A musky bar where shady deals are made under clouds of cigar smoke and over plates of medium-rare sirloin.

Cold smoking versus hot smoking: what’s the difference? In cold smoking, the purpose is to flavor a food with smoke. The heat ranges from around 90 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. The burning wood is held in another chamber and the smoke is pumped in to where evaporated sea salt basks in the smoldering aroma. A hot smoke means the food is getting cooked and flavored simultaneously. The food sits in the same chamber with the burning wood and temperatures range between 165 and 185 Fahrenheit.

Hot smoking salt causes it to cook and become brittle, and the flavor to become metallic and bitter (like putting on an old penny on your tongue). Our smoked salt is carefully cold-smoked to ensure that the salt retains its textural pop when you bite into it while ensuring smoke seeps into every crystalline crevice. This Alderwood smoked sea salt was smoked low and slow, like a barbecued brisket done right. You can see it in the tea-colored crystals and smell it in the aroma.