Americans love the flavor of cooking over a charcoal barbecue or fire pit. However, it’s time-consuming, and often unpredictable in terms of consistent heat, not to mention the clean up. Luckily, advancements in flavor and process technology make it possible to bring the taste and look of outdoor cooking inside.
Flavor without fire
“Desirable outdoor grill flavors develop when juices from the food drip down onto the hot coals or wood,” says Mark Crass, vice president, sales and marketing, Red Arrow Products Company LLC, Manitowoc, WI. “These drippings then are pyrolyzed by the heat, creating fumes, and are reabsorbed into the food, creating the authentic flavor that consumers crave.
“The flavors we make simulate this process, where we heat oils under controlled conditions and capture the grilled essence back in an oil-based form,” continues Crass. “Some grill flavors are also available in spray-dry and water-soluble liquid form. Depending on the concentration of the grill flavor and the application, usage levels can be from 0.05% to 0.50%. Natural smoke flavors also come in all these forms and can be applied topically or added via a marinade or injection system. Natural smoke condensates are typically applied using a sprayer or atomizer, which allows for a consistent and uniform spray pattern without over spraying.”
Wood-fired grill flavors provide balanced, restaurant-style flavors reminiscent of open-fire grilling over mesquite, hickory, cherry or apple woods. “Ingredient technologies have made great strides over the past years that allow processors to manufacture barbecue products that simulate flavors developed in a traditional smokehouse,” says Stephen Williams, director of R&D, Kraft Food Ingredients, Memphis, TN.
Most grill flavors are versatile enough for any number of manufacturing processes, including breadings and batters, vacuum tumbling, injection, baking, retort, and freezing. By adding these flavors directly to the application, food manufacturers reduce equipment requirements—and capital costs. The flavors also save capital related to time, labor and materials—even yield. “The heat encountered during real outdoor grilling can lead to yield loss,” says Crass.
“We have a range of culinary and cooked flavors for meat, poultry and even fish, including outdoor profiles such as grilled and charred,” says Dwight Grenawalt, vice president and general manager, Summit Hill Flavors, Middlesex, NJ. “For vegetables, you can add toasted, roasted and the outdoor flavors to give the perception that they were barbecued outdoors.”
From stovetop to table
Some home cooks and chefs still want to cook their meat, but on the stovetop or even in the oven. “Ground meat processors can add 0.75% char-grilled hamburger flavor—a dry blend—directly to the raw meat,” says Michael Morrison, consulting chef, Summit Hill Flavors, and owner of Flavor Chefs LLC, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. “Once the burgers are cooked—at home or in foodservice, or even at the manufacturing level for a fully cooked, microwaveable burger—the burgers taste as if they were charbroiled or grilled.
