Smokehouse diagram. Homemade smokehouse - production, diagrams, types and secrets of smoking

Every fisherman, hunter and everyone who regularly relax at a country house can make a smokehouse with their own hands.

In it you can smoke game, fish, simply purchased meat, preparing excellent dishes: balyk, homemade sausages, smoked neck, brisket, loin, chicken - any meat, poultry and fish products.

Three pillars of smoking science

How to make your own for smoking fish and meat at home or in the country? The smokehouse is a simple design to manufacture.

But there are three important nuances you need to know:

• Uniform fumigation and heating. A product prepared for smoking at home must receive heat and smoke evenly so that it does not smell burnt and tastes the same;
• The smoke should be light. Smoke fractions must precipitate before reaching the product. Light smoke is absolutely devoid of pyrolysis gases and is responsible for the characteristic taste of smoked meats;
• Uniformity of penetration. The design must contain working smoke! The smoke entering the products evenly fumigates them until it fizzles out and evaporates and is immediately replaced by the next volume. This is not difficult to achieve, but this is where the cornerstone of the science of smoking lies and a smoke generator will come to the rescue.

• Cold, at temperatures up to 50 degrees: the finest bouquet of taste and aroma, comparable to the process of guessing the taste of wine. This smoking lasts up to 6 hours for fish and up to 3 days for large ham. A cold smokehouse is the simplest of all, takes up no more than 2x3 m in size and can be used in any country house. And smoked products are stored in the cellar for up to 1 year;
• Semi-hot, at temperatures up to 70 degrees: only an expert can distinguish the taste and appearance of products of this type of smoking from cold ones. This option is better suited for fresh products: fresh meat, freshly caught fish, fresh chicken;
• Hot, at a temperature of 70 to 120 degrees: smoked products are cooked from 15 minutes for fish and a maximum of 4 hours for large ham. But ready-made smoked products are stored for no more than 3-4 days, and they are inferior in taste to the popular, but long-term cold smoking.

A DIY home smokehouse is a simple design that is based on the science of convection.

The constant flow of smoke, the supply of oxygen and temperature do their job: you can smoke anything at home, even vegetables, berries and fruits!

In addition, there is no need to build brick ovens or metal structures and use a water seal.

Smokehouse stoves are the most complex and their construction cannot be done without the help of an expert.

Such stoves take up a lot of space and require constant maintenance. In addition, smoking ovens must be under a canopy, so its construction is akin to the construction of a separate room.

Design and types of smokehouses

In dacha conditions, you can build it from available materials.

The diagram and other necessary drawings for creating a smokehouse at home are presented in the article.

If you stock up on metal and bricks, buy stainless steel, and equip the project with a water seal from a hose, then the finished structure will be useful in the country and will easily fit on the balcony of a city apartment.

But making a mini-smokehouse has its own nuances.

Cold smoked

The simplest variety is suitable for meat and fish, and its production will take a minimum of time.

Find a gentle slope, at an angle of about 30-40 degrees. Dig a ditch about two meters long.

At the beginning of it, you will build a fire, the smoke will be supplied through a covered channel into the smoking compartment, the role of which will be played by an ordinary barrel.

Since the chimney to the smoking chamber will not be vertical, the smoke will lose harmful fractions as it moves through the soil. The condensation will remain in the ground.

The diagram above shows that you can build such a smokehouse yourself, even in camping conditions.

Hot smoked

The smokehouse for hot smoking is more complicated.

The diagram shows that this is a vertical structure in which the smoking process occurs quickly, so there must be an outflow of smoke.

If you equip the lid with a water seal (a hose lowered into a bucket of water), this will create pressure inside and the workpieces will be smoked evenly, but you need to constantly monitor the amount of smoke.

Products should only be placed above the tray, otherwise they will become bitter. It is better to provide the lid with gaps to ensure constant conversion.

It is better to cover the surface of the brick with fireproof clay. Such a smokehouse does not require space, but it is not mobile either: it can only be installed in the country, not at home.

Smoking requires a lot of smoke, so a smoke generator for a smokehouse will be an important addition.

The smoke generator is easy to assemble at home with your own hands:

• The body is assembled from a metal can;
• We drill a hole at the bottom for igniting wood chips;
• Close the lid up to avoid air leaks;
• A computer cooler will work as a compressor;
• We assemble the structure by soldering/welding, light the wood chips and turn on the cooler.

