Best grill smoker boxes according to redditors

I would recommend that you buy the Cameron's Stovetop Smoker and use it to make your own smoked tofu (and your own smoked mushrooms, and smoked tempeh, and smoked jackfruit...)

So by fermenting the sauce, you encourage lactic acid bacteria like Lactobacillus to give the sauce a distinctive sour taste. It's the same process that takes place with sauerkraut and kimchi. The bacteria that do the work are halophilic, which means they are salt tolerant. Lots of molds and bad bacteria can't tolerate salt. So by salting the raw sauce, you encourage the good microorganisms, and discourage the bad ones.

If you look at the nutrition labels of fermented chile sauces, most won't include vinegar. (They might add citric acid as a preservative.) So the lowdown is you don't need to add vinegar. Just like sourdough, it's going to get sour on its own. Actually, starting with vinegar will slightly inhibit the fermentation process.

This fermentation process is used in countless forms around the world to preserve vegetable products. So, provided the mixture is salted, it won't go bad if you keep fermenting it for longer than a week. People store fermented sauce in jars in a cool place all winter long, and it just keeps getting sourer and sourer. You can ferment your sauces until they achieve a piquancy you find acceptable, then boil and bottle. You should get some pH test strips at a pharmacy or department store; you need to have a pH of 4.6 or lower to prevent risk of botulism.

As far as exotic sauces, well, you can do a Caribbean style sauce with carrots onions, garlic and habaneros/scotch bonnets. Or you might make a sriracha style sauce, but add smoked onions and/or garlic. I recommend a stovetop smoker.

Full disclosure: this was my first time smoking anything so I offer absolutely zero experience.This is the smoker I used. I basically followed the instruction manual and decided to smoke the tofu for about 45 minutes. Smoke time was just a guess - varying sources online called for 5 minutes to 2 and half hours. I was paranoid about over-smoking the tofu which is why I decided on the 45 minutes route and to use half of the amount of wood chips called for.

Step by step: I don't have an exhaust fan in my kitchen and I wasn't sure how smokey the room would get so I used the smoker on top of my gas grill. Instructions called for high heat and to keep the grill lid open.

• I added about a tablespoon of wood chips to the base pan.
  
  
• Placed full tofu block on the rack (this was marinated overnight).
  
  
• Waited for the chips to start smoking, once they did I closed the lid and started my timer.
  
  
  That was basically it. I noticed that it had browned a bit and it smelled delicious so I was happy to move on with my next steps. Next time I might increase the smoke time by about 15 more minutes. From what I can tell, the smoker firmed up the texture of the tofu just a bit and it had a nice subtle smoke flavor.
  

What's your home ventilation like? Depending on that you have a couple of options:

• Wok smoking - use a foil-lined wok with a wire rack and tight-fitting lid.
  
  
• A stovetop smoker - same principle as the above, but a dedicated pan you can buy for the purpose. Looks to have a larger area for smoking than a wok would provide.
  
  
• Dhungar technique - you light a lump of charcoal and leave it in your covered pan for like 30 seconds.
  
  If your kitchen is poorly ventilated, then I'd recommend using a smoky ingredient (liquid smoke, smoked paprika, smoked cheese, etc.) instead.

As a fan of and dabbler in classic charcuterie, you can definitely make your own bacon, though I'm not sure of taking store bought bacon and curing it yourself. the main things you need are approximately,1/2 tsp prague powder #1(or pink curing salt), 1/8th cup kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1/8th cup brown sugar for each pound of pork belly. Once you've made it a few times you can adjust seasonings, add different things like paprika, red pepper flakes or any number of other seasoning. the prague powder is what gives it the pink-ish color and the salt and sugar help cure it. you can also use different kinds of sugars when you are comfortable.


take the thick rind off of the pork belly and rub the curing mix all over it, put it in a ziplock bag in the fridge for 5-7 days, flipping every day. liquid will release and essentially turn it into a brine. this is good. after curing, take it out of the bag and rinse off all the extra salt and pat it dry, then put it back in the fridge uncovered on a baking rack for 6-12 hours. then smoke it at about 175 for about 3 hours or until internal temp of 150 in whatever smoking device you have access to. Before I got my bbq pit with a smokebox I started off with something similar to this. After smoking let it cool to room temp, then wrap it in plastic wrap and then cool it overnight. slice, fry, and enjoy.

