- Do-it-yourself home smokehouse: a simple assembly method
- Homemade hot smoked smokehouse: design features
- Do-it-yourself homemade hot-smoked smokehouse: advantages
- Homemade hot smoked smokehouse: design options
- Construction of a hot smoked smokehouse: structural elements
- Do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse: manufacturing materials
- DIY hot smoked smokehouse: dimensions
- Do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse: diagrams and photos
- How to make a hot smoked smokehouse: instructions
- How to make a hot smoker with a water seal
- How to smoke in a hot smoker: meat, fish and other products
- Video: DIY hot smoked homemade smokehouse
Do-it-yourself home smokehouse: a simple assembly method
Currently, there are several common options for smoking products. In one of the articles we shared with you how to make a cold smoked smokehouse, in this article we will tell you what a home hot smoked smokehouse and how to make it yourself, and the drawings and diagrams proposed in this article will help you do this work yourself.
Cold smokehouse: photos, videos, how to make it yourself (read more)
To obtain the most delicious and refined dishes, you must have a smoking chamber. You can purchase it or assemble it yourself. To do this, you need to study the design features of this device and the procedure for creating it.
The hot smoker allows you to quickly and easily prepare delicious dishes.
What tools will you need?
To make a cold smoking cabinet out of wood with your own hands, you will need classic carpentry tools.
- screwdriver or hammer;
- screws or nails;
- saw/jigsaw;
- pencil for marks;
- tape measure or ruler for measurements.
With this simple set of tools you can make a smokehouse of any complexity.
What kind of wood is used to make a cold smoked smokehouse?
When choosing a material for making a wooden smokehouse, you should consider just a couple of nuances. It is very important to create a cold cabinet from non-resinous rocks. These include:
- birch;
- larch;
- aspen;
- cedar;
- alder;
- oak;
- Linden.
In addition to clean wooden blanks, you can use sheets of plywood with a thickness of 8 mm or more. Planed boards, lining bars and block houses are also suitable.
Homemade hot smoked smokehouse: design features
Unlike the cold method, this method involves a stronger temperature effect on the products. On average, this figure is 100 ºС. The duration of the cooking process is less than when using devices that operate on wood.
In a hot smoked smokehouse, products are usually cooked at a temperature of 45-55 degrees for 1-6 hours.
To operate a hot smokehouse, you will need to purchase special fuel - wood chips. This type of wood allows you to obtain the required temperature and smoke in a short period of time. The duration of smoking depends on the properties of the product itself: variety, size, etc. Before making a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands, you need to study its other design features.
Such a device includes a main element - a chamber, which must have high tightness. Otherwise, the smoke will simply dissipate and the product will not cook properly. It is important to remember that a sealed tank allows you to achieve the same heating temperature for meat and fish at all levels. There may be several such floors in the smokehouse. Thus, the structure of the smokehouse allows you to create smoked meats as simply as possible.
On a note! Some devices are equipped with a lid that has a water seal. This element is a recess shaped like the letter “P”. It is filled with water, into which a lid is placed, which creates a reliable barrier to air outside the chamber.
To secure food products, use special holders with hooks or metal grids. In a hot smoked smokehouse, methods of securing provisions can be combined.
Scheme of a homemade hot smoked smokehouse.
The camera of such a device is located directly above the fire source. This is what distinguishes a hot smoker from a cold smoking device that has a chimney. Another feature of a hot unit is that its design must include a tray. This element is necessary for the assembly of fat released during the cooking process.
Do-it-yourself homemade hot-smoked smokehouse: advantages
It is important to understand that the design of hot smoking devices is simpler when compared with cold smoking devices. This allows you to easily assemble such units at home. Before you start making this device, it is recommended to pay attention to its photo. A hot smoked smokehouse looks quite simple, but is an effective device for cooking.
The materials from which these structures are assembled are inexpensive. Therefore, a hot smoker can be called a profitable device from a financial point of view. If necessary, you can make a portable device that will be compact in size. This smokehouse is suitable for hiking and country trips. Thanks to its small size, it can be easily transported in the trunk of a car.
The hot smoking smokehouse facilitates the quick preparation of delicious dishes. The speed of the smoking process depends on the product being processed and its size. Depending on these factors, cooking time can range from 15 minutes to 4 hours.
