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When I was in culinaryschool, smoking was one of the many techniques on the syllabus. Wepracticed by placing one hotel-pan (a 2-3 inch deep, stainless steelpan, most often seen in buffet stations) on top of the other. We’dsoak the wood chips in water, layer them in the bottom of the pan andplace the contraption on the stove or in the oven.
This was aless-than-perfect method since smoke wafted through the hardlyair-tight pan enclosure. Even with the restaurant grade kitchenvents there was much coughing and eye stinging all around.
Even with theseobstacles, I managed to produce an excellent grade of smoked duck—forwhich I can take no credit. I was lucky enough to have as a classmatemy good-friend Dwight Jones, a St. Louis Missouri native and asmokehouse master. Back home in St. Louis Dwight has a smoker madefrom a new oil burner that has been cut in half, hinged and vented.It even has a trailer hitch so he can “have smoke will travel.”
But what about therest of us who still like smokehouse fare but are not willing tobuild a an industrial strength smoker, capable of cooking 20 chickensat once or 25 rib racks, or endless steaks? Or what if you don’twant to (and you shouldn’t) risk a smoked out kitchen as youjerry-rig an at home system?
The Emeril Lagasse4-in-1 Cast Iron Smoker by All-Clad comes to the rescue. Normally, Iam loath to buy or try any product that has a celebrity chef’s“brand” plastered on it. And, indeed, when I received thesmoker it turned out to be nothing more but a deep cast iron roastingpan with a tray for wood chips and a grill insert.
However, once I triedit my opinion changed.
The most appealingthing about this stove top smoker is that the seal between its twohalves is virtually air-tight. While we could smell the deliciousaroma of dry-rubbed chicken being smoked, we didn’t see orsmell actual lung-burning fumes. The chicken came out tender,flavorful and robust—as if it had been slow cooking in a pitfor hours.
The smoker canconveniently be used on a stovetop (we tried it out on a ceramic top,electric stove), the barbecue, or the oven, where it can double as aroasting, grilling, or broiling pan.
In the box you’llalso Emeril recipe kit, which I did not use, and a starter set offour 1 oz. containers of wood chips, from Cameron’sWood Chips, which can be replaced at $4 a pint or $20for five quarts. I did use the chips and didn’t particularlycare for them because of their fine, almost saw-dust like, quality,which scorched quickly. You can use any kind of food-grade wood chipfor smoking in the unit and one type I do like is the recycled woodchips made from used oak wine barrels by CaliforniaWine Chips at $6.95 for a 2.25lb bag.
Overall the EmerilSmoker was an excellent product which is perhaps not surprising sinceit comes from All-Clad, the first name in professional-gradecookware. So, if you love smoked food and have never been game togive it a go, for about $100 at locations like Sur La Table inManhasset or Williams Sonoma stores Island-wide, this is the tool totry.
Why, it’s helpedme become practically a smoke house master like my friend Dwight.
Well not really, butwhy let a good dream go up in smoke?
-- Ramin
