Products are processed different ways. When it comes to smoking, hot (for some reasons) is preferable to cold or semi-hot. Technology based on thermal effects, is used, for example, for any fish, regardless of its variety, while other methods (drying, drying) have some limitations in this regard.
Therefore, if you are going to make a hot smoked smokehouse, then it would be more advisable to have one that is universal in use. After all, you can’t predict in advance what products you’ll want to “work with.” How to assemble a smokehouse with your own hands will be discussed in this article.
- Material for production. The fact that it is metal is clear. But it is advisable to use stainless steel. Although, in principle, a ready-made iron tank will do. For example, a barrel or box for packaging bulk products (not from paint and varnish compositions). Some craftsmen even adapt a galvanized bucket. Brick structures are more complex for self-made, since few people will be able to build high-quality masonry. Therefore, it makes no sense to consider them if there is a lack of experience.
- Features of using a smokehouse – whether it will be stationary or portable.
- Product loading volume. They can be anything - meat, fish, poultry. You should decide on the dimensions in advance. By the way, this factor in no way affects the quality of cooking.
There are instructions for making electric smokehouses. How expedient this is is up to you, dear reader, to judge. But it should be recalled that smoking is not just a process heat treatment products, namely using smoke. Only then do they acquire a specific aroma. This is the meaning of smoking.
Design and principle of operation
Without understanding all the intricacies of its design and operation, it is difficult to make a good smokehouse. Just so that the quality of the finished product is at its best.
Basic requirements for similar designs– tightness and ease of use of the lid. Special emphasis should be placed on it. In order for a minimum amount of smoke to escape from the container during the smoking process, the lid must be “easily controlled”, that is, quickly removed and replaced.
Let's consider the main structural elements:
Capacity
Naturally, on a stand so that it does not stand with its bottom on the ground.
Grid (on which food is placed)
Or “crossbar” if they are suspended (for example, fish, bird). For manufacturing, everything that is at hand is useful - rods, tubes. To install the grate inside the smokehouse, use a corner as a supporting frame.
Reflector
This is a tray installed under the grill. For what? During the smoking process, fat is released, which will naturally fall - if you do not put a reflector, then directly onto the firewood. Fat will begin to burn, and among those released at the same time chemical elements, according to experts, are harmful to health. Rising upward along with the smoke, they are absorbed into the loaded product. There are other explanations, but from this it is already clear that the pallet must be installed.
As an option - 2 containers, one inside the other. Accordingly, the bottom of the internal tank must be sealed. But the design is inconvenient because it is then quite difficult to clean the bottom of burnt fat.
Thermometer
Without it, it will not be possible to control the process. After all, to achieve good smoking, a certain temperature regime.
During the installation process, it should be taken into account that the smoke should envelop the load evenly from all sides.
"Golden" rules of smoking
They should be known and taken into account when starting “design”.
- Light smoke. This means that combustion products are sufficiently diluted with oxygen (dark smoke contains harmful substances).
- Uniformity. This applies to both heating the bookmark and its fumigation.
- The intensity of smoke movement. The speed of its rise should ensure high-quality absorption into the product.
Schemes and drawings
The smoking process is a separate topic. Depending on the type of product, the temperature regime is selected, the duration of their processing - there are many nuances. Before you start making a smokehouse, you should carefully study all the intricacies of the technology. Only then will it be possible to choose the optimal engineering solution.
Here is one of the simplest smokehouse models in the “mobile” category.
A good option for those who have a personal car and like to relax with trips to nature.
And such models can be installed, for example, on a summer cottage.
How advisable is it to use a blowtorch? Still, for high-quality smoking you need smoke. Therefore, preference should be given to models that “work” on wood.
No less popular are smokehouses in which the container and firebox (smoke generator) are separated. These are stationary models, in which the main parts of the structure are connected by a pipe through which combustion products move. By adjusting the boost (using a fan), you can change the temperature in one direction or another.
Peculiarities:
- The smokehouse should be higher. But if there is no artificial boost (natural draft), then 2 m is the minimum.
- This solution is only suitable for processing meat. It is not advisable to use for fish.
It is best to use alder or juniper as fuel. They produce “the same” smoke that ensures proper smoking quality. Options include cherry, pear, oak. In any case, you should focus on hard rocks.
When adding fuel, it needs to be crushed, since large logs will not provide the required heat and smoke. As a rule, wood is used in the form of chips, sawdust, branches or small lumps. Before starting ignition, its layer must be leveled so that the combustion is uniform over the entire area of the firebox.
When cooking for the first time on a homemade smokehouse, after about ¾ of an hour it is necessary to take a sample. It will immediately become clear what exactly needs to be adjusted. Gradually, experience will appear, and in the future the smoking process will not cause difficulties.
The temperature in the chamber should not exceed 100 ºС. If you don't have a thermometer, it's easy to check. It is enough to spray water on the lid - it should not boil. If this happens, you need to reduce the intensity of firewood burning.
For an example of making a simple smokehouse from a barrel, see this video:
Smokehouse for hot smoking
The smokehouse is easy to make. This is an ordinary shape box with tight lid. Better of of stainless steel. You set the dimensions yourself.
- On the side walls, approximately in the middle of the height, it is necessary to weld or secure stops in order to place a removable grill (also made of stainless steel) for placing smoking products on it.
- As I already said, the lid must be tight.
The smokehouse is filled like this: put it on the bottom smoke generator.
- Alder wood is considered the best.
- But you can use cherry, apple, pear, peach wood,
- sawn into circles or chopped with an ax,
- or in the form of sawdust.
- The shape doesn't matter much.
Then we put the grate in its place, place the products to be smoked on the grate, and close the lid.
Now you need to heat the bottom of the box to such an extent that the wood circles begin to char and create smoke for smoking.
Since the box is dense, all the resulting smoke will be used for smoking.
You can heat the bottom of the box in different ways
- just put it on a pre-lit fire,
- put it on a kerosene stove or
- on a gas stove or
- on electric stove or tiles.
- The duration of smoking depends on the intensity of combustion of the wood circles and on the temperature in the box.
- On average it takes 20-50 minutes.
