Types of smokehouses
Smoking products can be done at different temperatures. There are two types of smokehouses for the personal plot: hot and cold smoking.
Their operating principle is the same, the temperature of product processing differs, and their devices differ accordingly.
Smoking chamber
The structure of a purchased smokehouse is clearly visible using the example of Smoke House hot smoked smokehouses. The rectangular chamber is made of 1.5 mm metal. The basis is stainless steel or ferrous metal. Stainless steel is the leader in ease of maintenance and durability. Such smokehouses are easier to care for, easy to clean, they are not afraid of corrosion and retain an attractive appearance for a long time. There is a water seal around the perimeter, making it possible to smoke even indoors. To remove smoke, there is a fitting on the lid of the smokehouse. We should also pay attention to the shape of the lid. During the smoking process, condensation is released, which accumulates on the surface of the lid. If it has the shape of a house, then drops of water flow into the water seal and do not fall on the food. With a flat lid, water will inevitably end up on the smoked meats, which can cause stains on the food.
Making a hot smoker in different ways
There are a lot of designs on sale, but they are all quite expensive. Those who want to save money can make the captilla themselves. There are many practical recommendations from experts for this. The manufacturing process itself is already interesting and entertaining. And food from a homemade device for fumigating meat and fish is always tasty and juicy. The material is metal, but the profile can be very diverse. You can even say that for hot smoking, improvised means are useful, which can always be found in a closet, barn or garage.
From a barrel or bucket
An excellent option is a smokehouse for fish made from an iron barrel. This solution is the simplest. You just need to cut off the bottom and install a grate or a couple of reinforcing rods. It is advisable that they be placed on two levels. A pallet is placed underneath. You will need hooks to hang food from. They are made from wire rod, which will have to be bent in the shape of the letter S. Even an ordinary bucket will do as a common chamber. Metal gratings are installed in it.
It is important to place them correctly. One is installed at a height of 10 cm above the bottom level. The other is 5 cm higher than the first. Up to 2.5 cm of wood chips are poured onto the bottom. It is soaked in water in advance. Fish, meat, lard, and vegetables are placed on the grill. The main thing is that the bucket has a lid. A “charged” hot-smoked smokehouse just needs to be put on fire. Everything will take about 15 minutes. You need to notice as soon as thick smoke comes out from under the lid. Then the smoking chamber is removed from the fireplace and left to cool closed. Such a device can be left at the dacha or taken with you on picnics.
Remember that in this case you will have to work with hot iron, and you may get burned. Children remain at risk. Therefore, if you make a smokehouse, you will have to make sure that they do not come close to the fire and the box while it is hot. Fire safety techniques are important at all stages, especially since in this case the smokehouse design assumes the presence of an open flame. Take care of your neighbors too. Thick smoke can seem acrid, especially if there is an asthmatic living behind the fence. Choose the right place for the fire.
From an old refrigerator
Many people have old kitchen appliances stored in their dacha or garage. Most often, refrigerators are used as a cabinet for storing all sorts of small items. But if you are wondering how to make a hot smoked smokehouse, be sure to consider this option. We'll have to find a new place for the junk. Wash the camera. Use shelves as smoking grates, which also need to be cleaned. A hole is made in the “ceiling” where the smoke will escape. You can attach a chimney.
To use hooks for hanging food, you need to attach corners to the walls and iron rods to them. And even if the refrigerator has a vertical loading, it is enough to install them at different levels from the bottom. A pallet is made according to the dimensions of the chamber. A baking tray from an old oven will do. Another one will be needed to load wood chips. For smoking you will need an electric stove, on which you place a tray with sawdust. Now close the door tightly and turn on the oven.
Stainless steel
An alloy that is resistant to corrosion will be required. Stainless steel is an excellent choice. Externally, the structure is a box with a lid. How to make such a smokehouse at home, watch the video. You will need tools and metalworking skills. But there is nothing complicated here. The only thing that can cause you to abandon this method is the need to use a welding machine. But if your garage is in a co-op, there will always be someone who has it.