What I normally do when I make it is after the final cooling stage I'll slice it all up and put on parchment paper and freeze it. Depending on what all they've done to your uncured bacon you might be able to do cure it like this but I've never done that so I don't know what would happen.


*edit* also instead of relying on some random person on reddit you can always look up a few recipes and go from there.

Nope, not at all!

http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D

It's nothing like the fancy stuff you guys are used to, but it gets the job done.

My wife got me one for Christmas, and I've used it for smoking a few times so far. I've used it so far on fresh tomatoes (for making Bloody Mary mix), salmon, chicken, and pork chops. A little teaspoon of the wood chips (they go a long way...) produces a lot of smoke.

It definitely works well for smoking delicate meats (and now I'm going to try it on cocktails!). Putting smoke into pans covered with foil / plastic wrap, and into ziplocs, the smoke will leak into the room, so be aware of that. Also, I've found for some things that 2 or 3 applications of smoke may be needed.

I am looking forward to experimenting with teas and dried herbs (Earl Grey-smoked pork?) - but don't think coffee would work in it.

Will this work on anything large you want to smoke? Probably not. But something like ribs, with maybe several applications over several hours? Maybe.

You might also look into a stove-top smoker. It will cook and smoke, but also something you want to use with a window open...

FWIW, I live in a small apartment and smoke my own bacon and other things all the time. I've got one of these stovetop smokers and it imparts a great deal of smoke to the meat without actually producing much smoke at all. Your place will smell a little but it is no worse than regular cooking and really, there are worse things than having your place smell like bacon for a couple hours!

I'd have to agree with the pit master... Albeit, I am biased as an amateur BBQ enthusiast. I'm not saying oven brisket can't be good, but it is an apple to oranges comparison. The cooking process is very different without smoke exposure. I feel like liquid smoke is a poor means of replicating the flavor. It can be done right but easily overdone. What kind of space are you working with? There are small vertical smokers. Do you have any room for a small grill? [This] (https://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Stainless-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/B00004SZ9D) seems like more trouble than it's worth but may be an option if you have good ventilation.

I live in an apartment as well and I've been using one of these to smoke. It's not true smoking, but it actually does get a good smoke flavor into your food. If you're not able to use the parking lot, a Cameron's smoker is a great hold-over. I've made sausage, pasta sauce, burgers, chicken, pork, salmon, turkey legs, and even venison with it. The food tastes great and it's perfect for apartments.

Stovetop smoker for smoking food inside. Works amazing.

They actually make these, she even mentions Camerons in the video

http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D

This Stovetop Smoker works well for a friend of mine.

Ask and ye shall receive.

https://www.hammacher.com/Product/84974?cm_cat=ProductSEM&cm_pla=AdWordsPLA&source=PRODSEM&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzqHniPmv1wIVQhuBCh31QgMbEAQYAyABEgKo3PD_BwE


https://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Stainless-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/B00004SZ9D


http://www.dopehome.com/indoor-meat-smoker

I had a similar problem the last couple of weeks. I made these two recipes and substituted pumpkin for squash. The enchiladas are time consuming, especially waiting for the beans to cook down, but oh so delicious. You will get at least 10 meals out of it - and it freezes well.

Enchiladas

Aromatic Beef Stew

Also I smoked some pumpkin in my stovetop smoker and pureed it and added it to this Black Bean hummus recipe I found on reddit - whoa delicious.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Large-Meat-Smoking-Guide/dp/B01MREEP34/

You might try a Cameron's Stovetop Smoker. I've been using it for years - for beef, pork, chicken and fish. It's a real treat for indoor smoking.

