What is the source of smoky flavor for barbecued foods?
What exactly gives charcoal barbecued food the smoky flavor? Does smoky flavor happen if you burn wood to make coals and then use the coals to cook?
Or does it only happen when you use store bought charcoal lumps/briquettes?
Best Answer
Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking" has an interesting explanation on the chemistry of smoke (pg 448 on my edition). This is a summary of what it says:
The three main component of wood are:
(Source: Wikimedia)
Cellulose and hemicellulose make up the "scaffold" of plant cells and ligning binds cells together.
These three compounds release specific compounds when they burn. Cellulose and hemicellulose release sweet/fruity compounds such as furans, lactones, acetaldehyde, acetic acid and diacetyl. These are similar to what you get during caramelization: indeed those hexagonal rings you see in the first two structures are common to many sugars.
Lignin, on the other hand, releases other smoky/spicy flavours, due to the presence of aromatic rings (those hexagons with a circle inside in its formula): guaiacol, vanillin, isoeugenol, phenol, syringol.
The specific amount of each compound that is released depends on the specific type of wood and the burning temperature; it obviously affects taste.
Maximum flavor production takes place at relatively low, smoldering temperatures, between 570 and 750°F/ 300-400 °C; at higher temperatures, the flavor molecules are themselves broken down into simpler harsh or flavorless molecules.
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Quick Answer about "What is the source of smoky flavor for barbecued foods?"
Cooking over wood or charcoal involves a lot of smoke. Even on a gas grill, melting fats will drip onto the heat source and produce smoke. As smoke swirls around the barbecue, the food will absorb its flavors. Smoke is made up of gases, water vapor and small solid particles from the fuel.How do you get the smoky flavor when grilling?
Use Smoked Spices: Some spices come with their own smoky flavor, like cumin, while others have been smoked before being ground, like smoked paprika.What gives food a smoky flavor?
Ingredients vary, but most include vinegar, tomato paste, or mayonnaise (or a combination) as a base, as well as liquid smoke, onion powder, spices such as mustard and black pepper, and sweeteners such as sugar or molasses.What gives BBQ flavor?
Make sure you remove all the ash from a charcoal bbq or bbq smoker. Goes without saying that if you do not clean out your charcoal bbq or food smoker well then you starve the oxygen circulation from underneath. This is one of the main culprits to an unwanted smokey bbq that doesn't ever get up to the right temperature.The Real Difference Between Smoked And Grilled Meat
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Answer 2
The smoky flavour of barbecued foods is best achieved through burning lump charcoal or hardwood. In the scenario you're describing, yes, burning hardwood and then cooking over the coals would give you a smoky flavour
Store bought briquettes actually probably give you less of a smoky flavour because instead of using wood, many briquettes use other materials/binders that don't give you the smoky flavour you want.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Brett Jordan, Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz, Pavel Danilyuk, Марта Тюзова