- This is determined by experience.
To use it for larger portions of smoking, including meat products, it is recommended to improve it.
- First, make the box itself more substantial in size.
- Secondly, in the lower half (below the grille) weld stops so that place a second grate and a vessel on it to collect dripping fat from smoking products.
- In this case, the dripping fat will not burn and smoking will be carried out only from the smoke of alder or wood from other fruit trees.
For ease of use and movement of the smokehouse box, metal handles can be welded (or bolted) on the end sides.
Do-it-yourself smokehouse in the country - drawing diagram
The diagram shows:
1 - general form smokehouse-box,
2 - cover,
3 - alder cut into slices,
4 - grate on which the product to be smoked is placed.
After installing such a smokehouse at your dacha, your vacation will seem even more pleasant.
Homemade for hot and cold smoking
Good smoked capelin
Traditional technologies for smoking fish are cold and hot, but experienced tourists widely use semi-hot. The latter has a number of advantages, which we will discuss below. For now about the main thing.
We will smoke small fish, you can use regular store-bought capelin, alas, it is not found in our rivers and ponds :) but it is very tasty when smoked!
About wood
The best wood for smoking is alder and juniper.
But the latter has become rare in many areas and needs protection. Therefore, when harvesting, carefully break off only dry branches, besides, raw ones are not good anyway. Just a few branches of this wonderful plant are enough to give the fish both a golden color and a unique aroma.
If there is no alder, you can use dry wood of any hardwood:
- oak, hazel, ash, maple, apple, pear, cherry, plum; It is imperative to remove the bark from a birch tree - it contains tar.
- In no case should you use pine, spruce, cedar - they contain a lot of resin.
- The wood must be chopped into small pieces or chips of 4...6 centimeters.
- When smoking, you can and even need to use sawdust.
- Chicks, branches and sawdust are poured onto the bottom of the barrel in an even layer. They will begin to smolder and emit smoke as soon as the bottom of the barrel or bucket is heated from a fire built below.
A few words about the fire itself. When smoking fish, it should be small, but give a lot of heat - you can choose any kind of wood.
Keep the fire burning smoothly long time, - art, which is acquired only by one’s own experience. But the quality of the food depends on this experience. smoked fish.
Hot smoking
This method has many advantages.
- It's fast, reliable, simple;
- The fish is immediately ready to eat.
- And there is no need for complex structures. Eat metal barrel- great, no - you can get by with an old bucket, but they need to be thoroughly calcined.
- Required condition– well-fitted lids.
- How to use these containers is clear from the figure.
- The insert nets on which the fish are placed are made of annealed steel wire with a diameter of 4...6 millimeters.
So, we are going to smoke fish using the hot method.
We do not cut small fish, we gut the medium one, cut large fish into a layer or flank - cutting along the spine into two fillets.
Wash the cut fish and salt it dry. For this we need
- board or piece of plywood,
- coarse salt No. 1 or No. 2.
- After sprinkling salt on the board and the fish, rub the salt into the carcass, moving it along the table with slight pressure.
- Rub the inner surface of the belly with salt by hand.
- If the fish has a thick back, make a cut in it along the ridge and rub salt into it.
Salting oily fish (capelin, mackerel, halibut, horse mackerel, catfish, flounder, silver carp, catfish, burbot) is somewhat different from what was described above.
- Rubbed with coarse salt, each fish or layer is wrapped in parchment or pencil tracing paper so that the fats do not oxidize.
- Then the fish is placed layer by layer in enamel dishes, preferably in trays with a lid.
- Everything is covered with parchment on top, and its edges are folded.
- It is advisable to place the fish in a small mound and press it down with a lid, securing it with a rope or wire.
Salting defrosted in cold water Fish lasts slightly longer than fresh fish - from 4...6 hours to a day.
Under the influence of salt, proteins coagulate, taste and smell are lost. raw fish, its meat thickens and becomes usable without further cooking.
Next operation – drying fish for 40...60 minutes. During this time, its salinity reaches the required 1.5...2.0 percent and the fish is partially dehydrated, as brine - a salt solution - drains off.
- The fish is tied with twine and hung on hangers and covered from flies with a gauze canopy.
- Can be placed in plastic bags and hide in a cool place, for example, in a refrigerator or cellar.
- In the second case, before placing the fish in the smokehouse, it is thoroughly wiped clean of brine, and the over-salted fish is washed fresh water and then wipe it.
Options for tying fish for hot smoking: A– with insert key, b- firmware, V– harness. When it’s cold, the fish is simply hung.
Now you can smoke the fish.
- A mixture of alder or other chicks with the addition of juniper is loaded into the bottom of a bucket or barrel,
- and on grids made of metal wire in the middle and upper part of the vessel the fish is placed, the larger ones at the bottom.
- It is laid loosely in one layer.
- The harness made with harsh twine (do not use synthetics!) is not removed.
- Make a fire under the barrel and, if possible, close it tightly with a lid or metal sheet.
- After 30...60 minutes, depending on the size of the fish and the smokehouse, the smoke from under the lid becomes dry and acquires a characteristic aroma.
- The final readiness is determined by the appearance of the fish, golden tea color and dry surface of the skin.
- Wherein the smokehouse can only be opened very a short time so that the lumps do not ignite due to air access.
In a barrel you can place fish in three or four grids
The temperature inside the barrel is about 80° during drying, which is about a quarter of the time, and about 100° during direct smoking. As a result of this process, proteins coagulate, low-resistant organic compounds are destroyed, some nitrogenous substances are lost along with moisture, and fat is rendered.
Determining the temperature is quite simple– just splash water on the lid. If the water does not boil, but simply evaporates, – the smoking mode is maintained correctly.
The finished dish cannot be stored for long; it must be consumed within two to three days.
Cold smoking
Cold smoking is more labor-intensive. It is necessary to build a special smokehouse, salt the fish longer, and the process itself takes from two to three days.
Cold smokehouse.
- The chimney groove is made approximately 100 × 100 or 150 × 150 mm.
- From above it is covered with a board and turf.
- Below is a fire pit.
- On top is a smoking box.