There are two levels inside the box. Smokehouse grates are also made by hand. Often this design is made by tourism enthusiasts. The thing is that the size can be compact, which means you can take it with you on a hike or trip. And even if you forgot to take wood chips with you, shavings can be found in any grove. The main thing is to soak it for several hours, or better yet, overnight. Fill in the sawdust, load the food, put the smokehouse on the fire. Wait for thick clouds of smoke to appear. In just 20 minutes the first batch of product will be ready.
Made of brick
This is a permanent structure. The design can be very diverse. Often when making a smokehouse, they think about how it will become a decoration for a personal plot. They make two cameras. In one there is firewood burning, in the other there is sawdust smoldering and, say, fish. It makes sense to use fire rationally, for which a stove is built in. A chimney is necessary in any case. The difficulty lies in the need to carry out masonry work. It is difficult to do this without the appropriate skill. But you can build a cold and hot smokehouse using the “two in one” principle.
Cold smoking
Gourmets prefer dishes prepared using the cold smoking method. For this option, before smoking, the products are pre-prepared (salted, pickled).
Since the smoke temperature with this option is 20-45 degrees, the cooking process is longer. Ideally, dishes are prepared for up to 3 days, but the shelf life increases significantly.
Manufacturing of additional accessories
In order to increase the efficiency of a homemade smokehouse, you can use a variety of additional devices. This will make the smoking process simpler and the resulting smoked products even more delicious.
How to make a simple smoke generator
A small part is cut off from the pipe, which will serve as the body, the length of which is approximately 50-80 centimeters.
Considering the diameter of the pipe, you need to cut out the bottom and cover. The bottom is additionally equipped with sides so that it is in close contact with the pipe. A hole must be made at the bottom of the pipe through which fuel can be ignited.
In order to make the smoke generator for the smokehouse more stable, legs or a piece of metal are welded to it so that it will not bend. Just below the device cover, a smoke exhaust pipe needs to be welded into the housing. A fitting is connected to the side wall at an angle of 90 degrees. After the chimney is ready, you need to attach a fitting and two pipes to the fitting, one of which will go down, and the second will lead to the smokehouse.
It is worth attaching a special tube from the fan to the bottom fitting, to the side pipe and directing it to the smokehouse. A variety of devices can be used as a ventilation device, for example, a cooler from a computer or a compressor from an aquarium.
Drying cabinet
To ensure that there is no excess moisture in the products, it is best to additionally use a drying cabinet.
You can do it yourself without any problems. For the cabinet, you can use a regular plastic box, the volume of which will be, for example, 20 liters.
A small fan is inserted into the side of the box. Pre-salted foods are hung in a makeshift cabinet. It is worth noting that the stronger the air flow, the less time it will take to dry future smoked meats.
Installing an additional compressor
For an additional compressor, you can use a simple aquarium compressor, which is equipped with a plastic tube. Air will pass through it under the influence of slight pressure. The tube is inserted into a transverse pipe that connects the smokehouse with the smoke generator. It is best to install another additional fitting so that all connections are as tight as possible.
Design and diagrams of smokehouses
Smokehouses can be made in several types. The most common are vertical (shaft) and horizontal (tunnel) options.
Vertical model
The easiest to install and operate is the mine model. The design is equipped with a housing, inside of which there are products fixed (on a grid or hooks), followed by a tray for collecting fat and wood chips.
In such models, it is not possible to use the method of fumigating products, as well as to fully regulate the formation of smoke. Such models are used for hot smoking.
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How to smoke food in a hot smoker
To prepare hot smoked delicacies, it is very important to choose really high-quality and fresh raw materials, as well as to properly prepare them for further processing with smoke. When the product is ready, it is laid out on grates or hung in a smoking cabinet, which is then tightly closed with a lid. It is very important to control the smoking process so that the delicacies turn out tasty, aromatic and juicy.
What products can be smoked
Almost all foods can be cooked in a hot smoker. Most often, the designs are used for cooking meat, fish, and sausages. Vegetables that retain all their juice and at the same time are imbued with a sufficient amount of smoke are also tasty. Also, poultry, ribs and other products that require heat treatment are prepared in a hot smoked smokehouse.
Why cut up meat?