The Stovetop Smoker is a tightly sealed metal drawer that sits on the stove. As the burner underneath heats up, the wood chips smoke, sending smoke around the baffle, up to your food. Very little smoke escapes, so there's not much to vent.

They usually come with a few types of wood chips and a recipe book. Try the Scotch Eggs or smoked trout.

First, let me just address this: Pork isn't red meat. :P

To properly do this with a gas grill (and don't let anyone tell you that you can't!), you will need a smoke box. These are easy to find, not very expensive, and easy to use (and you can even make one yourself using heavy duty aluminum foil).

You'll want to get wood chips for smoking as well. I like combining applewood and hickory or mesquite. These you'll soak before adding to your smoke box; I soak mine in a mixture of water and apple cider. They only need to soak 15-30 minutes, so you can replenish as need be. If you're going with the foil route, soak some, make foil packets with the well drained wood, and poke small holes in the top with a skewer. Make a couple in advance, so as one stops smoking (when all the wood has turned to ash) you can replace it with another. It helps to keep a metal pail near the grill to drop the spent packet into. Each packet should last roughly 90 minutes. You'll replace wood in a smoker box at roughly the same rate.

You'll want to smoke the meat over indirect heat. I have both charcoal and gas grills. My gas grill is a 3 burner, each with individual temperature controls. You'll only need to light one or two, depending on the configuration of your grill. Over the unlit burner would be where your roast is placed. You want a temperature between 205-225F.

I do my rub the day before. Make sure you take your roast(s) out of the refrigerator at least 40 minutes (preferably an hour) before they hit the improvised smoker, and that you bring your grill to temp before you put the meat on it.

If you're using a mop sauce, use it whenever you're changing out the wood in the smoker box (or packet), so as not to open the lid excessively.

After 4-6 hours of smoking (depending on the size of the roast(s)), when you can wiggle the bone, I will double wrap the meat in aluminum foil, give it one last mop, and seal it up for the remainder of its time. This has a two-fold purpose. First, if you've done everything right, the meat will be meltingly tender and this will make transferring off the grill a whole lot easier. Second, it retains a lot of moisture while still leaving the most excellent crust in place. (You can also add additional meats during the last couple hours like chicken pieces and sausages).

It's done when you can pull the bone free easily, or when you can stick a fork in it and easily twist it.

That's pretty much it. Super easy, and well worth the effort.

Nope... inside smoking:

http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408223268&sr=8-1&keywords=cameron+stove+top+smoker

I have one similar to this, don't know the exact size difference, but I can get 20 or so wings in there. Takes 20-30 minutes or so and if you prep correctly, it's almost no clean up.

Have you tried a stovetop smoker? They work well for things like fish, chicken sausage, etc. For BBQ you could probably smoke for 20 or 30 minutes, and then finish low and slow in the oven.

http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1394638128&sr=1-1

I use a combo of a dutch oven and stovetop smoker, and I can't ever go back to crock pot style pulled pork or brisket. I tried many different non-smoking recipes, and there's just no contest when compared to smoking.

Two things that I use all the time that I don't see mentioned:

Stovetop Smoker. With all the meat I cook, being able to smoke it gives it a whole new depth of flavors without adding any carbs and makes even simple dishes special. Very inexpensive too once you buy the initial smoker. I bough a bunch of different types of wood chips and they've lasted me about half a year now. Even in my small apartment there's hardly any smoke leak (although I do crimp foil around the edges to help keep it in) and I've never set off the smoke detector with it. If you do have an big outdoor smoker this one is nice for doing smaller portions or if the weather's not great outside. Highly recommend it if you like smoked foods.

