SmokeGun - Handheld Smoking Revolution

Handheld smoke guns (PolyScience Smoking Gun, $100) brought cold-smoking technique to home kitchens and cocktail bars, creating tableside theater 2015-2020.

Technique

Battery-powered device burns wood chips, herbs, or spices, pumping smoke through tube into covered container. Infuses food/drinks with smoke flavor without heat or cooking.

Applications

Cocktails: Old fashioneds, mezcal drinks served under glass cloche with smoke. Cheese/butter: Quick smoke infusion without smoker. Vegetables: Smoked deviled eggs, cheese, tofu. Meat finishing: Add smoke layer to sous vide steaks.

Bon Appétit Influence

Bon Appétit Test Kitchen videos (2016-2019) featured smoke gun regularly. Brad Leone’s “It’s Alive” series used it for fermentation experiments, garnering millions of views.

Restaurant Theater

Upscale restaurants used smoke guns for tableside reveals: lift glass cloche to release smoke cloud. Instagram-friendly presentation justified $30+ cocktail prices.

Home Adoption

$100 price point made it accessible. Williams-Sonoma, Sur la Table carried them. Became gift item for serious home cooks/bartenders.

Sources:

• Bon Appétit: “How to Use a Smoking Gun” (2017)
• Serious Eats: “Smoking Gun Review” (2016)