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.

I sent this product back for several reasons. Chief among them: the wood smoke flavor it imparted was intense and acrid no matter how long or how little wood I used, or what type of wood; even bringing in the unit to clean made the kitchen stink for days; the build quality, which is horrible; and the lack of customer service. They tell you it can do beans and rice as a pressure cooker but they have NO IDEA how long, how much beans or how much water. No recipes. Customer service suggested I google it based on other pressure cookers. Markings on the side of the pot are not explained anywhere, and customer service has no idea what they mean either. Their recipe for smoking bacon is HORRIBLE. You do not need to cut the bacon into slices. The manual notes that during cold smoking, "a wisp of smoke" will be released. What they don't tell you is, that wisp is a constant stream of smoke that will make your place reek for days. Also, the pot is lined with some s***ty teflon (!) and the racks have pointy edges. Only a matter of time before you're pressure cooking toxins into your food. If you use it to smoke, whatever you pressure cook in it will also taste ash-trayed. I returned this and instead, bought the Smoking Gun and a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker/stockpot.

I was a bit leery about ordering this, given the mixed reviews. However, at the super price offered I couldn't resist. I have now used it for both baby back ribs and brisket, and can report that both ended up very well smoked. The ribs were outstanding, among the best I've had either on my own or at restaurants. And although the brisket turned out overdone, I believe that is my fault for giving it more time than was recommended for beef generally. I would also say that if you intend to cook a brisket or other roast in it, you adhere to the recommended size and time limits. I ended up with a 3 plus pound brisket (they recommend 2 pounds max but I didn't see that until it was too late), and I had to cut it into several small triangular pieces in order to fit it into the rack. Even then it was a bear to squeeze in. Then because of the weight I cooked it for 60 minutes instead of the recommended 50, and I'm pretty sure that breaking it up that way shortened up the time needed to do the job, possibly even below 50 minutes. I cooked the ribs for the recommended 40 minutes and that was perfect. Lastly, I'd recommend using chips other than mesquite. I used mesquite for the ribs, and though they came out perfectly the room was also pretty smoky. Using apple for the brisket eliminated that problem.