The smoke generator has one feature: the cooler pulls air with smoke, rather than pushing smoke!

The smoke generator is connected to the smoking chamber directly, since ignition will take place in a separate chamber, from which the smoke generator itself drives the resulting smoke.

Hot smokehouses and stoves get along well together, but require a sophisticated design approach, so they are not discussed in the text.

Materials and production of the smokehouse

Homemade smokehouses are small in size and for production you will need only a few sheets of metal (preferably stainless steel), which will only need to be welded along the lines.

Many drawings for creating a smokehouse contain recommendations for using brick and stainless steel.

The result is a brick structure that can hold tens of kilograms of meat and fish.

But a brick chimney in a smokehouse will lead to a deterioration in the taste of dishes after the first season, since the smells of different fillings settle on the walls. So the brickwork is only useful for supporting the structure.

Stainless steel sheets and reliable welding - this is what is best used to assemble your smokehouse.

Semi-hot smokehouse from nothing

The easiest option for smoking at home. If you have a stove with a hood at home, then place a trimmed tin can on low heat and add wood chips for smoking.

Hang the workpieces in the hood, do not forget about the grease tray. The fat will drip solidified, and the smoke will be moderately cooled while it rises to a height.

But you can’t save much this way. Compensate for the lack of a stove with an electric stove.

From the refrigerator

The dimensions of the refrigerator allow you to build units for smoking large products, but only in the country.

You need to remove all the mechanisms from the refrigerator and peel off the lining with insulation.

The entire space inside will serve as the smoking chamber. At the bottom you will place a tray with wood chips for smoke, above, place a tray for fat, and you will build a fire nearby.

A smoke generator can be built in the engine compartment.

At the bottom of the refrigerator, drill a wide hole into which you insert a pipe, and connect its other end to the outlet of the stove in which you burn the wood chips.

Mobile smokehouse

The mini-smoker is made of stainless steel, namely, 3 grill grates and a pair of rods that need to be bent in the shape of the letter P, then, for each, three pairs of rings are welded at an equal distance from each other.

Weld vertically four short bars (2-3 cm) to the gratings and subsequently insert them into the same rings. The grate should be easily fixed and not “walk” under the weight of meat or fish.

In nature, dig a hearth with a chimney and you can safely smoke! And if you put a mini-smokehouse on a gas stove, then you don’t have to worry about the strength of the flame and just wait for it to cook.

Water seal

A water seal is used to divert smoke into the water and prevent it from spreading throughout the room. This is important when you smoke at home.

It is a simple design: a hole is drilled in the lid of the smoking chamber, which is connected with a tube to a container filled with water.

A water seal is also used if it is necessary to create pressure in the chamber in order to smoke many products at once.

Smokehouse-barbecue and others: we assemble it ourselves

The heat from fruit tree coals is the best for cooking on the grill, and its smoke is most suitable for smoking.

You just need to correctly align the smoking tank and tell it the flow of smoke from the grill.

The smoking chamber must have a fat drain, and behind the grill, since someone else's fat can spoil the cooking meat.

This mini-smokehouse looks like this:

• The notorious barbecue, preferably wide - this makes it easier to collect all the coals for heat/smoke;
• Any spacious tank is placed above the grill;
• The tank is placed on a brick substrate for oxygen access;
• In the tank, transverse struts are constructed from wire on which the workpieces are hung.

A do-it-yourself grill-smoker is a simple unit that will imbue smoking meat with the special aroma of barbecue.

For uniform and vigorous “kebab” smoking of fish or dense meat, you can use a water seal for the smokehouse, which is launched from the side of the smoking tank, and the chamber itself is not tightly closed with a lid.

In this case, a smoke generator is not needed, but it is better to cook large portions of shish kebab - this way you will immediately kill the spirit of the hares.

Such a smokehouse should only be kept outdoors, say, at your dacha.

A cold smoked smokehouse is easy to assemble in the field and smoke your fish catch.

Moreover, you don’t need any metal, brick or assembling a separate furnace:

• Take 3-4 meters of thick film for greenhouses;
• We drive stakes 1.5-2 meters high, in the four corners of the outlined square, directly into the ground;
• We connect opposite stakes diagonally with twigs in several rows;
• We hang the fish on twigs by their tails. We stretch the film onto the structure;
• We pour half a bucket of burning coals onto a platform on the ground, put two bricks as a barrier and cover it with grass - the smoke generator is ready;
• We completely cover the structure with film and wait 3 hours until ready.