Since the materials from which the smokehouse is made are inexpensive, this design can be called profitable from a financial point of view.
Cooked meat and other dishes do not require additional processing. However, such a device also has its drawbacks. The main one is that finished products have a short shelf life. As a rule, it is 3-4 days. In any case, such a design is quite simple to make. A home hot smoker is an excellent and effective tool that allows you to get smoked meats in a matter of hours.
Homemade hot smoked smokehouse: design options
There are two common units that allow you to smoke food using the hot method. They differ from each other in heating options:
- regular smokehouse;
- electrical device.
In the first case, the wood chips that produce smoke for smoking are heated using an open fire source. In turn, electronic devices use special heaters for heating. Such smokers for fish and meat can be easily purchased on the Internet or any specialized store.
Note! Electronic devices are easier to use. In order to start cooking, you just need to plug in the device, place the wood chips in the right place and select the required smoking mode.
A simple stainless steel smokehouse does not require professional knowledge in manufacturing or specific maintenance skills.
This device allows you to smoke food directly in your apartment, which is a convenient solution. Assembling an electric smokehouse with your own hands is certainly more difficult, but in principle it is possible. To do this, you need to understand the principle of its operation and have basic knowledge of the design of electrical household appliances.
Let's look at the main advantages of this device. Among the advantages of electric smokers are the following: versatility, ease of operation and compactness. The electrical device can be placed almost anywhere. The main requirement is the availability of an electrical network. In the kitchen, such a device can be placed in one of the cabinets.
The speed of cooking food in electric smokers is quite high. For example, to smoke a small piece of meat or medium-sized fish, you will need to wait approximately 30-40 minutes. The design of this type of smokehouse is, of course, more complicated, since it includes heating electrical appliances. In addition, these devices are often equipped with smoke generators, as well as water seals.
In such devices it is much easier to regulate the temperature inside the smoking chamber. To achieve this, they are equipped with a clear and convenient control panel. The cost of electric smokers may vary. Budget options can be purchased for 1500-2500 rubles.
There are many types of smokehouses in which you can hot smoke food.
Another type of hot smokers are automatic devices. Such units are most often used in restaurants and food production plants. They are not suitable for hot smoking meat at home.
Smoking recipes: fish, chicken, lard, meat
To prepare low-fat products, it is better to use the hot smoking method with a smoke temperature of at least 43 °C. Meat and fish of fatty varieties are cold smoked, in which the smoke temperature does not exceed 25 °C.
During smoking, products become colored and acquire an unusual taste and aroma. The upper part dries and becomes shiny. The finished product must be cooled and left hanging for at least 5 days.
Smoked fish
For hot smoking, the fish is first cleaned, washed well and rubbed with plenty of salt. After a quarter of an hour, the workpiece is washed and placed on a wire rack in a hot smoked smokehouse.
Recipe No. 1. Buy fresh or frozen mackerel at the store. Carcasses must be intact, without damage. Thaw frozen fish and gut it. Rub the carcass with salt, sprinkle with spices and leave for 24 hours. Use alder shavings or wood chips for smoking.
First place small apple tree branches, currant and raspberry leaves on the grill of the smoking chamber. Place prepared fish carcasses on top. It only takes 20 minutes to cook mackerel.
Recipe No. 2. To get a high quality product from this recipe, you will need an electric smoker . Clean the mackerel and rub with salt both inside and on top. Place the dish with fish in the refrigerator for 2 days.
Place fruit or alder sawdust moistened with water on a tray in the electric smoker. The highlight of this recipe for cooking fish in a smokehouse is adding a small amount of black tea, a lump of sugar and juniper berries to the sawdust.
Blot the salted fish with a napkin and drip lemon juice into the cut belly. A piece of lemon placed inside will give the fish a piquant taste. Grease the carcass with vegetable oil. Place on a wire rack.
Cooking mackerel in an electric kettle begins without a tray with sawdust. 10 minutes after the start of cooking, place sawdust in the chamber. Cook the fish for another 20 minutes with smoke. Turn off the device and leave it closed to cool. After 30 minutes you can taste the amazing taste of fish.
Smoking mackerel in a smokehouse, video:
Now you know how to smoke fish in smokehouses of different designs.
