Drawing of a wooden cold smoked smokehouse with dimensions. Homemade cabinet for cold smoking

The costs of making a smokehouse are insignificant; you can use scrap materials and leftovers. A self-made smokehouse and a properly selected smoking mode will allow you to prepare delicacies that are unique in taste and will surprise your family and guests.

The method of preparing smoked food in stores cannot be called beneficial for the body, because preservatives, flavorings, and chemical smoke substitutes are used for this. At the same time, smoked meats prepared with your own hands are not only harmless, but also incredibly tasty. How to smoke meat or fish at home? There is a way out - to make a smoking cabinet with your own hands, which will take at most 3-4 hours, and you can use it for several years.

What to make it from?

You can make your own smoking cabinet for cold or hot smoking from various materials. For this purpose, any cabinet objects with a side and top door that can be hermetically closed are used. For cabinets made with your own hands, one of the structures presented below is suitable for cold smoking:

• the body of an old refrigerator or freezer;
• metal pencil case;
• a safe designed for storing weapons;
• gas oven;
• an old washing machine with a centrifuge;
• rectangular oblong container;
• large diameter pipes;
• metal barrels.

Scheme of the future design

A unique cabinet for cold smoking can be made from wooden cuts and blocks. And, despite the simplicity of such designs, smokers made by hand are distinguished by a wide range of capabilities. In addition, smoking cabinets allow you to prepare delicious and aromatic meat, fish, seafood, vegetables and other delicacies.

Structural elements

If you are wondering how to make a wooden cabinet with your own hands, then it will certainly not be superfluous if you know what structural elements it consists of.

The base of the box is a wooden frame made of beams with a cross-section of 4x4 cm. You can see detailed drawings of a cabinet for cold smoking, which you assemble yourself, in this publication.

Hull part

Regardless of which body you choose for your homemade smoking installation, it must be sheathed on 3 sides with a board 2.5 cm thick and up to 10 cm wide. For these purposes, lining made from aspen, linden, alder and other deciduous trees is suitable. If you were unable to find lining, although this is a fairly common wooden panel, then you can use coniferous polymer.

A smoking cabinet made from boards, assembled with your own hands, must be as sealed as possible. This is a completely doable task if, when making a smokehouse, you use a sealing material like hemp rope, which must be inserted into all joints of the facing material.

Door

The door is made to fit the entire size of the front wall of the smoking unit. She is going with her own hands to wooden frame from planks 2.5x10 cm so that the covering material of the frame part fits tightly into the opening, and the protruding part of the sheathing covers the upper joint. The perimeter of the entire opening is covered with sealing food grade rubber, which can be any rubber from the refrigerator or oven. If you don’t have one in your household arsenal, you can easily make one from a felt strip.

A pair of hinges are attached to the door itself, which can be either overhead or mortise - it all depends solely on the level of your skill. The door is also equipped with a latch. The door, as well as the body itself, must be completely sealed with hemp rope or, as a last resort, tow. This is the main condition for creating an effectively working do-it-yourself cold smoking box.

Roof

The upper part of the smoking installation is usually made in a single-slope or gable version. If you want your smokehouse to have a single-slope top surface, then it must be made with a slope back, using boards 4-5 cm longer than the size of the base. Whereas when choosing the second option for arranging the roof, you will need to assemble rafter system with a slope length of 55-65 cm. The joints between the boards must be sealed.

If you want your smokehouse to be stationary on the street, then the roof must be primed and painted with any oil paint. The upper part of the smoking structure does not overheat during its operation, so there is no need to worry that the paint may peel off, and painting will protect the installation in the best possible way from bad weather and high humidity.

A chimney is mounted in the upper part of the smokehouse, which is equipped with a damper and a scraper mechanism. It can be either wooden or metal. This must be done in order for the smokehouse to work as efficiently as possible, because the chimney not only removes smoke masses, but also regulates the internal temperature.