A hot smoked smokehouse is a mini-structure that can be built from stainless steel.

To create such a smokehouse you will need a grinder, a welding machine, thin fittings and a couple of sheets of metal.

We weld the metal so as to assemble a box of 4 faces.

We weld the bottom and weld the seams for a tight seal.

From the remaining metal we make a lid, the size of which is slightly larger than the outer size of the smokehouse box.

All that remains is to weld the rods inside for the tray, a row of metal rods with hooks for meat and fish - the smokehouse is ready.

We put the structure on four bricks, light a fire nearby and you’re done!

Anyone can build a smokehouse with their own hands.

How to make a smokehouse, everyone decides for themselves, based on the conditions and material for its manufacture - from brick, metal, earthen embankment, greenhouse film.

You can smoke goodies correctly at home, in the country, on the road, even in your apartment - as long as the technology is followed correctly.

Whether to install a smoke generator or not, use a water seal or just burlap, build a smokehouse without a stove or with a stove - everything depends on the technology you choose to create a smokehouse and nothing more.

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Currently, there are several common options for smoking products. One of them is the hot method. To obtain the most delicious and refined dishes, you must have a smoking chamber. You can purchase it at a retail outlet or assemble a device such as a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands. To do this, you need to study the design features of this device and the procedure for creating it.

Unlike the cold method, this method involves a stronger temperature effect on the products. On average, this figure is 100 ºС. The duration of the cooking process is less than when using devices that operate on wood.

Types of smoking: hot, semi-hot and cold. Do-it-yourself smokehouses made of brick, stainless steel, barrels. Tips for assembly and operation.

Do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse: diagrams and photos

It is not necessary to draw up a drawing of this device yourself. On the Internet you can find a huge number of ready-made diagrams containing all the necessary sizes. A drawing is made with your own hands only when you need to make a device that will best suit individual needs.

A small smokehouse can be made quite quickly - in just 1-2 hours

For example, there may not be a drawing on the Internet that is suitable for some non-standard slab options. You will also need a diagram if you are making a smokehouse from improvised materials. A do-it-yourself hot-smoked smokehouse drawing should include the following details and their detailed description:

• firebox;
• camera;
• gratings and holders;
• pallet;
• smoke exhaust pipe.

All of the above elements are necessary in the design of the simplest metal hot-type smokehouse. It is important to remember that the dimensions of this device must correspond to its purpose. A small portable smoker can be done quite quickly - in just 1-2 hours. Before you begin making this device, you need to purchase the appropriate tools and materials.

Note! Of course, the best option is to draw up an individual plan. This work will allow us to produce the most suitable design for a particular case. To save time, on specialized websites on the Internet you can find photos of drawings of hot smoked smokehouses. It is much easier to assemble this structure with your own hands if the work is carried out according to a diagram drawn up without errors.

To fix the grates on the walls of the smokehouse, you need to make special corners in advance

To assemble the smokehouse body you will need a stainless steel or galvanized sheet. Regular steel is not recommended as it has lower resistance to high temperatures. You should also prepare a metal grill in advance, which you can get from an old refrigerator. Metal corners are used to secure the chamber walls together.

And finally, you will need a tray and a thin tube that will remove the smoke outside the chamber. If necessary, you can buy such a device for a very reasonable price. The price of a hot smoked stainless steel smokehouse is 4-5 thousand rubles.

Next you need to purchase all the necessary tools. To assemble the smokehouse you will need a hacksaw, a file, a mallet and a wooden block. In addition, the work takes into account the use of drills and welding equipment.

How to make a hot smoker: instructions

Each process that takes into account the installation or assembly of certain structures can be divided into several stages. Creating a device for smoking food at home is no exception to this rule. Let's look at step by step how to make a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands.

Stainless steel sheets for making a smokehouse must be at least 2 mm thick

First of all, you will need to take a sheet of stainless steel or galvanized steel. Based on the drawing drawn up earlier, you need to cut out a box from it. The individual sheets are connected to each other using welding equipment and a bar. The block must have a 90° angle so that the edges of the box can be aligned using it as a mold. The leveling tool is a regular hammer. Next, the resulting structure is connected by welding.

The next step is to make a lid from a metal sheet. It is advisable to equip it with curved edges. They can be obtained by welding or you will need to cut the edges and bend them. Then you need to make a hole in the lid for the smoke pipe. After this, all that remains is to weld the tube to the desired location. Care will allow you to competently assemble a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands. The drawing and dimensions indicated in it should always be at hand.