Smoking chicken in a smokehouse
The most important point when preparing smoked chicken is marinating . Wash the carcass well and remove excess fat. Dry with napkins. Make small cuts in the skin and push the cut garlic cloves into them. Mix your favorite spices with salt and thoroughly rub the chicken inside and out with this mixture. Prepare foil, wrap the chicken in it and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours.
Remove the chicken and let it come to room temperature for at least 2 hours. Prepare your home smokehouse for use. Free the carcass from the foil, tie the legs and wings together so that they do not stick out to the sides. Place the chicken in the smoker and begin cooking. When hot smoking, one hour is enough to cook chicken.
Recommendation! Check the chicken carcass for doneness by making test cuts. If the meat is ready, clear juice will be released without blood. Before use, remove the skin from the carcass - it has absorbed many substances harmful to the human body.
First, the fire in the smokehouse must be stronger in order to reach the desired smoking temperature and make the wood chips smolder. Then you just need to maintain the smoke formation process and the cooking temperature until the meat is cooked. Now you know how to smoke chicken in a homemade smokehouse.
Smoked lard
You already know how to build a smokehouse for cold and hot smoking. Now the time has come to get acquainted with recipes for making lard. The marinade will help add flavor and a special aroma to the lard. It is best to make a dry marinade. For 2 kg of lard you will need 250 g of coarse salt, a spoonful of ground black pepper, chopped dry bay leaf (1/2 pack), 5-6 cloves of garlic and fresh dill. You can take dry dill.
Cooking steps:
- Cut the lard into strips . The width of the pieces should be no more than 6 cm.
- Mix salt with dill, bay leaf and pepper.
- the resulting mixture well onto the pieces of lard on all sides.
- Place strips in a row, skin side down, and sprinkle seasonings on top. Place chopped garlic cloves between the pieces of lard.
- Cover the lard on top and press tightly with a weight.
- After 3 days, remove the salt from the lard and hang it on hooks to dry. The lard should not be exposed to sunlight.
This smoked lard recipe is the simplest. To prepare the product by hot smoking it will take only 20 minutes.
It takes longer to smoke lard in a smokehouse using the cold smoking method. Sometimes the smoking time reaches 36 hours.
Recipe for smoking homemade sausages:
Make homemade sausages using your favorite recipe. To prevent the sausages from leaking juice and losing their taste, they must be smoked immediately after filling. Smoking takes about 3 hours. All this time, you should maintain a small flame in the hearth and sufficient smoke production. It is best to use firewood from fruit trees.
Smoked meat
To prepare delicious pork, make a brine. Add 50 pcs to 11 liters of cold boiled water. black pepper, 0.5 liters of coarse salt and 15 pcs. bay leaf. The salt should completely dissolve.
Pieces of meat are placed in a cold marinade. In the cold season, the preparation for smoking is kept in brine for 5 days, and on hot days the meat is soaked for 3 days.
Important! Be sure to ensure that the pork pieces are completely covered with the brine. The dishes must be intact, without chips.
The meat, ready for smoking, is stuffed with garlic and tied with twine. The time has come to learn how to smoke meat in a smokehouse yourself. If you have a barrel smoker, hang the meat on hooks at the very top of the chamber and cover the barrel with burlap.
DIY wood lathe. - there is more useful information here.
Place a bucket of water next to the barrel to periodically wet the burlap. During the entire smoking period, swap the pieces several times.
Construction of a hot smoked smokehouse: structural elements
All modern hot smokers have common features. Such devices are necessarily equipped with the necessary set of parts, each of which performs its own function. Let's consider what elements are included in hot-type units.
Smoking chamber. This tank is a limited sealed compartment in which food is processed with temperature and smoke. Most often, the smoking chamber is found in stationary models. In turn, portable devices can be collapsible.
On a note! If you decide to keep a smokehouse at home, then it is recommended to pay attention to electronic models that are equipped with a small chamber.
The main structural elements of a hot smoked smokehouse.
Lattice (one or more). This part is necessary to hold smoked products at the required height. Some devices may have other elements instead of grilles - holders with hooks. For cold and hot smoked smokehouses, this part is mandatory.
Reflector. It is a regular tray that collects fat. It is necessary to collect fat released from food during cooking. If there is no reflector, fat will fall on the smoldering wood chips and spoil the taste of smoked meats. This detail must be present in smokehouses for hot smoking (and cold). You can make it with your own hands from a metal sheet of a certain thickness.
