Electric food smoker

Abstract

An electric food smoker includes a heating element that provides a main source of heat and a separate smoke element that is controlled independently from the heating element and provides heat to a wood chip box. Separate control of the heating element and the smoke element allows providing a cold smoke cycle for the food smoker. A hot smoke cycle provides independent control of the heating element and the smoke element according to a hot smoke program. A fast smoke cycle allows adding more smoke during any existing cycle.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A food smoker comprising:
 a. a cooking chamber;   b. a smoke heating element; and   c. a wood chip box removably mounted within the cooking chamber, the wood chip box including a bottom, sides, a back, a front with a handle, and a lid forming a top of the wood chip box and hinged to the wood chip box;   wherein the handle allows the wood chip box to be grasped, removed from inside of the cooking chamber, and the ashes dumped when the wood chip box is rotated by means of the handle and the hinged lid opens under the influence of gravity.   
     
     
         23 . The food smoker of  claim 22 , wherein the wood chip box has openings in at least one of the group selected from the sides, the back, the bottom, and the lid and wherein the cooking chamber includes an adjustable vent in proximity to a wood chip box that allows a user to adjust the adjustable vent to increase or decrease air flow near the wood chip box. 
     
     
         24 . The food smoker of  claim 22 , wherein the bottom has openings and has a recess dimensioned to receive the smoke heating element. 
     
     
         25 . A food smoker comprising:
 a. a cooking chamber including a top portion and a door;   b. a light source mounted in the top portion adjacent the door so that the light source is outside of the cooking chamber when the door is closed;   c. a reflector mounted in the door adjacent the light source when the door is closed; and   d. a lens mounted in the door between the light source and the reflector so that when the door is closed, the light source, the lens, and the reflector align,   wherein light from the light source passes through the lens and is reflected by the reflector into the cooking chamber without the light source being exposed to the inside of the cooking chamber.