 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 82 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:55,160 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.