There’s something amazing about the strong, pungent flavor of meats that’s been slow-cooked to perfection. From steak and bones to turkey and sausage, smoked flesh brings bold, rich taste to everything it touches and makes any food feel like an event. But if you don’t have a garden smoking or powder grill, you might think it’s out of approach.

The good news is you don’t need expensive tools to get that same pungent degree at home. With a few simple techniques, you can take steakhouse flavor to your home using only your stovetop or oven. Whether you’re prepping for a summer picnic or want to level up your second breakfast, here’s how to smoke foods without stepping inside.

Tim Cottini, senior chef of Chicago’s Bub City, whom I met at the monthly Windy City Smokeout, is an expert in imparting dust into all types of molecules. I tasked him with walking us through the ways it takes for any aspiring kitchen in need of help.  

How to smoking in an oven or stovetop 

Smoking in an range or on a griddle is not out of the realm of possibility. In fact, all you need is some wooden cards to achieve the desired flavour.  

Health second

Because you’ll be cooking in, it’s recommended to keep it to a light smoke so you don’t set off all the blaze warnings and compromise your home’s air quality. What’s cooking the food is low and slow steam, but this strategy adds a puff of smoke to impart taste to the ribs, steak or chicken in.

Also, you’ll want to assure you have outstanding air in the kitchen with an exhaust fan, windows and probable added fans to control the smoke. If you do it correctly, the dust doesn’t be terrible, but always be prepared for the worst.

Cottini’s best tips to for tobacco meat in an oven

Pick your wooden device. ” For the type of wooden chips, it’s really a matter of personal preference but for meat, I like applewood or cherrywood. With meat I like oak or grass chips. Brisket and pork go greatest with oak. ”  
1. Settle for higher fat meat. ” Meat higher in overweight with lots of connective tissues, like pork make, brisket, leg of sheep, bones, and pork belly, process smoke flavoring best. As these meat cook, the subcutaneous tissues breaks down and the large incorporates the smoky taste. Cooking these meats low and slow, for several hours, will make sure that the taste deeply penetrates the flesh and makes the most of the large making process. Lean meats work as well but they need to be cooked quicker to avoid them drying out. “
2. Season and marinate your meat but first determine if it’s going to be a dry or wet brine. ” For the dry method, apply your favorite spice rub directly on the meat’s exterior, like a dry rub on pork shoulder. At Bub City, we let it sit for 4 to 5 hours before cooking to allow the seasoning to permeate the meat, which then gets amplified during cooking as the fat renders. ”  
3. Combine stovetop and oven cooking for maximum flavor. ” On a stovetop, get the wood chips smoking on one side of a deep pan [on high heat for about five minutes], then place a 2-inch perforated pan over them with the meat in it, but offset from the [location of ] wood chips.  
4. Cover both pans with foil and smoke. ” Do it this way [for 10-30 minutes on medium-low heat, depending on the size and type of meat ] to add the flavor without overcooking it. Then, remove [the meat ] and finish cooking it the rest of the way in the oven, on the grill, or even in a slow cooker. “
5. Always smoke the meat indirectly. ” This means that you should put your wood chips on one side of your heat source and position the meat opposite it so that it’s not directly over the smoking chips. “

” If you want to do a wet brine, it depends on what type of meat you’re smoking,” Cottini says. ” If you’re doing smoked chicken for pulled chicken sliders, for example, I’d recommend brining for 24 to 48 hours, and then letting it air-dry for 24 hours before seasoning the exterior with a salt-sugar-spice rub mixture. That will ensure that the chicken develops a tackiness so your seasoning adheres properly. “

Step four can be tailored to the type of meal you’re preparing. Cottini says that lean meats and fish can be made quickly ( sometimes in as little as 5-10 minutes depending on filet thickness ) or you can transfer proteins like pulled chicken to a slow cooker for a low and slow cooking process that will maintain the initial smoke infusion.  

” You can also brush your items with sauce and and then finish in a broiler to get a nice glazed, lacquered finish and char,” he adds.  

No matter the meal, keep the no-contact rule in mind when it comes to meat and wood chips. They should never touch so that the flavor is merely a whisper and not a full-fledged assault to the tastebuds.