Emson Smoker- The Only Indoor Pressure Smoker

I made my purchase two weeks ago via the 'deal of the day'. So far, worth every penny. Heck, even at the usual price I would have been pleased. On the first day I smoked 8 pounds of food. First, I tried turkey thighs: I 'hot smoked' for 40 minutes, using 3 chips of pecan wood: the thighs came out perfectly, with the meat fully smoked and falling off the bone. I was sad that I could only fit two turkey thighs inside, but I was able to quickly refresh the cooker and smoke two more. Same wonderful results. Next, pork spare ribs. I cut the ribs up (as recommended), and my wife seasoned them. I managed to get close to four pounds into the pot using the racks, including 'doubling up' on the top rack. I used mesquite chips (3), and set the timer for 50 minutes. Again, the meat was falling off the bone (and 'doubling up' on the top rack did not make a difference). Since they were not 'browned' (since it is a pressure cooker), we put the ribs on a cookie sheet and then under the oven broiler for 10 minutes. My wife (who is the rib eater in the family) was extremely happy, and declared that I no longer would have to fool with the full-sized propane smoker (where we would smoke/cook the ribs, on low heat, for some 9 hours). A saving of 8 hours. Cheese: one uses the 'cold smoke' setting. I did my first batch for 10 minutes, which slightly melted the cheddar cheese I was using. For my other batches I cold-smoked for 8 minutes, which seems to be perfect. My favorite smoked cheese thus far is gouda cheese using three 'Jack Daniels' wood chips (made from the barrells that Jack uses for making whiskey). I will no longer be a slave to purchasing the over-priced smoked cheese one finds at stores. I have all sorts of plans for future smoking. For instance, I will soon be 'cold smoking' hamburger patties using the Jack Daniels chips, then grilling. One oddity: it is a pressure cooker. On my very first batch some steam hissed out of the small weight (or release valve, whatever it is called). Then, silence. On subsequent batches it no longer hissed. Yet, it obviously was pressure-cooking the meat. Second: in the instructions you are told that, when inserting the outer pan into the base unit, to 'line up' the red arrows and then press down, so that the electrical contacts meet. I spent a few fruitless minutes trying to get the outer pan to fit into the lower, using the red arrows. I then noted that the 'red arrow' on the outer pan was crudely 'painted on', while the arrow on the unit itself was not (i.e., it had been incorporated into the lower unit). Hence, I concluded that the worker painting on the red arrow did not do his or her job well that day. I now know that, on my particular unit, the outer red arrow should be slightly to the left of the unit's arrow. I have had no problem since. Cleaning is easy. I find it easier to clean than my regular pressure cookers. I will update if the unit fails, as some other reviews have indicated is a possibility. I will finally note that I am so pleased with this Emson smoker that I looked up the larger capacity, seven-quart smoker. I found that the larger unit seems to get more unfavorable reviews than this smaller one. Nevertheless, I plan on, someday, getting the larger smoker. Edited to add: I 'cold smoked' four hamburger patties for 10 minutes, using the Jack Daniels chips (3). Then I grilled them up. Result was very, very good. Really made a difference to my hamburger. I also just smoked some chicken breasts (two large ones, for 30 minutes, 3 applewood chips) and some of the best chicken I've made, by any method.

Was waiting to write a review after some trial and error and after my third 'smoked' dish in only two weeks I will say this is a must have for those who want true smoked flavor and amazing BBQ. First dish was something I had never tried....Smoked Steak...I am not a steak lover so thought if this won me over to actually liking steak more It was a win. I thought it turned out good and, per others feedback, I only used like 3 chips which gave it enough smoky flavor and a smoke ring. My son made the statement that this style of steak was far better than he has had on the grill and he loves a good steak....WIN Next I used just the 'pressure' cooker (No Smoke) to create 'Chik-Fil-A' chicken breast and they turned out suprizingly close to the real deal...I think my buns could have been better. Tonight....for the WIN!!....We had a 4 pound slab of ribs and followed the instructions to the T....I used my own rub and around 4 applewood chips to create some amazing flavored pieces of meat. While parts were falling off the bone there was still some meat left on the bone so we could enjoy the true rib experience with some incredibly tender meay....I also added some Sweet Babay Rays BBQ sauce to sweeten them some and it was off the charts god. The only concern I hve about this great little machine is replacement parts. Unlike other reviewers I dont think it is 'cheaply made' but I am one who likes to replace parts to get as much use out of a product for a higher return on investment. I was lucky enough to get this on the 'Daily Deal' for a good bit less hat it is right now but I still dont want to have to replace the entire machine down the road if I dont have to. As long as I can find ay of the removeable parts that can go bad I will be good. After the first 'smoking' night...we did decide to use it on the back deck because it does still smell the house up like a camp fire...and stays for a day or so. GREAT purchase for my home.

