How to make a smoking machine at home. How to make a homemade smokehouse with your own hands

The very sight of smoked food arouses the desire to try it, but not everyone immediately starts rummaging in their wallet - is it worth running to the store or to the market? The number of people who decide to acquire a home-made smokehouse is not decreasing at all. It is indeed quite possible to build your own smokehouse, and we will try to help readers as much as possible in this useful and tasty task.

The financial factor is not the only and, perhaps, not the main one, thanks to which the popularity of home smoking does not wane. Making a smokehouse of the correct design yourself means being confident in the quality of the product; If home-made smoked meats are sold, convincingly offer them to customers. Nowadays this is in no way superfluous: in today’s world, falsification of food products, unfortunately, is widespread and legalized literally everywhere, and smoked products are a favorite object of surrogate producers.

The scale of falsification of smoked products in our time is difficult for the ignorant to imagine. For example, WHO recommends not to exceed the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, we will come across this nasty thing) in food at 0.62 mcg/kg. In the Russian Federation, the content of PAHs in food products is allowed up to 0.2 μg/kg; A properly built home smokehouse can produce a product with a PAH content of 0.1 µg/kg. And in Germany, which boasts of its environmental friendliness, the content of such a notorious representative of PAHs as benzo(a)pyrene is allowed up to 1 μg/kg. In Russia, benzo(a)pyrene is recognized as a carcinogen of the first degree of danger, and in the EU, doctors consider its harmful effect on animals to be fully proven, but not sufficiently proven for humans. How can we understand this other than as a veiled recommendation for people to buy (and how!) is it something that a dog in its right mind would turn away from? Rats die, but can a person die? If he is an adequate well-intentioned consumer? But let's get back to the topic.

The most important

Making a smokehouse does not present any technical difficulties and is inexpensive. The design of the smokehouse is simple, flexible, easily adaptable to the available materials and capabilities without compromising the quality of the finished product. But, before moving on, it would be appropriate to recall: smoking is a process of food technology.

Let’s imagine, by analogy, that someone came up with some kind of ideal, “correct” saucepan in all respects. Will a person who previously had a relationship with cooking only as an unpretentious eater, holding a cookbook before his eyes, be able to immediately cook real naval borscht in it? Another analogy is also appropriate: there is a cheap frying pan stamped from thin stainless steel and an antediluvian electric stove with an open spiral. Will a skilled chef be able to cook at least an ordinary roast with this “equipment” as in his own kitchen?

The conclusion is simple: there is no single “correct” smokehouse. But there are many types of smokehouses in which proper smoking is possible. This is what we will do. At the same time, smoking itself, based on some mandatory requirements for the design of the smoking unit.

Structural types of smokehouses

The design of successful home smokehouses can be very diverse; See photos for some samples. As a rule, they try to build a smokehouse that provides the possibility of all or most types of smoking (see below). But all this visible inconsistency fits into only 3 basic schemes of smoking installations: vertical (mine), horizontal (tunnel, trench) and chamber. Homemade smokehouses most often combine elements of 2 or all 3 schemes.

Mine smokehouse, on the left on the trail. rice., it is the simplest, does not require any space for it and is the least labor intensive. Initially, it is a conical hut, tent or wigwam, in which pieces of meat are suspended at the top in reserve. In this case (the shaft is conical) and a semi-permeable smoke seal (green dotted line in the figure) is not necessary.

However, the mine smokehouse is not without serious drawbacks:

Smoking by fumigation (see below) is impossible, because the temperature of the smoke plume at the mouth of the chimney is always higher than the surrounding air.
Simultaneous smoking in 2 ways is also impossible.
Adjustment of the smoke generation mode by the fireplace is possible only within very small limits.
The settling of harmful components of smoke smoke (see below) is somewhat difficult, which is why achieving compliance of the concentration of PAHs in products with the norm is only possible with hot or semi-hot smoking.
When the humidity of the incoming air increases, due to unsuitable or too damp fuel, the “acidic” zone may spread to the smoked product, causing the entire load to disappear: the product becomes unbearably sour and toxic.
When the quality of fuel for the fireplace (smoking material) deteriorates, as well as the temperature and humidity of the incoming air exceeds, the content of PAHs in products rapidly increases.

Note: the last factor is especially sensitive, because It’s just that the excess of PAHs is invisible. On the contrary, their excess can enhance the sharpness and piquancy of the taste and aroma of the finished products.

For a tunnel smokehouse, in the middle in Fig., you need a fairly large amount of excavation work and, highly desirable, a suitable site on a slope: the more free (without a smoke seal) draft in the system, the easier it is to ensure a stable smoke generation regime. Due to the location of the smoke generator hearth in a semi-closed chamber with an adjustable air access lid and a closed chimney, the dependence of the quality of smoking on the weather is reduced: it is possible to use a tunnel smokehouse up to 75% humidity and 30 degrees outside air temperature for up to 8-9 hours a day, in the absence of atmospheric precipitation.

With a channel length of more than 3 m, cold smoking is possible in a tunnel smokehouse; over 5 – fumigation, and over 7 m – 2-3 types of smoking at the same time. A properly constructed and operated tunnel smokehouse can ensure PAH content in finished products within the range of up to 0.2 μg/kg for all smoking modes.

Chamber smokehouses, on the right in the top figure, not so ancient: a tunnel smokehouse on a slope of sufficient length of 10-30 degrees, complemented by a shaft 1.5-2 m high and with a diameter of approx. 1 m, see fig. on the right, this is a chamber smokehouse: a long tunnel and the blind bottom of the shaft serve as a smoke distiller; the latter works as an expansion chamber, where the deposition of residual harmful smoke components sharply increases. Modern industrial smokehouses of food industry enterprises are built exclusively according to a chamber design, but compact, with special air preparation units and electric smoke distillers.

What happens in the smokehouse?

Visible smoke, i.e. Unburned fuel particles and ash (mineral) inclusions, strange as it may seem at first glance, do not significantly affect the smoking process. They contribute to the deposition of a glossy golden crust on the product; no harm was noticed from them. And by the type of smoke they allow you to fairly accurately determine its suitability for smoking.

In calm weather, or in a high hut, we will light a fire from slightly damp wood; this is the simplest hearth-smoke generator. Directly above the flame there will be a transparent zone where the pyrolysis gases burn out. Above is dirty gray, perhaps with a brownish tint, rather dense smoke. Even higher - grayish, sometimes with a slight blue, and even higher - translucent white smoke.

Now let's take samples from each zone, except the pyrolysis zone, and do their chemical analysis. Not at home, of course, here you will have to resort to liquid chromatography and other subtle methods. In the “gray-brown” (conditionally heavy) zone, a predominance of carcinogens and other substances with a significant molecular weight will be found. In a “gray”, average, sample, against the background of thinning carcinogens and toxins, radicals of organic acids will appear more. In the white haze of harmfulness, the same benzo(a)pyrene with residues of formic and acetic acids (possibly malic, citric, etc.) will remain in noticeable quantities, and other light components are precisely those that give the smoked product a unique taste, aroma and have a bacteriostatic effect, i.e. do not allow the product to deteriorate for more or less a long time; in the smoke from fuel suitable for smoking, they will come to the fore.

Let's continue the series of experiments, lighting a fire from different types of firewood of varying degrees of humidity, with the addition of green leaves and different types of grass, and each time changing the combustion mode. And it turns out that in this case the concentration of benzo(a)pyrene and acids in white smoke changes by 2-3 orders of magnitude, and in the finished product benzo(a)pyrene is found from 0.1 to 62-65 μg/kg.

