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salt smoking over fire, traditional salt making process

Traditional salt making: fire smoke on a hot pan with salt in a bamboo basket.

Smoked salt on your Traeger Grill (or whichever smoker you have) is an easy Traeger recipe for something that you can make a lot of and store indefinitely.

Since flavoured and smoked salts are not generally used on a daily basis, a small amount of effort is needed.

Not only will smoked salt enhance the flavours of your other ingredients, but it will also impart its smoky flavour in a very natural way. If you cook with liquid smoke, try switching to smoked salts for a more organic taste.

Small mason jars filled with smoked (and herbed) salts with pretty labels makes for an excellent DIY food gift as well.

Traditional smoked salts are hung and smoked over smouldering wood fires for as long as two weeks, but you can actually do it much quicker at home. I own a Traeger so I write Traeger recipes specifically to avoid confusion, but this “recipe” (or guide?) is really going to be transferable to whatever pellet or other smoker system.

You can take this guide a step further and make herbed smoked sea salt which I mention briefly in my 7 Ways to Preserve Fresh Herbs guide, but I will get into that in greater detail another time.

Why Smoke Salt?

I find that smoked salt adds an interesting and subtle smoke flavour that perfectly enhances vegetable-based recipes without being overwhelming.

Try roasting vegetables and adding smoked salt, it’s incredible.

But smoked salt is also very useful in meat-based dishes. For example, I make a fairly traditional Mexican carnitas recipe that I’m always tweaking and obsessing over. My latest addition to it was hickory smoked salt and I’m pretty sure it’s close to perfection now.

Same goes for beef and lamb stews, almost any chicken recipe, and even chili con carne.

What Wood Should You Use?

I’m partial to Hickory smoked salt and Alderwood, but because this is a pantry staple that basically never spoils, you can also make numerous batches with multiple types of wood pellets.

One idea is to add a small pan of salt alongside other food you’re preparing on your Traeger when there’s room to spare. This way you’re multitasking and not wasting space on the grill.

Stored in labelled mason jars, you can pick and choose from your different salts.

Buy Traeger 100% hardwood pellets (no additives) here:

Traeger Grills PEL331 Signature Blend 100% All-Natural Hardwood Pellets – Grill, Smoke, Bake, Roast, Braise, and BBQ (20 lb. Bag)

I love my Traeger Grill. Learn more about them, read reviews, and compare prices amongst different models here:

What Can You Eat With Smoked Sea Salt?

Roast sweet root vegetables like carrots, add dark maple syrup and smoked salts
Serve in small containers alongside steak or pork
Butternut Squash Soup
Grilled Vegetable Soup
Country Peasant Pork Pate
Stinging Nettle Soup
Mediterranean Grilled Octopus
Add a bit of smoked salt to Beet Kvass even, why not?

What Types Of Salt Make The Best Smoked Salt?

Everything except for iodized table salt. Do not use it!

Instead try these salts:

Himalayan Pink Salt
Celtic Sea Salt
Kosher Salt
Maldon Salt
Jacobsen Salt
Black Hawaiian Salt

Does Smoked Sea Salt Go Bad?

No, salt does not go bad. It might clump from moisture, and the smoke flavour might diminish with time, but it will never spoil.

Keep your smoked salt in tightly sealed mason jars to prevent the lovely smoke scent from dissipating, although that likely would not happen for a long, long time regardless.

Have you ever made smoked salt before? Let me know what you think in the comments!