What could be tastier than homemade smoked meats? Many craftsmen are interested in describing the principle of creating useful homemade products in the household.
Finished products are captured in the photo, cold smoked smokehouses can be made by hand. Homemade produce is a welcome treat.
Do-it-yourself design
Cold smoking is the processing of food with the help of smoke having a temperature of 32 degrees. The process must be organized correctly, so the master will need to figure out how to make a cold smoked smokehouse correctly. It is important not to make a mistake with the construction scheme.
It is necessary that the hot smoke becomes cold. To do this, use a tunnel that connects the firebox to the compartment where the products are placed. The length of the tunnel can vary between 2-7 m. This distance is taken into account to calculate the length of the chimney.
If the firebox is located at a distance of more than 7 m from the smokehouse, draft problems, as a rule, cannot be avoided.
How does the device work?
The principle of operation of a homemade smokehouse can be represented as follows. Food processing can take up to 3 days. The process can continue for several weeks.
The main thing is to ensure that the smoking process occurs evenly. Do not mix different types of food in the smoking chamber.
You have to cook food in one go. It is important to sort products by size.
More about the design of the smokehouse
To make a firebox, you need to dig a trench with dimensions of 50x50. These values may be greater. Often the width with the depth of the pit is made meter.
The bottom of the firebox can be made of brick, and then covered with a tin sheet. There is no need to prepare a cement mortar. It is enough to compact the bricks close to each other. The sides are also trimmed with brick. Here, for masonry, you need a clay mortar.
When creating a drawing of a cold smoked smokehouse, it is necessary to take into account both the remoteness of individual parts of the structure and the dimensions of the materials.
A trench is specially dug under the chimney with a diameter of 25 cm. From above it must be covered with a sheet of iron. To prevent smoke infiltration, the sheet material is covered with earth.
A filter is placed at the junction of the smokehouse with the chimney. As the main element, a metal mesh with small cells is taken. A dense material is placed on the grid. The filter protects finished products from soot.
It is important to make the smokehouse durable and reliable. In this case, the structure will stand stably and will not fall if someone accidentally touches it. At the top, the smokehouse is equipped with stainless steel rods.
The indicator of their thickness varies in the range from 8 to 10 mm. They are durable, and food prepared for smoking is hung on them. Usually food is hung on special hooks. An alternative replacement is a conventional grill.
The simplest scheme
A smokehouse is considered a budget option, allowing the master to save building materials and time spent on construction.
The chamber with products is 2 m away from the firebox. A metal barrel can serve as the basis for a smokehouse.
Note!
Stages of work
Having determined for yourself the size of the smokehouse, you can begin construction. First you need to dig a hole under the furnace chamber. Its bottom is covered with a tin sheet. Thanks to this, it is possible to ensure a more uniform smoldering of chips and sawdust.
The next stage of work is the device of the chimney. The dug trench needs to be covered from above. For this purpose, only non-combustible materials are suitable.
The pit can be covered with a sheet of slate. Top of the chimney is covered with soil to ensure tightness.
The smoking chamber is arranged in a barrel with a cut off bottom. A metal mesh is mounted below, on which burlap is placed. By combining these materials, the task of filtering out soot particles is effectively solved.
At the top of the barrel, a metal grate is bolted, stepping back from the edge of 20 cm. This option is optional, you can limit yourself to rods with hooks.
Note!
To fully understand all the nuances, you need to watch the corresponding video clip.
When cold smoking, food loses moisture gradually. During the drying process, the smoke penetrates deeper into the products. The result is meat and fish delicacies with a delicious taste.
When the carcass of an old animal is smoked, its meat will remain harsh. In order not to be disappointed, at first you need to be guided by recipes that have already been tested by many. Experimenting with flavors is best left for later.
In the finished factory-made smokehouse there are several grates and a tray. It is better to choose a product with a large capacity so that smoking is carried out more evenly.
For lovers of long hikes, you need a smokehouse made of metal with a thickness of 0.8 mm. In the country, you can install heavier options, where the thickness of the steel case is 2 mm.
Photo of a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands
Note!
Every angler, hunter and everyone who regularly rests in a country cottage can make a smokehouse with their own hands.
In it you can smoke game, fish, simply bought meat, preparing excellent dishes: salmon, homemade sausages, smoked neck, brisket, loin, chicken - any meat, poultry and fish products.
Three pillars of the science of smoking
How to do it yourself for smoking fish and meat at home or in the country? The smokehouse is an easy-to-make design.
But there are three important things to be aware of:
- Uniform fumigation and heating. The product prepared at home for smoking should receive heat and smoke evenly so that it does not smell burnt and tastes the same;
- The smoke should be light. Smoke fractions must precipitate before they reach the product. Light smoke is absolutely devoid of pyrolysis gases and it is to him that they owe the characteristic taste of smoked meats;
- Penetration uniformity. The design must keep working smoke! The smoke coming to the products evenly fumigates them until it exhales and disappears, and the next volume immediately comes to replace it. This is not difficult to achieve, but it is here that the cornerstone of the science of smoking lies and the smoke generator will come to the rescue.