Thus, making a smokehouse with your own hands is not as difficult as it seems. At the next stage, it is necessary to place the corners inside the metal tank on which the grease tray and food grid are installed.

Note! In order not to make mistakes during the assembly process, it is recommended to watch a training video on this topic.

How to make a hot smoker with a water seal

To assemble a device equipped with a hydraulic valve, you first need to prepare a sheet of stainless steel. It is worth noting that such models are often small in size, which makes them easy to transport.

When choosing a material, you should pay attention to its thickness. It is not recommended to use thin-walled stainless steel, as it may not withstand high temperatures. However, overly thick sheets of metal are not a good choice, since their use does not provide the conditions required for smoking. If necessary, you can buy a hot smoked smokehouse. The price of a device equipped with a water seal ranges from 4 to 7 thousand rubles.

The water seal itself is quite simple. It is a groove that can be welded in the upper part of the chamber (around the perimeter). In addition to organizing the groove, the cover of the device should also be modified. Sides directed downwards are welded to it.

Before you start building such a unit, you need to download from the Internet or make your own drawing of a hot smoked smokehouse. The principle of operation of the hydraulic valve is to immerse the protrusions of the lid in water, which fills the groove. This design prevents air from entering from the outside, ensuring proper sealing of the chamber.

The differences between the smokehouse with a hydraulic shutter and other models do not end there. The bottom in this design has one feature: it is removable. The metal sheet that performs this function is equipped with sides that have an upper direction. It is also recommended to add legs (bottom) to the bottom.

How to smoke in a hot smoker: meat, fish and other products

Smoking is a method of preparing food that involves processing it with heat and smoke. Most often, this method is used to obtain meat and fish dishes. If desired, other foodstuffs (for example, cheese or vegetables) can be subjected to similar treatment.

When cold smoked, the final product has a more refined and subtle taste. The difference in this case lies in the temperature and duration of the process. The first indicator should be lower, and the second, accordingly, higher. Cold devices are most often used for fish. How to make a cold smokehouse at home? This question can be answered by studying information on the Internet.

As for a hot smoker, its use can significantly speed up the process of smoking products. This is due to the fact that the temperature in such a unit averages 100 °C. For example, hot smoking lard takes no more than 1 hour. Moreover, after 20 minutes of cooking, the temperature in the tank must be reduced to 90 °C. The shelf life of lard prepared using this technology is only a few days.

Helpful information! The shelf life of any product that has been smoked in a hot smoker does not exceed a week.

So how to properly smoke food in such devices? It is worth remembering that the smoldering temperature of the fuel (chips) during this process should be in the range from 300 to 350 °C. In this case, the smoking temperature will not go beyond the required values, which range from 70 to 130 °C.

Before using a unit of this type, it is recommended to study video materials on this topic. They will allow you to quickly understand how to smoke lard, as well as other products, in a hot smokehouse.

Hot smokers are a good alternative to devices designed for cold smoking. The speed of bringing products to readiness in such units is tens of times faster. When making a hot smoking device yourself, it is recommended to first study the drawings, work plan, and also watch training videos on this topic.

A smokehouse is a wonderful device that will help you make a tasty and juicy dish. In the warm season, it's time to go out into nature, and we all love to eat delicious food. You can fry kebabs or barbecue all summer, or you can dilute it with smoked fish, meat or lard. Today we will talk about how to make a hot and cold smoker.

In the smokehouse, the fish turns out incredibly tasty!

The fish smoker is the most popular. But there are no special restrictions, so you can smoke lard, chicken, and any other meat there. You can never lose by cooking anything with a smoker. Moreover, making a barbecue - a smokehouse with your own hands is not so difficult.

There are a lot of possible ways to prepare a smokehouse, we will briefly go over them, but we will focus on the hot smoked smokehouse on the grill. We will tell you about the principle of operation and give an example of our own smokehouse. We’ll also tell you how to make a smokehouse with your own hands from a bucket.

Smoking meat, fish and poultry is a fairly ancient method of cooking. And the dishes come out with very refined tastes and a pleasant aroma. There are 2 types of smoking - hot and cold.

Hot smoking- this is an easier way to get the desired delicacy; the food tastes better, but is stored less.

Cold smoking- this method requires more time for preparation and construction of the smokehouse itself, but the products are stored longer.