The structure of the simplest smokehouse is clear from the figure. Optimal length inclined chimney should be at least 7...10 meters. If there is a cellar on the site, you can use it; if not, you will have to build an artificial embankment.
- Fresh fish is salted for five days, defrosted - twice as long.
- Moreover, the fish placed in trays is additionally sprinkled with salt.
- Soaking also lasts longer - 4...6 hours or more.
- After this, the fish is tied and dried for 24 hours.
- The smoke temperature in the smokehouse should be no more than 35°.
- After smoking, the fish can be dried for 24 hours - this will increase the shelf life.
During cold smoking, fish loses a significant part of its moisture and becomes saturated, as if preserved, with smoke from the fire.
And one more addition: the more salt in the fish, the lower the temperature should be.
Semi-hot smoking
Potbelly stove for semi-hot smoking
Fish that has been salted for more than a day is suitable for it; soaking can be done “by eye.” An ordinary iron stove “potbelly stove” was used as a smokehouse. with a couple of additional bends on the pipe so that the smoke temperature is around 50...60°. The blower was covered to ensure smoldering in the firebox, and the fish was hung at some distance from the end of the pipe in the zone where the smoke mixed with air.
- One day of light is enough for smoking.
- The taste of the fish is somewhat unusual, but appearance and the aroma is closer to hot smoking.
- This technology is currently not widely used, but is interesting in its simplicity and great opportunities for experimentation.
Science and life. 1988. No. 7.
There are two ways to smoke fish - cold and hot.
Besides, There is another way to accelerate smoking - in a metal portable smokehouse.
However, in this case, the fish turns out baked-smoked and less tasty, according to gourmets.
A smokehouse for cold smoking is built on a sloping clay bank. They dig a chimney (ditch) three to four meters long and 40-50 centimeters deep, cover it on top with branches and turf. At the end of the chimney, a vertical hole is made, lined with stones or turf, and something like a wide pipe up to 1 meter high is erected above the ground. In it, freshly salted or salted fish and then soaked in running water are hung on crossbars.
Another option for smoking fish on the shore while fishing
Hot smoked fish is prepared in a special fish smokehouse.
Unlike drying, almost all types of fish are suitable for smoking.
Eel, bream, tench, cod, carp, river perch, and burbot are especially tasty when smoked..
- For hot smoking, gut the fish, leaving the head and scales, as in finished form it will turn out more attractive and less dry.
- After gutting and washing, sprinkle the fish with salt (at the rate of 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 kg of fish) or fish spices on salt and leave for 2-3 hours to salt.
Dry-salted or brined fish (depending on its weight) refrigerate until smoking for 1 to 4 hours. Just before smoking the fish, rinse it lightly cold water and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
- If you have time, you can dry the fish for two hours on branches 1-2 cm high.
A layer of small chips from fruit trees is poured onto the bottom of the smokehouse..
- Sawdust is best made from alder (birch and pine are not suitable due to the abundance of resin released). A sprig of juniper without needles is added to the sawdust, which gives the fish a golden color, and a bay leaf is added for aroma.
- Place a baking tray or frying pan to catch the fat, or lay down several layers of foil.
- The fish is hung or placed on a grill so that the carcasses do not touch each other.
- You can put spices, vegetables or lemon into the cut in the abdomen of each or some fish optional.
- The box is closed and put on fire.
- After 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the carcasses), the fish will be ready.
- The time depends on the size of the carcasses.
If, after removing the lid, they find that the fish is poorly smoked, close the lid and put the fish back on the fire. The duration of smoking fish for each smokehouse design is determined experimentally, Moreover, skills are acquired quickly - after 2-3 times. Depending on the size of the fish, its quantity and the efficiency of the smokehouse, the smoking time averages from 10-15 minutes to 1 hour.
When smoking is finished, open the lid to allow the remaining moisture to evaporate and the fish to dry slightly. Properly smoked fish has a golden brown color, the meat easily separates from the skin, which in turn turns out crumbly and evenly baked.
You can cook hot smoked fish without a smokehouse
- Dig a niche in the coastal cliff half a meter deep and wide, and at least 70 cm high.
- The prepared fish is placed on sticks fixed at the top, a fire is made under it, rotten alder and aspen pieces, cones, and wet leaves are thrown into it so that thick hot smoke flows around the carcasses.
- After 1-3 hours (depending on the size of the carcasses), the fish will be ready to eat.
- During the smoking process, the carcasses are turned over several times.
They do this too.
- The prepared fish is put on non-resinous sticks and stuck into the ground near the fire on the leeward side so that the fish is in the hot smoke.
- Ready smoked fish has a bronze-golden color and a specific, very tasty smell.
- During open smoking, fish scales are not removed..
DIY smokehouses
To engage in smoking, there is no need to have the ability to be a welder, foundry worker or tinker. Everything can be much simpler, just have access to the Internet, and you can always find and purchase a mini-smokehouse you like, which can be used by a fisherman directly while fishing, a summer resident, and a car enthusiast. The use of electric smokehouses is well suited for hot smoking. The process of smoke emission in such devices is catalyzed by internal heating elements. A very useful gadget is a thermostat that will monitor and ensure that the temperature released during smoking is distributed evenly in the internal space of the oven. Due to their appearance, such devices are often compared to microwave ovens, but they are similar not only in appearance, but also in operation. electric smokers They are also simple, unpretentious, easy to assemble and prepare for the process, and also easy to disassemble and clean. In some models (which, naturally, is a big plus) there is not one, but two or even more grates for dishes. This allows you to use time more efficiently and save on costs. You can also find so-called smoking barrels on sale. The design of such barrels is quite simple, so with a minimum set of knowledge, an amateur home smoked meat or fish, and smoking sausage, if there is a sufficient amount of suitable materials, he can make such a smokehouse for himself. Inside the barrel there is a vertically located mesh with hooks and forks on which the fish is hung. The mesh itself is placed with its lower end on a tray with the smoking mixture. And this entire composition is placed on an electric stove (or you can use a gas or alcohol burner). There is no standard for the design of smokehouse barrels. You can buy/make a barrel according to one principle, and during operation, upgrade it at your discretion: it is possible that the tray for the smoking mixture is made in the form of a box that slides out; it is possible to use an additional tray to collect dripping fat; you can make the barrel lid in the form of rings (like on a Russian stove) and additionally add tubular sections. There may be several such sections. In general, Russian cuisine is diverse in its subtleties.