- Cold, at temperatures up to 50 degrees: the finest bouquet of taste and aroma, comparable to the process of guessing the taste of wine. Such smoking lasts up to 6 hours for fish and up to 3 days for a large ham. A cold smokehouse is the simplest of all, takes up no more than 2x3 m in size and will find application in any country house. And smoked products are stored in the cellar up to 1 year;
- Semi-hot, at temperatures up to 70 degrees: only an expert will distinguish the taste and appearance of products of this type of smoking from cold. This option is better suited for fresh products: fresh meat, freshly caught fish, fresh chicken;
- Hot, at a temperature of 70 to 120 degrees: smoked products are cooked from 15 minutes for fish and a maximum of 4 hours for a large ham. But ready-made smoked meats are stored for no more than 3-4 days, and they are inferior in taste to the popular, but long-term cold smoking.
A DIY homemade smokehouse is a simple design that is built on the science of convection.
The constant course of smoke, the supply of oxygen and the temperature do their job: you can smoke anything at home, up to vegetables, berries and fruits!
In addition, there is no need to build brick ovens or metal structures and use a water seal.
Smokehouse ovens are the most complex and you cannot do without the help of a connoisseur during their construction.
Such ovens take up a lot of space, they need to be constantly looked after. In addition, smoking ovens must be under a canopy, so its construction is akin to building a separate room.
The device and types of smokehouses
In summer conditions, you can build from improvised means.
The scheme and other necessary drawings for creating a smokehouse at home are presented in the article.
If you stock up on metal, brick, buy stainless steel, equip the project with a water seal from a hose, then the finished structure will come in handy in the country and will easily fit on the balcony of a city apartment.
But the manufacture of a mini-smoker has its own nuances.
cold smoked
The simplest variety is suitable for meat and fish, and its manufacture will take a minimum of time.
Find a gentle slope, at an angle of about 30-40 degrees. Dig a ditch two meters.
At the beginning of it, you will build a fire, the smoke will be supplied through a covered channel to the smoking compartment, the role of which will be played by an ordinary barrel.
Since the chimney to the smoking chamber will not be vertical, the smoke will lose harmful fractions along the way in the thickness of the soil. The condensate will remain in the ground.
The diagram above shows that such a smokehouse can be built by yourself even in field conditions.
hot smoked
A smokehouse for hot smoking is more complicated.
The diagram shows that this is a vertical structure in which the smoking process takes place quickly, so there must be an outflow of smoke.
If you provide the lid with a water seal (a hose lowered into a bucket of water), this will create pressure inside and the workpieces will be smoked evenly, but you need to constantly monitor the amount of smoke.
Products should only be installed above the pallet, otherwise they will become bitter. It is better to provide the lid with gaps so that there is a constant conversion.
It is better to cover the surface of the brick with refractory clay. Such a smokehouse does not require space, but it is not mobile either: it can only stand in the country, and not at home.
You need a lot of smoke to smoke, so a smoker for a smokehouse will be an important addition.
The smoke generator is easy to assemble at home with your own hands:
- The body is assembled from a metal can;
- At the bottom we drill a hole for igniting wood chips;
- Close the top with a lid to avoid air leakage;
- A cooler from a computer will do as a compressor;
- We assemble the structure by soldering / welding, kindle a chip and turn on the cooler.
The smoke generator has one feature: the cooler draws air with smoke, and does not push smoke!
The smoke generator is connected directly to the smoking chamber, since ignition will take place in a separate chamber, from which the smoke generator itself drives the resulting smoke.
Hot smokehouses and stoves get along well together, but require a sophisticated design approach, therefore they are not considered in the text.
Materials and manufacture of smokehouse
Homemade smokehouses are small in size and for the manufacture you will need only a few sheets of metal (preferably stainless steel), which will only need to be welded along the lines.
Many drawings for creating a smokehouse contain recommendations for using brick and stainless steel.
The result is a brick structure that can hold tens of kilograms of meat and fish.
But a brick chimney in a smokehouse after the first season will lead to a deterioration in the taste of dishes, as the smells of different bookmarks settle on the walls. So brickwork is useful only to support the structure.
Stainless steel sheets and reliable welding are the best things to build your smokehouse from.
Semi-hot smokehouse from nothing
The easiest option for smoking at home. If you have a stove with an extractor hood at home, then put a cut-off tin can on a light fire, pour in wood chips for smoking.
Hang blanks in the hood, do not forget the fat tray. The fat will drip solidified, and the smoke will be moderately chilled while rising to a height.
But you can't accumulate much in this way. Compensate for the lack of an oven with an electric stove.
From the fridge
The dimensions of the refrigerator allow you to build units for smoking large products, but only in the country.
Remove all mechanisms from the refrigerator and peel off the lining with insulation.
The whole space inside will serve as a smoking chamber. At the bottom you will install a tray with a chip for smoke, put a tray for fat above, and you will make a fire nearby.
