Is a Handheld Smoke Gun Food Smoker Worth Using?

How Is a Smoke Gun Food Smoker Used and How Well Does It Work?

Have you ever watched Top Chef? If so, have you seen chefs on this competition show using a handheld device to “smoke” meats and other foods? Could you actually smoke something with a small handheld device? Is it something worth owning for your kitchen? If so, how do you use it?

I’ve asked all these questions and more. Owning a big old meat smoker, or even a newfangled electric smoker is not in the cards for me, and probably most of my readers. We may be interested in getting some smoke flavor into our foods sometimes, but certainly not enough to justify the expense and footprint of such a device. And, hey, if we really want some genuine smoked brisket, or some other great barbecue, we know where to get it in our town!

What is a Handheld Smoking Device?

But, a handheld smoker like the Breville PolyScience The Smoking Gun is not really a smoker in that regard. Real smoking is slow and takes hours. Some people smoke their meats for up to 13 hours. A handheld smoker is more of a smoke infuser or smoke flavoring device. In principle, this is a great idea. We love smoke flavor in our foods but we don’t always want to grill outdoors! And liquid smoke flavoring is not the same at all. So, why not an easy and portable way to put some smoke into our food?

Although there may be more than one company making these, the one everybody talks about is the Smoking Gun Handheld Food Smoker by PolyScience. It is a handheld battery-powered smoke gun that can be used inside or outside.

I’ve tried to gather together some resources on using The Smoking Gun food smoker to share here on CulinaryLore, but I had limited success. I have included some videos from Williams Sonoma with Chef Michael Voltaggio. Remember I mentioned Top Chef? Michael Voltaggio was the season six winner. He holds a Michelin Star and is the recipient of several awards, as well as being a finalist for James Beard Best New Restaurant award. He serves as Chef de Cuisine of The Dining Room at The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena. He hales from Frederick, Md. (my state!) In the videos below (parts one and two), he explains the use of The Smoking Gun and demonstrates how to use it.

The Smoking Gun Smoke Infuser with Chef Michael Voltaggio, Part I

The Smoking Gun Smoke Infuser with Chef Michael Voltaggio, Part II

Chef Voltaggio explains about the different kinds of wood chips you can use, such as apple, cherry, mesquite, and hickory and what kinds of foods they are suited for. He also explains how you can use herbs and spices such as coriander in the smoker! You can also use teas, hay, or dried flowers. By the way, you can also use sawdust, but if you do buy a smoking gun to use, be careful of what sort of sawdust you use. Much of today’s lumber is pressure treated with chemicals to preserve it. You do NOT want to smoke with the sawdust from such lumber! Little canisters of wood chips to use in The Smoking Gun are available separately for purchase, but you shouldn’t have much trouble finding them locally for a cheaper price. The basic Smoking Gun comes with two .5 ounce samples of apple and hickory wood chips.

The goal of using the handheld smoker is to finish your already cooked food with a little hint of smoke. But you don’t have to smoke only cooked food. You can smoke salt, for example, as the chef demonstrates in part two. He also shows how to make a smoked tomato salsa, a smoked soup in a blender, a smoked Margarita cocktail (sorry, I’ll pass), and table presentation.

If you find the commercial version of the Smoking Gun linked above to be a bit out of your price range, you may find the Breville Smoking Gun Food Smoker in Silver/Black for home chefs to be a better choice. It has all the same functions but is made with home cooks in mind, ideal for more occasional use.

Many Culinary Lore readers, after reading this entry, opt for a less expensive unit to try their hand at indoor smoke infusing. A popular choice on a budget is the Gramercy Kitchen Co. Portable Smoke Infuser Bundle.

The following table shows the 4 products that readers have bought. You can use the red toggle button to the left of each product to reveal more details.