Cabinet assembly instructions

So, the mini-smoking station is assembled in the following order:

• assembly of the frame base;
• bottom installation;
• housing design wooden panels;
• door manufacturing;
• hanging the door;
• arrangement of the upper part of the structure;
• installation of functional equipment - smoke generator, heating element, thermostat, chimney system.

VIDEO: How and from what to assemble a smoking cabinet

Detailed device

To construct the smokehouse, a vertical type ejector smoke generator is used, which must be attached to the rear wall of the smokehouse structure. The smoke generator, in turn, is connected to the internal cavity through metal pipeØ2.5-4 cm.

To convert a cold cabinet into a hot smoking apparatus, you should equip it with a heating device, which, as a rule, uses low-power (no more than 1 kW) closed-type heating elements. The heating element is installed at the bottom of the unit. And to avoid the bottom catching fire, the heating element is placed on a metal profile plate, which is located 50-100 mm above the bottom of the box. Thanks to the air gap and the metal frame, it is possible to remove some of the thermal energy, which eliminates the possibility of fire.

A tray is installed on top of the heating element, which is designed to collect fat during smoking. Even a baking tray will work as a tray. The main condition is that it must be removable, so that after each smoking session it can be removed and cleaned.

This way you can protect the heating element from greasy drops.

You can immediately equip the device with a heating element, and if cold smoking is necessary, simply turn it off. Thus, thanks to one smoke generator, the temperature inside the smoking cabinet reaches 30-40°C.

Connecting the smoke generator

And if you want to smoke food using a hot method, then using a heating element it is possible to reach a temperature of approximately 150°C. As for adjusting the temperature, a thermostat will help you with this, the sensor of which is located in the upper part of the smokehouse. You can also equip the structure with a thermometer, which greatly simplifies the work with the smoking installation.

Heating element for hot smoking

Many craftsmen equip the smokehouse with two handles located on the sides of the cabinet. This will allow you to move the smokehouse from place to place if necessary.

Of course, you can buy a smoking cabinet, but you will have to spend an average of 3 to 10 thousand on such a unit, depending on the configuration. You will spend a minimum on assembling a homemade smokehouse financial resources and effort.

VIDEO: How to assemble a smoke generator and smoking cabinet

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 due to which the popularity home smoked is not decreasing at all. Make your own smokehouse correct design 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 enterprises Food Industry 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 a more or less 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 firewood of varying degrees of humidity, with the addition of green leaves and grass of different types 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:

1. 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;
2. Harvesting wood for smoking material in an environmentally friendly manner clean places only from completely healthy trees: in the hyphae of mold fungi and in the drill dust of bark beetles/wood borers, the content of PAHs is 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than in wood - their nutrient medium;
3. Reasonable choice of type and mode of smoking for this specific type of raw material;
4. Proper preparation of raw materials for smoking;
5. Proper preparation of smoking material: wood chips, shavings, sawdust, see below;
6. Technically competent construction of a smokehouse according to proven samples;
7. Correct design of the smoke generator;
8. Setting up the smoke generator for the selected smoking material, type of product and its processing mode;
9. 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 PAHs, without having time to be deposited in the smoked product, fly out into 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 that has 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, making 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 PAH levels during fumigation only by using a long-burning smoke generator open type naturally aspirated, 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 mass in general, more 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 components of the smoke: the light fractions remain in the smoked area, and the PAHs are below, gradually settling and burning out in 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 one was discovered. interesting feature: if you cover the shaft instead of burlap with thin branches of willow or willow grass, laid in 3-4 layers crosswise at intervals, you can fight off the natural flavor 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 from fresh meat these birds smell 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 hip roof 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. Preliminary preparation no raw materials are required, which is good for products with a refined natural taste: poultry, gourmet 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 consumption fuel, 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 we see, this type a 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. There must be windows in the dampers idle move 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: use non-polar batteries to ignite this smoke generator. organic solvents(gasoline, kerosene, solvent, toluene, etc.) is unacceptable; 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 big piece 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; theirs is of greater importance correct setting from my 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 - heating element or cast iron pancake Electric stoves burn 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 totality of properties the best material for the 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 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 external 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, a way to clear the smoke homemade smokehouse There is. 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 will still get clogged, but the operating time of this distiller is not very long enough for hot smoking large fish or pieces of meat/poultry resp. 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 very soft external characteristic, at 200-300 W. In case of use asynchronous motor 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 instrument 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 benzo(a)pyrene scandals recent years. This is especially true for cold smoked products: due to the length of the process, 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.