The smoke generator can be built in the engine compartment.
At the bottom of the refrigerator, drill a wide hole into which you insert a pipe, and connect its other end to the outlet of the stove in which you burn the wood chips.
Mobile smokehouse
The mini-smoker is made of stainless steel, namely, 3 grills and a pair of rods that need to be bent in the shape of the letter P, after that, for each, weld three pairs of rings at an equal distance from each other.
Weld four short bars (2-3 cm) vertically to the gratings and subsequently insert them into the same rings. The grate should be easily fixed and not “walk” under the weight of meat or fish.
In nature, dig a hearth with a chimney and you can safely smoke! And if you put a mini-smoker on a gas stove, then you can not worry about the power of the flame and just wait for cooking.
Water seal
A water seal is used to divert smoke into the water and prevent it from dispersing around the room. This is important when you smoke at home.
It is a simple design: a hole is drilled in the lid of the smoking chamber, which is connected by a tube to a container filled with water.
A water seal is also used if it is necessary to create pressure in the chamber in order to smoke many products at a time.
Smokehouse-brazier and others: we collect ourselves
The heat of the coals of fruit trees is the best for cooking on the grill, and its smoke is the most suitable for smoking.
It is only necessary to correctly combine the smoking tank and tell him the course of smoke from the barbecue.
The smoking chamber must have a drain of fat, and for the grill, as someone else's fat can spoil the meat being cooked.
Such a mini-smokehouse looks like this:
- The notorious brazier, preferably wide - it's easier to collect all the coals for heat / haze;
- Any spacious tank is placed above the barbecue;
- The tank is placed on a brick substrate for oxygen access;
- In the wire tank, transverse struts are constructed on which blanks are hung.
Do-it-yourself brazier-smokehouse is a simple unit that will nourish the smoked meat with a special aroma of barbecue.
For uniform and vigorous "barbecue" smoking of fish or dense meat, you can use a smokehouse water seal, which is launched from the side of the smoking tank, and the chamber itself is not closed tightly with a lid.
In this case, a smoke generator is not needed, but it is better to cook large portions of barbecue - this way you will immediately kill the spirit of hares.
Such a smokehouse should only be kept outdoors, say, in your country house.
A cold smoked smokehouse is easy to assemble in the field and accumulate a catch of fish.
Moreover, no metal, bricks and assembly of a separate furnace are needed:
- Take 3-4 meters of thick film for greenhouses;
- We drive stakes 1.5-2 meters high, in the four corners of the outlined square directly into the ground;
- Opposite stakes are connected diagonally with twigs in several rows;
- We hang the fish on twigs by the tails. We stretch the film on the structure;
- We pour half a bucket of burning coals on the ground on the ground, put two bricks for a barrier and cover with grass - the smoke generator is ready;
- We completely close the structure with a film and wait 3 hours until ready.
A hot smoked smokehouse is a mini-design that can be built from stainless steel.
To create such a smokehouse, you will need a grinder, a welding machine, thin fittings and a couple of sheets of metal.
We carry out metal welding, so as to assemble a box of 4 faces.
We weld the bottom and weld the seams for tightness.
From the remaining metal, we cook a lid, slightly larger than the outer size of the smokehouse box.
It remains to weld the rods inside for the pallet, a series of metal rods with hooks for meat, fish - the smokehouse is ready.
We put the structure on four bricks, make a fire near it and you're done!
Anyone can build a smokehouse with their own hands.
How it is worth making a smokehouse, everyone decides for himself, starting from the conditions and material for its manufacture - from brick, metal, earth embankment, greenhouse film.
You can smoke goodies correctly at home, in the country, on the road, even in an apartment - as long as the technology is correctly observed.
Whether to install a smoke generator or not, use a water seal or only burlap, build a smokehouse without a stove / with a stove - everything depends on the technology you have chosen to create a smokehouse and nothing more.
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The technology of hot smoking products is quite simple, its process is less laborious and will take a little time. It was these reasons that contributed to the widespread use of hot smoked smokehouses of various designs, and smoking itself became a favorite way of cooking for a picnic in the country.
What are the features of cooking products by the method of hot smoking
To achieve the readiness of a smoked product with a hot processing method, it will take only a couple of hours. The processing temperature in this case should reach from +75 to +150 C, the processing time will be determined depending on the size of the semi-finished products and the degree of their pre-treatment.
If the smoking regime is observed, then smoked fish, meat or lard will remain juicy, acquire a pleasant aroma and a golden hue, pathogenic microbes that may be in the raw semi-finished product die under the influence of temperature. At the same time, the texture of the processed product becomes softer, a tendency to delamination appears in it, this is especially evident when hot-smoking fish.
Hot smoked smokehouse and its varieties
Today you can find a large number of a wide variety of hot smoking devices, both industrially manufactured and home-made. For the manufacture of home-made, you can use a wide variety of metal containers:
- buckets,
- pots,
- barrels,
- containers for sterilization of medical instruments.
