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I love barbecue, despite the fact that I'm not much of an outdoor griller, so I loved the idea of stovetop smoking! The idea of getting smoky barbecued food without the hassle of managing a grill outside was irresistible. I was seriously doubtful that an indoor smoker could possibly work very well, but I am now a true believer. This thing was amazing -worth every penny!
It's important to line the drip pan with foil (in the picture, it's the round pan without holes). It makes cleanup a breeze. I also did something that I don't recommend -once, I lined the bottom of the smoker itself with foil. It worked fine the first time, then the next time 'melted' in the pot and took away some of the finish.
My experiences smoking a few times on my electric stove:
Baby back ribs (part 1) I used about 3 tablespoons of hickory chips. The ribs came out almost TOO smoky. They were delicious though -tender, juicy, and infused with hickory flavor. Next time I'll use fewer chips. Maybe the extra smokiness was due to the fact that I ended up smoking them for more like 2.5 hours rather than the 1.5 hours the recipe called for, because initially I had a lot of trouble getting the smoker up to the required 200°F. I'd love to know what other peoples' experiences were in getting to the required temp. I ended up having to set my burner to 7 (of 10) to get it up to the right temp, then a setting of 4 was able to maintain the temperature after that. (Cleanup note: Afterward, I noticed some smoke staining around the burning element, which wouldn't come off with normal cleaner. I ended up using Bon Ami and Barkeeper's Friend to do the job.)
Baby back ribs (part 2) Used fewer smoking chips and this time it came out just right.
Bacon This was the primary reason that I wanted a smoker; I wanted to make my own homemade bacon. Came out REALLY well and was pleased with the results. Now I have 5 pounds of awesome homemade bacon in my freezer.
Garlic cloves Very easy to smoke small items like garlic cloves with no special preparation to the equipment necessary. Used the smoked garlic to make the "World's Best Garlic Bread" from Smokin': Recipes for Smoking Ribs, Salmon, Chicken, Mozzarella, and More with Your Stovetop Smoker
All of the above required the dry smoking method, which calls for the smoker's vent to be completely closed. I had my exhaust fan on full blast the first time, but after that I didn't even turn it on. There was barely any smoke that escaped, and even when I lifted the lid to baste the ribs with barbecue sauce, there wasn't much smoke, which was great, considering that the food itself was still plenty smoky. And yes, my house did smell like an awesome BBQ joint for about a day :D, but no more than that.
The food tray (in the picture, the pan with holes in it) can be easily lifted with a fork using the 3 slits in the tray. You shouldn't ever need to lift it when the smoker is going or when there's food on it -but if for some reason you do, two forks in two of the slits should do the trick. Otherwise, I only lift it (with one fork) when I put in the initial wood chips, then at the end, after the food's been removed -it's light and a total breeze to remove.
One negative is that I haven't been able to find stovetop smoking chips in local brick and mortars. The smoking chips sold at Lowe's and the like are the whole kind, not the ground kind, which is what the stovetop smoker needs. I buy the Cameron ones on Amazon.
The inside of the smoker and the bottom of the drip pan *will* darken, but that's to be expected when you're smoking foods. It doesn't affect the flavor of the food at all, and I never bother scrubbing it out. I just empty it of the ashes, then give it a quick rinse and let it air dry.
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I was unsure about this product. How can I truly get quality smoked food without using an outdoor hunkin large smoker with lots of wood chips???#1 Pay attention to the amount of wood chips it suggests putting in. I doubled it and my husbands steak was too smoked in his opinion. Our fish however was super smoked but I loved it! Also, cooking suggested times were quite accurate.
#2 very nice smoke control. I had envisioned the entire kitchen a smokey fog...NOT the case. As much smoke as a rice steamer would produce steam. Didn't cause a smokey environment at all.
#3 Loved the adjustable vent it has. Other smokers don't have this feature.
#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!
#5 Cleans up great! Except for the very bottom part which is the base which doesnt matter anyhow. The inside pieces cleaned fast and easy even though lots of muck stuck on. Appeared initially like I would have to soak overnight but it came right off as soon as I attempted to clean. Truly non-stick.
#6 MY ONLY COMPLAINT: Challenging to lift off top when ready to remove food. There is no handle attached. Nordicware please fix. A beautiful product and a complete asset to our kitchen but what a disappointment with the lid.
This product still gets 100% satisfaction from me. Excellent, despite the lid.
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My daughter gave me this for Christmas one year, or was it fathers day, I don't remember. We have used and abused this little gem. From chicken to turkey to ribs to ham to shrimp and salmon etc. It is amazing how efficient they have engineered this little pot. I agree that you need to be careful and not overdue because it only takes a few chips to smoke something. First time we tried it we over smoked it and our breath smelled like a campfire for two days !Honest reviews on Nordic Ware 36550 Stovetop Kettle Smoker
OK, so this was one of those products I bought for my husband as a gift, thinking he'd use it a couple of times, it would turn out to be a hassle, and it would end up in the laundry room closet like most of our other small kitchen appliances.Turns out, we probably use this smoker once a week. We make smoked fish, pork loin, and chicken. I've ordered all the different flavored wood chips from Cameron, and we've had a lot of fun experimenting with different combinations of meat and chips.
The smoker is very easy to use, and more importantly easy to clean up. You put some chips in the bottom of the kettle, and the meat sits on a grate above it. It's a very low-fat, low calorie, low salt way to cook because you don't use any oil or soak the meat in any oily or sugary marinades. The wood chips provide all the flavor you need. When you're done, you can easily hand wash the kettle, as there aren't any crusty, baked-on bits that need to be scrubbed, and you don't end up with a lot of oil or fat in the bottom.
The great added bonus here is that it has a kind of "manly" aura about it, so your husband will likely want to do more of the cooking. We've bought several of these as gifts, too, and everyone has raved about how much they ended up using it. Highly recommended purchase.
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This is a great concept, but... Though there is a single line in the instructions, saying read your stove's owner's manual if you have a smooth (ceramic) top stove, it doesn't say what you would be looking for. When I considered the square Cameron smoker, there was mention of a problem with ceramic (smooth) top stoves when the size of the pan was much greater than the burner. I placed the Nordic Ware smoker on the largest burner and only had about a one inch overlap. My concern was (is) heating a bare pan on the stove. Since the drip/water pan is on shallow legs, to allow for the wood chips to be underneath and be able to char and smoke, the bottom of the pan is effectively bare (dry). I put water in the drip/water pan, but of course that still leaves the bottom dry. After several minutes at medium heat, the smoke had started and then, BOOM! The ceramic top cracked clean across the stove top. Replacement cost will be $400!. Later I placed the smoker on a hot plate to cook a hamburger. This hot plate is only about a 6 inch coil burner. It worked, kind of. Never got above 160 degrees, though after an hour the burger got to 170 degrees, but never seemed "finished." Am going to look for a larger hot plate, with higher wattage and hope for a decent setup.
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