Benz(a)pyrene and acids

All PAHs are by no means harmless to humans, but benzo(a)pyrene stands out among them, firstly, due to its optimal, from the point of view of poison, chemical activity: under normal conditions it is quite inert. Secondly, “meanness”: once in the body, benzo(a)pyrene attaches to DNA, thus affecting heredity. Even the ancient authors knew, although at that time, of course, no one controlled the content of PAHs in products, that those who love to overeat smoked foods have weak-minded, frail and sick children much more often than those who support moderation. Thirdly, its ubiquity: due to the characteristics of its chemical activity, benzo(a)pyrene has a cumulative effect and accumulates in soil, plant and animal tissues, and also migrates through food chains. Fourthly, durability: at the temperature necessary for the formation of smoke smoke, a significant part of it does not decompose, but is sublimated from the wood. Fifthly, by “cunning”: as mentioned above, detecting an excess of benzo(a)pyrene in food is only possible by chemical analysis; an increase in taste and aroma can be caused by other, harmless and even beneficial substances.

The fight against any evil is effective in its infancy, therefore measures to limit the content of benzo(a)pyrene in smoked meats are carried out in the following order:

The correct choice of wood for smoking material is based not only on the desired taste and bouquet of the finished product, but also on the ability of a given type of wood to accumulate PAHs;
Harvesting wood for smoking material in environmentally friendly places only from completely healthy trees: in the hyphae of mold fungi and in the drill dust of bark beetles/carpenter beetles, the content of PAHs is 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than in wood - their nutrient medium;
Reasonable choice of type and mode of smoking for this specific type of raw material;
Proper preparation of raw materials for smoking;
Proper preparation of smoking material: wood chips, shavings, sawdust, see below;
Technically competent construction of a smokehouse according to proven samples;
Correct design of the smoke generator;
Setting up the smoke generator for the selected smoking material, type of product and its processing mode;
Effective control over the smoking regime.

pp. 6 and 7 represent preventive design measures, and items 8 and 9 are operational measures to prevent the accumulation of PAHs in smoking products. Their essence is that you need to build a smokehouse in such a way as to either prevent PAHs from reaching the products, or organize the smoking process so that the PAHs, without having time to be deposited in the smoked product, fly out into the chimney. pp. 3, 4 and 9 relate to culinary technology, so further we will limit ourselves to what applies to paragraphs. 6 and 7 and partially to paragraphs. 3, 5 and 9, how much they affect the design of the smokehouse.

As for acids, they are involved to one degree or another in the creation of smoked products. Formic acid may raise doubts among some, but it is also registered as a food additive E236. Its influence on the bacteriostatic properties of smoking is especially strong. You just need to remember: everything is medicine, but everything is poison. Table salt is necessary for a person - sodium ions regulate cardiac activity, but if you eat half a glass or more of table salt, a painful death is guaranteed due to a severe imbalance of sodium in the body. Fortunately, if measures to limit the migration of PAHs into the product are carried out and give the proper results, then everything is fine with acids. An exception can only occur when smoking with unsuitable fuel or in a primitive smokehouse during extreme heat or bad weather.

Smoking and smokehouses

Smoking is usually divided into cold and hot. This idea arose at a time when no one had any idea about PAHs, their migrations in nature and their impact on humans.

From the point of view of modern biochemistry, it would be better to highlight the following smoking methods:

Fumigation (traditionally – cold smoking).
Cold (traditionally – semi-cold) smoking.
Semi-hot smoking.
Hot smoking.
Baking in smoke, or quick smoking.

We do not consider the last method. Firstly, because foods baked in smoke cannot be stored; they must be eaten freshly prepared. And secondly, because there is no need to eat a smoky casserole at all: in terms of benz(a)pyrene content, products baked in smoke are not inferior to those processed with liquid smoke, i.e. 100% falsified; For more information on liquid smoke, see the end.

Fumigation

Fumigation with smoke cooled to room temperature 18-25 degrees (for fish - up to 22-35 degrees) lasts from 24 hours, for small fish like sprat, to a week or more, for wild boar or bear ham. To prevent the raw material from spoiling until it has been smoked enough to prevent the development of bacteria, it must be salted in brine in advance. The consistency and structure of the raw material practically does not change, and there is almost no migration of fat inside the piece.

The main advantage of this smoking method is that the shelf life of the finished product is practically limited only by its drying out to the point of inedibility. In a properly equipped cellar, smoked ham or brisket can be stored for up to 3-4 years without losing its taste, which this type of smoking provides the highest. The method of neutralizing PAHs in this case is their natural deposition in a long chimney. Acidification of products is possible as an exception, using very poor fuel or when smoking in extreme heat: acid radicals react with water vapor and precipitate into condensate faster than benzo(a)pyrene settles.

Note: Storing smoked products in any way in the refrigerator is unacceptable - the water condensation that settles on them not only spoils the taste, but also begins chemical reactions that make the product harmful. An exception is boiled-smoked sausage, stored for up to 4-7 days at a temperature of +(4-8) degrees, i.e. on the bottom shelf or in the vegetable compartment.

Taking breaks in smoking, as they say in old manuals, is unacceptable during fumigation according to modern ideas: cooling the load of raw materials during the break and subsequent starting the fire sharply increases the concentration of PAHs in the products. The same thing will happen when the fuel smoldering mode changes. Therefore, it is possible to hope to maintain normal levels of PAHs during fumigation only by using a long-burning open-type smoke generator without pressurization, see below. To install a smokehouse-fumigator, a flat slope with a suitable slope is required, see above, because smoke generators suitable for this case operate on good natural draft.

Cold

Cold (in the old sense, semi-cold) smoking occurs at a temperature of 40-50 degrees for 2-36 hours. Products smoked in this way are not inferior in taste and aroma to those smoked with cooled smoke, but their shelf life does not exceed 170 hours. The raw material softens, but retains its structure. Easily melting fats migrate along the bones and layers until they are visible from the outside. Preparation of products - soaking in brine (fresh saturated brine) for 4-24 hours, then soaking for 1-6 hours and quickly drying from the surface without heating, for example. blotting successively with 2-3 clean cotton rags.

The main danger during cold smoking is the acidification of products due to the upward spread of the acidic smoke zone. You can avoid it by smoking only with alder or fruit chips in suitable weather. The requirements for the stability of the smoke generator mode are the same as in the previous one. case, but since the smoking time is reduced several times, it is possible to use a simple hearth.

A homemade cold smokehouse is most often built on the basis of the design of Yu. Chmyr (in the center in the figure), and he, in turn, set out to make the earthen smokehouse, on the left in the figure, more accessible, which has long been known to fishermen and commercial hunters who supply production directly to the market. It is difficult to find a place for a dugout smokehouse; the soil there should be clay or dense loam. It is also not easy to break through an adit and shaft with a total length of more than 2.5 m by hand; the smoke from the fireplace is improved by lining the fire with leaves of wild currants, blueberries, lingonberries, and ferns, which is also a problem.

Yu. Chmyr managed to reduce the size of the mud smokehouse and its dependence on the nature of the soil by adding a chimney chamber from a 200 liter barrel and reducing its loading level. Thus, an expansion volume was formed at the bottom of the shaft chamber. This, firstly, made it possible to smoke wood containing gum and tannins, see below, and obtain products of exquisite taste. Secondly, setting up the smoke generator was reduced to changing the width of the window for air access using an additional sheet of tin or just a piece of board. Thirdly, the short internal chimney (chimney) made it possible, if necessary, to reconfigure the smokehouse for hot smoking, and when building it from brick, to smoke simultaneously in 2 ways, but only homogeneous products (meat-meat, fish-fish).

But the main secret of Yu. Chmyr’s smokehouse is the method of neutralizing PAHs. Their molecular weight is generally greater than substances useful for smoking, and the moistened (not soaked in water!) burlap covering the smoking chamber creates, as it were, different drafts for different smoke components: the light fractions remain in the smoked area, and the PAHs are below, gradually settling and burning out in the hearth. The burlap must be natural, hemp or jute.

Note: You need to keep 2 pieces of burlap ready - the first time it dries, the fresh wet one is thrown over it, and the dry one is carefully pulled out. You can’t release a cloud of smoke; the PAHs will rush towards the food.