The preliminary cutting stage can be seen in absolutely every recipe that concerns hot smoking of meat, poultry or fish. In some cases, it is necessary to cut up the product because the size of the smokehouse does not allow the whole product to be cooked. But, as a rule, this process has a completely different purpose.
Cutting meat before smoking is necessary so that the semi-finished products are evenly saturated with smoke and at the same time cook much faster. If, for example, you cook large enough carcasses whole, then a bitter black crust may appear on the surface due to prolonged heat treatment. At the same time, the meat inside may be raw. It is necessary to cut the carcasses in such a way that all the pieces have time to cook and at the same time the top layer does not burn.
Another purpose of cutting is to get delicacies of the same size. If the pieces differ in size, they will require different amounts of time to cook. In this case, some of the products may burn, while others will remain raw. In addition, pieces of different sizes will be salted unevenly, which will ultimately negatively affect their taste.
Hot smoking technology
Hot smoking is a fairly simple process that even beginners can handle. The main thing is to correctly select and prepare the raw materials, as well as follow the recipe chosen in advance and maintain the specified proportions.
Salting and marinating
After purchasing high-quality raw materials, you need to salt them. You can do this in two different ways. The first method involves dry salting with a special mixture of salt, ground black pepper and spices. In the second case, the marinade is pre-prepared, which, after cooling, is poured into the prepared products. After this, the semi-finished products are sent to the refrigerator to marinate for a certain time, depending on the type of product and the chosen recipe.
Choosing wood chips
Properly selected wood chips play a very important role in the hot smoking process. It is better to give preference to sawdust from deciduous or fruit wood. Additionally, at the end of smoking, you can add twigs and berries of juniper, currants or grapes, which will make the taste of the finished smoked meats more rich and original.
Temperature and time for smoking products
Hot smoked products must be cooked at temperatures above 40 degrees. The exact temperature will depend on the type of food. If we talk about the duration of cooking, then in this case it is worth taking into account the type of product, the size of the pieces, and the method of marinating.
Horizontal model
Before making a horizontal smokehouse, you need to select a site, preferably an inclined one. Afterwards, carry out a series of preparatory work: prepare a chamber for the fireplace, build a tunnel from it to a special chamber.
The distance from the hearth to the chamber will determine the smoking method (hot or cold).
Housing or smoking chamber
It can be made from any material, even wood, because the smoking temperature is not high.
Inside it is equipped with special shelves-grids or hooks for food, and a container for collecting fat. Equipped with a door that closes tightly.
For the correct operation of the smokehouse, it is important to observe the proportions and distances of the structure. To create a structure, you do not need enormous experience, special materials and equipment. A cold smoked smokehouse can be made with your own hands from available materials.
Advantages of a home smokehouse
Now we are not talking about the gastronomic taste of the prepared dishes. You can cook fish, game, poultry, meat, vegetables, berries. Versatility is not the only advantage of a home smoking box or permanent installation.
The list of benefits includes:
- Cost price. The price varies according to the needs of the cook. If there is no need to cook for a large family or company, a portable model is suitable. Its cost is minimal. In any case, it will cost more to buy.
- Fast preparation. Everything here is determined by the choice of products. Naturally, if you take a pig or calf carcass, it will be smoked all day. But small fish, pieces of lard, legs, chickens are cooked in a maximum of half an hour, taking into account the ignition.
- Convenience. Having “filled your hand” a little, you can take your mind off cooking and spend time with friends gathered at the table. The cooking process will take place without personal participation, and the quality of the products will not suffer from this. Cleaning the smoker is also easy.
- Fast installation. Most of the modifications listed above can be completed in a couple of hours. Therefore, if the picnic is scheduled for tomorrow, today is not too late to take up the tool and make a smokehouse with your own hands along with the grates.
This device will last a long time. It is mistakenly believed that bulky structures that take up a lot of space are used for smoking. You can store it in a garage, storage room, basement, shed. The main thing is that the room is dry.
