Can You Smoke Meat in an Instant Pot?

No, you cannot smoke meat in an Instant Pot. An Instant Pot is a sealed electric pressure cooker, and smoking requires open, sustained smoke and low, indirect heat that a sealed electric appliance does not provide. None of the pots compared on this site are smokers, and the makers of the picks in the guides below publish no smoke settings or smoke functions.

Why a sealed electric cooker cannot smoke meat

Smoking depends on air movement: wood or charcoal produces smoke, and that smoke has to circulate around the meat for hours at a low temperature. An Instant Pot locks its lid to build steam pressure, so the interior is a closed, moist environment. The appliance is designed to braise, steam, and pressure cook, not to burn fuel or hold a draft. The result is tender meat, but not smoke flavor from wood.

The pots compared on this site are stovetop and electric brewing and cooking vessels. The Best Moka Pots for Stovetop and Electric Brewing guide covers moka pots, which brew coffee by forcing hot water through grounds. None of those picks is a smoker, and their published features describe coffee brewing, not smoke generation. The same is true of the pasta, stackable, and steamer pots in the other guides: they boil, steam, and store food, but they do not produce smoke.

What the makers publish about smoke functions

Across the fact sheet for the four guides cited here, no maker lists a smoke setting, a smoke box, or a wood chip tray. The Bialetti Moka Express publishes a safety valve and a stovetop brewing method, and its feature text says to fill the boiler to the safety valve and place the pot on the stovetop. That is coffee brewing, not smoking. The WALDWERK moka pot lists a safety valve and stovetop compatibility, and the SHANGSKY electric moka pot lists a safety valve and overheating protection. None of these features creates smoke.

The pasta pot picks publish strainer lids, nonstick coatings, and stovetop compatibility. The steamer pot picks publish steamer baskets, glass lids, and tri-ply bases. The stackable pot picks publish detachable handles and nesting storage. None of these makers publishes a smoke function, and this site has not compared any Instant Pot model or any dedicated smoker. If you want smoke flavor, the makers of these pots do not claim to provide it.

What an Instant Pot can do instead

An Instant Pot can pressure cook, steam, and braise, and those methods produce tender meat without smoke. The steamer pots in the Best Steamer Pots for One Person or a Whole Family guide show how makers describe steam cooking: the LOLYKITCH 5-quart steamer pot has a 3-ply bonded body and a tempered glass lid, and the Oster Dutch Oven with Steamer Basket is a 3-quart set with a fitted steamer basket. These are stovetop pots, not electric pressure cookers, but they illustrate the difference between steaming and smoking.

If you want smoke flavor without a smoker, the makers of the pots on this site publish no smoke function, so the honest answer is that these pots cannot do it. A stovetop smoker or an outdoor smoker is a different product category, and this site has not compared one. You can cook meat in an Instant Pot, but you cannot smoke it there.

Published figures for the pots compared here

The fact sheet gives dimensions and weights for the picks, and those figures describe cooking vessels, not smokers. The Bialetti Moka Express is 5.6 inches wide, 4.0 inches deep, and 6.7 inches high, and it weighs 1.05 pounds. The WALDWERK stainless steel moka pot is 6.22 inches wide, 7.4 inches deep, and 2.1 inches high, and it weighs 1.68 pounds. The SHANGSKY electric moka pot is 5.3 inches wide, 7.7 inches deep, and 10.6 inches high, and it weighs 2.75 pounds. None of these figures includes a smoke chamber or a wood chip tray.

The pasta pot picks follow the same pattern. The Cooler Concepts stainless steel pasta pot is 9.45 inches wide, 6.3 inches deep, and 10.63 inches high, and it weighs 3.33 pounds. The Bialetti 5.5-quart nonstick aluminum pasta pot is 9.5 inches wide, 16.25 inches deep, and 7.75 inches high, and it weighs 3.5 pounds. The Oster Sangerfield 5-quart pasta pot set is 8.5 inches wide, 11.0 inches deep, and 10.5 inches high, and it weighs 3.6 pounds. These are boiling and straining pots, and their makers publish no smoke function.

The steamer pot picks are similarly described. The LOLYKITCH 5-quart steamer pot is 8.7 inches wide, 8.7 inches deep, and 7.7 inches high, and it weighs 5.8 pounds. The Sunhouse 3-quart steamer pot is 9.25 inches wide, 11.22 inches deep, and 6.69 inches high, and it weighs 3.5 pounds. The Oster Dutch Oven with Steamer Basket is 8.5 inches wide, 8.5 inches deep, and 6.2 inches high, and it weighs 3.2 pounds. The Ohtomber 1.5-quart saucepan with steamer basket is 6.9 inches wide, 13.9 inches deep, and 4.1 inches high, and it weighs 2.91 pounds. None of these makers publishes a smoke setting.

Stackable and pasta pots: storage and straining, not smoking

The Best Stackable Pots for Small Kitchens and RVs guide covers sets that nest for storage. The GreenLife 10-piece stainless steel set weighs 15.55 pounds and includes 8-inch, 9.5-inch, and 11-inch frypans, three saucepans, two detachable handles, and two glass lids. The Redchef ceramic set weighs 5.84 pounds and includes a 2.5-quart saucepan, an 8-inch frying pan, a 10-inch frying pan, an 8-inch glass lid, and a detachable handle. The Granitestone set includes 5-quart, 3-quart, and 1.5-quart pots with lids, and the CAROTE 19-piece set weighs 10.76 pounds. These sets are for cooking and storage, and their makers publish no smoke function.

The Best Pasta Pots for Draining Without a Colander guide covers pots with strainer lids. The Cuisinart 6-quart pasta pot is 7.28 inches wide, 11.81 inches deep, and 9.65 inches high, and it weighs 3.35 pounds. The Gotham Steel 5-quart stock pot is 9.45 inches wide, 13.15 inches deep, and 7.15 inches high, and it weighs 2.93 pounds. These pots boil and drain pasta, and their makers publish no smoke function. If you want smoke flavor, these pots will not provide it, and an Instant Pot will not either.