Stove Top Smokers
I'm not sure this is the only or best place for this query, but here goes. I used to have a small smoker that I used to do smoke various things. That was long ago, but I sure miss it. I live in an urban setting now in an apt. building. So I've begun giving some thought to purchasing a stove-top smoker. I wonder if any here have used these and what your experiences are.
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Just thought I'd chime in here - not sure if anyone else will read it.
I got the cameron recently and it is awesome! I put a thermometer in there and was able to maintain a 200 degree temperature after the wood "chips" were smoking and very little if any smoke gets out. So far I've smoked Ribs, lobster tails and a fliet Tip. Ribs were on there for four hours (5 lbs) and were phenomenal.
Zero complaints so far.
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re: MikeB3542
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re: Chemicalkinetics
MikeB3542
May 10, 2010 08:42 AM
Besides being a mult-tasker (can be used as a grill and roasting pan, too), it is very large, very ferrous, and very heavy. Some actually find this combination of attributes appealing :-)
Just curious, really. Saw at Bed Bath and Beyond, and decided it was way too expensive (north of $100) and no place to store, for now at least.
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re: MikeB3542
I have the Emeril smoker that I found for a really low price on a clearance table, and I really like it. I use this smoker for fish and occasionally some vegetables. For my fish, this works really well. We do have an outside smoker for large pieces of meat.
The cast iron allows me to control the heat. I don't have a vent, but my house isn't sealed that tight. One load of fish only needs 1 tbl of wood chips, so the amount of smoke is very manageable.
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I've had a real smoker, and currently only have a stove top smoker. Frankly, these are apples and oranges -- they are just not the same.
In my old smoker, I used to be able to smoke briskets, ribs, chicken, etc. for hours on a low temperature of 200 to 220 degrees. This would allow the meat to tenderize and develop a traditional barbecue flavor.
The stove top smoker is a whole different deal. I have a Cameron, and although it can do a fine enough job on salmon or baby backs, it would be an incinerator rather than a smoker if you left the thing cooking for more than ninety minutes on low. That is because the temperature gets much higher inside the stovetop smoker, up to 400 degrees. You need to cook in a much shorter time, or you will overcook the food before any smoke provides benefits. That is not enough time to tenderize or truly smoke anything other than quick cooking food. I just made baby backs yesterday, which are naturally more tender than regular pork ribs, and while they had a decent flavor, I finished them on the grill to get the texture a bit better (they tend to steam in the sealer smoker), and in no way could I compare the result favorably with real smoked ribs. In fact, I would never choose a baby back rib for a real smoker -- no need.
The inside of the thing gets very discolored, except for the drip pan, so you need to be prepared for that.
I'd try it just to get a slight smoked flavor, but keep in mind that the temperature in there gets up to 300-400 degrees, so it is not going to allow you to cook anything that requires a long and slow smoke.
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re: RGC1982
Chemicalkinetics
May 6, 2010 09:01 PM
I have the Nordic smoker. It looks like the top of a regular smoker.
http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Ess...
I don't understand why you cannot turn on the heat at a lower temperature and mimic the 200-220oC.
I do regret buying it through because I don't have good ventilation system at home, so my apartment smells like BBQ for days after I use it, not to mention the potential health concern of filling the apartment with smoke.
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re: Chemicalkinetics
I've tried it, and I've also put a thermometer in there to check. It gets too hot no matter how low you set the burners. I have a bridge burner on my smooth top, so I can get pretty consistent heat when needed. Setting it low still results in a pretty hot box. In order to prevent your kitchen and house from smelling like you had a fire, you need to keep the thing closed tightly. This creates steam and it gets hot. As a smoker, yes, it works to some degree, but it is the sickly cousin of a real smoker. As I said, I've had both, and they are definitely not the same thing.
If you don't have or can't have a real smoker, and still want to try to get a little bit of smoke flavor into your relatively quick-cooking food, I recommend the stove top for those willing to try. But trust me on this (and I live in Texas) -- it is NOT a real smoker. You would get laughed at for trying around here :)
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re: RGC1982
Chemicalkinetics
May 8, 2010 06:37 PM
RGC,
See, this is what I am thinking. The stovetop you used is very flat and thin one. When you heated the wood hot enough to smoke, you would have already heated the pan. When you tuned the heat all the way down to avoid direct heating your meat, then it is too cool to do anything. However, I think the Nordic stovetop smoker is tall enough that one can heat the wood chip hot enough to smoke without direct heating the meat.
http://www.amazon.com/NordicWare-Kett...
What do you think? I think that is the problem with most stovetop smokers. Most stovetop smokers cannot avoid direct heating because of the short distance between the heat source and the meat. My past problem with the Nordic smoker is that I have problem getting it hot enough and have control. I ended up checking on the temperature every 20 minutes. I usually cooked a pork butts (shoulders) and they took too long, like hours and hours - like 4-6 hours.
No, I cannot have a real smoker because I live in an apartment. It is very sad, but I don't want your pity.
