How To Get Perfect Smoked Meat, Without Buying A Smoker

Just minutes after waking up, you notice it's going to be a nice, sunny day outside. Do you know what this means? Oh yes, it's time for a barbecue. You plan on shopping for your favorite steak cut, maybe adding some ribs to the mix, or grilling some veggies for your vegetarian folks. This situation would be ideal if you had a smoker available in your backyard, but what if you don't have one?

Don't worry! You don't need to add a smoker to your Amazon wish list. There are some kitchen hacks that help encase food in smoke to cook it and add that unique taste, which is exactly what a smoker does (via Smoked and Brewed). Some will suggest building some sort of gadget to smoke food — which often includes aluminum foil, a steamed basket, and wooden chips — while others encourage using utensils you already have in your kitchen. Either way, you need to be clever, patient, and enjoy the whole process to make your dream come true and smoke food indoors. Let's start by grabbing something that is already in your kitchen.

According to Serious Eats, you can smoke food by covering the bottom of your pressure cooker with foil and covering the top with soaked wood chips, along with a steamer basket and anything you'd like to cook — from salmon, chicken wings, to cheese. The cooking process requires your whole attention, because the heat won't work by itself. Heat it up, and when you see smoke, lock the lid (that's how you encase the food indoors). Repeat this step several times until your food smells, looks, and tastes smoky. Of course, as J. Kenji López-Alt also advised Serious Eats — for some food, smoking is a flavoring technique: double-check if your food needs previous searing or cooking afterward, either in an oven or other pan.

This hack sounds ideal if you have a pressure cooker in your kitchen. Luckily, if you don't have one, there are more ways to smoke food indoors. WonderHowTo suggests grabbing a large pot, foil, and a steamer insert to build your own stovetop smoker. The aluminum foil will help to cover the bottom and your wooden chips, but also to wrap the tin of your foil so no smoke gets out. There are others who use any cast-iron pan with a lid, or even their Dutch oven to smoke, as mentioned on Thrillist. Once you discovered your indoor smoking technique of choice, every day can be barbecue day — without a smoker.