How to use camerons stovetop smoker?

The Principle of Smoking 

Smoking is a famous food preparation and preservation method. Smoking is the method  of cooking fish, meat and other foods over a fire. The fire used for smoking is usually lit with Wood chips to add smoky flavour to the food. Hence, smoking, when properly done, adds a special flavour to the the smoked food. Some of the foods that can be roasted include the following;  hams, pork roasts, bacon, beef briskets, whole poultry, salmon, herring, and oysters are smoked. 

Generally, there are two popular types of smoking and they are hot and cold smoking. Hot smoking in very simply terms is when you cook your produce at the same time as smoking and usually serve it hot. This can be done in an outdoor smoker designed for this purpose or in a covered outdoor barbeque grill that has been adapted with a drip pan placed beneath the grill. Wood chips are added to this grill to provide a smoke flavour through its smoke. During hot smoking, the air temperature produced by the smoker is increased but regulated, to produce a fully cooked food.

Cold smoke is another way to add smoke flavour to those ribs and fishes. Cold smoking differs from hot smoking in that the food remains raw, rather than cooked, throughout the smoking process Due to the health concerns of smoking our foods, cold smoking is usally preferred to hot smoking because it uses flavoured ingridient to as an alternative to actual smoking to add the smoke flavour. There are two advantages to using liquid smoke. The first advantage is the amount of smoke flavor is completely controlled. The second advantage is the smoke flavor is immediate. Note that you can achieve cold smoking with camerons stovetop smoker

Smoking is also a very effective measure for food preservation. Smoking and drying are infact few of the oldest tricks used to preserve foodstuff. In ancient times, there were no technologically advnaced means of refrigeration and other mean, for food preservation, hence these methods were invented for food preservation. Removing the moisture from food helps prevent bacterial and fungal growth which would ruin stored foods. Smoking is a method of drying that also imparts flavor to the food (usually meat items), and smoke helps keep bacteria-carrying-insects away during the drying process.

How to use a stovetop Smoker

Smoking in large quantity is done outdoors with the use of large smokers like upright drums, vertical water, Propane and so on. These smokers are perfect for a family get together in the yard. However, under different circumstances such as necessary indoor smoking due to an unfavourable weather condition outside or small quantity smoking, a stovetop smoker is your best bet. Smoking meat, fish and other foods by different smokers can be tricky at times but its a whole different story with a stovetop smoker. Instead of having to franticlly consult Camerons stovetop smoker manual and  instructions for Camerons stovetop smoker, some useful tips have been layed in this work for your perusal.

With a stovetop smoker, you don’t need extra fuel or electricity to smoke food. It is really a great option for those who just don’t like smoking oudoors but it you don’t just jump into using a stovetop smoker, there are some tips you must learn to have the best smoking experience.  

What is a Stovetop Smoker

We all appreciate the brisk of the outdoors till its season for some extreme weather conditions. Most people prefer to keep to the warmth of their fire place in the middle of winter. As winter deepens, outdoor smoking becomes more and more an illusion and the multi-purpose nature of a Stovetop Smoker is never more appriaciated. Imagine sitting around a warm fire while smoking meat, fish or even vegetables. This is what stovetop smokers have to offer!. It affords you the perfect opportunity to prepare to prepare your indoors, regardless of how cold it may be outside. 

A stovetop smoker is an averagely sized metal box with a dripping pan at the bottom, a lid for covering, a rack for holding and the base of the metal box that holds heat for smoking. The lid traps in smoke while the dripping pan hold oil extracted from a shrinking meat for example. There are a lot of people who are still confused about how a stovetop smoker works. But it’s actually pretty simple. All you need is a small amount of charcoal or gas, and even fewer pellets if you’re using a stovetop smoker.

