Using Smoking Chips Indoors (On Your Stove!)
By Sadie Hobbs
Marketing Intern
Have you ever wanted to smoke food, but don’t have access to an outdoor smoker or grill? Great news! Several safe, simple techniques exist for achieving that same smoky flavor inside your home kitchen. I’m here to share one I recently tried myself, conveniently using only my stovetop.
I used our Fire & Flavor Hickory Smoking Chips for this recipe, taking two handfuls and soaking them in water for at least an hour before use. Though my container of choice was a disposable aluminum tray, you can use a cast-iron pan or any other vessel that stands up to high heat.
You can smoke pretty much anything! I chose shrimp and steak, which are typically easy to cook in a short amount of time. I let the protein marinade while preparing my indoor smoker.
I spread the pre-soaked chips across the bottom of the aluminum tray and put a piece of parchment paper over them. I chose an aluminum tray that was larger than the eyes on my stove, but not big enough that the edges bent and touched the actual stove top. The sizing can vary depending on the size of your burners.
I then placed a wire rack on top of the chips to create a grilling surface, and laid my steak in the center. You can use any kind of roasting rack. It just needs to fit your smoking container and have legs that are an inch or two in height, at a minimum. You want to take advantage of the area you have, and make sure it is wide enough to stand around the wood chips in the middle.
The next step is really important. Take a large piece of tinfoil and lay it across the top of the aluminum tray, sealing all the edges. This will keep the smoke from escaping the container and ensure the meat cooks thoroughly and efficiently.
Before cooking, turn on the fan above your oven for maximum ventilation. Some smoke is necessary to flavor the meat, but you want to make sure you’re safe and not setting off your smoke alarms! It helps if the tinfoil covering the pan is secure enough that minimal smoke leaks out.
Heat your stovetop to medium heat and put your improvised smoker on one of the larger burners. For my preferences, I cooked the steak for 20 minutes and did the shrimp second, for 15 minutes.
When your meat’s done, be careful not to touch the smoker with your bare hands! It will be very hot. Remove the aluminum tray from your stove, uncover your protein, add some tasty vegetables as a side, and enjoy that tasty smoked flavor!