Soon after the appearance of this smokehouse on the pages of MK, another interesting feature of it was discovered: if you cover the shaft instead of burlap with thin branches of willow or willow, laid in 3-4 layers crosswise at intervals, you can fight off the natural odor of some types of game, and make old beef softer. The author of this article knew a fisherman who became adept at smoking even coots and cormorants in this way. Those who ate had no idea that the fresh meat of these birds smelled unbearably of rotten fish.

Further, Yu. Chmyr’s smokehouse was independently improved by several authors: they lengthened the chimney somewhat and made it tapering towards the smoking chamber, on the right in Fig. With the resulting dimensions in plan approx. A 1x3.5 m similar smokehouse can be built in a 6-acre dacha by allocating a barren area for it. In this case, if the soil is loose and permeable, the hearth chamber and chimney must be coated with clay with a layer of 5-10 cm. There is no need to lay it out with bricks, because it is porous, will strongly absorb PAHs and release them back when heated; For more information about brick smokehouses, see below.

Note: The popular Finnish above-ground smokehouse-grill Apetit is built on the same principle; see its dimensions in fig. Instead of a smoke seal made of burlap or branches, this design uses a hip roof for the smoking chamber. The solution is certainly more effective and simplifies the maintenance of the unit, but also more labor-intensive.

Semi-hot and hot

These types of smoking are carried out at temperatures of 60-80 and 80-120 degrees for 1-3 and 0.5-1.5 hours, respectively. Neutralization of PAHs is mainly carried out using the “breakthrough” method: a fairly dense crust forms on the products quickly, after a few minutes, and it is easier for harmful smoke components to fly out into the chimney than to be absorbed into the product. Light useful components pass through the crust more easily, i.e. the raw material creates a protective barrier for itself. Therefore, the requirements for the material for hot smoking are less stringent; wood with tannins and gums can be used, which gives the products a special taste.

During hot smoking, the raw materials undergo heat treatment, so the product comes out tender, with a more delicate taste and aroma. During hot smoking, fat is partially rendered. The shelf life of the finished product is up to 36-72 hours, depending on the product. No preliminary preparation of raw materials is required, which is good for products with a refined natural taste: poultry, delicatessen fish. In addition to the well-known mackerel, bluefish and white fish, fresh frozen (not salted!) sea bass and shrimp herring are very good for hot smoking. Cheese and homemade sausage are also smoked only hot and semi-hot.

During hot/semi-hot smoking, burnt fat is added to possible sources of PAHs and other harmful substances, so its entry into the fireplace is unacceptable. A stationary hot-smoked smokehouse must be equipped with a tray for fat in the smoking chamber or designed in such a way that fat does not enter the smoke generator of any type, see below for samples of smokehouses.

To smoke small, completely fresh fish, which will take 20-40 minutes, it is possible to use a hot-smoked smokehouse without a tray with a closed-type smoke generator on alder shavings, such as, for example. in a bucket smokehouse (see figure) and similar structures. You should linger a little while on the bucket smoker, because... information about her in many sources is distorted. As for stationary hot smoked smokehouses, they will be considered further in the order of sorting through images of finished products.

Firstly, the bucket must be made of stainless steel. The coating of a galvanized bucket will burn out very soon, but the point is not that the vessel will become unusable. Burnout of galvanization means zinc oxidation. Zinc oxide subimites, i.e. sublimes without melting, and its vapors are a carcinogen and a toxin no worse than PAHs.

Secondly, you need to install the grids in the bucket smokehouse exactly at the levels according to the diagram and not lower. The smallest and, most importantly, skinny workpiece is laid out at intervals on the lower mesh, and the larger and fatter one is laid out on the upper one.

Thirdly, putting juniper chips in a bucket and burning with alder, as has been shown here and there (let’s not point a finger), is generally nonsense. The alder flame is not very hot; even if it heats the juniper through the partition to the point of smoldering, the content of PAHs in the product will be almost lethal in the literal sense. Juniper chips, like last year's conifer cones, are conditionally suitable for smoking by fumigation in a natural draft smokehouse with a chimney no less than 10 m long, and only smoking materials that do not contain resins are suitable for hot smoking.

DIY smoke generators

Smoke generators for smokehouses are made of open (hearths) and closed types, with supercharging and natural draft. Sometimes half-open smoke generators - braziers - are used. In the first, the heat necessary for the thermal decomposition of the smoking material is obtained due to its own smoldering, i.e. The smoking material is also a fuel. In a closed smoke generator, heating of the smoking material is carried out from an external heat source in the chamber through a metal partition; air is inflated or sucked into the chamber through an air duct.

Supercharged smoke generators make the smokehouse more compact and make it easier to create smoke. Supercharging is usually provided from low-power sources: aquarium compressors or 12-25 W fans. However, in addition to the fact that the smokehouse becomes energy-dependent, supercharged smoke generators have a serious drawback: the deposition zones of harmful smoke components shift towards the products. Simply, the boost blows everything indiscriminately towards the smoked material, interfering with the natural distillation of the smoke.

Outbreaks

The simplest smoke generator-hearth is a fire made from wood of smoking material with high humidity (40-70)%. But the smoke from it does not satisfy modern medical and sanitary requirements: the firewood dries out and bursts into flames. The fireplace has to be covered with fresh leaves, grass, and turf, which will give the PAHs room to roam.

This circumstance was noticed in ancient times: people forced to live for a long time on smoked foods prepared using improvised materials (explorers, warriors, sailors) grew weak and sick despite seemingly sufficient nutrition. Therefore, even in ancient times, sawdust smoking hearths were developed through trial and error. It is from these that samples of smoked meats that meet Russian standards were obtained.

The structure of sawdust smoking hearths for cold and hot smoking is shown in Fig. Firewood and sawdust are from the same type of wood. The secret of sawdust hearths is that the thermal decomposition of the smoking material occurs at a fairly high temperature, over 600 degrees. This is enough to “tear to shreds” benz(a)pyrene, and the resulting radicals are chemically active and are immediately neutralized by air oxygen and water vapor.

Some PAHs form in the slightly outward layer of sawdust, where the temperature is less than 400 degrees, but they settle in the cooler layers. A burst release of PAHs is observed when the sawdust jacket almost completely decays, but most of them slip into the pipe past the product, which has already become crusty. In any case, the fireplace can be extinguished and a reserve one can be lit, see below, when the sawdust jacket has not yet completely settled.

The disadvantages of open smoke generators are, firstly, high fuel consumption, and smoking materials are much more expensive than firewood from the same tree. Secondly, the duration of action of the foci in Fig. higher - 1-4 hours, that is, if one person is looking after the smokehouse, he will not be able to sleep more at once, and this can continue for up to a week or more if the product is smoked by fumigation. In this case, even during cold smoking, the pit-chamber of the smoke generator has to be made larger, partitioned off with a vertical partition and a spare hearth kept there, ready for ignition, to replace the exhausted one.

You can get rid of the last drawback if you are not too lazy and make a smoke generator for smoking from a gas cylinder (see diagram in the figure). Household gas cylinders of different capacities ensure continuous stable operation of such a device for 6-24 hours.

As you can see, this type of smoke generator for smoking is something like a long-burning stove turned upside down. The perforation of the smoke collector pipe 5 begins no lower than 10-15 cm above the bottom of the fuel bunker 4; its bottom is mesh or perforated. Smoke filter 7 – 1-3 layers of steel mesh with mesh from 1x1 to 2.5x2.5 mm. The initial adjustment of the smoke is carried out by damper 2 according to its maximum expiration. Using gate 9, the supply of smoke to the smokehouse is precisely regulated. Through a tee with gates, this smoke generator is capable of servicing 2 smoking chambers. The dampers must have idle windows with a diameter of 3-5 mm so that the generator does not suffocate; then not only will the product spoil, but the generator will also have to be rebooted, because it cannot be re-ignited.

