Test Kitchen video tips: Stove-top smoking
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Sometimes nothing beats smoking a nice cut of meat outdoors on a lazy, hot day -- that is, so long as the weather cooperates. But the great outdoors can get a little testy sometimes, even in Southern California.
Next time you’re hankering for a smoked rack of ribs, consider smoking in the great indoors, right on your stove-top. Stove-top smoking is certainly not a new concept: Scatter some wood chips in a roasting pan, put the meat on a rack to sit above it. Loosely cover the pan with foil and heat. Watch for the chips to start smoking and cover tight, then smoke to desired doneness. Voilà.
There’s nothing complicated about stove-top smoking, and I’d even argue that it’s probably easier to master than smoking outdoors. You don’t have to mess with charcoal or vents, deal with chambers or manage chips or pellets for hours on end.
You can purchase a stove-top smoker or construct one from odds and ends in your kitchen. You can even convert a wok into a smoker to make your own tea-smoked birds.
If you’re new to smoking foods, and/or have never tried to smoke foods on your stove-top, it can be surprisingly easy. And it makes a great weekend project. Check out the video above, as well as this story for more information. We also include recipes:
If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at noelle.carter@latimes.com.
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-- Noelle Carter
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Video: Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times