Smokehouse from wooden barrel
A smoking device made from a barrel (no matter wooden or metal) is unpretentious to manufacture. The bottom of the barrel is first knocked out (the iron barrel is calcined). The top of the barrel is covered with a lid with holes and burlap. This structure is erected on a pre-prepared firebox - a hole one and a half meters long and approximately seventy centimeters deep. The walls of the pit are lined with fire-resistant bricks so that the weight of the barrel at the most inopportune moment does not crumble the edges of the pit and collapse. The walls are covered with a dense layer of sand/earth/clay. This will allow us to avoid loss of smoke and heat. In front of the pit, the furnace hearth is made directly. You will regulate the flow of smoke by moving the barrel. Having lit a fire under the barrel, we add the mixture for smoking, making sure that temperature and smoke are released, and that there is no open fire. Smoking barrels made according to this principle give a temperature of eighty to one hundred degrees Celsius. Smoking time depends on temperature and smoke concentration, and lasts from three to four hours. The fish is suspended inside the barrel on hooks, nails or rods; this does not play a big role. For smoking, it is necessary that the fish do not come into contact with each other. The fish is pre-prepared as follows: strung on a stick, wrapped in gauze and tied with thread. 
1 - firebox with smoke exit direction
2 - barrel body without bottom
3 - hanger
4 - barrel lid with small holes for smoke to escape
5 - bricks
6-layer of earth to protect the hearth and bottom of the barrel from smoke and heat leakage
For smoking on outdoors you can make a smokehouse. To do this, we use an iron barrel or part of a ventilation pipe. Next, we cut out the bottom and burn the inside of the barrel over the fire. We make holes in the walls at the same level opposite each other, where the wire on which the products are hung will then be attached. For the smokehouse we make a glass with a diameter of 50-60mm and a length of up to half a meter, with a thickness of no more than 3mm. Solder one end of the pipe, and cut a thread on the second. The barrel must be secured on a stand so that a glass filled with sawdust with a small amount of sugar can be placed underneath to create smoke. We cover the top of the barrel with burlap or asbestos or plywood. Well, the smokehouse is ready. To start smoking, light a blowtorch and heat a glass with sawdust. We monitor the smoke from the barrel; if it comes out strongly, then reduce the flame a little. After about half an hour, let the smoked products cool and hang them for airing, and remove the remaining sawdust from the glass.
1 - barrel with holes for wire
2 - “glass” with sawdust
3 - blowtorch
Two barrel smokehouse
For this smokehouse you need two barrels, remove the bottom on both and place them one on top of the other. We install crossbars in the upper barrel for further hanging of products on them. We close the top barrel with a lid with holes or a cloth to regulate the saturation of the smoke inside the container. It is necessary to make a hole in the bottom barrel for the firebox. At the bottom we place a metal sheet on which the sawdust will smolder. Between the two barrels we will install a wet filter to retain soot; for this we can use a fabric with holes for the passage of smoke. The density of the smoke is regulated by the amount of smoldering sawdust in the firebox. When smoking in such a smokehouse, we maintain the humidity at no more than 50%. If the smoke is humid and thick, and the temperature is higher than normal, a large amount of soot will form on the products. 
Smokehouse for fish from a metal barrel
Using a two-hundred-liter metal barrel you can build an excellent homemade smokehouse. To do this, weld the water pipe at a right angle inward. The diameter of the pipe is 32mm, we attach a coupling to the end. We weld one side and cut a thread on the other. We put dried sawdust into the pencil case and heat it with a blowtorch. Of course we use sawdust deciduous trees. After about 10 -15 minutes, when smoke appears in the barrel, we turn off the lamp. After 2.5-3 hours, we repeat the procedure. On average, normal smoking requires 5-6 sessions. Then we grease the fish vegetable oil and dry for 2-3 days. 
1 - oppression
2 - cover
3 -metal grill
4-pipe
5 - coupling
6 - pencil case with sawdust
7 -blowtorch
8-barrel
Homemade smokehouse from a metal barrel
Let's consider a smoking device for smoking fish from ordinary iron barrel with insert mesh. This smokehouse is very convenient to use in field conditions, that is, directly at the place of fishing. To assemble such a smokehouse, you need a metal barrel, pre-heated over a fire, and well-fitted lids. We build a foundation of bricks, and install a barrel on top. We make a fire under the barrel, put sawdust on the bottom of the barrel and insert 3-4 wire mesh on which the fish is laid out. The top lid of the barrel regulates the concentration of smoke inside the barrel. Also, to give a special aroma to the products when smoking, we can place a container with oil and seasonings at the bottom of the barrel (where the sawdust smolders). 
1 - fish
2 -grid
3 - baking tray
4 - firebox
Homemade smoking oven from a barrel
A smoking oven can be made from a used metal barrel or a piece of steel pipe 1.2-1.5 m long and about 30 cm in diameter. Remove the bottom of the barrel and bend the edges of the walls to form a groove. Insert a bowl-shaped tray into the pipe, onto which sawdust is poured. Place a base of bricks underneath it, which should form a fire pit measuring approximately 50cm in length, width and height. (The same dimensions are the minimum dimensions of the barrel, whereas when smoking in a pipe, the platform must correspond to its diameter.) Hang the product on hooks attached to the transverse strips of the mesh. To keep the smoke in the barrel and regulate air access, you need to spread burlap on top. The costs of manufacturing such a smokehouse are minimal, and the smoking result can be checked at any time (the fish should turn golden yellow).
1 - crossbar for hanging products
2 - burlap
3 - barrel without day
4 - baking tray with sawdust
5 - base
6 - hearth
Homemade smokehouse for cold smoking
A device for smoking a small amount of fish can be a wooden or metal barrel with the bottoms removed. You need to dig a trench about 2m in the ground. Such a chimney will connect the firebox to the barrel. Reinforce the chimney walls with old iron, slate or other material. Sprinkle the top of the trench with the chimney with earth. Place the barrel on an iron sheet with holes punched for the passage of smoke and cover it with a sheet of iron or burlap. Passing through the chimney, the smoke cools, as a result of which it is possible to smoke food at a low temperature (20-30 C). 