Cooking is carried out on the principle of smoldering sawdust or shavings and exposing the product to hot smoke in a limited space.

When you are planning to make a smokehouse, you should decide:

• What type of smokehouse do you prefer?
• What will you make it from;
• What products will you cook in it?
• What will be the mobility of your smokehouse?

Hot or cold smoker?

It's quite easy to decide here. If you just want to get tasty fish or meat in a short time, and don’t want to spend a lot of time building a cold smokehouse, then of course it’s better to choose hot smoking - this is an easy way to quickly and tasty prepare food. Smoking time for fish - for example, about 15-20 minutes. A cold smoker requires more attention and cooking time. Cooking time in a cold smokehouse is 3-5 days. In both methods, the main principle of smoking is to protect the products from open fire.

Cold smoked smokehouse - video

What to make a smokehouse from?

Various craftsmen have learned to make smokehouses practically from improvised means, for example, you can make a smokehouse from a barrel or bucket. A more complex method would be brickwork. Or you can order a special box from a welder you know that is suitable for the smokehouse.

The most common product for smoking is fish, but lard is also popular. But you can smoke anything, even chicken, even pork ribs.

What is better to choose depends only on your preferences.

How to choose sawdust for a smokehouse?

What is the best sawdust to use for smoking? The best option would be sawdust from fruit trees - for example, an apple tree. Connoisseurs believe that a refined taste can be obtained using willow sawdust or alder chips. Finding sawdust from an apple tree, for example, is not difficult.

Cleaning the smokehouse

If old fat remains and it burns during subsequent use, the taste may be affected. Therefore, it is better to make an easily dismountable structure that can be easily cleaned.

Portable smokehouse

Again, in this regard, we are considering only a hot smokehouse; if you immediately make a compact version, for example, the size of a regular bucket, then it can be easily taken out into nature.

DIY cold smokehouse

From time immemorial, people have been engaged in this type of cooking as smoking. This allows you to preserve food for a longer period, while they are prepared without being subjected to hot processing.

In a cold smokehouse, the products are cooked for several weeks, acquiring an exquisite taste.

The smokehouse itself will be located on one side, the firebox on the other, and the chimney in the middle. What type of smokehouse you prefer is up to you. You can put a barrel, you can build brickwork, or you can simply make a metal frame for the smokehouse.

DIY hot smokehouse

For those who don’t want to spend a lot of time, there is an easier and more convenient way to prepare the desired delicacy. You can figure out how to make a hot smoked smokehouse. Cooking time using a hot smoker for fish is about 15-20 minutes. For meat - a little more, about 30-40 minutes.

The principle of operation is slightly different; processing occurs with hot steam.

Brick smokehouse

How to make a brick smokehouse yourself, this question will be of interest to avid summer residents and lovers of delicious food. A brick smokehouse is built directly for cold smoking. And it can be done “for centuries.” Since you will not be able to drag brickwork.

Sawdust for smoking

How to choose the right sawdust for a smokehouse is a very important question, since what your fish or meat will be soaked with will depend on the taste of the prepared food. It is better to take sawdust from fruit trees. In this case, the taste of the meat will be more refined.

Skilled craftsmen make very convenient and functional smokehouses with their own hands. The photo shows a variety of options.

It’s up to you to decide what exactly you like best. But I think you will not regret such a wonderful invention.

Good luck using it!

A hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands is not only tasty and healthy, but also convenient. You will have the opportunity to smoke fish and meat at any time, using only fresh products. Note that you can smoke various products, for example, vegetables, fish, lard, meat, chicken, etc. Making a smokehouse for hot smoking with your own hands is not as difficult as it seems, although there are certain nuances that need to be taken into account. We will tell you what to consider, what to pay attention to, and also explain the advantages of hot smoking over cold smoking.

Sometimes it is difficult to give a preference on which smokehouse to make - cold or hot smoking. If you want to try perfectly cooked fish, ready to eat in literally a matter of minutes, you should opt for hot smoking. It will take only 35-40 minutes to cook the fish this way, while with the cold method it will be ready in a few days.

You can build a smokehouse for both cold and hot smoking from scrap materials, but the construction of the first will require much more free time and significant financial costs, and the construction of the second will require a lot of free space.

The principle of smoking is to create the optimal temperature for heating sawdust. They will smolder. This process produces a lot of smoke. Heat the bottom of the smokehouse to a temperature in the range of 300-3500C. At this temperature, sawdust will slowly smolder, but if you exceed the upper threshold even by a small number of degrees, the wood will begin to burn, releasing dangerous carcinogens.