Note: it is unacceptable to use non-polar organic solvents (gasoline, kerosene, solvent, toluene, etc.) to ignite this smoke generator; It is best to light it with ethyl alcohol.

Closed

The advantage of closed smoke generators is, firstly, fuel economy: 2-4 handfuls of wood chips are enough to smoke a boiled ham or a large piece of brisket. Secondly, there is greater stability of operation and less dependence on the weather: the supply air duct can be made longer and some of the heat from the heating source can be used to heat it, thus drying the incoming air. Thirdly, in the independence of the settings: by separately adjusting the heating and air supply, you can quickly and without experience get a white translucent smoke at the output that almost does not eat your eyes, which is what is required for smoking. Finally, not only sawdust, but also shavings and wood chips can be loaded into closed smoke generators.

The disadvantage of closed smoke generators is that the temperature of the smoldering smoking material does not exceed 400-450 degrees, which is not enough to completely decompose the PAHs released from the wood. Therefore, when using them for cold smoking, it is only possible to meet European standards. According to subjective assessments, the taste of products smoked in smoke from closed generators is noticeably inferior to those smoked in the smoke of a fireplace.

In general, the designs of smoke generators for smoking are quite flexible, see the video below; It is more important to set them correctly based on your own experience.

Video: homemade smoke generators for smokehouses

Braziers

In a smoke generator-brazier, the smoking material is heated by a flame through a divider, a mesh or perforated bottom of an open tray, or by electricity; then the bottom of the tray is made blank. Smoke generators-braziers are somewhat more economical than open hearths, but otherwise they combine the disadvantages of open and closed generators, without having the advantages of both, so they are rarely used, most often in electrically heated smokehouses.

In Fig. as an example, diagrams of the design of hot-smoked electric smokers from an old refrigerator and a gas cylinder are shown; All that remains of the refrigerator is the steel body. The disadvantages of both, in addition to the very mediocre quality of the product - the heating element or cast iron pancake of an electric stove burns out very quickly. Modern metal-ceramic air heating elements last longer, but if you go by the cost of long-term operation, “cast iron” ones are still cheaper. But not cheaper than ready-made wood chips for a closed smoke generator.

Samples of smokehouses

Based on the combination of properties, the best material for a smoking chamber is hardwood. But the wooden chamber has to be changed periodically, and not that rarely: the wood becomes saturated with harmful smoke components, and during hot and semi-hot smoking it can crack faster than it is saturated. Also, the wood is impregnated with the volatile secretions of the smoked substance, so you need to keep separate boxes for meat, fish and poultry. For these reasons, smokehouses are built/made primarily from metal, brick and other mineral building materials, either entirely or in various combinations.

Brick and stone

Brick, as you know, is a porous material, so a brick smokehouse is plastered inside with lime plaster on quartz sand or marble chips with the addition of vermiculite. The plaster also has to be changed, but less often: if the filler is sandy, a layer of 5-6 mm lasts for 1.5-2 years, and plaster on marble lasts up to 5 years or more. The soot from the walls of the plastered smokehouse is periodically cleaned off, and to switch to another type of product (meat, fish, poultry), the walls are brushed with a hard brush and the smokehouse is “fried” by heating for half a day at 150-200 degrees inside.

How a compact outdoor hot-smoked brick smokehouse is constructed is shown on the left in Fig. The base is concrete, steel, stone, etc. durable impenetrable. A layer of stones (10-25 cm) on the grate serves as a grease catcher and smoke filter. Stones should be taken that are not very porous, but with sufficient moisture absorption: limestone, dolomite, shale, sandstone. The lid is wooden with slots. You can insert the outlet pipe of a separate smoke generator into the firebox, then cold smoking is possible.

The smokehouse on the right in Fig. universal, homogeneous products can be smoked in it simultaneously using hot and cold methods; in essence, this is a modified smokehouse by Yu. Chmyr. The bottom and walls of the tunnel for hot smoking are coated with clay (if the entire smokehouse is not in greasy clay); tunnel cover - clay coating on the poles and on top of it to reduce heat loss turf. The cold smoking chamber can be built from aerated concrete (not foam concrete!) D200-D400; in this case, plastering of the walls is not required, and it will last for 2-3 or more years.

Metal and stone

Channel-chamber smokehouses for joint smoking are often made of welded steel with a thickness of 2-4 mm. Labor costs in this case are much less; a welded smokehouse can be made for sale or transported from place to place. Steel conducts heat quite well, therefore, in the case of making a smokehouse with the possibility of hot smoking from metal, it is especially important to maintain a stable temperature distribution along the entire length of the working stroke: the deposition zones of harmful substances should not shift either to the hot or to the cold side. From the hot end, this is achieved by lining the tunnel with bricks, and from the cold end, by selecting the dimensions of the smoking chamber and installing a hipped vault on it. A less labor-intensive alternative is to select the size and location of the chimney. An additional measure to prevent excess concentrations of PAHs in products is to separate the cold smoking chamber with a mesh bottom with a mesh size of 5x5 to 12x12 mm. The mesh creates micro-turbulences that “squeeze” PAHs down and distributes smoke more evenly in the chamber.

A drawing of a welded transportable combined smokehouse is shown in Fig. External smoke generator. Hot smoking zone – the first 80 cm of the tunnel; marked with color.

Metal

Smokehouses with barbecues are mostly made entirely welded. In Fig. 2 common patterns are shown. On the left is a stationary grill with a hot smoking chamber. Its stable temperature regime is maintained, firstly, by the flow of hot smoke from below. Secondly, thermal radiation from the grill. Thirdly, the gap between the smoking frame and the outer walls. The shift of the zone of deposition of harmful substances into the smoking zone prevents an expanded exit from the smoking chamber into the chimney, but there it walks as it wants, so it is impossible to smoke coldly in such a barbecue-smokehouse.

A completely universal grill-smoker “5 in 1” (grill, barbecue, barbecue, hot and cold smokehouse) - the now well-known grill-steam locomotive, shown on the right in Fig. The main construction material is household gas cylinders of various capacities and calibers. It is possible to smoke in 2 ways at once; in this case, it is advisable to fence off the bottom of the cold chamber (module 1) with a mesh, as in a channel-chamber smokehouse, at the level of the top of the grill/barbecue/hot chamber (module 2).

More metal

Making the smokehouse made of metal allows you to use a water seal instead of a semi-permeable tire for the required smoke retention in the chamber. The quality of products from such a smokehouse can be achieved above average, but not elite. But it is possible to smoke at home using gas: so little smoke escapes that it can be caught by an ordinary hood over the stove.

How a home mini-smokehouse works is shown in the figure; on the right is a top view without the lid. Please note that the thermal decomposition of the wood in this product is anaerobic, without access to outside air. This rather rare way to keep PAHs within at least the European norm requires selected smoking material: alder or fruit sawdust without gum or shavings of the highest quality and room dryness, up to (6-7)% humidity. When the humidity of the smoking material increases above 8%, acidification of the products is very likely!

About smoke distillation

Electrical smoke purification is widely used in industrial smokehouses. To do this, the smoked product is surrounded by an electrically insulated metal mesh, to which a negative potential of approx. 20 kV; The positive pole is connected to the steel hangers for raw materials.

In amateur conditions, such a design, unfortunately, is not feasible, and this is not only due to the danger of high voltage. Ions of harmful components immediately settle on the grid, causing a leakage current to appear. By the end of the smoking process, its value increases to 10-30 mA or more, which at a given voltage corresponds to a power of 0.2-0.3 kW; Usually high-voltage installations for industrial smoking are made with a power of over 1 kW. At a voltage of 20 kV, this is not only a complex and very expensive structure, but without special precautions it is also a deadly structure.

However, there is a way to clean the smoke from a homemade smokehouse. A diagram of an electric distiller for smoke smoke, which can be made with your own hands, is shown in Fig. The smoke generator in this case is a completely original, frictional one: a spring presses a wooden block against the steel shell of a poorly conductive drum (pulley in the picture), but that’s not the point.

