Great idea in theory but falls short in practice
GE indoor smoker is a great idea in theory, but falls short in practice.
I received this indoor smoker just prior to the Super Bowl and was looking forward to smoking up some meats for the big game- that is until I had my first experience with chicken wings.
I immediately set up the unit per the included instructions and prepared to cook.
Problem 1: it takes absolutely forever to preheat. I expected a similar wait time as I have for my current outdoor electric smoker. IT IS NOT EVEN CLOSE! This thing takes in excess of 20 minutes or longer to reach temperature.
Problem 2: This things is small! Donāt fall for the advertised hype- anyway you look at it, it is far too small-especially when compared to the amount of counter space this thing consumes. The output simply does not justify living with this behemoth on your counter. Be prepared to explore an appliance garage if you decide to allow this boss to move on.
Problem 3: It aināt smokeless! Just like uncle Jimmy, who claims to have kicked the habit, you will return to a kitchen absolutely reeking of smoke. In fact, both times I used my unit the smoke alarms went off- not to mention my house smelled of ā a rich blend of hardwoodsā for many days after each attempt. How could so much smoke come from such a small combustion chamber? AND I assure you, I followed the instructions exactly!
Problem 4: The room gets smokier than the food inside. Donāt get me wrong, the smoke flavor is there but only very subtly. Perhaps if one could space out the food better, maybe it could absorb some of the smoky flavor wafting from the sealed machine into your house.
Problem 5: This thing is expensive! Even if it did the job as advertised it still costs several times more than some standard outdoor smokers.
In conclusion, GEās new indoor smoker may be good for people who like smoking their home throughly but not the small about of meat they can jam inside. Again, I love the idea especially for residents of apartments or those with restrictions on outdoor grills and smokers but for the average person who actually likes smoky food it simply does not get the job done. Perhaps skip the 1st generation in hopes the designers/ engineers make drastic improvements in the future. The real rating from me is 1.5 stars.
reply from GE_Appliances
Thanks so much for connecting with us! When the unit is in "preheating" mode, the smoker is warming up in preparation for smoking. During the preheating phase, the smoke chamber may not begin to heat immediately, however, we still recommend putting your food in the smoker after the preheating phase is complete (about 15 minutes). If desired, you can skip the preheat. You can find information about this on page 19 of the manual - https://products-salsify.geappliances.com/image/upload/s--c3XleoJo--/qqamm7ufiv6mpsjxvrud.pdf?_gl.
Smoke is not vented out of the unit due to our active smoke filtration. If you are going to open the door during the smoking process, we recommend using the "Clear Smoke" feature. There's info on page 20 of the manual in regard to this. If your smoker is venting smoke out of the unit, please give us a call at 1-800-432-2737.
Our smoker can fit 3 full racks of baby back ribs (cut in half), 1 brisket (cut in half), 1 whole chicken, 2 dozen chicken wings, or 1 pork butt. You can smoke a party's worth of amazing food in a single cooking session. A huge plus for our indoor smoker is the fact that you can smoke at any time of year! Enjoy smoked food on a rainy day or during freezing temps without missing any part of the party inside.