Smoked meats are one of the most delicious products on the table, but choosing a good smoker in stores is difficult. During operation, you may not like it or not meet all the expectations of its owner, so it will be easier to make it yourself using natural wood.

Design features of wooden smokehouses

The design of the wooden smokehouse includes a cabinet. Its internal walls are equipped with brackets on which the nets are installed. Depending on the size of the box made, the number of stainless steel grates is provided (food will not stick). It is also possible to install horizontal pipes on which the product will be suspended vertically.

The firebox (smoke generator) is important in the design. It is installed separately from the wooden structure. Constructed from brick.

Between the firebox and the smoking cabinet, a pipe will be installed through which the smoke will be transported under the influence of draft.

Since the smokehouse is made of wood, it poses a fire hazard. This reason excludes installation in the middle of the cabinet open source fire or electric stove.

Advantages and disadvantages of wood smokehouses

The advantages of wooden structures include:

• Ease of processing. If the camera is damaged, the material can be easily cleaned or restored;
• Ease. Wood is not a heavy material. If the cabinet is mobile, then one person can move it;
• Good thermal insulation. Due to the porous structure of the material, heat transfer slows down, so smoking will be fast due to the thermal resistance of the structure;
• Environmental friendliness. It implies ensuring a positive impact on the cleanliness of the environment and the prepared product;
• Adds extra flavor to cooked delicacies.

The disadvantages of a wooden structure include sensitivity to temperature changes and humidity. Rapid damage to the material is prevented by choosing hardwood, for example, ash, oak, beech, rosewood, etc.

We build a smokehouse from wood for the hot smoking method

Why is it called multifunctional? Because a do-it-yourself wooden smokehouse will be made not only for smoking food, but also for storing firewood.

Making the base

A foundation must be poured under the foundation. The depth of its laying should not be large, because the base will be only 1×1 m with a height of no more than 0.6 m. The process of laying an underground structure consists of the following actions:

• A hole is dug 0.3–0.4 m deep and 1 m wide;
• To protect against moisture, insulating material is provided;
• A crushed stone cushion is laid;
• Concrete blocks are placed;
• Tied with steel wire;
• Filled with cement.

After strengthening the foundation, you can begin laying with cinder blocks. The process provides for a chimney 1.5 m long and 0.15–0.2 m in diameter.

The chimney must be made of a metal or ceramic pipe. A cylindrical product made of plastic under the influence of high temperature releases toxic substances, which during the smoking process will get onto the food and can cause poisoning!

Pipe laying is possible in two options:

• On the foundation, covered with brickwork or other heat-resistant facing material
• On the ground. Requires fixation with blocks on the sides

The length of the pipe from the chamber to the firebox must be at least 0.8 m.

Making a quality smoke source

It is called a firebox or smoke generator. Its dimensions are 0.6 × 0.6 m. Initially, it is laid out from fire-resistant material, and then lined with red or white brick. The design includes doors made of metal or cast iron for adjusting firewood.

The top of the firebox is also covered with brick, but before that it is laid steel sheets. The seams and joints are covered with fireproof clay.

Assembling the smoking chamber

Assembling a cabinet for cold smoking begins with installing the frame. To do this, use bars 1.3 m long with a cross-section of at least 25×50 mm. It turns out that the height of the chamber will be 1.3 m.

The frame is sheathed on three sides with boards. The fit is as tight as possible, sealing the cracks with tow.

The smoking cabinet can be made of clapboard or floor boards. The latest product has keys and grooves that eliminate problems with gaps.