Homemade smokehouse from a bucket
A small smokehouse for fish and meat products can be made from an old galvanized bucket with a lid. The size of the tagan cross depends on the size of the bucket. Insert two grids made of stainless steel wire with a diameter of 3 mm into the bucket. Place one grate at a distance of 100mm from the top edge of the bucket, the other 50mm above the first one, add alder shavings, sawdust or finely planed sticks to the bottom of the bucket in a layer of about 2cm. Sprinkle the food well with salt before smoking (the fish must be scaled and gutted). After 2.5-3 hours, thoroughly rinse the pieces of meat or fish and place them on the grates so that they do not touch each other and do not bake during smoking. Then cover the bucket with a lid and put on fire. Ventilate the finished smoked meats for 10-15 minutes and dry slightly. The stronger the fire, the faster the fuel will begin to smolder and the aromatic smoke necessary for smoking will appear. To prevent the food from burning, the lid must not be opened during smoking, as a fire may break out in the bucket. 
1 - general view
2 - steel gratings
3 - installation on Taganka
Smoking pipe
Almost any container of suitable size is suitable for smoking, where you can feed and from where you can remove the smoke. A smokehouse designed for smoking fish in the open air can be built from a steel or galvanized pipe measuring 100x200cm. You can also make it from a sheet of steel measuring 100x65 cm, bending it into a roll and overlapping it by 2-3 cm. To fasten it, you should drill holes in the roll for connecting screws at a distance of 25-30cm from each other. This smokehouse can be used for both vertical and horizontal smoking. If the smokehouse pipe is placed vertically above the fire source, cuts must be made at its upper end for a wooden cross on which the fish will be suspended on strings.
At the bottom, install a sawdust tray made of sheet steel with edges curved upward. Cover the top of the pipe with aluminum foil with holes for smoke to escape. Convenient to use as a fire source gas burner. To place the burner under the smoking chamber, the pipe should be placed on bricks before starting smoking. To prepare smoked fish fillets, it is better to place such a smokehouse pipe horizontally. Inside the smokehouse, insert a weeding grid with large cells, the size of which corresponds to the diameter of the pipe. So that the grid can freely enter the pipe, bend the cut ends of the wire back with pliers (to avoid deformation under load, such a grid must be strong). Cover the ends of the pipe with sheets of foil with holes. The upper openings will be exhaust for smoke, the lower ones will be for intake fresh air. Install a heating source between the supports on which the smokehouse pipe is laid. 
1 - sawdust for smoking
2 - fuel
3 - aluminum foil
4 -grid
5 smoke outlets
6 holes for fresh air
WITH homemade portable smokehouse
A small portable smokehouse is a cylinder made of sheet iron with a bottom. Inside such a cylinder, weld or rivet two squares on which the fish pan will be installed. Make a hole in the lid with a plug. The dimensions of such a mini-smokehouse depend on the smoking conditions. The smokehouse cylinder is very convenient for hiking. It can be used to bail out water from a boat or as a stove for a tent. If you pour coals from a fire or hot boiling water and close the lid tightly, it will retain heat for several hours.
1 - smokehouse body
2 - squares
3 - baking tray
4 - cover
5 - plug
Next, I wanted to continue the topic of smoking and move on to the next sections of our site - salting fish and salting meat, without which it is impossible to smoke in smokehouses with your own hands.
What could be better than a pleasant holiday on own dacha, when there is a fireplace in the open area, and you enjoy unity with nature in the spiritual company of loved ones and friends. For complete happiness, all that remains is to taste a dish of smoked fish or meat prepared with my own hands. To diversify your table with dishes with an unforgettable taste and exquisite aroma, you just need to make a smokehouse for your garden.
Many people know that there are two ways to prepare smoked meats: cold and hot.
Cold smoked products retain their texture and density. The technology is quite lengthy, but there is no need to rush things, since incompletely cooked fish or meat can cause poisoning.
During hot smoking, products are cooked using the heat emanating from the coals, soaking pleasant aroma smoke and acquiring a richer taste.
The cold method involves smoking products for several days at a temperature of 30°. The products are simply suspended from the smoke of a smoldering fire and kept for 5-7 days.
The hot method involves smoking fish or meat for several hours at a temperature of 90° to 150°. The lower the temperature in the installation, the longer the product smokes
The main principle of smoking is that with optimal heating, wood chips, without igniting, gradually smolder, releasing a large number of smoke.
The main thing when arranging a smokehouse is to maintain the temperature, creating conditions under which wood branches and sawdust do not catch fire and char, and the dish turns out tasty and healthy
The optimal smoking method in the absence of special thermometers at home can only be determined experimentally.
The lid must fit tightly to the body of the smoking chamber, otherwise combustion may occur instead of smoking. Since metal tends to warp during repeated use, to ensure a tight fit, the lid can be pressed down with an ordinary brick.
The design of the smokehouse is determined by the smoking method.
When constructing a device for cold smoking, the pit for the hearth is placed to the side, connecting it to the smoking chamber with a special pipe
When constructing a device for hot smoking, the hearth with coals is located directly under the smoking chamber
Smokehouse option #1 – design for hot smoking
There are many design options for smokehouses that you can make yourself. It all depends on the availability of free time, the materials needed for manufacturing and the skills of the craftsman.
The simplest version of the smokehouse is a structure made from a two hundred liter metal barrel.
Place at the bottom of the container wood shavings. A reinforcing grid is placed just above the middle, the thickness of the rods in which is 8-10 mm
The top of the barrel is covered with a piece of burlap, which prevents smoke from escaping. The structure itself is closed wooden shield. The barrel is placed on pillars made of bricks, and a fire is built under it.
The same arrangement principle can be applied when making a smokehouse from a metal bucket. To arrange the lattice, we used willow rods, from which we formed a ring and braided it with wire to form a coarse mesh.
