Inclement weather, lack of a back yard, or Draconian HOA (homeowner association) rules may no longer be barriers to enjoying perfectly cooked meats without constant vigilance. SmoqeX, a countertop-sized 3-in-1 indoor smoker, air fryer and grill is now on Kickstarter.
SmoqeX was created by a team of Livwell kitchen appliance engineers with decades of experience in production design. It was field-tested by Kurtis Jantz, a barbecue expert with 20 years of experience in Caribbean, European and New Orleans cuisine.
The conventional method of barbecuing can be time-consuming, as you have to start the coals up then monitor the temperature to guard against under- or overcooked food. SmoqeX compensates for this with a programmable (for up to 12 hours) electric heating system and built-in internal meat probe that automatically switches to “keep warm” when optimal doneness is achieved.
With a capacity of 24.6 liters (26 quarts) – the equivalent to a large toaster oven – SmoqeX uses real wood pellets to impart an authentic smokey flavor to meats. It takes up a small countertop footprint due to its vertical design, coming in at 42 x 42 x 42 cm (16 x 16 x 16 in).
Since cooking is done by way of electrical heaters instead of charcoal and propane, the full flavor of your favorite wood pellets is dispersed and less are required as the pellets are not used as a fuel source. The flavor compartment holds up to 500 g (16 oz) of the pellets.
There are three cooking modes to chose from.
The first of these is Smoking Mode (10 temperature presets) which sets low temperatures for dehydration and slow cooking of foods that hold smoke flavors well such as cheese, fish and nuts. Grill Mode (eight presets) is good for high-heat searing/roasting of steaks, burgers, briskets, ribs, whole chickens and veggies. Air Fryer Mode gives crunchy golden results for foods such as fries or fish sticks with little or no oil added.
SmoqeX incorporates patented smoke elimination technology consisting of two built-in convection fans with filters that circulate and neutralize wood smoke and turn it into clean air before it leaves the oven, rendering it suitable for barbecue enthusiasts to use indoors without setting off smoke detectors. The charcoal fan filters can reportedly last about six months depending on usage, and can be replaced for optimum performance after that period for approximately US$12.99 to $19.99.
Best of all for those in shoe-boxed sized spaces, the enclosed sealed door technology reduces sticky grease buildup, and the four removable racks and drip tray are dishwasher-safe making cleanup an easy chore with no back-breaking grill rack scrubbing required.
A close competitor to SmoqeX that is already on the market is the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker ($699). There are a few pluses and minuses that may influence the barbecuers’s final purchase choice.
First of all, both smokers offer the same relatively low cost and efficient wood pellet usage. Both units also include a meat temperature probe to monitor the internal temperature, with the GE offering two heating sources, one for heating pellets and one for cooking plus a max temperature range of 350 ºF (177 ºC).
The SmoqeX includes low-temperature cold smoking, grilling and air frying functions with a max temperature of 500 ºF (260 ºC). They also both feature hold timers options to set cooking times and simple clean-up with easy rack removal.
The GE Profile's countertop footprint comes in a bit bigger, at 41.3 x 42 x 52 cm (16.25 x 16.5 x20.35 inches) with a 17-liter (18-quart) capacity – thus a bit smaller than SmoqeX. It has three grilling racks compared to the four offered by SmoqeX.
For the serious hardcore barbecuer, SmoqeX has 10 smoking presets and eight cooking functions vs GE’s five adjustable smoke settings and six food cooking presets.
The most glaring omission for SmoqeX is the lack of an app. This is surprising for something that is supposed to require less hovering, especially if the host is out of hearing range of the device's alerts. Hopefully, in future upgrades SmoqeX will factor in an app to make it truly hands-off cooking.
Assuming the Kickstarter campaign is successful, you can get your very own SmoqeX 3-in-1 indoor cooker for a pledge of US$575 (MSRP $998). If all goes according to plan, it should ship in June.
Source: Kickstarter
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