A magneto from an old tractor or moped produces multi-polar impulses of varying amplitude, so the mesh often, often shakes itself off and throws off adhering soot particles. Sooner or later it still gets clogged, but the operating time of this distiller is enough for hot smoking of not very large fish or pieces of meat/poultry, respectively. size. The degree of clogging of the mesh is judged by the intensity of the neon lamp.

The motor for this installation requires a commutator motor with sequential excitation, i.e. with a very soft external characteristic, at 200-300 W. If an asynchronous motor is used, its power will have to be increased to 1.5-2 kW. The magneto produces voltage pulses with an amplitude of over 6 kV, so the capacitors must be rated at 20 kV. These can be found in the line scan of old color televisions - “coffins” of the era before monoblock TDKS.

Smoking materials

Much has been said above about the requirements for smoking materials. It should also be added, firstly, that the most refined taste comes from smoking with cherry, oak and juniper. Alder, apple and pear do not contain any resins, gums or tannins. Oak and beech produce quite a lot of tannins, which gives the taste of products a sharpness and piquancy that not everyone likes. The wood of other trees of the elm order (maple, hornbeam, elm) is not rich in tannins, but the overall taste is so-so. As a substitute for cherries, with some deterioration in taste, the wood of other fruit trees with gum of the pink order is suitable: plum, cherry plum, apricot.

It is best to cut sawdust for smoking with a hand-held circular saw with a pneumatic waste collector or, much more slowly, with a jigsaw onto the underlying film. It is forbidden to rake sawdust from under the yard circular; contamination of smoking materials is unacceptable! Smoking shavings are easier to make, e.g. on an electric planer or jointer, see video:

Video: sawdust for smoking

With homemade wood chips for smoking, the matter is more complicated. There are many ways to obtain wood chips at home described on the Internet, but in fact it turns out that they are intended for “refining” moonshine alcohol. The smoking chips, on the right in the figure, must be more or less calibrated in all 3 sizes. The point is not so much in their size (chips for cold and hot smoking of different calibers), but in the fact that the pieces need to be approximately the same and not elongated in length. If not, the material will smolder unevenly, leading to a dramatic increase in PAH content.

A crushing (chopping) machine for smoking wood chips costs somewhere from 65,000 rubles. At first glance, it seems that it can be replaced with a cheaper garden crusher, but the author of this publication, when analyzing more than 30 samples, was unable to find a single one in which oil from the chain or gearbox could not get into the chips.

It also seems that you can crush wood chips for smoking with a grinder (angle drill), replacing the disk with a homemade hammer (knife) made of spring steel. However, the grinder gearbox is not designed for long series of frequent and strong shock loads, and also an expensive tool will not last long in this mode.

Perhaps it is best to split wood chips for smoking using a homemade lever splitter made from a pair of pipes connected by a bolt, to one of which a knife is welded. In half a day, with such a device, it is possible to chop wood chips for smoking up to 10 kg of raw materials, and the calibration of wood chips is possible even more accurately than in a factory by sifting through a sieve.

Last secret

In some sources claiming authority, for example. Wikipedia, smoking methods include liquid smoke treatment. Yes, the smoke is distilled before condensation, but still, the content of PAHs in the products processed with it is off the charts even according to European standards. Evidence of this is a number of intra-European benz(a)pyrene scandals in recent years. This is especially true for cold smoked products: due to the length of the process, their production costs are high, high prices are justified, and falsification by unscrupulous manufacturers is very tempting. So we’ll tell readers how to immediately distinguish a truly smoked product (on the left in the figure) from one “soaked in smoke”, on the right there.

Real smoked meat when cut is closer in color to raw pink-red meat, once. The crust on it is thick, glossy, two. The cut clearly shows the natural fibrous structure of the raw material, three. Under the crust and on the cut, streaks of fat with a streaky surface are visible, four.

Before “smoking” with liquid smoke, meat undergoes heat treatment, because liquid smoke has almost no bacteriostatic properties, therefore, when cut, the product “smoked” in this way is pale, with weakly expressed fibrousness. The crust is dull and soft; often sticky. If there are streaks of fat, they are barely noticeable, which distinguishes this counterfeit from hot smoked products, as well as the smell.

But an absolutely reliable sign that allows you to immediately recognize a product “smoked” with liquid smoke from a distance is vacuum packaging. Real smoked meats are not vacuum packed; they immediately suffocate. As you can see, distinguishing real smoked meats from fake ones is not so difficult.

To significantly expand your diet with quality products, you can acquire a small boiler room (both portable and stationary). But before you start working directly, you need to objectively assess your capabilities, prepare the necessary materials, only in this case a mini smokehouse with your own hands will be made with high quality and quickly.

There are many ways to create a smokehouse, but we will tell you only about the most accessible of them.

Option #1. Cold smoked design

This type of smokehouse is made from a wide variety of materials. Below is a step-by-step guide to creating a simple design using plastic film.

Step one. First you need to purchase the plastic film itself. Two meters of thick film (the kind used for greenhouses) will be more than enough. From one end, the sleeve of the purchased film is sewn up in such a way that the result is a kind of bag.

Step two. Next, you need a place where the mini-smokehouse will be located. To do this, you will need a small leveled area of 1 square meter. A two-meter stake should be driven into each corner of this site. At the top, the stakes must be connected to each other using crossbars. It is important that the structure is sufficiently stable.

Step three. Opposite stakes must be connected using diagonal slats in approximately two to three rows.

Step four. Fish, already prepared for smoking, should be hung on these slats. It is also important that the bodies of the fish do not touch each other.

Step five. The prepared plastic “bag” must be pulled over this structure to approximately half its height. After this, the site should be filled with 1/2 a bucket of hot coals, on top of which green grass should be laid.

Step six. After this, the film is already lowered to the very ground, and pressed down with something from below so that the mini smokehouse with your own hands is airtight. That's it, the design is ready and, as you have seen for yourself, the costs for it are very insignificant.

In the future, if necessary, fresh grass is added - the fact is that there should always be thick smoke inside the smokehouse. After three to four hours, the plastic “bag” is removed and the fish is ventilated. If there are fish with large carcasses, then the next day they need to be smoked again.

How to make a barbecue out of metal with your own hands

Previously, we gave detailed instructions on how to make several options for a metal barbecue yourself; in addition to this article, we advise you to read this information

Option #2. Hot smoked smokehouse

The easiest way to make a smokehouse of this type is from sheets of metal. But before you start work, you should prepare everything you need (the list is given below).

A pair of metal sheets 2 millimeters thick and dimensions 1565x610 millimeters.
Thin reinforcing rods.
Bulgarian.
Meter.
Carpenter's corner.
Welding machine.

After this, you can proceed directly to production. The algorithm of actions should be as follows.

Step one. First, the first metal sheet should be cut into four parts. To achieve a square smokehouse, it is important that the dimensions of all elements are the same. To cut the sheet, use a grinder with an appropriate disk.

Step two. The two sheets are welded together using drip welding, after which, using a carpenter's angle, you should make sure that the planes are connected to each other strictly at right angles. If necessary, their position is adjusted. Then the remaining sides are welded in the same way.

Step three. In order to achieve tightness, all internal seams of our structure must be carefully welded.

Step four. The bottom of the future smokehouse is cut out of another metal sheet, after which it should be carefully welded to the box made at the previous stage.

Step five. After this, you can begin making the cover of the structure. Using a grinder, you should cut out four strips of stainless steel sheet (it is important that the dimensions of these strips are slightly larger than the external dimensions of the finished box). The cover is welded. When all work is completed, the lid should be deep enough so that it can be easily placed on the box.

Step six. The product is almost ready. But to completely complete all the work, iron handles and a couple of levels of metal rods are welded to the body. Rods should be welded on top of the body to mount a tray in which fats and juices will accumulate. The upper rods are required in order to place hooks with meat or fish.

