Smoky flavors belong in some of our favorite foods. They can suggest char, roasting and long cooking even before the first bite. But too much smoke can flatten a dish until everything tastes like it came from the same fire.
Consider the ingredient you are seasoning. Delicate fish may need just a suggestion. A pot of beans or slow-cooked meat can support something deeper. Sweet vegetables can play beautifully against smoke, especially with enough acidity to keep the dish lively.
What we take from it
Wake the Dead uses a roasted, smoky direction that includes coffee and chile. It is a characterful option, not an instruction to season every ingredient heavily. How you use it should change with what you cook and how you plan to serve it.
Good flavor lets the food retain its identity. The potato should still taste like a potato. The chicken should still taste like chicken. Smoke is there to add another dimension, and it does its best work when it knows when to leave room.