Thermometer. The absence of this element will not affect the operation of the smokehouse, but without it it is much more difficult to control the process of preparing food. Thus, its presence in any model is desirable.
Electric cold smoking cabinet
Several companies produce electric smokers for homes and small businesses. In these devices, sawdust is heated in a smoke generator by electric heaters, there are built-in fans that blow smoke over smoked meats, thermostats and other devices. How to use the smokehouse is indicated in the manufacturer's instructions.
These cold smoking cabinets do not require an open fire for heating, but do need to be connected to a ~220 V network. The smoking process occurs at lower temperatures and longer than in hot smoking devices.
You can make such a household device yourself from a metal box and install it on the balcony.
All controls in an electric smokehouse are installed in the control panel, which is mounted on the wall of the smokehouse.
Components of an electric smoking cabinet
Do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse: manufacturing materials
Devices used at home are divided into stationary and mobile. The first of them require the arrangement of a brick base, which avoids distortion of the structure. The following materials are used to install the foundation:
- brick (fire-resistant);
For a stationary smokehouse structure, you first need a reliable foundation.
- paving slabs;
- cement.
When assembling mobile hot and cold smoked smokehouses with your own hands, you need to focus on one point that will increase the versatility of the device. It is recommended to equip such devices with metal handles for ease of transportation.
Most often, the material from which smoking chambers are made is steel sheet. It should not be too thin, otherwise the structure will burn out. It is desirable that this figure should not be lower than 1 mm. Stainless or galvanized steel is most suitable for assembling the tank. Such metals are not only highly fire-resistant, but also resistant to corrosion.
If necessary, this unit can be purchased. Hot smoked smokehouses have different prices. When assembling a hot smoker with your own hands, improvised materials are often used. Among them are metal buckets and barrels, as well as gas cylinders. There are stationary models, for the manufacture of which brick is used. Such devices can last for several decades, depending on how reliably both the structure itself and its base were made.
When making a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands, improvised materials are often used.
DIY hot smoked smokehouse: dimensions
Before drawing up a drawing of a smokehouse, you need to decide what it will be used for. It is important to immediately calculate the amount of food that will be placed in it at one time. Depending on this, the dimensions of the future structure are determined.
On a note! The most capacious, in addition to industrial devices, are smoking cabinets. However, they work on a cold principle.
When calculating the size of the unit, it is worth considering that the products should be located at a distance from each other. This distance is necessary for free penetration of smoke to each product. The optimal distance in this case is approximately 6 cm.
When determining the dimensions of a hot smoked smokehouse for fish and meat, other indicators are also taken into account:
- distance from fuel to collecting pan;
- distance from the pallet to the products;
- distance from the food to the smokehouse lid.
Diagram with dimensions of a hot smoked smokehouse.
If you want to assemble a smoking unit for a summer house or private home, then you can make a larger structure. The standard version of the smokehouse in this case has the following dimensions: 50x30x30 cm. The wall thickness of such a device should be at least 2 mm. Such units allow hot smoking of pork, beef, fish, cheese, vegetables and mushrooms.
In turn, calculating the dimensions of a home smokehouse, which will be located in the kitchen, depends entirely on the size of the hob. The standard version of the stove, as a rule, has a size of 50x60 cm. Based on these indicators, you can choose the optimal smoking device. Experts recommend buying smokers 45x25x25 cm (for standard stoves).
Do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse: diagrams and photos
It is not necessary to draw up a drawing of this device yourself. On the Internet you can find a huge number of ready-made diagrams containing all the necessary sizes. A drawing is made with your own hands only when you need to make a device that will best suit individual needs.
A small smokehouse can be made quite quickly - in just 1-2 hours.
For example, there may not be a drawing on the Internet that is suitable for some non-standard slab options. You will also need a diagram if you are making a smokehouse from improvised materials.
A do-it-yourself hot-smoked smokehouse drawing should include the following details and their detailed description:
- firebox;
- camera;
- gratings and holders;
- pallet;
- smoke exhaust pipe.
All of the above elements are necessary in the design of the simplest metal hot-type smokehouse. It is important to remember that the dimensions of this device must correspond to its purpose. A small portable smoker can be done quite quickly - in just 1-2 hours. Before you begin making this device, you need to purchase the appropriate tools and materials.