Video - Making a smokehouse (hot smoking option)

That’s it, after this you can start operating the smokehouse. In this case, the heat will be provided by an electric stove, but to get a higher temperature, it is advisable to light a fire.

Note! If desired, the dimensions of the smokehouse can be changed in one direction or another, but the main requirement must be met - we are talking about the complete tightness of the smoking chamber.

We also note that in order to make a mini smokehouse with your own hands, you should first work on drawings of the future product. In this case, it will be possible to correctly calculate the amount of required consumables.

Option #3. Bucket smokehouse

The algorithm of actions in this case should look like this.

Step one. Take a bucket and pour a one- or two-centimeter layer of sawdust into its bottom. At the bottom. Approximately ten centimeters from the bottom of the bucket, a grate is placed on which products previously prepared for the smoking procedure are placed.

Step three. When steam or smoke begins to seep out from under the lid, this means that the smoking procedure has begun successfully. It is also important that the structure itself does not overheat. At first, when the prepared product is just dried (this takes approximately the entire time that the process takes), the temperature inside the case should be about 80-90C, and during the entire remaining time, that is, directly during smoking, it should be 120C.

Step four. To determine the current temperature in the smokehouse, you need to perform just one simple action - drop water on the lid. And if it does not boil, but only evaporates without any hissing, then everything is in order with the temperature. The meat or fish will be smoked correctly, but ultimately will not be cooked.

Step five. To regulate the temperature, you need to rake out the coals or add fuel to the smokehouse. As a rule, the smoking procedure takes from 30 to 45 minutes. At first, you will have to remove the smokehouse from the fire a couple of times and, quickly removing the lid, taste the food. When you have sufficiently mastered the process, there will be no need for this manipulation.

Step six. When smoking is finished, the bucket should be removed from the fire and, as soon as it cools, remove the product and dry it a little. It is worth noting that, for example, on a hike you will not need a tray to accumulate heat.

Option number 4. Smokehouse inside the apartment

To make such a design, you must perform the following steps.

Step one. A box 0.4-0.5 meters high is made from stainless steel, and it is equipped with a lid. Next, you need to weld an iron tube into the lid, through which the smoke will be removed.

Step two. After this, a hose is put on the tube - the latter should be led out into the window. The lid is installed on the box in special sides (made in the form of the letter “L”), previously equipped from the outside.

Step three. Water is poured into the sides - this will prevent smoke from escaping from the box.

Step four. The bottom of the box is covered with a layer of alder sawdust one to two centimeters thick. The sides are welded approximately 10-12 centimeters from the bottom, and a special tray is installed on them, in which the heat will accumulate. A grate for food is placed approximately 17-20 centimeters from these sides.

Option #5. How to make a portable smoker from an old refrigerator

In most cases, old refrigerators are used by owners of suburban areas as cabinets in which all sorts of small items are stored. But few people know that it is quite possible to make a small-sized smokehouse from such a refrigerator. To do this, you should follow these steps.

Step one. First, all the “insides” of the refrigerator are removed, leaving only the door and the box itself.

Step two. A hole is made at the top for the chimney pipe.

Step three. 3 pairs of metal corners are attached to the side walls of the case at three different levels. The first two levels are covered with gratings and slats with hooks. As for the corners located below, they are needed for installing a tray in which heat will accumulate.

Step four. The product will also require a strong tray for sawdust and an electric stove. The tile should be installed at the bottom of the body, and the pallet itself should be installed on top of it.

Step five. It is important that the door closes properly - this is necessary to minimize the entry of air.

Video - Creating a smokehouse from a refrigerator

Option number 6. Making a smokehouse from an old barrel

Perhaps one of the simplest ways to make a miniature smokehouse is to use an iron barrel. First, the bottom of such a barrel is cut off, then it is equipped with a grate (or, as an option, reinforcing bars) at two different levels. A pallet is installed in the lower part, and products will be hung in the upper part (using hooks).

Note! If the fire is located directly under the body, then we are talking about a hot-smoked design.

And if the barrel is placed in a special pit and a chimney pipe from the fire is brought there (its length should be two meters), then the result will be cold smoking.

Video - Making a good smokehouse out of a barrel

Option No. 7. Making a smokehouse from a cylinder (easy way)

A mini smokehouse can also be made from an old propane cylinder. If you have such an unnecessary thing lying around in your household, and you don’t know where to “put it”, then we advise you to read the instructions below. Let’s say right away that the remodeling procedure is quite complicated, but if you have competent instructions, it is quite possible to cope with it. For everything to work out, you need to follow these steps.

Step one. First, the cylinder is taken to a remote place in order to release the remaining propane from it and cut off the valve. To check whether the cylinder is truly completely empty, you need to apply soapy water to the valve. If there are no bubbles, you can proceed to the next step.

Step three. For rinsing purposes, the empty bottle should be filled with plain water.

Step four. The washed container is taken home, after which you can begin to make the smokehouse itself.

Step five. First you need to take care of the large door through which the products will be loaded. It is important that the cuts in the cylinder are not made completely, otherwise the door will simply fall out prematurely.

Step six. The corresponding places are protected, then hinges are welded to them where the door will be located in the future. At the end of the welding procedure, the door is finally cut out. After this, you need to take care of the smokehouse stand.

Step seven. First, a strip of metal is cut out of the bottom of the cylinder, after which half of the entire bottom is sawed off. The smokehouse must also be equipped with a combustion chamber.

Step eight. Thick metal sheets are used to make the combustion chamber. After manufacturing, the firebox is welded to the cylinder so that a single solid structure is formed.

Step nine. Before starting the first smoking, the device from the cylinder is calcined using firewood.

Photos of smokehouses

As you can see, a mini smokehouse with your own hands can be made in a variety of ways, so you yourself have the right to choose which one to use.

In addition to hot smoking, the method of cold or universal preparation of products is used. Each has its own pros and cons.

Cold processing with smoke - delicate taste and aroma, less accumulation of carcinogens from smoke in food, the shelf life of the finished product increases. Cooking time is 3-7 days or longer.

Hot is the fastest way to obtain the finished product (40-120 minutes). Food is served not cooled - “hot, hot”. But the shelf life does not exceed five to seven days at a temperature not lower than 5-7ºC.

Universal occupies an intermediate position between the other two.

Types of simple smokehouses

The simplest device, known since ancient times, is an amateur smokehouse made from an open, smoking fire. It is a hearth dug in the ground or made of fencing with an earthen parapet, stone or raw logs. A lattice made of small rods of fresh wood is placed on top.

First, before laying out the sheathing, a fire is lit in the hearth to create coals (like for a barbecue). Next, after the firewood has burned and a sufficient number of smoldering charred logs have accumulated, chips from deciduous trees (alder, birch, aspen) are laid. It is allowed to use small dry brushwood (without leaves). The sheathing is being installed. Fish (meat, lard, chicken, game) is laid out. Buried in branches with green foliage.

In winter, in the absence of foliage, it is possible to use spruce or pine (cedar) spruce branches. But it is necessary to lay a layer of branches. Otherwise, when heated and in contact with food, the released resin will add bitterness to the product.

Along with the simplicity of the design, which is important in field conditions, the preparation process will turn out to be a very troublesome task:

it is necessary to ensure that there is no open flame;
it is important that the smoldering coals do not suffocate due to the small influx of fresh air;
do not make a mistake with the amount of coals or wood chips;
organize the hearth correctly.

The depth (from the top cut) should be at least 25-30 cm. The transverse size is 40-60 cm.

A more relaxed process of preparing delicious food is provided by a homemade hot smoked smokehouse. Conventionally, they are divided into two large groups: stationary installation or mobile. The first type is mounted on a site near your home. The second one is a compact design. Due to its small dimensions and light weight, it allows you to transport or carry it from place to place, or take it with you on a hike or on a picnic.

