Abstract:

Finally, a food gift that can be given without fear of rejection (or even worse, regifting). Homemade smoked salt is a DIY food gift you can feel good about giving, as it's gluten-free, vegan and all-natural. It's a seasoning that no self-respecting foodie's kitchen should be without, and assuming you've got a means to smoke, it's a cheap and easy solution for holiday gift-giving.

Purpose:

Last year for Christmas, my sister gave me a bottle of salt that had been infused with alder wood smoke. I had never really experienced smoked salt before, but I can tell you now that it's something that I now can't live without in my spice cabinet. After a few really good burgers and countless bowls of quality pasta salad, my personal supply of smoked salt was starting to dwindle; and with the holidays upon me I thought it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give others something that I thoroughly enjoyed having in my own cupboard. I got on the web to look for a resupply ('cuz you know you ain't gonna find any in little ol' Northwest Kansas) and was met with immediate sticker shock. You thinking what I'm thinking? Yeah; it's time to go DIY. After a bit of research (this discussion in particular was really good), I found out that smoked salt is really just that: smoke and salt. I've got a grill that delivers plenty of smoke (and good barbeque to boot), so all I needed to do was find a good means to maximize surface area. Enter: The splatter guard. By design, we're talking about a surface that's meant to keep all but the vapors (read: smoke) in the skillet. For less than ten bucks I can saw off that plastic handle in the name of science and sacrifice what was once a kitchen unitasker for the goal of perpetual smoked salt, so long as I've got smoke wood, charcoal and a cooker to do it in.