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(More customer reviews)I grew up in Texas, and I know good BBQ. And the best (and IMHO, ONLY) way to cook BBQ is "low and slow" - cook at low temperatures and for long periods of time. You have to be patient to cook good BBQ. You have to get the internal meat temperature to hit 185 degrees in order to break down the fats to make the meat (beef) tender, and if the temperature is too high it over-cooks and can dry out the outer layers. And my, and my kids, favorite BBQ is slow smoked beef ribs. We have an outdoor BBQ that makes awesome ribs. The trouble is that now that I live in northern California (not a decent Texas style BBQ place anywhere), the winters are rainy, wet and a little cold. So when I came upon this indoor smoker I was cautiously enthusiastic. While the concept looked sound, the real issue is with the wood chips. I was afraid that in such a small cooker the wood chips would all burn up within the first hour or so, basically leaving the meat to slow roast for several hours. But at only about $70 I thought, what the heck I'll give it a try. Even though this product/seller wasn't listed as Prime 2-day shipping, the product arrived very fast - within a week. It came full assembled - all I had to do was insert the thermometer - which is a CRUCIAL part to slow smoking. So I washed the parts, put double the recommended amount of hickory shavings (almost saw dust consistency) in the bottom and loaded the meat tray with my overnight-rubbed beef ribs and some beef oxtails that I happened upon in my local Safeway. I put it on my electric stove and set the control to Medium. Here's a difference - the instructions call for "medium high" heat to start - I used medium because I didn't want it to get too hot too soon and burn up all the wood chips too early. It worked great. ** Don't forget to turn on your exhaust fan over your stove! While it doesn't give off enough smoke to see, you can really smell it and it can be a little overwhelming, permeating your whole house. ** Also, please look at where the temperature probe sticks down into the cooking area and make sure that you keep your meat away from it so that when you put on the lid the probe isn't touching any meat. It took about 1 hour for the temperature to get up to 180 degrees, and at that point I turned down the stove to med-low. In another hour it was up to 200 degrees. I left it there for 2.0 hours and then turned up the stove 1/2 mark closer to medium. The temperature rose to 210 degrees where I left it for the final 2 hours. So the complete cooking cycle looked like: 1 hour warm up, 1 hour at 190, 3 hours at 200, and 2 hours at 210. Also note that during the transition between 200 to 210 degrees I turned it up to Medium for about 3-4 minutes to have it create some additional smoke. I did this as a test - and this was how I learned that there were still good chips left that could create additional smoke. Please also note that smoke is being created at the lower settings but it is just too low to see. Your nose is the proof.
All stoves are different, especially gas versus electric, so you'll have to learn how yours reacts as you go. I was lucky in that my very first BBQ worked to perfection. All of the meat was melt-in-your mouth tender, and the smoked flavor was perfect. Now I can smoke meats any time I want and way more frequently because this thing is small and so easy to use. Please line the drip pan with heavy duty aluminum foil! Even though it is non-stick, that melted fat is always hard to clean off. The meat tray is also non-stick and cleaned very easily. The bottom piece and the bottom of the drip pan were another story - these took a little more effort, but WAY worth it. Another pre-concern I had was the amount of meat it would hold. It is definitely smaller than any outdoor smoker, but again I was pleasantly surprised. This thing cooks enough meat (beef) for two meals for myself and two kids. One good sized chicken should fit, too. All-in-all, an awesome product. If and when this thing ever wears out I will definitely buy another one. Indoor, slow smoked BBQ any time of the year!
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The unique, large-capacity Nordic Ware Kettle Smoker gives you that delicious smoked flavor right on your stovetop.
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