The moment is also important the right choice sawdust Do not take pine sawdust under any circumstances, otherwise you will get a guaranteed failure. It also doesn’t taste good when cooked with aspen sawdust.
For smoking, it is best to use shavings and ground branches left over from autumn pruning fruit trees: cherry, sea buckthorn, apple tree, apricot
A tasty dish can be obtained by using branches of birch, bird cherry and dry alder. But they must first be cleared of the bark, as it imparts bitterness.
Smokehouse option #2 – design for cold smoking
To provide yourself with a variety of delicacies, you can make your own smokehouse.
Choosing an installation location
On the one hand, the place should be convenient so that there is somewhere to lay out food and sit down while waiting for the process to complete. On the other hand, it is better to place a flammable structure away from green spaces and buildings, since a raging flame can cause irreparable damage.
When choosing a place to install a smokehouse, it is important to consider not only the convenience for those preparing the dish, but also the safety of the structure
It is also necessary to provide enough space for arranging an underground chimney 3 meters long, the height of which is on average 25-27 cm and width 30-50 cm.
Procurement of materials
A metal barrel or iron box. For work, it is better to use a container whose area does not exceed one meter and height - one and a half meters. It can be made by cutting and bending a sheet of metal, and then welding it into a box without a bottom or roof.
When arranging a smokehouse, it is better to use natural materials which, when heated, do not emit substances harmful to human health
Chimney installation
The upper wall of the channel can be decorated with the same brick or covered with a sheet of thick metal. We place a damper on top of the chimney, which will block the exit of heat and smoke. It's better to cut it out sheet metal, having a thickness of 4 mm.
We lay the chimney channel above the level of the smokehouse. We lay out the walls of the chimney with bricks, installing their edge and fastening them with clay mortar
We connect the chimney to the smokehouse so that the entry is equal to 20 cm, ensuring uniform distribution and timely removal of smog out. We seal the joints of the walls of the smoking chamber and the chimney with clay mortar.
Installation of the smoking chamber
To arrange the firebox, we dig a hole in the ground 40 cm deep and 70 cm in diameter, providing space for air intake.
We lay out the smoking chamber out of brick, using a sand-clay mortar, or use a metal box for this purpose.
Since we will be lighting the fire to heat the sawdust directly on the ground, we completely remove the bottom of the box. We construct the smoking compartment itself from a grate made of iron rods. An excellent addition to the design will be metal hooks, which are convenient for hanging fish carcasses and pieces of meat.
During the smoking process, meat and fish begin to release fat. To have somewhere for it to drain, we place a shallow pan under the grate, leaving gaps between the walls of the box and the edges of the pan for the passage of flue gases.
A wet burlap stretched over the firebox will allow smoke to pass freely, but at the same time protect food from contamination by ash and foreign substances.
To be able to control the process, we attach a mechanical thermometer to the wall of the structure.
First test of the device
Inside the smoking compartment we lay out the fish or pieces of meat so that they do not touch.
We fill the sawdust compartment with chopped wood of any fruit tree and fire up the oven. We close the damper, waiting until the smoking chamber warms up and fills with smoke. Preparatory stage takes a quarter of the total cooking time and lasts from 10 to 15 minutes.
You don’t have to limit yourself to smoking just fish. Chicken, garlic-stuffed pork neck and lard can be used
When the temperature rises to the required level, open the outlet. You can determine the temperature in the smokehouse using a mechanical thermometer or using the water method. To do this, you need to drop water on the lid and observe: if it does not hiss when evaporating, the smoking process is proceeding correctly. If you need to lower the temperature, just move the coals a little.
All that remains is to wait until the product is completely smoked, becoming hot to the touch and acquiring a golden hue.
The first time, you can check the readiness of the product directly during the cooking process, removing the lid for a split second and returning it back with the same speed, thereby somewhat violating the production technology. As you gain experience, this will no longer be necessary, and you will have a much better handle on creating culinary masterpieces in the fresh air.
What could be tastier than homemade smoked meats? Many craftsmen are interested in a description of the principle of creating homemade products that are useful in the household.
The finished products are shown in the photo; cold smoked smokehouses can be made with your own hands. Products homemade is a welcome treat.
Self-made design
Cold smoking is the process of processing food using smoke at a temperature of 32 degrees. The process must be organized correctly, so the master will need to figure out how to make a cold smoked smokehouse correctly. It is important not to make a mistake with the construction scheme.
It is necessary for the hot smoke to become cold. To do this, use a tunnel that connects the firebox to the compartment where the products are placed. The length of the tunnel can vary between 2-7 m. This distance is taken into account to calculate the length of the chimney.
If the firebox is located at a distance of more than 7 m from the smokehouse, draft problems, as a rule, cannot be avoided.
How does the device work?
The operating principle of a homemade smokehouse can be presented as follows. Food processing can last from 3 days. The process may continue for several weeks.
The main thing is to ensure that the smoking process occurs evenly. Do not mix in the smoking chamber different kinds food.
You need to prepare food in one go. It is important to sort products by size.
More about the design of the smokehouse
To make a firebox, you need to dig a trench with dimensions of 50x50. These values may be higher. Often the width and depth of the pit are made to be meter wide.
The bottom of the firebox can be made of brick, and then covered with a tin sheet. Prepare cement mortar not necessary. It is enough to compact the bricks close to each other. The sides are also finished with brick. Here you will need a clay mortar for masonry.
When creating a drawing of a cold smoked smokehouse, you need to take into account both the distance individual parts designs and dimensions of materials.
A trench is specially dug under a chimney with a diameter of 25 cm. The top needs to be covered with a sheet of iron. To prevent smoke from escaping, sheet material covered with earth.
A filter is installed at the junction of the smokehouse and the chimney. The main element is a metal mesh with small cells. Dense material is placed on the mesh. The filter protects finished products from soot.
It is important to make the smokehouse durable and reliable. In this case, the structure will stand stable and will not fall if someone accidentally touches it. At the top, the smokehouse is equipped with stainless steel rods.
Their thickness varies from 8 to 10 mm. They are durable and are used to hang food prepared for smoking. Usually food is hung on special hooks. An alternative replacement is a regular grill.