How to make a smokehouse for hot smoking with your own hands from different materials

First, let's get acquainted with the principle of operation of the smokehouse and how it is made. She should have 2 cameras:

• for meat (fish);
• for wood.

As a rule, they are combined in one container. Before starting work, prepare all materials and tools. The simplest option is an electric smokehouse, which can be made even without special knowledge, just follow the recommendations (see smokehouse from the refrigerator).

From an old barrel

If you are going to smoke a lot of products, then we suggest making a hot smoked smokehouse from an unnecessary barrel with your own hands. This photo shows an example of a finished smokehouse.

To use an iron barrel, clean it of any remaining paint. Place the barrel in the fire for at least 1 hour, and not even a trace of paint will remain.

Wash the wooden barrel well and dry it. After it is ready, you need to make holes in its walls, with the help of which the rods with products will be attached.

The next step is making a metal cup. A pipe of suitable diameter is suitable for this purpose. The glass must be inserted into the hole located at the bottom of the barrel. When using a wooden barrel, it must be protected from overheating with a special fire-resistant asbestos fabric. You can use plywood as a cover. For your convenience, we suggest watching a video that shows and tells how to make an excellent hot smoked smokehouse. To ensure that the lid fits tightly enough, a small weight is placed on it.

After making your own hot smokehouse has come to an end, you can proceed directly to the smoking process. Warm up the pipe for an hour with a gas burner. This time is enough for sawdust to burn. Don't forget to control the size of the flame. After the time has passed, let the smokehouse cool, after which you need to remove the food.

Before starting to work with products, run the unit 1-2 times to see it in operation.

Made of brick

You can watch the video of the process of making a stationary smokehouse in order to accurately understand the sequence of actions and how the ordering takes place.

We will briefly discuss the main processes.

The operating principle of such a device is no different from other smokehouses. It is very similar to an ordinary traditional oven, because instead of a lid it has a wooden door. For the solution, you should use fireclay clay and additionally fix it with a sheet of iron. This is necessary to prevent shedding. The foundation for a brick smokehouse needs to be strengthened.

The dimensions of the future smokehouse are determined according to the drawing:

In turn, you can change them a little at your discretion. Having decided on its dimensions, you need to lay out a brick food cabinet.

Keep in mind that the chamber should be 2 times the size of the firebox itself, and the air duct should be ¼ of the height of the smokehouse.

Protect the joint with a special collar. A brick smokehouse may have a lid made of wood or iron sheet. To begin the smoking process, remove the lid, add wood and light the fire.

Install the cover so that there is a small opening, which is necessary for the penetration of air flows. Smoke will enter the smoking cabinet through the air duct.

After the coals have formed, you need to put fruit sawdust on them. We put the food in the cabinet and after it is filled with smoke, close the lid. The cooking process takes about 1 hour.

This photo shows a hot smoked smokehouse, made by hand according to the previously indicated drawing:

From a used gas cylinder

Do you have an unnecessary gas cylinder that you hate to throw away? Make a smokehouse out of it. Before starting work, release the remaining gas from it. After this, the container must be rinsed with ordinary water. The dimensions of the smokehouse, made from a cylinder, are not large, but it is quite enough for a family of four.

To put meat in it, you need a large door, so you shouldn’t cut the walls all the way and weld hinges for the door. The bottom must be cut exactly halfway. The firebox is made of thick iron, after which it is welded to the cylinder. Before using it, it is advisable to heat such a smokehouse with wood.

From an old refrigerator

To make a smokehouse from an old refrigerator, you need to remove all the plastic parts from it, as well as the freezer. An electric stove is installed at its bottom and plugged into an outlet. A tray with sawdust is placed above it. A hole must be made in the lid to allow smoke to escape.

Smokehouse with water seal

This smokehouse requires a metal box of any size. It is advisable to use not too thin sheets of iron for its manufacture, but thick ones will not be of much use. Inside, it is necessary to weld strips of steel that will serve as supports for the gratings. Leave a small distance between it and the lid.

The secret of such a smokehouse for hot smoked fish, made by yourself, is the water seal. This is a special ditch that runs along the entire perimeter at the top of the smokehouse.

It is necessary to weld the sides on the smokehouse lid, which will be directed downwards. As for the size of the lid, it is necessary to choose one in which the sides fit into the groove of the water seal without any problems. In addition, a chimney outlet is welded into the lid. It is made from pipe.

