Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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.