On a note! Of course, the best option is to draw up an individual plan. This work will allow us to produce the most suitable design for a particular case. To save time, on specialized websites on the Internet you can find photos of drawings of hot smoked smokehouses. It is much easier to assemble this structure with your own hands if the work is carried out according to a diagram drawn up without errors.
To fix the grates on the walls of the smokehouse, you need to make special corners in advance.
To assemble the smokehouse body you will need a stainless steel or galvanized sheet. Regular steel is not recommended as it has lower resistance to high temperatures. You should also prepare a metal grill in advance, which you can get from an old refrigerator. Metal corners are used to secure the chamber walls together.
And finally, you will need a tray and a thin tube that will remove the smoke outside the chamber. If necessary, you can buy such a device for a very reasonable price. The price of a hot smoked stainless steel smokehouse is 4-5 thousand rubles.
Next you need to purchase all the necessary tools. To assemble the smokehouse you will need a hacksaw, a file, a mallet and a wooden block. In addition, the work takes into account the use of drills and welding equipment.
Cold smoked smokehouse assembly instructions
There are many tips where a chamber of similar designs is made from cardboard boxes, plastic barrels and other waste. Using cold smoke allows you to do this, but the smoker will last for a couple of uses. If you want to constantly smoke, you can assemble a permanent structure with your own hands.
Camera
For any chamber, a foundation of red brick or concrete blocks is first prepared. On one side there is a passage where the channel will be connected.
A brick chamber will require a reinforced foundation; in addition, it is more difficult to build. It is easier to knock down a square house from boards up to 1.5 m high, with walls 1 m long. First, a frame is knocked down from timber. The elements are connected with self-tapping screws, the corners are reinforced with mounting metal corners.
Three sides of the frame are sheathed tightly with boards. The ceiling is also covered, but I provide a pipe for the smoke to escape. Here you can use galvanized or plastic. Doors for loading the product are hung on the unsheathed fourth side of the frame with hinges. A gable roof frame is built over the chamber from bars, and the smokehouse is covered with any lightweight roofing material. Corrugated sheets are perfect.
Hearth
A fireplace is built at a distance of at least 2 m from the chamber. The oven is made of red or refractory bricks. A door is provided for loading raw materials and removing ash. It is advisable to concrete the base under the stove. A damper is provided at the rear. It is closed when ignited in order to prevent the first acrid smoke that forms at the start of combustion from entering the chamber with food.
Channel
Particular attention is paid to the design of the channel. Carcinogenic substances contained in the smoke will be deposited inside it. The channel usually begins to be built at the same time as the hearth, since it is connected to the back of the stove.
The easiest way is to lay a thin-walled metal pipe with a diameter of 300-500 mm. However, over time it becomes clogged with soot and requires cleaning. A channel dug in the ground is considered effective. Its sides are lined with red brick, the top is covered with sheets of metal to prevent ground collapses. Precipitated soot and condensate are settled on the earthen bottom. Soil bacteria will process carcinogenic waste, eliminating the need to clean the canal.
If there is a slope on the site, the camera is located at a height, and the hearth is located in a lowland. A path is laid out of stones in steps for ease of approach when loading products. You can smoke in such a smokehouse in any weather, since the chamber and hearth are protected from precipitation.
Smoke generator for cold smoked smokehouse
Lack of space on the site does not allow constructing a long channel or installing a bulky fireplace. The way out of the situation would be to make a smoke generator. The materials you need are the body of an old metal fire extinguisher or a pipe with a diameter of 100-150 mm. Additionally, you will need fittings, a compressor or vacuum cleaner with an air blowing function, and thin tubes for arranging the chimney.
The structure consists of 3 main units:
- a housing in which sawdust smolders without oxygen;
- smoke outlet pipe;
- cooling unit.
At the bottom of the housing, grates are installed for smoldering sawdust, an ash chamber is formed, and a fitting is welded in to supply air from the compressor.
The structure is connected to the chimney by a pipe, into which an ejector made of a movable tube is inserted. The mechanism regulates the supply of smoke. The loaded sawdust is ignited through the bottom valve. The emitted smoke, under the pressure of the compressor, moves through the tubes into the chamber.