Such a container should provide for the possibility of its hermetic closure. If there is a choice, then it is better to give preference to a vessel with thicker walls - the heat in it will be stored longer.
Inside the container, you will need to fix the grids and the pan for dripping fat. One grate is placed in the upper part of the structure, since semi-finished products will be laid out on it, it is desirable to use stainless steel for manufacturing.
It is easy to make a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands, it is enough to study the drawing of the smokehouse and prepare suitable materials. The principles of arranging a smokehouse for fish and meat are practically the same.
Do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse - we construct from metal sheets
Before starting work, we will prepare the following materials and tools:
- sheets of 2 mm metal of the appropriate size,
- thin fittings,
- grinder
- welding machine,
- corner, roll
The order of work will be as follows:
- Using a grinder, metal sheets will need to be cut into 4 equal parts.
- Measuring the accuracy of the angles with a square, weld the cut metal pieces at an angle of 90 degrees. Cut out the bottom from the remaining sheet, weld it to the resulting structure. Then you need to boil each internal seam - this will ensure the tightness of the structure.
- After creating the box, you can proceed to the lid, for its manufacture you will need to cut 4 strips of metal, longer in length than the size of the box. By welding, assemble a deep cover that would fit freely on the body.
- Next, you will need to cut off pieces of fittings of the appropriate length and weld them in two levels inside the smokehouse - at the top for laying food, at the bottom - to place a drip pan for dripping fat. For convenience, outside the box, it is desirable to weld the handles on both sides.
In principle, the smokehouse can be considered finished. An electric stove or a gas stove can serve as a heat generator for it, they are more convenient, because. make it possible to regulate the temperature inside the smoking compartment. If a higher temperature is required, a fire will have to be laid out.
Smoking chambers can have a variety of sizes and shapes - the main condition for their successful operation is to ensure the tightness of the smokehouse. To determine the required amount of materials, before making a smokehouse, you should draw a detailed diagram of its design.
Hot smoked smokehouse at home - the principle of operation
Now you can start smoking meat or fish. Their preliminary processing will be required - salting in accordance with the chosen recipe. Before being placed, the semi-finished products are pulled out of the brine, their surface is dried with a paper towel.
A small amount of sawdust is poured into the bottom of the smokehouse. Then semi-finished products are laid on the upper grate, it is desirable that small gaps remain between the pieces. Now you can start a fire or turn on the stove.
The processing time of products is counted starting from the time the required temperature is reached and smoke appears. During the smoking process, you will need to control the temperature, it is not difficult to do this on the stove, you just need to turn the regulator or reduce the gas supply. If we get heat from a fire, then we will have to remove the coals from it or remove the smoking chamber for a while. Please note that heating the smoker to very high temperatures can cause the products to burn. But at the same time, the temperature in the chamber must be high and allow efficient processing of semi-finished products, it is impossible to allow the smoking chamber to cool.
How and how long can you store hot-smoked products
While cold-smoked products can be stored for months, hot-smoked products should be consumed within 10-12 hours, ideally consumed immediately after preparation. Another option, which involves storage for a long period, is freezing in a vacuum package at a temperature below -5 C. Naturally, during storage, the taste and aroma of the product will change somewhat.
Preparation of semi-finished products for smoking
You can smoke a wide variety of meat and fish semi-finished products. Preparation of meat and fish for smoking consists in their preliminary salting or pickling with all kinds of spices. To determine the readiness of the semi-finished product, it is enough to pierce it with a knife, if the secreted juice has acquired a light shade without admixture of blood, then the product is fully ripe and can be transferred to the smokehouse.
Experienced smokers recommend that when preparing a chicken carcass, first clean it from the blocks, singe it over a fire, rinse it, cut it lengthwise into two halves. Then you will need to place the pieces of the carcass between two cutting boards and, with the help of gentle blows with the butt of an ax, flatten the joints and bones. Next, the carcass is rubbed with salt mixed with spices, hung in the cold, if possible, a draft is arranged. After such preparation and smoking, the meat will be very soft.
Fish for smoking can be taken salted or fresh. If the fish is large, it is cleaned, gutted, cut along the spine or into layers. Small fish can be smoked whole, if the fish is very small, then it can not even be gutted. Pre-salted and dried fish have higher taste qualities.
Preparation of fish carcasses is as follows:
- they are rubbed with coarse salt,
- very fatty fish are wrapped in parchment paper,
- put the fish in a container and press down with a load, which can be used as a brick,
- stand for 3-5 hours, then hang and allow the brine to drain completely,
- wash the fish from salt residues with cold water, wipe dry,
- just before smoking, the carcass is rubbed with spices.
What sawdust and wood chips can be used for smoking
The main condition for high-quality smoking is the presence of a sufficient amount of smoke, so the choice of sawdust should be taken responsibly. It will take the ability to achieve smoldering of combustible material, the appearance of fire will spoil the whole process. In a hot-smoked smokehouse, the use of moistened wood is practiced, it is not prone to fire, and the moisture evaporated from it will give the products greater juiciness. Thin twigs can also be used as fuel, they are prone to prolonged smoldering.