The fourth side is for installing the door. They are made exactly to the size of the opening and secured to the camera using hinges. The handle and latch are mounted on the finished doors.

The design includes a gable roof. In addition, the rafters on one side will be 2–2.5 times longer in order to build a cover for storing logs.

It is worth determining the importance of installing a “fungus” that allows the smoke to escape from their chamber. Its design is tightly adjusted to the roof structure, and the seams are sealed with moisture-resistant sealant.

The wooden sheathing is covered with any roofing material that will protect the smoking cabinet from rain.

The floor is also covered with boards. The seams are sealed with tow or NOT polymer sealant (polymer will release harmful substances into the smoke).

Installation of shelves for food preparation

A set of shelves (quantity according to personal preference) is made from boards. There should be gaps between them for good circulation of smoke inside the chamber. WITH reverse side shelves are equipped with hooks that will hold products. It is possible to stretch the mesh instead of hooks, but it should not be painted.

The finishing touches are the installation of a tray to collect fat and juice released during smoking, as well as a temperature sensor to control the heat in the firebox.

Wooden smokehouse for cold smoking

A do-it-yourself cold-smoked smokehouse made of wood is not a simple device and requires time and budget investments, but using step-by-step recommendations by assembling it, you can make your fate easier in this not an easy task:

To prevent smoke leakage, the inner layer of the cladding is laid vertically and the outer layer horizontally. The door should also have grooved projections around its entire perimeter.

• We make a sheathing for the roof (1-2 bars will hold the roofing material). We attach a metal chimney to one of the bars;
• A hole is drilled in the door to mount the temperature sensor, and a latch is also installed.

The individual parts of the wooden smokehouse are ready, all that remains is to place the “house” on the base and fasten the two structures with metal dowels. For reliability, it is recommended to apply cement mortar between the well and the chamber.

At the moment, there are many options for creating a home smokehouse.

First of all, you need to decide what kind of smoking process is necessary, there are two of them:

• cold;
• hot.

Most people prefer cold, which is why we will talk about it.

When preparing such a product, you need to understand the rules of creation, as well as know a number of features:

• The smokehouse consists of two separate parts that are connected to each other by a chimney. The first part is the place where the products are located and where the smoke enters, the second is the place where this smoke is created, it is represented in the form of a fire.
• Cooking temperature 30 – 35 degrees.
• Due to the low temperature, the food takes quite a long time to cook. This process usually takes several days.

Let's figure out how and what you can make a smokehouse from:

• Brick. It is very durable and does not require special care. The disadvantages are its lengthy assembly process, as well as the fact that it is stationary.
• Made of wood. It requires special care, but it can add additional smell and taste to products. This is also perhaps the most popular and practical option.
• From a barrel. This is an option for beginners. Creation does not require a lot of time, money, or special skill. This option is also convenient because the barrel does not take up much space and can always be hidden when not needed.
• From old household appliances. Oddly enough, old Appliances(for example, a refrigerator) can be an excellent option that does not require additional costs.

Now let's move on to consider each option separately and in more detail.

This option is perfect for people who understand the entire cooking procedure. This design is very similar to an oven, which consists of two sections. First of all, let's look at the main features of this option.

Features of creation

• The right choice of location. It is best to build further from the house for greater safety. It is also necessary to understand that it will not be possible to move the structure, so we carefully approach the choice of location.
• Preparing the site. After choosing a construction site, it must be prepared. Preparation includes leveling the ground and laying the foundation.
• Determination of purpose. If you build from brick, then you need to understand that it will be almost impossible to convert the cold-smoked structure to hot-smoked or vice versa.

Dimensions

It is difficult to say about the required sizes, because there is no standard. In order to decide on the size, you need to understand exactly the purpose for which the smokehouse is being created.

If it will be used 1-2 times a week to cook several fish for dinner, then you should not make a large size. If a person wants to start producing smoked meats, he can make a larger one.

Nevertheless, minimum size is approximately 50 cm long, 50 cm wide and 70 cm high. If you do less, it won't be very practical. The maximum size can be any, depending on the wishes of the owner.