By the way, smoking is a great way to prepare food. There is no need to preserve it, especially since there is no need to use preservatives. Smoking kills germs and bacteria, and the result is food that does not spoil for a long time. Moreover, in addition to the listed products, you can cook sausage. Prepare the minced meat, stuff it, smoke it. Now it will stay in the refrigerator as long as you like. But given the appetizing smell and excellent taste, it won’t be stored for long.
Smoking chamber
It consists of metal (ideally it should be cold-rolled steel, 1.5 mm thick, with an additional heat-resistant coating) of rectangular, square or cylindrical shape.
At the top there is a groove that serves as a water seal and support for the lid. There may be handles on the outside for easy carrying.
How to make a hot smoked smokehouse with a water seal?
This smokehouse is made from scratch, so its size can be any, but most often such models are compact, which allows them to be used even in a city apartment. It will require sheet steel of any kind, but the best smokehouse is made of stainless steel with a water seal , and it is important to choose the right thickness of the material.
Sheets that are too thin will significantly shorten their service life, and sheets that are too thick will not provide the necessary conditions for smoking products. In addition to welding the body itself, fasteners for grates must be installed inside the container, which should be positioned so that there is a small distance between the products placed on them and the lid.
Next, a water seal is made, which is a special recess in the form of a groove located in the upper part and running along its entire perimeter. The cover is distinguished by special structural elements in the form of welded sides directed downward so that when installed they fit into the water seal. Additionally, the lid is equipped with a small chimney, which can be made from a piece of metal tube.
In this design, the bottom also has special features - it is removable and, like the lid, is equipped with welded sides, but always directed upwards with welded legs.
Such a smokehouse for an apartment may be the best choice, since the smoking process occurs without the formation of a large amount of smoke, which is also removed practically purified.
Handles are often welded to the side parts, which significantly expands the geography of its application: in addition to the apartment, it can be easily transported to the dacha in the summer or taken with you on a fishing trip. The heat source for heating the wood chips can be either a gas or electric stove, or a small fire lit in nature.
Grease trap
A special tray with legs, which is installed at the bottom of the chamber, above the wood chips.
Eliminates the contact of fat on smoldering wood chips, which provides better taste, and also protects against the dangerous effects of burnt fat on humans.
Lattices
Metal shelves for storing products. There may be several of them, depending on the height of the camera. They are attached at a certain distance from each other.
For smoking meat or fish products, wood chips from alder, oak, willow, and fruit trees (cherry, pear or apple) are used. Each type gives the dish a special aroma.
Experts recommend using oak chips for products made from various types of meat, alder for meat or vegetables, willow for smoking game, venison or fish, cherries for fruits, vegetables and berries.
In fact, during the cooking process, each lover will choose the ideal flavor for his creations.
Having studied the composition and manufacturing process of factory equipment for hot smoking, you can easily understand how to make a smokehouse with your own hands. Lovers of active outdoor recreation who are not afraid of experiments can effortlessly diversify their everyday diet.
Tips and wishes
If you are smoking food for the first time, here are some helpful tips from experienced smokers:
- Firewood for the hearth can be of any kind; the smell of its smoke should not penetrate into the closed smokehouse.
- As a smoke producer, a small fraction of wood is used - sawdust or chips, the size of which does not exceed seven centimeters. Larger fragments may not smolder - they will not have enough temperature.
- It is better to remove the bark from the tree, as it sometimes gives unnecessary flavor to meat or fish.
- It is recommended to use alder, juniper, oak, beech, apple, cherry, pear, and hazel for hot smoking. It is optimal if the wood type is hard. Coniferous varieties are not used for hot smoking, since when heated they release resin and the products inside the smokehouse become very bitter.
- You can smoke not only lard, meat and fish. Vegetables and fruits such as pears, apples, cherries, apricots or plums turn out very tasty in a homemade smokehouse. Eggplants, tomatoes, mushrooms are no worse - you need to experiment to diversify your menu.
- Before cooking, food is marinated; no one puts raw meat or fish in the smokehouse. You can use anything as a marinade: salt, spices, herbs, lemon, soy sauce, etc.
- After marinating, the products to be smoked should drain and air out, so they are hung in a shady place, protected from flies.
- To make more smoke, you can moisten the sawdust or add a bunch of green grass to it.