It should be remembered that the taste of a smoked product is influenced not only by salt or pepper, but also by the quality of the smoke. Tasty smoke can be obtained from sawdust or branches of fruit trees, especially cherries, apples, pears, you can use waste wood from other hardwoods. Very fragrant smoke gives juniper and alder chips. You can also use waste wood from oak, beech, hazel, ash, maple or a mixture of different types of wood.
Before you start splitting wood, the bark should be removed from it, especially if birch firewood is used. You can use either sawdust or wood chips for smoking, while the pieces should be about 3 cm long. Dried wood should be used to make wood chips, but it is recommended to moisten it a little before putting it in the smokehouse. The fuel is laid out at the bottom of the smoking chamber in an even layer.
Hot smoked smokehouse at home - different options for home and camping smokehouses
hiking option
It was mentioned above that the designs of hot smoked smokehouses can be quite diverse. For example, in field conditions, a bucket can be very successfully used as a smoking compartment.
About 20 cm of sawdust or shavings will need to be poured to the bottom, a metal grate is installed at a height of about 15 cm from the upper edge of the container, products are laid on it. The bucket is tightly closed with a lid, a small fire is kindled under it. Opening the lid during the smoking process is not recommended.
The moment when smoking starts is determined by the appearance of smoke seeping out of the bucket. The temperature of the smoking compartment should be about +90 C, it should be maintained at this level for about 1/4 of the entire time required to bring the product to full readiness. The rest of the time in the smoking chamber, it is desirable to maintain the temperature at +120 C.
To determine whether the temperature corresponds to the desired indicators, a very simple method is used: water is dripped onto the lid. It should not sizzle and boil, the temperature at which the water simply evaporates is considered normal, at this temperature the products are smoked and not boiled.
You can adjust the temperature by adding wood to the fire or shoveling coals out of it. Usually, 30-50 minutes of food processing is enough for smoking. At the first smoking experience, to determine the degree of readiness, you will have to remove the smokehouse from the fire, open the lid and try semi-finished products. When re-preparing similar products, it will be possible to focus on the results obtained earlier.
After the smoking process is completed, the bucket is removed away from the fire, cooled. The removed products are dried.
how to smoke in a hot smoked smokehouse - we equip a smokehouse in an apartment
The best option for a smokehouse for an apartment would be a small box made of stainless sheet metal, naturally with a lid. You will need to make a hole in the lid, weld a tube into it, use a hose fitted on the tube to make the smoke vent through the window. To exclude the possibility of smoke entering the apartment, the sides of the box are made L-shaped. A lid will be inserted into them. After installing the cover, the sides are filled with water.
The bottom of the smokehouse is lined with a layer of sawdust. On the welded lower layer of the grid (at a height of 8-12 cm), a pan for collecting fat is installed, on the one located higher (at a height of 25-30 cm), semi-finished products are placed. The smoking process begins after installing the smokehouse on a gas stove or electric stove. Hot smoking at home in the smokehouse is quite easy to regulate, it will be enough to increase the gas supply or reduce it, you can also control the smoking temperature with water drops.
smokehouse in the country from the old refrigerator
The work on creating a smokehouse from the refrigerator begins with the removal of all its internal parts - only the metal case and the door should remain. The hole formed on the back wall should be sealed with a metal plate, it can be cut out of the dismantled parts of the internal parts. To close and fix the door, you will need to attach the most ordinary hook to it.
Then corners are welded on the walls of the case:
- at a distance of about 20 cm from the top of the wall - to install a grate with products,
- at a distance of 30-40 cm from the top of the wall - for a brazier into which drops of fat will drain.
Sawdust intended for smoke generation is poured directly onto the surface of the potbelly stove, after putting firewood into the stove, the refrigerator doors are tightly covered.
There are a lot of ways to make a smokehouse on your own. Some require professional skills, sophisticated instruments and time. To create others, enough tools and materials that are in every home. It is enough just to follow the technology for making a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands, described in the article.
What is hot smoking?
Hot smoking is one of the most popular cooking methods. This is one of the favorite rituals of any picnic or weekend spent in the country. This process differs from cold smoking in shorter duration and laboriousness.
The temperature at which food is cooked is 70-150 degrees. Cooking time - 1-2 hours, depending on the dish. With hot smoking, the juiciness of any dish is preserved, and the high temperature kills all pathogenic bacteria.
Successful hot smoking consists of slow smoldering of small chips and sawdust, but not rapid combustion. Moist wood can be used in the smokehouse: this will make the food more juicy. For the firebox, you can use thin dried branches, they decay much longer.
Types of smokehouses
There are many types of smokehouses in which you can make hot smoked products. Each design has both advantages and disadvantages.
From a bucket
The simplest device can be made from an old steel bucket. Two grates made of stainless steel are inserted into the container. The first falls to the level of 10 cm from the bottom, the second - a few cm higher.