The simplest scheme
A smokehouse is considered a budget option, allowing the master to save building materials and time spent on construction.
The chamber with the products is 2 m away from the firebox. The basis for the smokehouse can be a metal barrel.
Note!
Stages of work
Having determined the dimensions of the smokehouse for yourself, you can begin construction. First you will need to dig a hole under the firebox. Its bottom is covered with a tin sheet. Thanks to this, it is possible to ensure more uniform smoldering of chips and sawdust.
The next stage of work is the installation of a chimney. The dug trench needs to be covered from above. Only non-combustible materials are suitable for this purpose.
The pit can be covered with a sheet of slate. The top of the chimney is covered with soil to ensure tightness.
The smoking chamber is installed in a barrel with the bottom cut off. A metal mesh is mounted below, on which burlap is placed. By combining these materials, the task of filtering out soot particles is effectively solved.
A metal grate is bolted to the top of the barrel, 20 cm away from the edge. It is not necessary to use this option; you can limit yourself to rods with hooks.
Note!
To fully understand all the nuances, you need to watch the corresponding video clip.
When cold smoking, food loses moisture gradually. During the drying process, smoke penetrates deeper into the food. The result is meat and fish delicacies with a delicious taste.
When the carcass of an old animal is smoked, its meat will remain somewhat tough. In order not to be disappointed, you need to be guided at first by recipes that have already been tested by many. It is better to leave experiments with shades of taste for later.
IN finished smokehouse Factory production has several gratings and a tray. It is better to choose a product with a large capacity so that smoking is carried out more evenly.
For lovers of long hikes, you need a smokehouse made of metal with a thickness of 0.8 mm. At the dacha, you can install heavier options, where the thickness of the steel body is 2 mm.
Photo of a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands
Note!
The process of cold smoking is different in that the products are exposed to cold smoke, the temperature of which does not exceed twenty-five degrees. Therefore, all drawings of a cold smoked smokehouse take into account the location of the firebox at some distance. While the smoke goes through the pipe and rises in the smoking chamber, it cools and is freed from soot and harmful impurities.
Do-it-yourself cold smoked brick smokehouse. Step-by-step instruction
Before starting construction directly, you need to do drawing cold smoked smokehouse and mark the location of all its components on the site. The combustion chamber must be no less than two and a half meters. It is better to choose a place with a slope, so that the smoking chamber itself is located on a hill, and the firebox is located on a slope.
Cold smoked smokehouse. Operating principle
The most solid and reliable design is a cold smoked smokehouse made of brick. To build it correctly, you need to take several points into account. The step-by-step instructions for building a cold smoked smokehouse cover all the details of the process.
. Stage one - laying the foundation
At the place where it will be located smoking chamber, soil is selected. The depth of the pit should be sixty centimeters. Formwork is installed in it, rising twenty-five centimeters above the edges. The space is reinforced, placed in the center ten liter bucket to create a recess after pouring concrete mortar. At this point, smoke will come out of the chimney. Before pouring, it is necessary to lay a pipe that will supply smoke. When all necessary elements will be placed, the foundation space is filled with concrete mortar.
. Stage two - erection of walls
For the walls of such a smokehouse it is used building brick or concrete blocks
. The specific design of a cold smoked smokehouse depends on the personal wishes of the owner. It can be very small for a minimum amount of products or spacious. You can install a window in it, but it should be small. Because the Sun rays harmful to smoked products, it should face the north side or be located so that light does not fall on the area where smoked products are placed. 
. Stage three - arrangement of the roof
The most economical, easy to install and convenient option is soft roof
. To create it, a small section of timber is used to construct rafter system. Sheet material is laid on the rafters, for example, moisture resistant plywood or OSB boards. The elements of flexible tiles are already mounted on a flat base. 
. Stage four - arrangement of the firebox
The firebox can be made of brick or used as such metal stove. If brick is used, then you need to take fireproof fireclay. You also need a fireproof pipe that will remove smoke from the firebox to the smoking chamber. The diameter of the pipe must be large enough so that the smoke flows slowly, cools and is freed from soot particles. 
. Stage five - interior arrangement
The interior of the smokehouse is very simple. Installed above the smoke exit hole gratings and are hung hooks.
After this, the cold smoked brick smokehouse can be used. 
DIY cold smoked smokehouse. Photo
The terrain of the site with slopes and terraces simplifies the installation of a cold smoked smokehouse. The presence of a terrace allows you not to deepen the firebox into the ground. It can simply be placed on the lower tier, and a smoking chamber can be installed on the upper tier. As a result, the amount of work is reduced, the smokehouse is built faster, with less labor and time.
Step-by-step instructions for building a cold smoked smokehouse. Video
Do-it-yourself cold smoked wood smokehouse. Step by step photos
To make a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands, it is not at all necessary to use brick. Wood is also excellent for this purpose. Will help in construction step-by-step instruction for the construction of a cold smoked smokehouse made of natural wood.
1. They dig up the site trench for pipes, smoking and combustion chambers. The depth of the trench should be from one and a half to two spade bayonets. The part intended for the pipe is located slightly higher than the smokehouse pit. 
DIY cold smoked smokehouse. Photo
2. Pit for smoking chamber dig two or three shovels deep. When it gets into it, the smoke is slightly delayed. At this time, large particles of soot fall out of it, i.e. the smoke clears. After that, it rises into the smoking chamber.
3. The fire pit is filled cement to create a reliable floor. Such a level base is necessary so that the combustion chamber made of brick does not subsequently collapse due to natural soil movements. 
4. Place in the chimney trench pipe. Its diameter must be sufficient for the smoke to pass freely to the smoking chamber, cooling along the way. 
5. Posted combustion chamber. To do this, take refractory bricks, from which the walls of the firebox and its upper part are made. 
6. Attach a cast iron door to the firebox, which closes securely. This will force the smoke to take a longer path through the chimney and prevent it from being lost. 
Step-by-step instructions for building a cold smoked smokehouse. Photo
7. For a cold-smoked smokehouse made of wood, set up base. For this building bricks lay out the walls of the recess under it and bring them to a certain height above the ground. It will then be installed directly on such a brick base. wooden part designs. 