Image	Product	Features	Link	Price
	Breville|PolyScience The Smoking Gun Pro Smoke Infuser, Commercial	The smoking gun handheld Pro food smoker for adding natural smoke flavor and aroma to meat, fish, vegetables, desserts, beverages and cocktails easily Includes smoke gun, nozzle extender hose, batteries, replacement smoke screens, Instructions, and sample wood chips (1/2-ounce each apple and hickory) Cold smoker for professional or home chefs and mixologists; easy-turn dial customizes airflow and smoke intensity (from 5.3 to 15.1 meters per second) Integrated stand for Comfort; 17.5-Inch extender hose for precision smoke placement; detachable burn chamber and smoking barrel are dishwasher safe Enhanced performance, easier loading, longer longevity; battery operated for use anywhere; disassembles without tools; 1-year manufacturer's warranty; PolyScience- a Breville Brand		$145.00 $122.46Save 16% ($22.54)
	Gramercy Kitchen Co. Portable Smoke Infuser Bundle | Hand-held Smoking Gun Small Mini Kitchen Smoker for Meat & Cocktails | Indoor Food & Drink Smokers for Sous Vide Accessories | BONUS Storage Bag	★ BONUSES! You'll receive a downloadable recipe guide filled with tips & recipes for smoking the best craft cocktail or scotch, sous vide meats, and appetizer spreads. Also, we are building a growing library of some of the best at-home gourmet recipes around. You'll get free online access - make sure to watch your inbox! ★ WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO: At GKC, we love to cook. We use our products daily and we only use the best. We provide the exact same for our customers. We offer the most convenient devices to add the finest culinary touches to your prepared meals and drinks. PROFESSIONAL QUALITY CONSTRUCTION - our GKC Portable Infusion Smoker is made of sturdy and easy to clean aluminum & rugged professional-grade plastic. Specially designed chamber for just the right amount of wood chips for smoking. ★ WITH OTHER HANDHELD SMOKERS, you risk losing the accessories you need to make your smoker work quickly and easily. You also have to fend for yourself for figuring out how to clean out the ashes after you're finished smoking your dinner or your whiskey. The GKC portable smoker offers a CLEANING BRUSH and a high-quality black velvet STORAGE BAG both EXCLUSIVE to our product. With our product, no using your toothbrush to clean out your unit and no losing your smoking accessories in a drawer. ★ ELEGANTLY SIMPLE: Our handheld smoke infuser is engineered to the perfect size for smoking your meals and drinks with cool INDOOR smoke, transforming your gourmet kitchen skills. Too cold outside to smoke your rack of ribs? Not enough time to smoke a delicious week-night meal? Our portable, handheld smoker fixes that in a couple minutes. If you love sous vide accessories, it will also preserve the perfect edge-to-edge cooking of meats and adding smoky aroma. NOTE: wood chips not included. ★ CUSTOMER CARE PROMISE: GKC strives to create complete customer satisfaction, period. Reach out to us anytime, for any reason so we can help solve any problems that arise - our customers are more important than sales. And if we can't we will replace or refund your order - zero questions asked. We also love to help out by recommending recipes, answering questions and being a resource as you use our products to make the best imaginable food. Please don't hesitate to reach out - we love to help!		$39.97
	Gourmia GSM220 Portable Infusion Smoker Cool Smoke to Enhance Taste - Battery Operated - Compact & Convenient - Free E-Recipe Book Included	HASSLE FREE - With the Gourmia Portable Infusion Smoker you are minutes away from eating delicious smoked food just grab it, light the wood chips, teas and spices, even hay, dried flowers and herbsto infuse a variety of natural smoky flavors to an array of food and drinks COOL SMOKE- to ensure the taste of your food doesn't get ruined, our state-of-the-art designed fan filters out the heat from the smoke so the smoke is cool when leaving the nozzle and your food stays as you perfected it. BATTERY OPERATED- you should not have to be near an outlet every time you want to get quick fresh smoked food, with the Gourmia Portable Infusion Smoker that's battery operated just press the button and it's working. EASY TO STORAGE- if you like good tasty smoked food that doesn't mean you need a large storage room, garage or shed to store it, with this compact size it doesn't matter the size of your apartment, you can keep it everywhere including cabinet, pantry or anywhere where something small fits. EXPLORE DELICIOUSNESS- to experience a sizzling beef rib steak, well done pork shoulder, tasty pastrami or game birds with a twist, just smoke it grab a beer and enjoy food at its finest.		$24.99
	homia Smoking Gun Wood Smoke Infuser - Extended Kit Portable Electric Smoker Machine with Accessories and Wood Chips - Cold Smoke for Food and Drinks	ADD A DELICIOUS SMOKY FLAVOR to your food and drinks in just no time. Portable, convenient and easy to use Food Smoker will produce cold smoke and apply a delightful flavor to your grilled or sous vide meat, veggies, cheese, cocktails or salmon. EXTENDED SMOKING GUN SET - everything you need to have the best smoked food - include wooden chips, specially designed lid and cup cover disk. Flexible hose and specially designed nozzle make this Smoking Gun a versatille all-purpose Food Smoker. Ready to use out of the box! EASY ONE-BUTTON USE WITH TWO SMOKING SPEEDS - for high and moderate smoking; fast lighting wood chips. Generates intense cold smoke that is easily absorbed into food and drinks for that tender smokey flavor. MULTI-USE SMOKING MACHINE - Meat, Fish, Cheese, Pasta, Whiskey, Cocktail - add a smoky flavor to virtually any food or drink. 4XAA BATTERIES INCLUDED FOR INSTANT START - get your hands on this smoker while you still can! And with our extended warranty you are 100% protected from defects or malfunctions.		N/A