Often, an additional unit – a filter – is installed between the smoke generator and the smokehouse chamber. It is made of a sump from a piece of pipe. The smoke passing through the filter cools down, carcinogens in the form of condensate are drained through a fitting welded to the bottom.
How to make a hot smoked smokehouse: instructions
Each process that takes into account the installation or assembly of certain structures can be divided into several stages. Creating a device for smoking food at home is no exception to this rule. Let's look at step by step how to make a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands.
Stainless steel sheets for making a smokehouse must be at least 2 mm thick.
First of all, you will need to take a sheet of stainless steel or galvanized steel. Based on the drawing drawn up earlier, you need to cut out a box from it. The individual sheets are connected to each other using welding equipment and a bar. The block must have a 90° angle so that the edges of the box can be aligned using it as a mold. The leveling tool is a regular hammer. Next, the resulting structure is connected by welding.
The next step is to make a lid from a metal sheet. It is advisable to equip it with curved edges. They can be obtained by welding or you will need to cut the edges and bend them. Then you need to make a hole in the lid for the smoke pipe. After this, all that remains is to weld the tube to the desired location. Care will allow you to competently assemble a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands. The drawing and dimensions indicated in it should always be at hand.
Thus, making a smokehouse with your own hands is not as difficult as it seems. At the next stage, it is necessary to place the corners inside the metal tank on which the grease tray and food grid are installed.
When making a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands, it is important to consider that all materials must be made of stainless metals.
On a note! In order not to make mistakes during the assembly process, it is recommended to watch a training video on this topic.
Features of cold smoking
For cold smoking, a more complex device is used, which you can make yourself. First of all, the question arises - what to make a smokehouse from.
The most optimal stainless steel. However, it must be borne in mind that such a unit consists of three main parts. The main part is the smoking cabinet itself. Then there is the so-called smoke generator, which produces smoke for smoking.
The smoke enters the smoking cabinet, where the cold smoking process takes place. A cold process can be called conditionally, since for high-quality preparation of the product you need a positive temperature of about twenty degrees.
If everything happens outside in the cold season, then it is necessary to provide heating for the smoking cabinet. A regular lamp will do for this. An LED lamp will not work; it does not produce enough heat.
An important element for quality cooking is the drying cabinet. This device removes excess moisture from the product.
The drying process can be done outdoors. In this case, you will need to fulfill all the necessary conditions for drying the product in the open air. You can combine a drying and smoking cabinet in one space.
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How to make a hot smoker with a water seal
To assemble a device equipped with a hydraulic valve, you first need to prepare a sheet of stainless steel. It is worth noting that such models are often small in size, which makes them easy to transport.
When choosing a material, you should pay attention to its thickness. It is not recommended to use thin-walled stainless steel, as it may not withstand high temperatures. However, overly thick sheets of metal are not a good choice, since their use does not provide the conditions required for smoking. If necessary, you can buy a hot smoked smokehouse. The price of a device equipped with a water seal ranges from 4 to 7 thousand rubles.
The water seal itself is quite simple. It is a groove that can be welded in the upper part of the chamber (around the perimeter). In addition to organizing the groove, the cover of the device should also be modified. Sides directed downward are welded to it.
The smokehouse with a water seal consists of a metal box and a sealed lid equipped with easy-to-grip handles.
Before you start building such a unit, you need to download from the Internet or make your own drawing of a hot smoked smokehouse. The principle of operation of the hydraulic valve is to immerse the protrusions of the lid in water, which fills the groove. This design prevents air from entering from the outside, ensuring proper sealing of the chamber.
The differences between the smokehouse with a hydraulic shutter and other models do not end there. The bottom in this design has one feature: it is removable. The metal sheet that performs this function is equipped with sides that have an upper direction. It is also recommended to add legs (bottom) to the bottom.
How to smoke in a hot smoker: meat, fish and other products
Smoking is a method of preparing food that involves processing it with heat and smoke. Most often, this method is used to obtain meat and fish dishes. If desired, other foodstuffs (for example, cheese or vegetables) can be subjected to similar treatment.
When cold smoked, the final product has a more refined and subtle taste. The difference in this case lies in the temperature and duration of the process. The first indicator should be lower, and the second, accordingly, higher. Cold devices are most often used for fish. How to make a cold smokehouse at home? This question can be answered by studying information on the Internet.