In order to decide on the size, you need to understand exactly the purpose for which the smokehouse is being created.

When creating, you will definitely need a number of materials and tools; all of them can be divided into two types.

Are common:

• Bricks.
• Sand.
• Crushed stone.
• Cement.
• Master OK.
• Fittings or iron grate(to strengthen the foundation).
• Pipes.

Special:

• Metal door.
• Hooks (or net) for products.
• Tray (for collecting fat).
• Thermometer (optional).

Step-by-step creation process

So, having collected all the tools and decided on the goal, let's get to work:

1. Drawing up a drawing with exact dimensions (you can make them yourself, order them, or find ready-made ones on the Internet).
2. The first task is to make the foundation. To do this, we dig a hole 50-70 cm deep. We pour a layer of sand down, then crushed stone, then we lay reinforcement (preferably a metal mesh according to the size of the foundation). Next, fill it with concrete and let it harden.
3. Preparing the fireplace. We also dig a hole, fill it with concrete from below, and make it on the sides brickwork. On one side we leave space for supplying smoke.
4. Now you need to connect the future chamber and the hearth. There are two ways to do this. First, we make a ditch 50 cm deep, then we either lay a pipe in it to supply smoke, or completely cover it with bricks. If you lay a pipe, then it is covered with earth on top. If you lay it out of brick, it is recommended to make a small gable roof above.
5. Construction of the camera. We begin to lay bricks on the frozen foundation. Be sure to immediately decide on the masonry (you can choose any one). We lay out the bricks, not forgetting to leave space below for the chimney supply from the hearth. It is very important to lay the bricks correctly (row by row), apply the mortar to the bottom and sides of the brick, and also carefully check that there are no gaps.
6. Having made the walls, we move on to the roof. It is usually made either straight or gable. It is necessary to make a pipe for the smoke to escape. Also, this pipe must be able to be open and tightly covered, so it is best to make a hatch or bolt.
7. The last stage is the internal arrangement. You need to place a removable container down to collect fat (you can use a deep baking tray). Special hooks are also made for products. Hooks can be replaced with quality ones metal mesh, on which meat and fish are laid out. This is convenient and practical, because products can be laid out in several rows.

Probably the most popular and beautiful view smokehouses Most often presented in the form of a small tower, which is an excellent decoration. First of all, let's look at the main features.

Features of creation

• Correct selection of materials. It is necessary to choose the right tree and also care for it for longevity.
• Knowledge of the details of working with wood is essential.
• When creating, you need to pay attention to the little things. Unlike brick smokehouse, wooden has its own characteristics and difficulties in the creation process, so you need to be extremely careful when working.

Dimensions

Required materials and tools

Let's look at the list of all the necessary tools and materials that will be useful when creating a smokehouse:

• Boards. It is best to use lining, in this case there will be no gaps, which means that smoke will not escape through the cracks.
• Nails or screws. Necessary for assembling the frame and attaching all parts.
• Hammer or drill.
• Hooks or net (for products).
• Pipe (chimney from the hearth to the chamber).
• Bricks, cement, sand, crushed stone. Necessary for laying the foundation and creating a furnace.

The most popular and beautiful type of smokehouse, most often presented in the form of a small tower, which is an excellent decoration

Step-by-step creation process

Let's look at the entire process of creating a smokehouse made of wood in the form of step-by-step instructions:

• Foundation. The foundation may or may not be laid. Experts recommend doing it, and also laying 2 - 3 rows of bricks on top, and only after that a wooden structure. If a foundation is being made, then it is immediately necessary to install a pipe into it to supply smoke into the chamber.
• Camera base. For the base we take bars of the required length. It is important that they are rectangular and do not have any falling knots. The base of the chamber (cabinet) is made from them.
• We cover the base on three sides with boards so that there is no gap between them. To do this, it is best to take a floor covering with special grooves (lining).
• We install a door on the fourth side. In order to prevent smoke from escaping through the cracks around the door, it can be tightly covered with cloth. It is not recommended to use foam or other materials to seal cracks, as when heated they may begin to emit dangerous chemical substances that end up on products.
• We upholster the roof and install a pipe on it.
• From the outside, the resulting structure can be treated with special solutions for wood. This will help protect the structure from rain and various harmful insects.
• We create a fireplace. It is necessary to make a hole below the level of the chamber. It is best to fill the bottom with concrete and lay the walls out of brick. It should look like a stove. Next, we connect the hearth and the chamber with a pipe, which should go underground (depth 30 - 50 cm).
• We lay the pipe and cover it with earth. It is important that it is firmly fixed at the ends (can be concreted).
• Installing hooks or shelves on which food will be placed during cooking.

When purchasing a new refrigerator, do not rush to throw away the old one. You can use it to make a smokehouse. This great option, because there is no need to create anything, almost everything is already ready.

Features of creation

• It is necessary to clear the refrigerator of everything unnecessary(freezer, compressor, wires, etc.).
• It is also better to remove the interior decoration, under the influence of temperature, the plastic will begin to deteriorate, and at the same time spoil the products.
• It is necessary to leave only the iron body with the door, as well as metal shelves on which food will subsequently be prepared.

When purchasing a new refrigerator, do not rush to throw away the old one; you can use it to make a smokehouse

Step-by-step creation process

Probably, few people imagine how a smokehouse is made from a refrigerator, so let’s take a closer look at its creation:

1. Cleaning the refrigerator of all unnecessary parts, we leave the iron body and doors.
2. We make a hole in the bottom of the refrigerator for a pipe through which smoke from the fire will enter. We also make a hole in the top to allow smoke to escape.
3. We drill holes on the sides into which we insert metal or wooden sticks or hooks. You can put shelves on them or hang products.
4. We seal all the cracks through which smoke can escape. To do this, you can use putty, cement or regular hot melt adhesive (externally only).
5. Making a place for the hearth. Since the smokehouse is portable, it is not worth making a major effort. It is enough to make a small hole and cover it tightly with bricks on all sides.
6. Connect the hearth using a pipe and a refrigerator.

Smokehouse from a cylinder or barrel

Perhaps the easiest way, suitable for beginners. This installation does not take up much space and does not require special care.

Features of creation

• You need to take a barrel with a volume of 150 - 200 liters.
• Must have welding machine and know how to use it.
• A special lid is required that will tightly cover the container from above.
• If the smokehouse will operate in winter, it is necessary to come up with insulation.

Step-by-step creation process

Let's look in detail at how to make a smokehouse from a barrel or cylinder:

1. You need to create a platform for the barrel so that it is higher than the fireplace. You can use bricks.
2. It is necessary to make a hole at the bottom of the barrel equal in diameter to the pipe that will go from the fireplace.
3. Insert the pipe into the hole and weld it, it should go downward from the barrel.
4. At the end of the pipe we arrange a small stove where smoke will be generated for smoking. To do this, you can lay it out of bricks.
5. We weld several strong metal rods on top of the barrel. They are necessary so that you can hang the hooks on which the food is located. You can make several such tiers.
6. We find a lid that can be used to tightly close the barrel. You can take an unnecessary blanket to cover the lid with. This will allow you to maintain the temperature regime and will also prevent smoke from leaking out.

• You need to pay special attention to the wood chips that will be used. Maple, oak, birch, juniper, alder, and shavings from fruit trees are best suited.
• When creating, it is always important to remember that traction must be formed, so it’s best to make a smokehouse on a slope (stove at the bottom, chamber at the top).
• For those new to the business, it is not recommended to immediately make a smokehouse out of wood or brick yourself. It is best to start with a barrel, and when a person can understand the intricacies, serious construction can begin.
• It is always necessary to remember about the temperature regime. Very often, special thermometers are installed on smokehouses that show the temperature in the chamber. You can buy them at any hardware store; the same ones are used on home boilers.