Vacuum sealer is the other item I use all the time. I like buying certain staples from Costco in bulk (chicken/beef/pork/etc) and being able to portion it out and freeze it has helped cut down on the cost of keto a lot. It's also useful as a good timesaver or to keep food fresh for longer even if you don't freeze it. For example, I often only use about a quarter of an onion in a lot of recipes, but I'll chop the whole thing and seal the rest so it stays fresh for the next few days. I'll then take however much onion I need out the next day and re-seal the bag.

I don't have a brand I recommend over another, I personally have a Rival that I got for Christmas. A lot of people really like Foodsavers and I see them at Costco all the time. They can be inexpensive (~$40) for a basic one or more costly if you want extra features like canning or automatic sealing or different speeds. I do recommend not using whatever brand of bags they tell you to use however. What I do is buy cheap bulk bags such as these and use them instead. Zero problems with them and much cheaper than the brand name ones. I do keep a roll of 'cut your own' around in case I need something bigger, but I find for about 90% of what I do the smaller bulk bags work fine.

If you keep an eye out on meat sales and buy in bulk or buy a lot of meat that's about to expire for cheap, I think the vacuum sealer will pretty quickly pay for itself.

And tossing it out there, one item that's not necessary but in the 'nice to have' category is the immersion blender. Great for thickening soups since we don't add cornstarch or other traditional thickeners, and it's nice for other things like making your own mayonnaise. I also use it for making my own marinara sauce - mine has zucchini and cheese blended in. Again, not necessary and you can probably use a regular blender for this, but the immersion blender is really nice and convenient.

There's also the option of using an inexpensive stovetop smoker. Obviously you wont be able to cook anywhere near the volume of a larger, freestanding smoker, but the stovetop smokers work fantastic all the same and you can't beat the price/convenience.

My dad has a Little Chief electric smoker, and they make a smaller version. (http://www.amazon.com/Smokehouse-Products-Mini-Chief-Smoker/dp/B001NZRLTO). I personally have had the Emson 5-qt indoor electric smoker (https://home.woot.com/offers/emson-5-qt-electric-indoor-pressure-cooker-smoker?ref=cnt_dly_tl), but it only lasted about a year. There are some stovetop smokers as well if you want to go that route, like the Camerons (http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1450200138&sr=8-2&keywords=indoor+smoker) that have good reviews.

There's a stovetop/outside grill smoker you can get in various sizes.

Sorry for this cut and paste abortion on mobile - Stovetop Smoker - Stainless Steel Indoor Or Outdoor Smoker Works On Any Heat Source - with Recipe Guide and Wood Chips https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_5MWjzb29J7V1E

I smoked meat in my oven a few times when I lived in an apartment.

You can buy something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SZ9D or build your own with a large aluminum foil pan, lots of aluminum foil, and a baking rack. Regardless, you should use special indoor wood chips and the Camron instructions for indoor smoking. As you can see from the reviews, a lot of people do smoke indoors. It will make your apartment smell like BBQ and if you have a sensitive smoke detector, you may want to cover it or take it down (I have always had to take down apartment kitchen "smell" detectors everywhere I have ever lived)

With this method, I got a nice smoke taste on the meat, but not as much as a real smoker, so I also added liquid smoke to my BBQ sauce. Now that I have a real smoker, I still add liquid smoke to my BBQ sauce as it just makes it better.

Smoke it on a stovetop smoker.

This article will give you a good overview: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901E0D6153FF934A25752C1A9629C8B63

This is the smoker you want: http://www.amazon.com/Stovetop-Smoker-Original-Camerons-Stainless/dp/B00004SZ9D/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1416272496&sr=1-1&keywords=cameron+stove+top+smoker

A turkey is too big to fit flat inside the smoker. You'll be making a dome of heavy-duty aluminum foil, smoking the bird on the stove for an hour or so, and finishing it off in the oven.

Don't worry about collecting a piece of cookware you'll only use once. A stovetop smoker is a wonderful tool for an apartment dweller. Salmon, chicken, pork, and root vegetables are out of this world when cooked on a smoker.