Liquid Smoke Substitute

Nothing beats that homemade smoke flavor, but sometimes pulling out the smoker for a twelve or sixteen-hour stretch is impractical. When you don’t have time to slow smoke your meat, liquid smoke is a great fast way to add smoke flavor to food. But even that is sometimes too much to ask of our kitchen pantries! Keep our chart handy to choose the best liquid smoke substitute for your recipe.

Finding a liquid smoke alternative is as easy as looking over our chart with a summary of information including how to substitute for 1 tsp liquid smoke. Below the chart, you can read more details about each possible liquid smoke replacement to find out if it’s the right choice for the job.

Choosing the Best Substitute for Liquid Smoke

Consider each possible liquid smoke substitute by asking how the smoke is used in your recipe. Each different substitute comes with its own flavor profile and you need to consider how that will match the flavor profile of your recipe.

Liquid Smoke Substitute	How to substitute for 1 tsp Liquid Smoke	Characteristics	Uses
Smoked Paprika	½ tsp Spanish Paprika	Paprika flavor	Dry rub, soups, sauces, stews, or marinades
Smoke Gun	5-6 Minutes	Wood-smoke flavor	Cooked or cooking food
Chipotle Powder	¼ – ½ teaspoon	Spicy smoke. Adds heat	Dry rub, soups, sauces, stews, or marinades
Beer	1 cup or can	Smokey sweet	Soups, sauces, stews, or marinades
Smoked Meat	1 cup diced	The meat of choice	Soups, sauces, stews, or marinades
Smoked Salt	1 tsp Salt	Salty smoke	Dry rub, soups, sauces, stews, or marinades
Canned Chipotle Peppers	¼ – ½ tsp liquid	Spicy smoke. Adds heat	Soups, sauces, stews, marinades
Charcoal	20-30 Minutes	Neutral flavor	Cooked or cooking food
Smoked Tea	1 teaspoon dry.	Tea flavor. Piney	Dry rub, soups, sauces, stews, marinades
Hickory Smoke Powder	¼ – ½ tsp	Hickory Smoke Flavor.	Dry rub, soups, sauces, stews, or marinades
Wood Chips	20-30 Minutes	Wood Flavor of Choice	Cooked or cooking food
DIY Liquid Smoke	1 tsp	Liquid Smoke Wood of Choice	Add to meat recipes, soups, sauces, stews, or marinades

Smoked Paprika

There is a good chance you already have this tasty spice also known as Spanish paprika in your spice cabinet, especially if you’ve cooked many Kitchen Laughter recipes such as these smoked chicken thighs.

Since the spice has a built-in smoke flavor it’s a great way to add that smoky vibe to your dish of choice. The most intense effect will be gained if you can find pimenton de la Vera, but other Spanish smoked paprika will also get the job done well.

Remember that paprika comes with its own flavor profile. Make sure the addition of this subtle spice won’t throw off your dish. You can choose mild, medium, or hot smoked paprika, depending on your preference.

Smoke Infuser

If you already have a smoke infuser gathering dust in the closet, it’s time to put it to good use! A few wood chips, a smoke gun, and a little bit of time and you have smoke-infused food.

Plan to place your food inside a closed container with an opening large enough for the smoke nozzle to fit inside. You can use plastic wrap if necessary. The longer you leave the food sealed up with the smoke, the stronger the smoke flavor. Plan to use the tool for at least 5-6 minutes to get the flavor into your dish.

Chipotle Powder

Another great spice, this one has a lot more heat than paprika but a similar flavor profile. It also has built-in smokiness from the ground chipotle peppers.

Use chipotle powder in your dry rub, soup or stew when you don’t mind the added heat and want the smoke.

Beer

Pick the right beer, and the smoky flavor of the alcohol will carry itself over into the dish as we did in the Guinness Brisket Baked Beans. Porters and stouts such as the Guinness are an excellent choice. You can also purchase smoked beers.

Use beer as part of a marinade or use it as part of a BBQ sauce for your meat.

Smoked Meat

If you can add a little smoked bacon or smoked sausage to your recipe, it can add smoked flavor. The more meat you use, the more smoked flavor you will get. Any smoked meat will work. If you have leftover smoked brisket or other smoked meats don’t let that go to waste. Chop it up or grind it and freeze it to use in future soups like this brisket chili, stews, sauces or dips.

This is a great way to infuse soup, stews, or sauces such as marinara sauce with smokey goodness.

I always seem to have leftovers in the freezer and try to use those as much as possible.

Smoked Salt

If you’ve never tried using smoked salt before, you are in a real treat. The thing is – you don’t want to add too much salt to a recipe, so while it is possible to get a subtle smoke flavor from this ingredient, it is difficult to go bold.

To use smoked salt, try it as a one-for-one replacement for the salt in your recipe.

Canned Chipotle Peppers

Chipotle peppers are smoked, so when they are canned the flavor carries over into the liquid in the can as well. Either the peppers themselves or the adobo sauce in the can may be an excellent substitute for liquid smoke as long as you don’t mind adding a little heat to your dish.

Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon of the adobo liquid in the can in your recipe for smoked flavor without too much heat. If you love heat, adjust the amount accordingly. You can also use the chopped peppers in some recipes. You can see in this grilled chipotle-lime chicken thighs we used both the liquid and the chopped peppers in the quick grill recipe.

Charcoal

Get the piece of charcoal from your grill smoking from either your grill flame or a gas cooktop. Once it is smoking away, place it in a pan with the food you want to get smoky. Cover it with a lid or wrap it up with a cover of some kind to trap the smoke inside. It will be subtle but can be effective.

Plan to use smoking charcoal for at least 20 – 30 minutes to get the flavor into your dish.

Smoked Tea

This form of tea is literally smoked to enhance the flavor and is quite a nice substitute for liquid smoke if you can find it at your local stores.

Smoked tea has a pine-flavored smoke and aroma. Use it in dry rubs, soups, stews, sauces, or marinades to get smoky goodness into your food. For liquid applications such as soups or marinades, you may want to brew tea first and then add it as a liquid.

Lapsang Souchong is my favorite. It has the best balance of smokiness.

Hickory Smoke Powder

Perhaps one of the best liquid smoke substitutes, the hickory smoke powder is used as a seasoning when added to recipes. It’s perfect to add to a soup, a sauce, a marinade, or a dry rub. You can also mix it with salt and pepper and add it as a seasoning as you grill.

This powder should be used very sparingly as it is very strong. Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon in your dry rub and adjust to taste on your second or third usage.

Wood Chips

If you have fire-safe containers, light a few woodchips and cover both your wood chips and the food you want to infuse with smokiness with a large metal bowl.

Plan to use smoking wood chips for at least 20 – 30 minutes to get the flavor into your dish.

DIY Liquid Smoke

When all else fails, make your own liquid smoke and substitute it one-for-one for store-bought in any recipe.

Best Way to Use

The ideal way to use each of these liquid smoke replacements will depend upon your recipe. If you are making a soup, stew, sauce, or marinade you can add a dry replacement like you would seasoning as you build the flavors. You can also add a liquid replacement as the recipe simmers. If you are making a dry rub, add the dry seasoning directly to the rub before putting it on the meat.

Common Brands

There are several manufacturers of liquid smoke, and it is best to keep a bottle on hand for those recipes that need it.

You’ll find Stubbs, Wright’s, Colgin Cellars, and Lazy Kettle are the most common brands out there. Your local grocery store will have them with the spices, or you can order them online.

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