- Smoked meats will turn out more beautiful and golden brown if you first grease them with vegetable oil.
- Checking the temperature inside a hot smoker is simple: you just need to drop water on its lid. The drops should not boil, since the temperature inside the vessel is maintained at 60 to 90 degrees. Boiling water means you need to reduce the heat under the smoker.
- Fish carcasses or pieces of meat are not placed close to each other in a hot smokehouse; there should be a gap of 5-7 cm between the pieces. This distance will ensure normal smoke circulation and uniform cooking of smoked meats.
Simple recommendations will help you decide on the type of hot smokehouse, build it yourself and prepare delicious delicacies. Do not forget about safety precautions both during the manufacturing process of a hot smokehouse and at the stage of its operation: after all, the smokehouse is powered by fire.
You can also see the design options in this video:
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An easy way to make a smokehouse outdoors
We choose a convenient place and equip it for lighting a fire.
We place a fireproof stand (preferably made of brick), on which the body will be located in the form of a metal box (you can use a pan or bucket).
We install shelves or grates inside the housing to arrange products, as well as a tray for sawdust. We place a lid and a valve outside the housing. The basic smokehouse is ready.
What can be made of and where to place a stationary home smokehouse
The ideal place to place such a building would be near a recreation area. The grill, barbecue and summer oven assembled into one building perfectly decorated both the garden pavilion and the large gazebo.
If your passion for cooking has outgrown the constant desire to cook such dishes, then you can make a mobile complex with a metal hearth and wheels for transportation.
As for materials, it is simply impossible to limit the flight of imagination. Old refrigerators, metal ovens, barrels of different sizes and volumes, and even medical containers for sterilizing bandages and instruments can be used.
The main thing in this matter is not to despair. Even if the first experience is not entirely successful, next time everything will definitely work out.
Smokehouse from the grill
You can also equip a smokehouse using a barbecue. The process is simple and quite simple.
- We equip a metal barrel, bucket, pan, as in the first option;
- We fill in the sawdust and place it on the grill;
- Light the fire and cook.
Smoked products prepared at home will always take a place in the center of the table. It's nice to cook delicious and healthy food for yourself and your loved ones.
Popular hot smoked recipes
Today there are a huge number of different hot smoked recipes, because in this way you can prepare a wide variety of products. You can choose the most suitable one depending on your personal preferences and what exactly you are going to smoke at home.
Pork belly
To prepare hot smoked pork belly you will need the brisket itself, vinegar, salt, ground red and black pepper, tomato paste and garlic. First, a marinade is made from all ingredients, which is brought to a boil. When the marinade has cooled to room temperature, pour it over the pork belly, cut into portions, and put it in the refrigerator to marinate for 12 hours. It takes two hours to smoke ready-made semi-finished products. During cooking, you can sprinkle the product a little with the remaining marinade.
Rack of pork ribs
It is necessary to prepare a piece of ribs, which are first cleared of film and fat, and then cut into portioned pieces. Next, prepare a brine from two liters of water and 300 grams of salt. If desired, you can add garlic, your favorite spices and herbs. The resulting brine is poured over the ribs and sent to the refrigerator to marinate for 2-3 days. The ribs should be smoked at a temperature of about 40 degrees for four hours.
Pink salmon
Hot smoked pink salmon is very easy to prepare. To do this, just thoroughly rub the fish inside and out with plenty of salt and marinate for an hour in the refrigerator. Then the excess salt is washed off, and the fish is dried for some time in the fresh air. It is necessary to cook pink salmon for half an hour at a temperature of 60-80 degrees until golden brown.
Duck
To prepare hot smoked duck, first make a marinade of salt, your favorite spices, herbs, bay leaves and ground black pepper.
When the marinade boils, place the duck carcass in it and simmer over low heat for half an hour. When the duck has completely cooled and excess liquid has drained from it, you can additionally rub it with a small amount of spices and then you can begin the smoking process. Hot smoked products are very tasty and aromatic. Such an easy-to-prepare dish will become a real decoration for any table and will delight not only loved ones, but also guests.
DIY smokehouse photo
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