An apparatus for cooking and smoking food comprising: a vertically extending cooking and smoking chamber having a left side wall , a right side wall , a back wall , a front opening , and a bottom floor ; a door positionable on the front opening for closing and opening the front opening ; one or more air intake vents provided in a lower portion of the cooking and smoking chamber ; one or more exhaust vents provided in an upper portion of the cooking and smoking chamber ; and one or more electric heating elements positioned in the lower portion of the cooking and smoking chamber , the one or more electric heating elements being spaced above the bottom floor of the cooking and smoking chamber ; a smoke box for generating smoke; and a smoke box placement station in the cooking and smoking chamber for placement of the smoke box at least partially over the one or more electric heating elements ; wherein the smoke box comprises: an interior combustion area for combusting wood chips or other pieces in an oxygen deficient environment to produce smoke and an exhaust flow assembly which defines a circuitous exhaust flow path for the smoke wherein the smoke must flow in a first direction through an inner flow gap formed by the exhaust flow assembly and then must flow in a second direction, different from the first direction, through an outer flow gap formed by the exhaust flow assembly; a first obstructing structure in the inner flow gap ; a second obstructing structure in the outer flow gap; wherein the first and the second obstructing structures each comprise an upstream rail and a parallel downstream rail , the upstream and the downstream rails (110a, 112a; 110b, 112b) each have a plurality of holes for flow of the smoke through the rails (110a, 112a; 110b, 112b), and the holes of the downstream rail are not in alignment with the holes of the upstream rail . a vertically extending cooking and smoking chamber having a left side wall , a right side wall , a back wall , a front opening , and a bottom floor ; a door positionable on the front opening for closing and opening the front opening ; one or more air intake vents provided in a lower portion of the cooking and smoking chamber ; one or more exhaust vents provided in an upper portion of the cooking and smoking chamber ; and one or more electric heating elements positioned in the lower portion of the cooking and smoking chamber , the one or more electric heating elements being spaced above the bottom floor of the cooking and smoking chamber ; a smoke box for generating smoke; and a smoke box placement station in the cooking and smoking chamber for placement of the smoke box at least partially over the one or more electric heating elements ; an interior combustion area for combusting wood chips or other pieces in an oxygen deficient environment to produce smoke and an exhaust flow assembly which defines a circuitous exhaust flow path for the smoke wherein the smoke must flow in a first direction through an inner flow gap formed by the exhaust flow assembly and then must flow in a second direction, different from the first direction, through an outer flow gap formed by the exhaust flow assembly; a first obstructing structure in the inner flow gap ; a second obstructing structure in the outer flow gap; wherein the first and the second obstructing structures each comprise an upstream rail and a parallel downstream rail , the upstream and the downstream rails (110a, 112a; 110b, 112b) each have a plurality of holes for flow of the smoke through the rails (110a, 112a; 110b, 112b), and the holes of the downstream rail are not in alignment with the holes of the upstream rail . <EOS>