8. The trench with the chimney pipe is covered with earth and thoroughly compacted. Earth is needed for better cooling of the chimney and smoke. Wet soil conducts heat better than air. 
9. Create a wooden smoking chamber:
To make a cold smoked smokehouse from wood, use wooden blocks. It is advisable to take material from hardwood. The base of the future chamber is assembled from the bars. 
DIY cold smoked smokehouse. Photo
Smooth planks are placed on the base. They should fit as tightly as possible to each other so that smoke does not escape through the cracks. 
The roof is made single or gable. The door is attached to the front so that it fits tightly and opens easily. A latch will help prevent spontaneous opening. 
A hole is left in the roof for the pipe and it is installed there. The pipe should be of small diameter so that the smoke does not escape too quickly. 
The first kindling will help check the correct operation of all parts. 
Smokehouse from a barrel
If all the previous options seem complicated and expensive, then you should pay attention to a cold smoked smokehouse from a barrel. The basis of the design will be a barrel made of wood or other material. The only exception is plastic. The bottom of the container is removed so that the smoke can pass through.
To make a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands, you need to dig two holes in the ground for the firebox and smoking chamber, as well as a trench connecting them. The firebox should be about fifty centimeters in diameter and about forty centimeters deep. The bottom is covered with a sheet gland. The walls can be reinforced with brick, but the firebox will function even without it.
Pit under smoking chamber They dig out of the barrel at a distance of about three meters. The diameter should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the base of the barrel, and the depth should be about forty centimeters. 
The pits connect trench, which will be used to hold the smoke. The depth of the trench should be about thirty centimeters. The finished trench is closed metal sheets, covered with earth and compacted. It is not necessary to use a pipe, but it is better to compact the walls of the trench so that they do not crumble over time.
Attached to the bottom of the barrel metal grate. It will be covered with smoke filtering material, such as straw or burlap. Filter materials are moistened so that they better clean the smoke from large particles of combustion products. This layer makes the smoke lighter, thinner, and free of soot. In addition, the grate will not allow food to fall into the depths of the pit. 
Install at the top of the barrel rods, on which the meat hooks will be attached. You can install and grille for product placement.
The resulting cold smoked barrel smokehouse is covered with burlap, a wooden shield or similar material. The smokehouse is ready and can be used for its intended purpose.
To prevent smoke from getting lost and coming out from underneath the barrel, its base is covered with earth. This soil around the base is carefully compacted.
Cold smoked smokehouse from an old refrigerator
In almost every household you can find old refrigerator, which has long been broken. In order not to increase the amount of garbage, it, or rather the body, can be used to make a smokehouse.
Building a cold smoked smokehouse from an old refrigerator is not at all difficult. To do this you will need to take refrigerator body(the insides are dismantled), a pipe about four meters long, heat-resistant bricks for arranging the firebox and an iron lid for it.
The firebox is installed below the level of the smoking chamber. It is better to use a site that has a slope for convenient placement. For the firebox, a hole is dug, which is laid out heat-resistant brick. If the farm has a metal container of sufficient volume, then you can dig it in. It is closed on top with a metal lid so that the smoke goes into the chimney.
The next element of a cold smoked smokehouse from an old refrigerator is pipe for smoke removal. She must be pretty long length so that the smoke, passing through it, has time to cool. In addition, it is recommended to bury the pipe underground. Surrounded by damp earth, it will cool down better and cool the smoke to the desired temperature.
The pipe entry into the refrigerator body can be done in two ways. In the first case, the connection is made to existing holes, which served to accommodate the main working parts of the refrigerator. In this case, the entrance can be either at the top or at the bottom. The specific option depends on the refrigerator model.
Second way - pipe insertion to the bottom of the body. This requires additional work, but provides the most optimal smoke flow. It will run from the bottom up and provide best result, since more smoke will pass through the product. 
Inside the refrigerator body is equipped with all necessary equipment for product placement. Lattice shelves or hooks are used to allow meat or fish to be hung.
Finally, the homemade smokehouse should be equipped chimney for smoke outflow. But it will only be needed if the seal on the door is still quite effective and does not create cracks. In most cases, the seal on an old refrigerator leaves small gaps through which smoke escapes. 
This option for disposing of an old refrigerator can be considered the most optimal, because... it will still serve usefully.
Home cold smoked smokehouse "Dym Dymych"
If you look at the drawings of a cold smoked smokehouse, you realize that they are not suitable for a small personal plot, then you should pay attention to home smokehouse Smoke Dymych.
This household smokehouse is made from cold-rolled steel sheet
, the thickness of which is eight tenths of a millimeter. The smoking container has a volume of thirty-two liters. The kit includes a smoke generator and compressor. Smoke enters the smoking chamber through a flexible hose. 
IN smoke generator The smokehouse is filled with wood chips. There smoke is released, which is sent to the smoking container. The smoke supply can be adjusted using electric compressor. Through a hose, the length of which is seventy-four centimeters, the smoke passes to the stored products. Smoking times depend on several factors. Firstly, they depend on the weight and volume of the products, and secondly, on the activity of the smoke treatment. The result is time frames ranging from five hours to fifteen.
Such a smokehouse has several advantages. It is compact and can be stored anywhere when not in use. The device can be used not only in conditions suburban area, but also in the city, for example, on a balcony or near the house. Smokehouse Dym Dymych is sold in a form that is completely ready for use. It does not require pre-assembly or manufacturing in-house. 
With the help of a smokehouse, delicious smoked products can be easily and relatively quickly produced. Prolonged treatment with cold smoke creates an environment unfavorable for bacteria. As a result, the product not only gets a unique taste, but is also stored much longer.
From the presented variety of devices for cold smoking, everyone can choose the best option for themselves. If you don’t want to build a smokehouse yourself, and the cooking volumes are small, then the last option is suitable. If you want to make a special, your own smokehouse or save money, then you can choose any of the options, made by yourself.
It is also worth mentioning that products must be prepared before smoking. They are pre-salted according to a certain scheme. If this is not done, then real smoked meats will not turn out from them.