The advantage of such a smokehouse is that it can be made from improvised materials in a few minutes: almost every house has an old bucket and two steel grates. The design is very mobile and can be installed anywhere.
The main disadvantage is that only a few smoked meats can be smoked in it at the same time. This is enough for one person or a small family, but not for receiving guests. Another inconvenience is the lack of any design.
The simplest device for smoking. All you need is a bucket and a grate for groceries
From the fridge
Having slightly modified the old Soviet refrigerator, removing all the insides from it and equipping the smoke outlet, you can make a smokehouse.
This is a durable and reliable device for hot smoking products, which you can do yourself. A pallet with sawdust is installed below. A little higher - the same capacity for collecting flowing fat.
One of the drawbacks is the increased requirements for the refrigerator itself. The door must close tightly, cracks and loose fit of the gasket are not allowed. Air must not enter the chamber. Another drawback is that in addition to the refrigerator, other devices are also required, for example, an electric stove, on which a container with sawdust is placed.
It is necessary to monitor the quality of the sealing gum. Otherwise, copying will not work.
From stainless steel sheets
Outwardly, such a device resembles a metal suitcase of a given size. Inside the smokehouse, corners are welded on which grates are installed.
This is one of the most famous types of hot smoked smokers. It is used in the campaign and at home, does not require professional knowledge in the manufacture and specific care skills. Such a design can work for decades.
A significant inconvenience of a metal smokehouse is the inability to monitor the smoking temperature. Because of this, the product is sometimes cooked or baked and acquires an unpleasant aftertaste. The reason for this shortcoming is the lack of a single smoking technology. The smokehouse uses wood chips of different sizes and different moisture content.
The thickness of the sheets must be more than 4 mm
brick smokehouse
A brick-built smokehouse is a tool for professionals. Most of the above varieties are considered mobile, they are easy to carry from place to place and hide when there is no need for their immediate use. A brick smoker is a permanent installation that requires a foundation.
Refractory brick is the best material for the manufacture of stationary hot smoked smokehouses. Subject to the rules of construction and safety, such a design will last for decades. However, to equip such a smokehouse, it is necessary to carefully select a place, maintaining a distance of several meters to the nearest residential building and landings. And the construction of a brick smokehouse is comparable to the construction of a small house.
Installed permanently, on a slab or foundation
From two barrels
Depending on where the hearth with wood chips is located, this design can be used for hot and cold smoking. Another option is to equip a smoker from two barrels arranged in the form of the letter "T".
Arranging a structure for hot smoking from a barrel does not require specific skills. It is enough to cut cuts with the help of an ordinary grinder and install the barrels. The smoker can be installed both indoors and outdoors, and you can cook any dishes in it.
The firebox is located in the lower barrel, the smoking compartment is located in the upper one.
From one barrel
If you have a desire to become the owner of your own small smokehouse, and you do not want to mess with large stationary structures, the best option is to create a device for hot smoking products from an ordinary barrel. This capacity is present in many private households.
To create such a smokehouse requires a minimum number of tools and additional materials. It can be installed in any part of the yard. It does not require a complex foundation and construction work.
Often installed on a brick base, inside which firewood burns out
Let's analyze the main features of creating a hot smoked smokehouse using the example of a design from a standard metal barrel.
Materials and tools
To create a smokehouse from a barrel yourself, you will need some materials and tools. First of all:
- Metal barrel. It is desirable that it was not previously used for the transportation and storage of petroleum products and various chemicals. Barrel capacity - up to two hundred liters.
- Sturdy fittings. The diameter must be at least six millimeters.
- Steel wire to create a mesh.
- Several metal corners of the same length.
- Chimney pipe. The standard length is about a meter. Diameter - from 10 cm. In most cases, asbestos cement or metal products are used.
- Coupling.
If the existing tank was previously used for transportation or storage of petroleum products, chemicals or machine oils, ordinary washing with water is not enough to completely clean it. The barrel must be burned at high temperatures or steamed with a blowtorch. This will remove residual amounts of chemicals. After heat treatment, the barrel is filled with water for several days, after which it is thoroughly washed.
In addition to the above, it is worth stocking up on some household tools in advance:
- Bulgarian, equipped with a durable disc for cutting metals.
- Arc welding unit with a set of appropriate electrodes.
- Roulette.
DIY assembly instructions
Initially, the barrel used to make the smokehouse can be sealed. In this case, before starting work, cut off the cover. This part can later be used as a baking sheet and collect fat in it.
The lid can be used as a drip pan
The barrel is placed vertically. The furnace will be placed at the bottom. A small rectangular hole is cut out here through which firewood will be loaded. Dimensions - approximately 20x30 cm. The door for the firebox opening can be made from the same cut piece, it is enough to carry out a few simple manipulations:
- Weld loops.
- Install a small handle.
- Install a locking latch so that the door does not open during operation.