I bought this product to gain time for barbecuing. The product arrived with peeled top (the non stick surface of the inner pot was scratched and spelled after the first use). I contacted the vendor, who gave me a tel no of emson service. You can try exhaustively that you will not anyone there to talk to and if you get someone, they will promise to resolve the issue, but thy don't Long story short, I don't advise you to buy this product.mtoo expensive for the performance and quality. Also the description you get with it is a joke. I still don't have a resolution and after more than 15 tel calls and more than 10 emails I gave up!

My hubby was pleasantly surprised! I picked this up as one of the deal of the day offerings as we had been considering a smoker and it seemed like a decent place to start without having to spend 14 hours by the smoker. He was very skeptical, but willing to try it. We have made some darn good brisket so far, we just had to cut it in 2-3 pieces to fit right. Tonight we tried chicken drumsticks, and hubby declared it the best so far. I purchased an assortment of chips to try out, turns out it was cheaper to buy them individually and get what I wanted than buy a set, so definitely look at that. We just add some rub on the outside, smoke for the recommended time, then crisp up under the broiler for a minute. Add your favorite sauce if desired at the end. Is it as good as true smoked barbecue cooked all day? Almost, but not quite. But it'll get you about 90% there in a fraction of the time. We can have smoked stuff for dinner any night of the week. One of the few cooking devices that really adds variety easily. I'd say this is great for the casual barbecuer. Easy and quick enough to get very good results in a short time. But for the serious smoker that devotes whole weekends to the pursuit of perfectly smoked meals, this probably won't cut it.

This is a fantastic product at an excellent price (currently $139 Canadian for the 5 Qt). For my first test I cooked a batch of two turkey thighs (about a pound each), followed by a batch containing a 2.2 pound pork roast and a potato. I cooked the turkey thighs for 25 minutes, which was perfect: they are extremely moist but still chewy and dense. I had been planning to pop them under the broiler but I didn't need to. I cooked the pork and potato for 40 minutes. Smoked potatoes are my new favorite food. The pork also turned out perfectly, although the cut I used was too lean to be spectacular. (It's the meat's fault.) The machine is easy to use and easy to clean. It comes with complete instructions and recipes. I think mesquite wood chips may be too heavy-handed for this method: it's too strong a flavor. It's still wonderful, but I'm going to try other, subtler woods like apple next. I put the Emson smoker on my stovetop under the exhaust fan. It produces a slight smell, but it is less than you'd get from cooking the meat in the oven by conventional methods. I love smoked foods and I live in an apartment with no balcony, so this is a godsend for me. I can't wait to smoke cheese.

Please read if you're considering buying this smoker. My smoker was on sale on Amazon - which I thought was great and was super excited to use it until it arrived.... defective. Firstly, the customer service line you call is an automated recording, which tells you to get a pen and paper, select the product you need support for, and it will read you that number. Oddly, the Emson smoker isn't on the list. How then would you redeem the 2-year warranty? I believe advertising this is a scam. Second, if you need replacement parts, you're just out of luck. The seal was defective on mine and there are no replacements on the site. You could trawl amazon for something that may work but it's not for sure. So, buyer beware with this product!

Nice unit, cooks and smokes very fast, very easy to use. Just one problem there: it has been designed for indoor use, but it produces a lot of smoke which one goes through the lid seal and smokes everything around.

Awesome appliance! Was thinking about buying this for quite a while, now I wish I had bought it sooner!

in does what it claims to do. but I am not very happy using it on foods. would not recommend unit