Thinking back to a 'King of the Hill' episode where the family hides wood fuelled barbecues from the propane salesman, I asked myself why propane can't give the same flavour.

Take the desired wood/herbs, gassify them, compress the volatiles and inject the gases into the gas bottle.

...mmmm, that smokey nuance.
-- wjt, Oct 28 2016

Nice idea, but I suspect that:

(a) The flavour molecules would be big enough to condense out as an oily residue in the gas cylinder (or partition into the liquified gas, not emerging with the gas) and

(b) They would be destroyed in the heat of the flame (in a wood barbecue, some of the wood is hot enough to release flavour compounds, but cool enough not to destroy them).
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 28 2016


The flavour molecules are partially pyrolysed volatiles from the wood, and from stuff that drips on the wood. Really pure charcoal imparts very little flavour.

Probably correct about the fractional solubility in propane ... in effect, it will be fractional distillation at ambient temperture, as the most volatile fraction boils off first.

For this to work it would be necessary to introduce the flavour into the airstream some way above the flame.
-- 8th of 7, Oct 28 2016


Surely it would be better for the barbecue to inject artificial smoke-flavour liquid directly into the meat with syringes?
-- hippo, Oct 28 2016


Before, during, or after the visit to the abbatoir ?
-- 8th of 7, Oct 28 2016


So a non combustible, light and tasty number made in the laboratory. Oh well.
-- wjt, Oct 29 2016



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