On the opposite side of the firebox, a round hole is cut where the chimney will be located. A two-inch coupling with an internal thread is welded into the cut hole. Such a part is sold in any plumbing store.
The chimney pipe will be screwed to the coupling
The pipe is selected according to the size of the coupling. An external thread is cut on it (in case this was not done initially). The resulting part is screwed into the coupling.
At the bottom of the barrel, small longitudinal holes are cut, necessary for blowing, ensuring the best combustion and unhindered removal of ash from the furnace. They should not be made too large, otherwise the firewood will fall out before it burns out.
The next stage is the manufacture of a chamber for hot smoking. To do this, you need to do the following manipulations:
- Cut out a metal circle the size of which is equal to the inner diameter of the barrel. The optimal sheet thickness is 4–5 mm. In this case, the metal will not burn out, and the heat will be evenly distributed over the surface.
- A cut metal circle is attached inside the barrel, at the level of a third of its height. In the future, this detail will play the role of the bottom of the smoking compartment.
From below, a chimney pipe is welded to a pre-prepared hole. After that, a stand is made. It can be made from metal. The height of the legs is about 30 cm. This is enough to ensure optimal air supply and draft, which ensures the smoldering of firewood.
A pan for collecting fat can be made from the top cover of the barrel. If it is not available, any metal sheet with a diameter slightly smaller than the barrel will do. A difference of a few centimeters will ensure the flow of smoke to all the necessary places. To install a baking sheet inside the barrel, metal spacers are welded. The leaf itself is removable.
Next, grates or hooks for smoked meats are installed. The number of gratings directly depends on the size of the barrel. The gap between the individual levels is about 15 cm. The more such "floors", the more smoked meats can be cooked at a time. When installing the wire racks, make sure that they do not interfere with the free removal of the fat tray.
The final stage of creating a smokehouse is the installation of a wooden cover. It is made from hardwood. The size depends on the diameter of the barrel. Several small holes are drilled in the lid through which excess moisture will leave the smokehouse. The use of coniferous wood is not allowed, it will not allow moisture to be eliminated.
Smoked products are hung on hooks or stacked on grates.
Preparation of smoked meats and maintenance of the smoker
Before you start cooking, you should decide on the chips. It emits smoke, which will process food. The use of coniferous wood is not allowed: the emitted resins adversely affect health and spoil the taste of food.
For the best taste and smell of smoked meats, hardwood or fruit woods can be used. Cherries, plums, apple trees are ideal in this case. Some experts advise adding a little juniper wood chips, which will give the food an unusual savory taste.
Prepared sawdust is laid out at the bottom of the smoking compartment. The smoke that will come from them ensures high-quality smoking of food. Everything is formatted as follows:
- Sawdust is placed at the bottom of the smoking chamber. Their layer should be very even, ensuring uniform smoldering over the entire surface.
- A baking sheet is set a little higher, on which fat from smoked products will fall.
- Future smoking is laid out on the grate. If you prefer hooks, products are hung on them. The laid out products are tied with twine or twine.
- A wooden lid is placed on top of the barrel.
- The firebox is filling up. The smoke from the combustion of wood in the firebox exits through the chimney, and practically does not enter the smoking chamber, therefore there are no special requirements for firewood.
- Firewood in the firebox is kindled. As it burns, the bottom of the smoking compartment heats up and the sawdust laid out on it begins to smolder.
The speed of making smoked meats depends on the type of products used. It can take about half an hour to cook fish, forty minutes is enough for chicken. To smoke the meat, it will take from an hour or more, based on its variety and the size of the cut pieces.
Maintenance of a hot-smoked smokehouse made from a barrel comes down to periodic thorough cleaning of the tank from contamination. The remains of unburned firewood and sawdust are removed from the barrel, the walls of the structure are cleaned of scale. If you do not remove the remnants of fat and scale in a timely manner, this will affect the taste of the products in the future.
Everyone can make a smokehouse for hot smoking from improvised materials, such as a barrel. It does not require specific skills or professional tools. A homemade smokehouse will delight its owners with delicious food for many years.
Many of us love the taste of smoked delicacies, but in stores the cost of such products is high, and the quality is not the best. Homemade cold smoked, which can be built at home, can come to the rescue.
When cold-smoked, the products have their own unique aroma. They can be stored and not deteriorate for a long time, while maintaining an elastic texture. A cold smoked smokehouse, which you can make yourself, is designed to evenly dry food. They are dehydrated, the smoke gradually penetrates deep and prevents food spoilage.
The principle of this type of smoking is the smoke treatment of food, which occurs due to the smoldering of sawdust and wood chips. The temperature of smoking smoke in a do-it-yourself smokehouse should not be higher than 30-32 ° C. Products in the design are processed for a minimum of 5 days. Do not rush, because at this temperature bacteria can multiply, and poisoning can be earned.
For uniform smoking, it is better to use one type of product, sorting the hams by size. In a do-it-yourself cold-smoked oil lamp, products must be made in one go, without putting them in the cooking process, otherwise you can ruin everything.