When the bottom of the smokehouse is completely filled with raw materials, the tray is exposed, and the grate is filled with products, the smokehouse can be put on fire.
As for a hot smoker, its use can significantly speed up the process of smoking products. This is due to the fact that the temperature in such a unit averages 100 °C. For example, hot smoking lard takes no more than 1 hour. Moreover, after 20 minutes of cooking, the temperature in the tank must be reduced to 90 °C. The shelf life of lard prepared using this technology is only a few days.
On a note! The shelf life of any product that has been smoked in a hot smoker does not exceed a week.
So how to properly smoke food in such devices? It is worth remembering that the smoldering temperature of the fuel (chips) during this process should be in the range from 300 to 350 °C. In this case, the smoking temperature will not go beyond the required values, which range from 70 to 130 °C.
Before using a unit of this type, it is recommended to study video materials on this topic. They will allow you to quickly understand how to smoke lard, as well as other products, in a hot smokehouse.
Any combustion source for a hot smoked smokehouse can be chosen.
Hot smokers are a good alternative to devices designed for cold smoking. The speed of bringing products to readiness in such units is tens of times faster. When making a hot smoking device yourself, it is recommended to first study the drawings, work plan, and also watch training videos on this topic.
Smoke generator for smoking: how to make it yourself (read more)
Manufacturing
Stores sell machines for smoking meat, but if you don't want to spend money, we'll give you tips so you know how to make a smoker at home.
Making such a design will be an interesting and exciting activity, because there are many options and methods. The device is made from various materials. We suggest considering the simplest options.
From a barrel or bucket
Make a smokehouse from an iron barrel: this solution is the most affordable. To begin, cut off the bottom of the container and attach a grid (or reinforcing bars) to it at 2 levels.
Place a tray below. At the very top, food is hung on hooks. To make a smokehouse, a metal bucket is suitable. Insert 2 stainless steel grates inside.
One of them is placed at a distance of 10 cm above the bottom, and the other 5 cm above from the other mesh. Place up to 2 cm of wood chips on the bottom of the bucket. Place the bird or fish on the grill. Now cover the mini-smoker with a lid and put it on fire.
You can fumigate food in a bucket: it will be ready in 15 minutes. after the smoke appears. Remove the bucket from the open fire and wait until it cools down.
This design works without electricity, so it is well suited for outdoor trips or evening picnics in the country. At the same time, you can save energy.
The bucket won't take up much space. However, a smoker installed on a fire can be dangerous if not used correctly.
If you use it incorrectly, you may get burned or injured. Do not touch the bucket or barrel while the fire is burning as the metal will become hot quickly.
From an old refrigerator
Often people take old household appliances to their country house. Refrigerators are placed in sheds or utility pantries and various small items are stored in them. However, they make practical smoking units.
Masters give advice on how to make a smokehouse with your own hands from a refrigerator. Take out everything inside and leave the base itself with the door. Make a hole at the top where the smoke will escape.
Attach 9 corners to the walls on the inside of the refrigerator (two on each level).
At 2 levels in the upper part, fasten the grilles, hang hooks and strips. Secure the corners at the bottom to secure the drip pan. Sawdust is placed in another tray.
The hot-smoked smokehouse will be made by yourself and ready to use when you install the electric stove. The stove is installed in the lower part of the refrigerating chamber, and a container with shavings is placed on it. Close the door tightly to prevent air from entering the middle.
Stainless steel
To make a reliable smoking chamber, choose a durable metal - stainless steel. In appearance, this design looks like a box. In the inner part, corners for two metal gratings are welded.
Tourists can take this type of smokehouse on a hike. For fumigation, take small logs of deciduous trees or shavings.
Place pieces of lard or game on the mesh, then close the box and secure it over the fire. The first portion will be ready in 20 minutes.
Made of brick
Such a stationary smokehouse is installed on personal plots. Find a place for a guest area in your garden and prepare a site for its installation.
You determine the camera parameters yourself. As with everything else, choose the wood to fumigate. To burn wood in a stationary structure, a stove-stove is installed; it is installed outside, and not in the chamber itself.
Then install a pipe between the stove and the smokehouse. When you carry out construction work, follow the instructions and ask the master for advice.
Take out your work gloves, check whether the tools are in good working order and the condition of the materials. Be careful when using the smokehouse, follow the recommendations.