Stovetop smokers are great for people who can't cook outdoors, or who can cook outdoors but don't want to use a larger grill or smoker. Stovetop smokers are great for camping trips because they can be used on campfires or small gas burners. And they are especially good for fish and fowl. You place a small amount of food grade sawdust in the bottom, place a drip pan on top of the sawdust, a rack on top of the drip pan, and the food on the rack. The unit is then closed so only a small amount of smoke can escape. The finished food is extremely moist, flavorful, delicate and complex, and you can control time and temp fairly easily.
There are a few caveats:
1) You need a good exhaust system or your kitchen will fill with smoke and your smoke alarm will drive you nuts
2) It takes practice (but so do almost all other smoke cooking methods)
3) They may not work on some flat top stoves
4) The flavor and texture are significantly different from other smoking methods. Most stovetop smokers use smoldering sawdust in a pretty tightly closed environment. The flavor is a LOT different from logs, wood chips, chunks, or pellets burning and exhaling combustion gasses. The flavor is not bad, it's just different. The texture is also different. Moisture is trapped in the cooking unit, so you get much moister food. This can be good, but if you love the skinlike crust called "bark" you will be disappointed.
Here are some models to consider.
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Camerons Stovetop Smoker. Put two spoonsful of hickory sawdust in Camerons' stainless steel pan, put the drip pan on top of the sawdust, put the non-stick rack on top of that, and put the ribs on the rack. Slide the lid on, turn your exhaust fan on high, turn the burner on high, and in about 30 minutes you have smoked, moist meat. It works! After giving my meat a nice smoky flavor with a Camerons, I like to bake it in the oven a bit longer, sauce it and then broil it to sizzle the sauce. 3" high x 11" wide x 15" long, weighs seven pounds. Dishwasher safe. It can warp under extreme heat. List price is about $55. For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, click here.
Emerilware Cast Iron 4-in-1 Smoker. It is called 4-in-1 because it is a smoker, a stovetop grill, a roaster, and a broiler pan. Made from cast iron and sold with a lifetime warranty, this is an impressive multi-tasker. Included are a stainless steel drip tray and rack. Cast iron has some real advantages: It is will not warp, has great heat retention, and keeps food warm at the table. Comes with an enameled drip tray and rack, a selection of wood chips, and Emeril's "Smokin' Hot!" recipe pack to get you started. As with all cast iron, it needs to be seasoned, and it cannot be washed in the diswasher. It must be dried thoroughly or it will rust. Also, it weighs almost 30 pounds! List price is about $100. For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, click here.
MIA Multi-Function Grill and Roaster. I've never used this nor seen it in action, but it looks interesting. Here is the manufacturer's description: "Works on any stovetop, oven, grill or heat source, indoors or out. It roasts, grills, steams and smokes. It can mix steam and smoke at the same time so your smoked food never dries out. It even cooks and infuses flavor into pasta or rice and makes a great bouillabaisse or soup." For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, click here.
Athena Max Burton Stove Top Smoker. Looks similar to the Camerons, only a bit less expensive. For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, click here.
Chef Reece Williams Indoor Stovetop Smoker. Yet another stainless steel unit modeled after Camerons. Marketed by Bruce Foods, parent company of Cajun Injector, and it is packaged with a Cajun Injector hypodermic system, two Cajun Injector marinades, Cajun Shake Seasoning. For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, click here.
AmazingRibs.com is all about the Zen of Barbecue, cooking ribs, and all kinds of BBQ recipes and techniques: Baby back ribs, spare ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken, turkey, steak, lamb, barbecue sauces, rubs, side dishes, with the net's best buying guide to barbecue smokers and cookers.
About links on this site. The links within the tan areas at the top and right of these pages are paid ads. Within the white, editorial content areas on this site, links and recommendations are absolutely positively not advertisements or paid endorsements. They are products, services, and websites I admire. Your suggestions are always welcome. Click here to send them to me. If you would like me to link to your website, click here to read my links policy first. Most product photographs are provided by the manufacturer, all the rest a made by Meathead.
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If you have a Weber grill, you need the amazing Smokenator. It really works! List is $55, but it's less at Amazon.com.
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Camerons Stovetop Smoker. Put two spoonsful of hickory sawdust in Camerons' stainless steel pan, put the drip pan on top of the sawdust, put the non-stick rack on top of that, and put the ribs on the rack. Slide the lid on, turn your exhaust fan on high, turn the burner on high, and in about 30 minutes you have smoked, moist meat. It works! After giving my meat a nice smoky flavor with a Camerons, I like to bake it in the oven a bit longer, sauce it and then broil it to sizzle the sauce. 3" high x 11" wide x 15" long, weighs seven pounds. Dishwasher safe. It can warp under extreme heat. List price is about $55. For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, 
Emerilware Cast Iron 4-in-1 Smoker. It is called 4-in-1 because it is a smoker, a stovetop grill, a roaster, and a broiler pan. Made from cast iron and sold with a lifetime warranty, this is an impressive multi-tasker. Included are a stainless steel drip tray and rack. Cast iron has some real advantages: It is will not warp, has great heat retention, and keeps food warm at the table. Comes with an enameled drip tray and rack, a selection of wood chips, and Emeril's "Smokin' Hot!" recipe pack to get you started. As with all cast iron, it needs to be seasoned, and it cannot be washed in the diswasher. It must be dried thoroughly or it will rust. Also, it weighs almost 30 pounds! List price is about $100. For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, 
MIA Multi-Function Grill and Roaster. I've never used this nor seen it in action, but it looks interesting. Here is the manufacturer's description: "Works on any stovetop, oven, grill or heat source, indoors or out. It roasts, grills, steams and smokes. It can mix steam and smoke at the same time so your smoked food never dries out. It even cooks and infuses flavor into pasta or rice and makes a great bouillabaisse or soup." For discount pricing and direct ordering from Amazon.com, 
