Secret Ingredient: Applewood Smoked Salt

Some ingredients kick a little more ass than others, and the more of them you know how to use, the better your food will taste.  One of these ingredients is applewood smoked salt.

When you open a bag or jar of applewood smoked salt, the first thing you notice is that it smells like bacon.  I don't know the details of how they smoke it, but it has a similar effect as smoking meats.  The taste transfers to whatever you put it on, and the smoke taste is rich and deep, with none of the artificial hints that something like liquid smoke has.

I use mostly it on meats, but it also goes well with roasted tomatoes or eggplant, and lets you add a smoked/BBQ to even vegetarian dishes.  If you cook at all, once you smell it, you will buy it.

You can get this at Harvest Coop in Central Square, and at Christina's in Inman.  Harvest has better prices and better hours and is right by the T, so I always get it there.