Other types of Smokers

Offset

The key distinguishing factor of an Offset Smoker is that its cooking chamber is Cylindrical in shape. And attatched to the bottom of this cylinder at one end, is an even shorter and smaller Cylinder for a firebox. The firebox, from clear indications is where all the smoke producing burning occurs. To cook or smoke anything, fire is lit in the Firebox and contained there with a tightly controlled airflow. The smoke and heat produced in the firebox then passes through a connecting channel to the cooking chamber, enabling smoking.

The heat and smoke supplied to the cooking chamber usually cooks the food  in unique flavours, depending on the tipe of wood supplied to the firebox. The smoke and heat supplied to the cooking chamber is not trapped there, a residue of it escapes through an exhaust vent at the opposite end of the cooking chamber. This smoker structure is indeed what most people picture when they think of a ‘BBQ smoker’.

Upright Drum

The Upright Drum Smoker or Ugly Drum Smoker as you may prefer to call it is just a big steel drum that has been remodelled for the purpose of pseudo-indirect hot smoking. The other parts of an Upright Drum are the Basket near the bottom of the drum to hold charcoal for combustion and cooking racks covered with a vented lid at the top.

The distance from the racks to the coals, i.e top of the drum to the bottom is about 24 inches making it some sort of indirect cooking style. The temperature used in this indirect cooking is usually regulated by controlling the amount of air intake at the bottom of the drum and exhausting just the same amount of air through the vents in the perforated lids. Upright Drums are a desired choice because they are very efficeint with fuel consumption. They are also easy to set up and flexible in their abilities to produce proper smoking conditions.

Electric Smokers

The most convenient of all the various types ofsmokers are the insulated electric smokers. Electric smokers house a heating element that can produce heat as high as 135 degress and at the same time a temperature as low as that necessary for cold smoking, with little or no intervention from the user. You may be wondering already if Woodchips are needed in an electric smoker. Woodchips are also used in electric smokers, however not as much as they are used in traditional smokers, hence a user may not get the flvoured smoke that is obtainable in a traditional smoker.

Why should I buy a Stovetop smoker?

Most of the other smokers discussed above are outdoor smokers which serve the same function and even better than some indoor smokers in some cases. In case you are wondering already why you should use an indoor smoker, below are some of the benefits or an indoor/Stovetop smoker.

1. You can use indoor/Stovetop smokers in various kitchen spaces:

Indoor and stovetops smokers are suitable for restaurants and food establishments with tight kitchen spaces. Hence, if your kitchen space is a small one, a stovetop smoker is your best bet.

2. You can use Stovetop meat smokers all year round:

An unsutiable weather can ruin your smoking. Winter especially may make smoking impossible. However, with stovetop meat smokers, you don’t have to worry about the weather. You can use them throughout the year and in any season.

3. Stovetop smokers are affordable and cost-effective:

Most Stovetop smokers only cost a few dollars. Since they use less electricity, gas, or propane, stovetop grills might also save you some utility bills.

4. You get more control over the meals you cook using a Stovetop smoker:

Stovetop smokers allow you to control the moisture, smoke level, and heat more precisely. When using them, you get to decide how smoky and tender your BBQ and meals are.

5. Stovetop smokers are quite easier to clean

Most smokers come with drip pans, and they have inner racks that make it easy to clean up after use.

Reqirements For Smoking In A Stovetop Smoker

Just like you need fuel for outdoor smoking, you need wood chips in your Stovetop Smoker. There are  several wood types that can be used in a Stovetop Smoker. Each wood types comes with a unique flavour. Hence your wood chips choice depends on your flavour and hot or sweet vurn marks preference.  Here are some of the woods you may use with your Stovetop Smokers;

Hickory

Hickory woods are popular for their sweet and smoky flavoured smell. It quite a popular choice amongst smokers because it adds this special aroma to your dish. The Hickory Woodchips are so famous you will find them in most appliance outlet stores out there

Apple

Apple wood chips are highly recommended for use with Cameron Stovetop Smokers because they it offers more complex flavour with subtle fruity hints that combine beautifully with the smokey flavour. Apple is a good all-rounder, great with game birds, fish, beef, poultry, pork, and all hams. 