Mobile design

A portable smokehouse for hot smoking, made by yourself, is a product in the form of a metal rectangular box or cylindrical shape. The smoking diagram is shown in Fig. 1

The figure shows that the heat source (fire, gas or electric stove) is located outside the structure. The task is to heat the sawdust inside until it becomes charred. This will produce hot smoke that envelops the food. The latter are located on grates or hooks. The released fat flows into a container (baking tray). The penetration of air into the structure is prevented by a water seal.

In practice, the simplest devices are made without water seals. The following are used as containers:

bucket 10-16 liters;
food tank 20-25 liters;
medical decommissioned autoclaves of cylindrical and rectangular shape.

One or two grates are installed inside. Material - wooden rods (Fig. 2), part of the construction mesh (for reinforcement or brick laying). the container is located on supports (brick, stones, logs). A fire is built under it (Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6). As a cover, if one is missing, burlap, a piece of tarpaulin, or branches with green leaves are used.

Fig.2 Fig.3 Fig.4 Fig.5 Fig.6

Advantages of this type:

there is no need to make a container - the first available product suitable for making a smokehouse is used;
no special place is required - creating a fire pit, as for a regular fire;
allows you to cook fish, meat, game and other products.

A more serious product is a smokehouse for hot smoking, made with your own hands from metal using tools. The rectangular shape is most often taken as the basis. This type is distinguished by simple cutting of a sheet of metal. It is easier to make cuts and bends (Fig. 7, Fig. 8, Fig. 9).

Fig.7 Fig.8 Fig.9

But from a lover of smoked foods you will need:

basic skills in using metalwork tools;
operate a soldering or welding machine;
ability to make drawings (sketches).

When choosing a material, preference should be given to stainless steel:

resists many chemical components found in smoke;
does not oxidize at high temperatures;
has less adhesion to fatty acids, soot, soot - easier to clean after a fire;
does not rust;
has a longer service life.

But stainless steel is more difficult to process. The material is more fragile and has less ductility. Hence, it is more difficult to bend. Microcracks often form at the bend site. The solution is to use high-temperature solders or welding with a stainless electrode.

Another material is cold rolled steel. Used for cars or in the production of household appliances. It is plastic, bends well, but rusts and oxidizes. One of the protection options is the use of high-temperature paint or varnish. The basis is organosilicon compounds. Racks until heated to 600-650°C. With such a coating, a hot-smoked smokehouse assembled by yourself will be reliably protected.

The mobile structure for hot smoking can be used indoors, observing fire safety rules. Heat source - gas or electric stove. The products of sublimation (smoke) are discharged through a tube into the kitchen hood or window (Fig. 16).

To process large volumes, stationary installations are used.

Stationary installation

It can be roughly divided:

made from scrap materials;
designed and made from new materials.

For such designs, costs must be estimated before starting the design and production portion of the process. Determined by the volume of product processing. A homemade hot smoked smokehouse, assembled with your own hands, will pay off when used at least once or twice a week with a load of two or more kilograms of semi-finished products.

After carrying out such an analysis, you can solve the problem: how to make a smokehouse for hot smoking yourself. The first step is to use simple available parts or design the device from scratch.

Available materials

The food preparation scheme remains the same (Fig. 10). The dimensions of the structure change, and the weight increases accordingly. The place of a bucket or tank is taken by a 200-liter iron barrel, the body of an old refrigerator or a metal clothes locker from a manufacturing plant (Fig. 11, Fig. 12, Fig. 13). The advantages of this design:

low initial costs for the material of the main components of the chimney;
small amount of modifications;
simplicity of design;

Fig.10 Fig.11 Fig.12 Fig.13

A do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse made from new materials is an opportunity not only to provide your home, family and relatives with a delicious product. This is the creation of a small business for the production of smoked delicacies.

Designing a smokehouse device must begin from the opposite direction. That is, knowing the approximate needs for the finished product, having determined the priorities of demand from consumers, we begin the calculations. The internal volume of the chamber is determined by the maximum dimensions of the individual products:

Example. The average size of a chicken carcass is 30x18x18cm. To allow smoke to pass through, it is necessary to leave a distance of 5-7 cm between adjacent products. The design is two-level. One-time loading - 24 carcasses. 12 chickens fit in one row (3 x 4). The maximum transverse size of the chamber will be: (5+18+5+18+5+18+5+18+5) cm = 97 cm.

Minimum vertical size: (10+20+30+10+30+10) cm = 110 cm (lower distance from sawdust to pallet, pallet-carcass, carcass, distance between carcasses, gap, carcass, distance to lid).

By increasing the internal dimensions, the ease of loading and unloading improves. But the consumption of sawdust and firewood increases. From here, you should choose a middle ground - to ensure economical consumption of fuel, sawdust and conditions for preparing food.

A home smokehouse, used for small businesses, is made of sheet metal and a profile (angle, pipe, strip). The main form is in the form of a cabinet (Fig. 14). This provides ease of loading and unloading. Another option is a brick structure (Fig. 15).

Fig.14 Fig.15

An important factor is the choice of location for the structure. We must not forget the original name - chimney. Therefore, the compass rose should be taken into account. Otherwise, all the smoke may be directed towards the house or buildings where pets are kept.

The installation of forced smoke pumping allows you to increase the productivity and quality of smoking. To do this, a supercharger (fan, compressor) is built into the circuit. The advantage is an increase in the flow of hot smoke into a container with a large volume (Fig. 17). Food warms up faster, cooks faster and is imbued with the aroma of smoke.

for cooking food, it is better to use wood chips from deciduous trees and shrubs: alder, cherry, oak, juniper, pear, apple tree;
the size of the wood should not be larger than 5-10 cm; large fractions are more difficult to heat to the sublimation temperature (charring);
the optimal temperature inside is 60-90°C; check: water that gets on the lid should not boil.

There are many design options. A self-designed smokehouse can cook not only fish and meat. A real delicacy is smoked vegetables or fruits (Fig. 18). For example, potatoes, eggplants, noble mushrooms, apples, plums, apricots.

We hope that the examples and tips given will help answer the question: how to make a hot smoked smokehouse. The editors of the site and our readers will be grateful to the craftsmen who shared their experience about hot-smoked designs made with their own hands. You can leave your opinion in the “comments” block.

Not many people are able to refuse such dishes as smoked meat, fish or poultry, since this food, as we know, simply by definition cannot be tasteless. However, you don’t always want to purchase ready-made products in stores, since you can never be completely sure of the quality of the product being sold, especially such a unique one. But in order to protect yourself from troubles and forget about shopping for your favorite dishes forever, you should consider in detail how to make a cold smoked smokehouse - a device that can turn any product into a culinary masterpiece in the shortest possible time. Therefore, to begin with, it would be more correct to understand the operating principle of this equipment.

General concept of smoking

The smoking process itself is a kind of heat treatment of food through smoke coming from smoldering wood particles. As a result, the product is imbued with a specific and beloved aroma, partially loses some of its moisture, and the shelf life increases.

There are two types of smoking: cold and hot. In the first case, smoke treatment is performed at a temperature of 20-25 °C for several days. Hot smoking involves the use of a combustion product with a temperature from 45 to 120 °C, and the product will be ready within a few hours.

It is worth noting that food prepared according to the first principle is stored much longer. However, it is more difficult to make a mechanism such as a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands. But first, you should consider the rules according to which you should prepare food directly for processing with smoke.

Preparing products for smoking

This matter must be approached with special responsibility. Meat or fish used for smoking must be rubbed with salt in advance and left in this state for 5 days. If the product is completely defrosted, it will take longer.

The main purpose of salt is to destroy any harmful bacteria. The loss of moisture caused by such treatment will invariably lead to the death of all microorganisms. To get rid of excessive amounts of salt, after the required period has passed, the product should be soaked in water for several hours.