The bottom of this smokehouse is removable. It should have sides, like a lid, only they are folded up. The bottom is designed to collect dripping grease. It is necessary to weld small legs on the bottom so that a small cavity is formed between the bottom and the plane. The smokehouse is ready. Now you can start smoking.

How to smoke food quickly and tasty without marinating - video

The taste of smoked products is unforgettable: light smoke, forest aroma, delicate structure. And meat and fish cooked in a smokehouse look appetizing, they have a golden crust and a shiny surface. Today you can buy a smokehouse of absolutely any format and different sizes, but it will be much cheaper to make such a design yourself from scrap materials: barrels, buckets, scraps of metal and much more.

What kind of smokehouses there are, how to make a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands and not spend a penny - there will be an article about this.

What are the advantages of a hot smoker?

You can cook food using smoke in three types of designs:

• cold;
• hot;
• half hot.

Cold smoke treatment allows you to obtain a denser structure of the product (meat or fish, lard) and a delicate aroma. Such smoked products are stored for a long time and do not spoil for up to two weeks. The disadvantage of the cold method is the long cooking time, which takes from three to seven days (depending on the density of the product and the size of the piece).

Also, a cold smokehouse is more difficult to make with your own hands; this will require more space on the site. This is due to the operating principle of the installation: the smoke must cool to at least 35 degrees before it reaches the food. Therefore, the unit consists of two chambers connected to each other by a two-meter pipe.

Attention! It is also necessary to create a difference in heights at which the cold smokehouse chambers are located.

The hot smoking device has the following advantages:

1. Cooking speed. The fish will be smoked in 20-30 minutes; for chicken, 40 minutes will be enough; lard and meat, cut into medium pieces, are cooked for the same amount of time. This aspect is especially important for those who plan to sell smoked meats.
2. The device is more compact, consisting of only one chamber.
3. You can heat a hot smokehouse either over a fire or on an electric or gas stove.
4. If the structure is sufficiently airtight, you can cook hot smoked meats even in a house or apartment - there will be no smell of smoke.
5. There are both stationary and portable designs, which allows you to prepare goodies at the dacha, or take the unit with you on a hike or on a picnic.

Don’t forget about such nuances of a device for hot smoking, such as rapid spoilage of food (meat or fish can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3-5 days) and a more intense smell and taste (which not everyone will like).

Attention! But a homemade hot smokehouse can be constructed from almost any available materials, the main thing is that they are metal and fireproof.

The principle of operation of a hot smokehouse

The essence of hot smoking is that products (meat, fish or lard) are enveloped in smoke, the temperature of which is 60-90 degrees. At the same time, the product is heat treated and permeated with aromatic smoke.

The most important thing in constructing a hot smokehouse is to take into account the fact that there should be no fire inside the smokehouse itself. The tank is heated by an external flame or an electric burner; there are designs that use gas nozzles or other heating devices.

Inside the hot smokehouse, a uniform layer of sawdust or small wood chips is poured onto its bottom. The products themselves are located at the top of the vessel; they can be laid out on a grid or hung by hooks or ropes.

The fire heats the bottom of the smokehouse, sawdust or wood chips become hot and begin to smolder. Do not ignite! Hot smoking requires a light but stable smoke, which is provided by small fragments of wood. If you use large firewood, smoldering will not happen.

It is very important to take care of the tightness of the container for hot smoking - smoke should not escape from the vessel. In order for a hot smokehouse to work, the following aspects must be observed:

1. Ensure that the hot smokehouse is heated correctly (enough to smolder the sawdust, but not cause it to ignite). This can be controlled by changing the distance from the flame to the bottom of the device.
2. Install grates or beams inside the tank for hanging food. They are located in the upper part of the hot smokehouse.
3. Please note that high temperatures cause any lid to become deformed over time. Therefore, they press it on top with a brick or make special locks.
4. At the same time, the lid should be quickly and easily removed. This way the owner will be able to control the smoldering of sawdust and monitor the readiness of the product, and smoke loss will be minimal.
5. A tray is placed at the bottom of the hot smokehouse, 5 cm above the sawdust layer. A tray is necessary to collect fat that will inevitably drain from smoking products. Burning fat releases harmful carcinogens; these substances should not get on food.