Cherry

Some like to think the Cherry Wood is a complete package because it adds both smockiness and fruity flavours. Although, there may be varying preferences here but Duck and Vension steak are best smoked with the Cherry. 

Oak

Athough the Apple Wood chips is light but it Oakwood Chips is lighter. The emblance between them is almost uncanny. However, it differs significantly from the Apple woodchips because it offers a longer burn time. It is a fact that about half a tablespoon will last at least 3 hours when used in an average sixed smoker. 

A step by step use of a Stovetop Smoker

How to use a Stovetop Smoker is in no way a daunting task. Below is the easy step by step procedure to use a stovetop Smoker. But note that before you use your stovetop smoker, make sure to inspect it properly for any defects. in thesame vein, wash it properly to get rid of any dirt still lurking from previous use. 

STEP 1: Place the Woodchips in a small pile in the center of the smoker base. This is the first thing to do becasue without the woodchips, there is no fire and without some fire, there is no heat or smoke for heating.

STEP 2: Place the drip tray on top of the Woodchips inside the smoker base. Oil produced from smoking and some food crumbs are left to stick on the stray most times when they are not scrubbed off immediately. However, spraying the tray with non-stick Vegetable spray or placing a sheet of Aluminum foil on the tray makes it a lot easier to clean up

STEP 3: Place the wire rack on top of the drip tray, then arrange the food to be hot-smoked on the wire rack. You can also pray the rack with nonstick vegetable spray to make for an eaier clean up

STEP 4: Slide the lid closed and place the entire unit on the heat source (use a single burner). Medium heat settings yield the best results.Pay attention to cooking times: Place Camerons Smoker Cooker on the stovetop with the lid slightly open. When the first wisp of smoke appears, close the lid and start cooking time.

Some of the best Stovetop Smokers out there

Camerons Large Stovetop Smoker w Wood Chips and Recipes -11” x 15” x 3.5” Stainless Steel Smoker.

This Cameron Stovetop smoker is One of the best kitchen Appliances out there. If you want to cook delicious meals in a few minutes, then this indoor stovetop smoker might just be the unit you are looking for. However, there’s no thermometer or temperature control on this unit, so you have to time each meal yourself. It can also be used as a steamer, a poacher, and a roasting pan. This Cameron smoker also makes a convenient smoking box for easy storage. All components of the smoker can be nested inside the smoker when not in use. This Cameron smoker can be used on any heat source, including gas, electric stove or even campfire and this is why it is one of the best rated Kitchen Appliances so far

Nordic Ware Stovetop Kettle Smoker

In recent years, the model 36550 has been one of the best performing stovetop smoker out there, it is indeed one of the best Kitchen Appliances to buy. The Nordic Ware is a stove top kitchen smoker, which can also be used outdoor if you wish to. It’s made from aluminum steel, and the red porcelain-enamel coat is aesthetically noticeable. It is Compatible with electric, induction or gas stovetops. There is no wood chips compartment, which isn’t totally a bad thing since you can spread the wood chips over the entire area of the smoker’s base. Although stovetop smokers don’t usually have adjustable temperature controls, this unit has a thermometer and a tiny hole in the dome where you can stick it, so your food doesn’t get burnt.

FAQs

What Foods can i smoke?

Meats and fishes are the commonly smoked foods, however, Vegables, Cheeses and some other ingridients too can be smoked.

Is smoking harmful to My health?

Eating smoked foods once every blue moon is never harmful to health if you do have normal health conditions. However excessive consumption of smoked food can cause cancer and other illness even to those with a sterling health record.

Can I use Smokers indoors?

Some smokers are not bult for indoor usage. They are just most suitable for your backyard. However, some electric and stovetop smokers can be very used in an enclosed location.

Can you use any type of wood chips in Camerons stovetop smoker?

Yes, you can. It is possible to use any type of Woodchips in a stovetop smoker to produce that desired flavour