Next, the future smoked dish needs to be properly dried, for which it needs to be blotted with a cloth and left in a dry and well-ventilated room. It is important to ensure that there are no insects, especially flies. And after such processing, you can proceed directly to smoking.

The difference between hot smoking and cold smoking

As mentioned above, these two food processing technologies differ in the temperature at which the process is performed. Moreover, their difference is quite significant: the parameter for cold smoking should not exceed 350 °C, while the hot version allows values reaching 950 °C. Such a large run-up significantly affects the result of the process and is the main criterion when preparing a dish.

As a result, hot and cold smoked smokehouses are similar mechanisms, but the difference is still obvious, which, however, does not in the least prevent them from efficiently performing the tasks assigned to them.

High temperature has a special effect on cooking. With this method of processing, food is not only smoked, but also baked at the same time. Moreover, this option is distinguished by its speed, as it takes only a few hours. However, the shelf life will be significantly shorter compared to food prepared using cold smoking technology - only a few days in a cold place.

Despite the speed of work, more serious attention should be paid to the design using cold technology, since this method of food processing is more common and has more fans than the hot method.

Optimal fuel for smoking

If we talk about what kind of fuel a homemade cold smoked smokehouse should operate on, then it is, of course, wood. Moreover, it would be more correct to use deciduous species (alder, birch, oak, aspen). The smoking process can be improved by using well-dried fruit trees such as cherries, apple trees, etc.

To give the dish a more refined aroma, you can add a small amount of juniper with berries and needles.

It is strictly not recommended to use coniferous wood (pine, spruce), which will not achieve the desired effect, but will only spoil the products, giving them an unpleasant appearance. Wet firewood should also not be used, but it should not be too dry either. If there is not enough water in the material, you should try not to allow a large flame, and the fuel itself should be slightly moistened.

The principle of a cold smoked smokehouse

It is not difficult to purchase a mechanism such as a cold smoked smokehouse, a photo of which can be found from specialists in the manufacture of this equipment. However, it is much more pleasant to make this device yourself. In addition, this will save a significant portion of financial resources and relieve owners from worrying about a potentially low-quality product.

The design of a cold-smoked smokehouse is completely different from a model that operates on a hot principle. The main task of this equipment is to process food with cold smoke, the temperature of which varies around 30°C. If the products are very salted, then this figure should be even less.

The design of the cold smoked smokehouse is based on two chambers. In this case, the smoke is first in the first, and then, losing temperature, it goes through the pipes and enters the second, where the food is located.

A homemade cold smoked smokehouse requires precise control over the temperature difference, since draft, which is the basis of cooking, directly depends on this parameter. The length of the chimney should be approximately 10 m, this is the distance required for the combustion product to cool properly. To ensure smooth cooling, it is also recommended to use special fans or collectors.

Necessary materials for making a cold smoked smokehouse

Many consumers often wonder whether it is possible to make a device such as a cold smoked smokehouse with their own hands. The answer here is clear: it is absolutely possible, but first of all you should stock up on a certain set of tools and materials required for this work. So, their list is as follows:

sheet of tin;
barrel made of metal;
mesh made of the same material;
lattice;
a number of bolts and nuts as fasteners;
a piece of material such as burlap;
shovel.

Getting this rather small set of necessary equipment will not be difficult, and if you have all the above materials, you can begin assembly.

The process of making a cold smoked smokehouse

In order to properly construct this mechanism, you must first familiarize yourself with the installation diagram. Thus, the drawing of a cold smoked smokehouse provides for a clear location of all the component parts of the device and does not allow independent changes in their place, otherwise the entire design may simply not work out.

You need to start work by digging a hole for the firebox with parameters of 50x50 cm and laying a sheet of tin on its bottom. This is done to ensure that the fuel (sawdust, chips and branches) burns more evenly.

Then you need to start installing the chimney for the smokehouse. Externally, it should look like a small trench approximately 25 cm wide and about 2 m long. Next, the resulting recess must be covered with any non-flammable material (for example, slate) and sprinkled with earth on top so that the resulting structure is airtight. In order to completely protect yourself from any loss of smoke, you can line the walls of the trench with brick - this will strengthen the system and prevent heat from escaping.

After installing the chimney, you need to proceed to installing the smoking chamber. The simplest option for its construction would be an ordinary metal barrel. Its bottom needs to be disconnected, and in its place a special strong mesh should be fixed and covered with burlap. A cold-smoked smokehouse, designed with your own hands according to this principle, will filter soot much better. A tight grate that can support the filter must be attached to the bottom of the barrel.

The installation of the smokehouse is completed by securing the metal grate with bolts approximately 20 cm from the edge of the structure. The products intended for cooking will be placed on this element. If you want, instead of a grate, you can use rods with hooks on which you can hang, for example, fish.

Home cold smoked smokehouses created according to this principle will allow you to appreciate all their functionality and will not leave any owner indifferent.

Smoke generator device for cold smoked smokehouse

As it becomes clear, it is absolutely possible to make such a device as a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands. However, for this it is important to correctly calculate all the nuances of this work and pay special attention to such an element of the mechanism as a smoke generator. For a cold smoked smokehouse, its design is not so simple compared to models operating on a hot principle, but the main advantage of this part is ensuring a long shelf life of products and high quality of their preparation.

The complexity of installing this element is due to the fact that the smoke produced during operation must be well cooled. That is why all samples must have a special system for reducing the temperature of the combustion product obtained during operation.

It is also impossible not to mention that such a food processing process can sometimes take a long time (up to several weeks). And since it is very problematic to control the intensity of the fire all this time, you can use electric heating elements specially designed for this, which are regularly used in such a design as an automatic cold-smoked smokehouse. They greatly simplify the entire process and allow you to save yourself from the need to constantly monitor the operation of the equipment.

Semi-hot smoking as an alternative to cold smoking

When deciding how to make a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands, you can try your hand at an alternative option. The semi-hot processing method is almost identical, but the requirements for the equipment design are less stringent.

Thus, the maximum smoke temperature should not exceed 60 °C. If the pipe is not too long, then the draft will be much better, and the food will need to be kept in salt not for several days, but only for a day.

In addition, the smoking period using this principle is also reduced (about 24 hours).

This type of equipment has gained great popularity among fishermen and hunters, since all provisions can be stored for a very long time. At the same time, it is not at all prohibited to experiment with the temperature of the smoke in order to achieve the most pleasant taste.

Rules for storing smoked products

Not only the preparation, but also the storage of products processed in this way should be approached with special attention. Thus, hot smoking allows you to keep food exclusively in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days, since such food is intended for quick consumption. To increase storage time, the product can be wrapped in a cloth pre-soaked in a saline solution, and then also in a sheet of thick parchment paper, which will better preserve the pleasant smell of the dish.

With cold smoking, the situation is different: food can be stored for six months, and if well treated with salt, even longer. The equipment used in production helps to process products with smoke efficiently and evenly, which further increases their shelf life.

Food prepared in a self-assembled smokehouse must be cooled, and then placed in a dark and dry room with good ventilation, for example, in the attic. In such conditions (under a roof), the shelf life of products can reach from 2 to 3 years.

It is strictly not recommended to keep food processed by smoking in rooms with high humidity, since such a microclimate is a favorable environment for the formation of mold. The main sign of food spoilage is the appearance of a white coating with an unpleasant odor. If such mold is detected, the food must be thoroughly washed with brine, cleaned of any fungus that has appeared and smoked again. But it is important to remember here: each subsequent treatment of the product with smoke dries it out even more, making it tougher.

It is strictly forbidden to eat smoked food with a musty and extremely unpleasant odor. Often, spoilage of such products begins in the middle, so in order to ensure the quality of the finished dish, you should pierce it with a knife or a wooden stick and smell it.

If you follow all the installation and storage rules described above, the cold smoked smokehouse, a photo of which you could see in the article, will last a long time and reliably and will allow its owners to regularly enjoy real culinary masterpieces.