Cooking with fire is in our DNA. For millennia of human history, an open flame was the only way to cook food.
Fundamentally changing the foods and ways early humans ate, cooking with fire inspires a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars to form flavour molecules that deliver a unique and delicious taste.
Wood smoke is made up of many aromatic and flavourful chemicals including sweet vanillin, bacon-y guaiacol, spicy clove Eugenol and whiskey-like syringol.
Cooking with fire:
Transformed food’s structures and flavours
Unlocked new sources of energy
Preserved food for times of scarcity
Over the centuries, inherited techniques became inherent traditions.
As such, the elemental experiences and aromas of fired foods are intertwined with the fabric of our senses.
Smoke and grill today
Today, innate consumer desires for authentic and satisfying smoke and grill experiences have been reignited.
Cooking over an open flame continues to be one of the most prevalent food preparation methods. Around 3 billion people worldwide cook over fire as a necessity and 75% of US adults own a grill or smoker.
Consumers are exploring and experimenting with the nuances of fire like never before, including the:
Types of wood burned
Lightest in flavour to heaviest in flavour:
Types of wood burned
Types of fuel burned
Common fuels for wood-fired cooking include:
Solid fuels such as logs, wood chunks, wood pellets, corn husks, rice husks, coconut shells, lump coal and charcoal briquettes
Liquid fuels including kerosene, propane, natural gas and liquefied petroleum
Types of fuel burned
Cooking techniques
Cooking techniques include rotisserie, direct, indirect, low and slow, hot and fast and placing food right on embers.
Cooking techniques
Cooking equipment
Offset smokers
Box smokers
Vertical water smokers
Drum smokers
Electric smoker ovens
Vessel grill (tandoor, kamado, ceramic)
Pellet grills
Open grill (parilla, mangal, saté, flat top)
Kettle grill
Rotisserie grill
Open pit
Campfire style
Cooking equipment
Each element brings unique taste tonalities, resulting in a harmony of flavours to savour.
Across the world, smoke and grill experiences bring people together over craveable, regionally nuanced cuisine. This trend towards tradition is taking root globally:
3 Trends to try in Latin America
Jerk, a spicy, warm and sweet seasoning marinade or glaze usually on chicken grilled and charred over pimento wood
Asado, beef that is slow cooked next to smouldering fires and typically served served with chimichurri or salsa criolla
Churrasco, a skewered and rotisserie fire-roasted meat known for its juicy, seared and smoky sliced edges
Latin America preferences
3 Trends to try in Europe and Russia
Khorovats, an Armenian barbecue method for lightly seasoned pork ribs or chops grilled over a mangal
Sashlik, in which lamb, beef or pork are marinated and skewered then grilled in chunks over an open fire
Spiessbraten, a spit-cooking method that calls for the meat to be continuously kissed by flames, creating crispy flame-charred edges
Europe and Russia preferences
3 Trends to Try in Asia and the South Pacific
Tandoori, in which foods are marinated then cooked in an open-top clay oven filled with wood and charcoal
Satay, a popular preparation method for street markets due to the use of easy to handle skewers and flavourful marinades and sauces
Char Sui, which is an open-fire roasting method for pork in a sugary marinade
Asia and South Pacific preferences
3 Trends to try in the Middle East and Africa
Braii, a South African style of cooking assorted meats over searing hot charcoals
Mechoui, which is a popular North African technique for spit-roasting lamb over wood coals
Zarb, in which food is placed on metal racks, lowered into a coal-filled pit then steamed to perfection
Middle East and Africa preferences
3 Trends to Try in North America
Kansas City Style, which is known for its sweet molasses, chili and tomato based sauces on meat
Carolina Style, which is a preparation method for whole hogs cooked over charcoal and hickory or oak logs
Texas Style, which uses offset smokers to cook meat simply seasoned with salt and pepper
North America preferences
The challenge to deliver on these demands for authentic fireside tastes at scale across an ever-increasing variety of applications is now in the hands of industrial manufacturers.
Crafting the future of barbecue
As people continue to rediscover the simplicity, deliciousness and elemental appeal of fire and smoke, barbecue is fast becoming one of the world’s favourite flavourings. Barbecue continues to evolve and global flavour trends are making their way into a wide variety of applications:
Snack seasonings
Plant-based food
Meat marinades
Sauces
According to Innova Market Insights, the top 10 trendiest callouts in barbecue foods globally in the past 5 years are:
Smoked
Chili
Honey
Bacon
Garlic
Chipotle
Sweet
Hickory
Korean
Paprika
Kerry Red Arrow takes a safe and thoughtful approach to manufacturing smoke flavourings that deliver the authentic taste of cooking with fire. To create a more sustainable product we:
Use raw materials from sustainably managed forestry sources and ensure byproducts are re-used, such as by charcoal briquette manufacturers
Create product and application consistency, reducing waste and energy usage
Remove unhealthy ingredients during the manufacturing process such as tars and particulates
With consumers prioritising sustainability, our proprietary smoke flavours made from heat, wood and water offer a comprehensive solution for companies seeking to answer the demand for authentic barbecue products better for people and the planet.
Kerry Red Arrow™ is the world's most trusted supplier of barbecue flavour solutions.
Our expansive smoke and grill toolbox, developed from years of experience allows our expert team of flavour scientists, market researchers and award-winning barbecue chefs to craft a market-leading range of custom flavour profiles.
