I used to love to smoke.

Ah, let me clarify that… I used to love to smoke meat. As in wood chips and that deep, rich smoky barbecue flavor. It’s such a healthy way to infuse flavor without adding calories.

I don’t want to bore you with my personal issues, but a few years back my doctor said I couldn’t use my smoker anymore because of allergy and sinus issues. Ever since, I’ve been searching for way to replicate the flavor in my oven or on my stovetop.

There are several dozen ways (or more) to “smoke” food on the grill. But in the oven or on the stovetop, it’s entirely different.

I wanted a product or gadget that didn’t leave my house smelling like I used hickory air fresheners. I’ve come to believe this isn’t possible because:

1. The really good gadgets use real woodchips that are going to smell like, well, real burning wood.
2. Unless you have a professional ventilation system in your kitchen, there is no way to completely get rid of the smell.

So, having given you fair warning, here are a few suggestions to make your Labor Day barbecue a little smokier:

Camerons Original Stovetop Smoker
I first saw this at the Housewares Show, and I really like how easy it is to use. The wood chips go in the bottom of the stainless steel smoker, under the drip pan and meat rack. The lid slides closed. Recipes are included, along with the woodchips. It comes in a mini-version as well. About $55.

 

Emerilware 5-in-1 Smoker
This stovetop smoker gives you a lot of bang for your buck because it can be used to smoke, roast, broil, deep fry and grill. It comes with samples of 4 different wood flavors and a recipe booklet. The downside is that it weighs 25 lbs. About $70.

The Smoking Gun
This is hand-held, battery operated food smoker is by far the coolest to use. After cooking the food anyway you desire, place it in a closed container. Stick the gun’s rubber tube into the container and fire away! The gun infuses the food with smoky flavor. The fun part of this is that you can smoke anything: crème brulee, cheese, butter. The Smoking Gun comes with 2 small jars of smoking sawdust. About $99.

I’ll admit that the flavor is always better with a real smoker, but with these gizmos, you can get your “smoke” fix year round… even indoors!

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