I am not worry about getting laughed at since I get laughed at all the time. I am more worried about getting beat up for trying strange barbecue in Texas. :)
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re: Chemicalkinetics
I don't think the cooktop has anything to do with it. Recently, I have taken to using it on my gas grill with all three burners to play with, just to keep the smoke out of the house. Even if I leave the grill lid up and keep it on low flames, or shut the middle burner, it still gets too hot in the box. I think it may be the design of the box. The only way around it is to keep it open a bit, which is not what the instructions say, but it probably more closely resembles the way a real smoker uses a flue.
BTW -- I'd put my cooktop up against a gas range any day. I was initially disappointed that my house only had electric service in the kitchen, and I was truly a gas range snob. But the even heating and the ease and ability to keep the burners on very low, which is not possible with most gas burners, since there is a danger of the flame blowing out, beats gas any day. The only gas burners I have seen that can really simmer are in very expensive gas cooktops, and if you are going to get a gas cooktop, get one of those. To tell you the truth, after seven years of this -- I'd probably choose this type of cooktop, plus an induction burner or two, again. Don't go dissing my cooktop :)
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re: RGC1982
Chemicalkinetics
May 9, 2010 09:19 PM
RGC,
:) Not dissing your cooktop. You are probably the few people I know who said good thing about an (non-induction) electric stovetop. Yes, an electric stovetop can give out very consistent low heating power.By the way, when I wrote "The stovetop you used is very flat and thin one", I were really refering the stovetop smoker, not the stovetop. Afterall I don't know your stovetop, but I do know your smoker because you wrote it is a Cameron:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I...
I meant your smoker is very thin, so there is a very short distance between the heating surface (bottom of the smoker) to the meat. If you put enough thermal heat to make the wood smoke, then you are directly heating your food. Now, imagine if your stovetop smoker is more like 3 feet tall stockpot like, then I think you can smoke the wood without directly heating the meat.
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re: Chemicalkinetics
Ah, now I see what you were getting at. I do think the problem is a lack of a flue. If you look at any decent smoker, there is a place for heat and smoke to dissipate, and you can't do that with a Cameron in the house. The residual smell would be awful.
Actually, this thing is built more like a Caja China than a smoker, when you really look at it, except you don't bury it :)
I'll work on it outside a bit more, because I can keep the lid cracked open out there, but then it really isn't a "stovetop" smoker any more.
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re: RGC1982
Chemicalkinetics
May 13, 2010 08:35 AM
Why can't you put soil and dirt on it? I bet you can.
It sounds like you have a garden. What I would do is to get ~10 pounds of soil from your garden and bring it in the house and throw the soil on top of your Cameron which will sit on your stove top. It will be fun.
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How about using a disposable aluminum roasting pan or the alike to create a makeshift smoker and see how well it goes first?
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re: cutipie721
Zeldog
May 6, 2010 06:36 PM
You can't use a disposable roasting pan on a burner. The bottom will melt in no time at all. And if you don't have a vent hood you really need to do this outdoors.
There are some other threads describing different home-made smoking rigs, but the basic design for many involve an electric hot plate, a small pan to contain the wood chips or sawdust, and a enclosure that holds the hot plate, wood chips, and a rack to hold what you're smoking, plus a lid. This is similar to what I use, and it actually cost a bit less than advertised, mainly because I left out or already had some of the bells and whistles.
http://www.naffziger.net/blog/2008/07...
But you could reproduce a stovetop smoker with a baking pan and a cooling rack that fits inside. You can cover it with aluminum foil (not too tight). The hardest part will be finding a rack that fits inside the pan. One of the standard rack sizes is 8x10 inches, which should do, but you may need to find a restaurant supply store or buy one online.
Oh, I forgot. You'll need an extension cord and a back yard.
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re: cutipie721
Zeldog
May 10, 2010 09:28 PM
There's a difference between a real aluminum pan and a thick piece of aluminum foil, which is what those disposable pans are. You could put a disposable pan over a burner if you have liquid or something substantial in it to absorb the heat. But if you want the inside of the disposable pan to get hot enough to smoke wood chips, there is a serious risk of melting. If you want to do a simple experiment, put a piece of aluminum foil over a burner at high heat and see what happens.
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Thanks all. I have no ventilation, just an open window and back door. I'm almost wondering whether a stock pot with steamer insert and well fitting lid might do just as well if I open everything and turn on some fans.
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Great thread. I've been really debating the stove top smoker for a while. I also live in an urban high rise setting so I have been worried about the ventilation as well. It's good to hear that people haven't found it to be such a problem! How big is the Cameron smoker?
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re: Beckyleach
Ok. Solved the "lazy ass" problem by going to Amazon: I underestimated a bit. It's 15"x11":
http://www.amazon.com/Cameron-Cookwar...
Golly gee! My $4 Goodwill version--new in box--was a "smokin' deal"!
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I've had a Cameron stove-top smoker for years and use it a lot. I have the standard size, but they also make a small one. (They don't release a terrible amount of smoke, so there were no problems with the smoke detector going off, even when I had a really crappy exhaust fan.)
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Fuller
Mar 29, 2010 06:44 AM
If you have a VERY GOOD vent hood (vents to the outside, not just an air circulator), you can consider it. If you have a lower quality hood or no hood at all you're asking for it: setting off smoke alarms, stink up the place (including the depths of your closets, etc.). Bad venting = don't even try it.