First of all, you need to know how to make a cold-smoked smokehouse at home, so that the output is a tasty, fragrant and healthy delicacy.
The principle of operation of the smoking device
For fishing or outdoor recreation, a light, simple, cold-smoked smokehouse with your own hands is suitable. It can be constructed from improvised household materials - old barrels, iron sheets and brick remnants. To build a structure, it is better to use non-toxic wood. In a securely installed chamber, rods about 1 cm thick are installed on top.
The cold smoker conveys the smoke to the food compartment. The smoke is cooled in a tunnel connecting the smokehouse and the firebox with wood. Their distance should not be less than 2 m between them, but not more than 7 m, otherwise there may be problems with traction.
Adhering to the scheme of a cold-smoked smokehouse, a swarm digs a hole under the firebox 50x50 cm, but it can be lowered up to a meter. The bottom can be rammed with refractory or red bricks. A tin sheet is laid on the bottom of the firebox for uniform smoldering of wood.
Diagram of the structure of the chimney
In the design of a cold-smoked smokehouse with your own hands, a special place is given to the chimney. A trench is dug under it, non-combustible material is laid on top, for example, brick, slate or metal sheet. For tightness, earth or soil is poured on top so that the smoke does not leak out. The second end of the chimney is connected to a cold-smoked smokehouse. brick can be made from a chimney. The length of the chimney is about 3 m, the trench is 50 cm wide and 30 cm deep.
Also, in a cold-smoked oil lamp with your own hands, you need to install a filter. For its basis, you can take a metal mesh with small cells. A dense mesh material is laid on top so that soot does not get on the products. The hearth connected to the chimney should be installed away from the smokehouse, for example, you can dig a hole in the corner of the site.
Note: Because of the fire, the bottom can burn out, so it is necessary to make a cooler. You can wrap the chimney with a brass tube and put water through it.
For the intensity of combustion, adjusting the flow of air and removing excess smoke and combustion products, a metal damper can be made in the upper part. The junction of the cold-smoked smokehouse and the chimney must be sealed with clay mortar or improvised means.
Do-it-yourself cold-smoked smokehouse can be made even from an ordinary iron barrel of 100-200 liters. Of all the homemade cold smoked smokehouses, the product from the barrel is the most common. Before use, it must be clean and well cleaned. We disconnect the bottom from it and mount a metal mesh from below, on top of which you need to lay a filter in the form of burlap or straw. This tandem does an excellent job of filtering soot, keeping ash and pollutants out.
At the bottom we cut a hole for the chimney, install a pan to collect fat. To install it, pieces of reinforcement are welded crosswise to the walls of the barrel. We fasten the other metal grate with bolts, fixing it 25 cm from the top edge. Instead, there may be rods with hooks, but for the simplest cold-smoked smoker at home, a grate is also suitable. During smoking, jute sacking moistened with water can be thrown onto the structure.
Note: You can drop a little water on the barrel lid to check the temperature. It shouldn't sizzle as it evaporates.
Smoke compartment from refrigerator
A do-it-yourself cold-smoked smokehouse made from the refrigerator body is also successfully used. It is necessary to remove the freezer and compressor from it. Lattice can be used as a stand for delicacies. On the sides you need to make holes for baking sheets.
On the ceiling of the chamber, you need to make a small diameter hole for the smoke generator. It can be made from an old can, a thermos or a metal pipe, 10 cm in diameter and up to 50 cm long. In its lower part there is a hole about 1 cm in diameter for supplying oxygen.
In the upper part of the cold smoked oil lamp from the refrigerator, also fasten hooks for hanging delicacies. A small electric stove should be installed at the very bottom of the structure.
Note: Place a steel tray or pan filled with sawdust on it, as fat, dripping into the chips, will spoil the flavor of the food.
The door must be hermetically sealed to prevent chips from igniting.
If you do not have an electric stove, then this option is suitable. In the lower part, it is necessary to make a hole for an iron pipe with a diameter of 10 cm and a length of 2 m. One end of it should lead to a pit, and the other to a hole in the refrigerator. Put a sheet of sawdust on the coals and cover the pit with a lid after smoke appears. Close the cold-smoked smoker with hanging products tightly.
- It is better to smoke in good weather. Cold weather with rain and wind will not do.
- The smoking process should not be carried out over an open fire.
- Do not open the cold smoked oil lamp often to look inside, otherwise the process will take longer.
- It is better to start the process in the morning, having previously prepared in the evening.
Do not use aspen or softwood shavings, as the resin that is released spoils the taste of the products. For a cold smoked home smokehouse, the best option would be juniper, cherry, grape, oak, birch chips. This treatment with smoldering wood smoke results in a specific aroma. Wood should not burn and char, as carcinogenic substances will begin to be released from the chips. So that the sawdust does not ignite, and air does not get into the cold-smoked smoker, the compartment lid must be hermetically sealed.
As you can see, you can build a homemade cold smoked oil lamp yourself. You will feel how tasty and fragrant food can be after smoking!
