Emson 5-Qt. Electric Indoor Pressure Cooker Smoker

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Regarding cooking time on a brisket - whoever is cooking it 1 hour or 5 is eating some very tough meat. 12 hours minimum “traditional time” is much better and 15 isn’t unusual.

Three perfect reviews over at walmart.com
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Does anyone know if this pressure cooker has a timer?

Yes, it has a multi-stage timer; you can set it to cold smoke for a while and then hot smoke. Or just hot smoke. Or just cold smoke. I think the timer only goes up to 99 minutes.

I bought one of these the last time it was on woot. It certainly does what it says it does; I had to reduce the number of wood chips because the meat was turning out too smoky. It can’t cook very much meat at once, though. If you’re having a BBQ and using this, people will be eating in shifts.

Quite right! You can’t do brisket, CORRECTLY, in 2 hours. (Or, even 6, with a pressure smoker.) It’s like painting a Picasso in 1 hour. (OK, bad example, because some of his look like he spent 20 minutes on it, tops.)

And guys, if you’re using hickory, guess again! Mesquite wood, along with home made mesquite coals are the ONLY thing for brisket.

Hickory is OK for bacon or ribs, but apple (or even peach) wood is MUCH better. Gives a more sublime flavor. Personally, freestone peach, is my smoke wood of choice, unless you need the strength of mesquite.

And, the smoke should be almost barely perceptible, not like a house fire. You should say, this was smoked, but with what? But I like it.

steve

I’m guessing you’ve never used a pressure cooker before. Great for roasts, half cup water, some onion soup mix, meat so tender it literally falls off the bone. (Yum!) To get tough meat out of a pressure cooker, you really have to be doing something very wrong, and it is way faster than a slow cooker or the oven.

I’ve never used a pressure cooker (or a smoker for that matter) before. Can you use them on a stove that has a glass top?

I bought this a few months ago. My husband loves smoked food but our regular smoker never got up to temp and was a big hassle for just two people. This little gadget is DA BOMB. We love it. Perfect for two people and way faster than a regular smokers. Smoked, fall off the bone tender baby backs, a turkey breast, we even cold smoked some cheese. Love it. It is quite small but it doesn’t take long to use so you can always work in batches.

It is an electric appliance, so you should use it on a countertop. (Unless you’re talking about a stovetop pressure cooker or smoker, but those are completely different products.)

I picked one up last time it was on woot. I would never consider using it indoors but who cares where you use it at. I tried pumpkin seeds which came out really good. And I tried cheese with the cold smoke but I used way too much wood and had to toss the cheese. I haven’t decided if it is worth a repeat. I also did the smoked ribs a few times now. You can only do one rack at a time. The ribs are outstanding. I have an outdoor smoker I’ve used many times and in some aspects the ribs are better on the outdoor unit but overall the ribs are better in this machine. And it’s a lot easier/quicker (5+ hours versus <1 hour).

I think the intent of the OP’s comment was to point out that someone who thought a brisket could be done in 5 hours by traditional cooking methods was, at best, misguided. Pecan Lodge, Franklin’s, and Lockhart Smokehouse all smoke their briskets for around 16 hours. It takes time - a lot of time - to render the collagen in brisket and make it tender.

I’ve used pressure cookers in the past, while faster pressure cookers usually produce food lacking in flavor. All in all, I’d take that 1 hour thing with a large grain of BBQ rub.

I bought one last time as well. Is it as good as a regular smoker?..No. But at 6pm I can decide to make pork BBQ and eat it an hour later. I cold smoked thin sliced london broil then marinated it and dried it for beef jerky that was fantastic. Much better than liquid smoke that most people do. Quick smoked baked potatoes are another plus. There is a larger model that would be better because it holds more but this one is great for small amounts. Different types of wood are a must. Great…now I’m hungry.

It’s an electric pressure smoker. Keep it FAR away from your stove!

Not this one…it’s electric.

However, if you can use (for example) a metal fry pan, you can use a non-electric pressure cooker. It’s basically a metal pot with a very tight lid.

Bought this a few months ago and am pleased. No the meat is not as complexly flavoured as when done the traditional way but faster and others are happy when I share the fruits of my labor. When ham or turkey breast goes on sale I smoke several batches, slice it, and use as sandwich meat. Much better and cheaper than what I find at the local deli counter. Just be careful not to use to many wood chips and soak the wood chips in water prior to use. Still would like to find an easy way to clean the would chip burner, that is a pain in the behind. Emson has a website with some additional recipes. WOOT I would buy the bigger one if you offered it. I think this is a great buy and tool for the kitchen.

Is there a variable control over the temperature? Or is this either “Hot” or “Cold” and nothing in between?

Is there any indication of what temp “Hot” is?

Thanks

Does it hook up to the stove some how? I assumed it plugged into a wall. Why would you want to keep it far from an electric, glass-top stove? Seems like there or a countertop is where you would want to put it.

I second this! Great little countertop appliance, and would be even more fabulous in the larger size if it available at a reasonable price!