Stove-top Smoker

Has anyone ever used one of these Stove-top smokers? The CostCo on Clybourn had them for $49.99 and I almost picked one up yesterday, but was a little suspicious of the results. Considering that I live in a high-rise w/ no balcony for a real grill/smoker (there are communal grills on the roof w/ 30 min. limits) is this a feasible alternative to try my hand at smoking?

I received one as a gift a while ago and I have used it successfully for hot smoking fish....salmon, shrimp, scallops etc. I have a WSM so I have never tried meat in there, though I did see Emeril do ribs in one on TV a while back. I would not reccomend it for long term low and slow cooking such as pork butt or brisket because it is limited in its volume. There is limited space for any rendered fat; but you could use it to impart real smoke flavor then switch to another cooking vessel to finish it as a kind of substitute for real Q.

from what i wrote in this thread

dddane wrote:
we have a "stovetop smoker" (Made by cameron's) that ...as the name implies ... goes on the stove. it works quite well, though the heat is a little too direct for certain types of bbq (not that it would fit, but a shoulder taking 12-18 hours would be a bad idea i'd imagine)... you use sawdust chips in it ...

we've made pretty decent ribs with it...

there's a bbq site out there where the guy owns 100 or 200 different smokers and reviews them, and the stovetop smoker is one of his favs for salmon. we're doing salmon in it tomorrow night.

the smoker itself is fairly simple.. you might look at it and figure out how to make one yourself. it's basically a nice sized pan with a lid that slides on so it's pretty much airtight. there's a protruding handle then that you can pick it up with... inside there's a grill that's raised maybe 1/4 off the bottom, under that is where the wood chips go. on top of the grid sits a flat pan that the meat sits on top of.

cameron's also makes one time use smoker bags that are... kinda ehh but get the job done.

btw, one thing I forgot. one of the best things we've made in it is smoked sausages.. smoked bratwurst, smoked italians... really really really good.

Hi,

I was at a rummage sale this evening where a Cameron stovetop smoker was available unused for $7. It still had its original price tag of $49.99 on it. Part of me thought it might be fun to experiment with, though I do have a smoker.

If I had bought it, would it have been a toy or something I would want to use regularly? I suspect I can still get it, if I really think it will be useful.

Regards,

I've made tea smoked duck with one of those before.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I was at a rummage sale this evening where a Cameron stovetop smoker was available unused for $7. It still had its original price tag of $49.99 on it. Part of me thought it might be fun to experiment with, though I do have a smoker.

If I had bought it, would it have been a toy or something I would want to use regularly? I suspect I can still get it, if I really think it will be useful.

Regards,

I'll make you a deal, if you buy it and decide you don't like it I'll gladly give you the $7 you paid for it plus another $3 for your trouble

zoid wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I was at a rummage sale this evening where a Cameron stovetop smoker was available unused for $7. It still had its original price tag of $49.99 on it. Part of me thought it might be fun to experiment with, though I do have a smoker.

If I had bought it, would it have been a toy or something I would want to use regularly? I suspect I can still get it, if I really think it will be useful.

Regards,

I'll make you a deal, if you buy it and decide you don't like it I'll gladly give you the $7 you paid for it plus another $3 for your trouble

I will do my best! Thanks!

Thread bump... based on good reviews in the most recent issue of Fine Cooking (#133), I purchased one of these new Nordic Ware stovetop smokers-- rather than being flat, it has a big dome, so you can fit (for example) a whole chicken.
http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Indoo ... B007ZKUVPC



I made some excellent ribs-- no substantial bark and not super-smoky (although I used the minimum amount of wood chips, erring on the less-smoking side), but very tender. I was surprised by how fast it cooked-- ribs in 90 minutes. I also tried kielbasa, but I ripped the casing and then overcooked it, so it ended up dry... all the fat and juice pooled in the drip pan.

Here it is before I killed it:


Next will be salmon or chicken, and possibly kielbasa again... it's fun being able to smoke indoors, although I'm sure real smokers give better results!

Any suggestions or other interest?
Jen

You need to turn the exhaust fan over the stove to high when using this, right?

kenji wrote:You need to turn the exhaust fan over the stove to high when using this, right?

No, it makes very little smoke. I use low on the hood. I've got a chicken in there right now...

Report back on the taste/flavors when done later.

The chicken was delicious-- very very moist meat, with light smoke flavor. The skin was kind of flobbery and it cooked slowly, so I put it in the oven on convection roast at 400 to crisp up for the last 15 degrees. I'm having fun playing with this new toy.

Thanks for the review. I visited the Amazon site and watched the video. I love gadget videos. Read the Amazon reviews 115 of them with a 4.6 rating.

great comment:

"#4 Filled the house with a lovely winter light smoke scent. Everyone who came over was marveling at how amazing our house smelled. Aroma therapy all the way!"

Pie-love wrote:The chicken was delicious-- very very moist meat, with light smoke flavor. The skin was kind of flobbery and it cooked slowly, so I put it in the oven on convection roast at 400 to crisp up for the last 15 degrees. I'm having fun playing with this new toy.

Hi,

This not-crisp skin happens on an outdoor smoker as well. That's why there are methods for smoke-cooking chicken where they remove the water pan to expose the skin to direct heat. Your method of oven roasting at the end works well.

Regards,

Blowtorch!

http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/how-to ... -blowtorch