In any case, setting up a homemade hot smoker will take time. A few unsuccessful experiments, and the owner of a hot smokehouse will know the exact amount of firewood and sawdust, will be able to determine the appropriate marinade recipe, and calculate the cooking time.

The most primitive smokehouse for hot smoking

You can make a hot smokehouse from a bucket; many video lessons and examples of finished devices have been filmed about this. There are several other similar lightweight structures, the production of which will take no more than a couple of hours.

But, for some reason, today they have forgotten about the very first smokehouse, intended for hot smoking of meat, fish, lard or chicken. This is a hearth in a pit. The primitive design consists of a small depression in the ground (25-35 cm deep) with a fireplace located at the bottom; such a hole is covered with a grate on top. The food is placed on a wire rack and covered with branches with green leaves to trap the smoke around the food.

Advice! In winter, branches with leaves can be replaced with spruce or pine spruce branches. To prevent the resin from getting on the smoked meats, the products are first covered with fresh twigs.

For field conditions, such a smokehouse is perfect, because all you need is a shovel and a grate. With all the advantages, the hot device has some disadvantages:

• you will have to constantly look into the pit to control the absence of flame (the coals should smolder, as when cooking a shish kebab);
• the fire may suffocate due to lack of oxygen in the covered pit;
• the amount of wood chips for the fire must be calculated correctly, otherwise the food in the smokehouse will remain raw;
• However, it is better to use such a device in the summer, since it is difficult to dig a hole in frozen ground. Although you can replace the pit with brickwork or build a raised platform from raw logs.

It is still more convenient to use a hot smoked smokehouse, built from metal parts, which looks like a closed tank. Such designs are divided into stationary and mobile and differ in the complexity of the device.

Do-it-yourself mobile hot-smoked smokehouse

A home smokehouse gives you the opportunity to enjoy freshly prepared delicacies at any time. And, if you can take it with you to nature or to the country, this is a double advantage - guests will be delighted with smoked fish or chicken.

Important! And a mobile hot smokehouse can be used inside the house. To do this, you need to place the container on the stove and run a smoke exhaust hose through a window or ventilation.

You can build a mobile structure from various household items. Most often, a hot smokehouse is made by hand:

• from a 10-15 liter bucket;
• a small wooden or metal barrel;
• food metal boxes (it is important not to use containers for paints and varnishes or chemicals for these purposes);
• medical autoclaves of rectangular or cylindrical shape;
• gas cylinders.

Almost any container will do, it’s good if it has the shape of a rectangle, square or cylinder. But you should not build a smokehouse from oxidized metal. It is best to use galvanized or cold-rolled steel; you can paint the finished hot smokehouse with heat-resistant paints or varnish - this way the device will last longer, and carcinogens from rust will not enter the body.

Advice! To experiment with smoking inside the walls of your home, it is better to use a device with a water seal. In essence, this is an ordinary rectangular hot smokehouse, welded from sheets of metal, but with a special lid. The smoke does not escape from under the lid into the air, but is retained by water. Shown in the photo below.

Homemade smokehouse from a bucket

This is probably the simplest and most affordable design, because every owner can find a galvanized bucket. Not only new buckets are suitable, but also vessels that are already deformed, slightly holed, and have served for many years.

Attention! It’s great if the bucket has a lid, because the smokehouse must be hermetically sealed. If you can’t find a cover, you can cover the device with thick burlap folded in several layers.

A hot smokehouse is made from a bucket in several stages:

1. The hearth is being prepared. A low fireplace is built from stone, brick, and wet logs on which a smokehouse can be placed.
2. Holes are made in the bucket to install rods on which fish or meat will be hung.
3. You can use wooden gratings made from fresh rods or metal mesh (for example, construction reinforcement intended for plaster). They are cut according to the diameter of the bucket in the right place.
4. It is advisable to install a tray at the bottom into which fat from smoking products will drain.
5. Now pour about a handful of sawdust or wood chips into the bottom of the bucket and distribute them evenly. Place the grease tray, install the grate and lay out the food.
6. The smokehouse is covered with a lid or thick cloth. A fire is made under it. The preparation has begun.

Such a hot mini-smoker is quite enough for those who cook delicacies not very often and in small quantities. The video will tell you more about all the nuances of building a hot smokehouse from a bucket:

Stationary hot smokers

The dimensions of the smokehouse directly depend on the number of products loaded into it. If you intend to use a hot smokehouse more than once a week, loading it with at least two kilograms of meat or fish each time, it makes sense to install a stationary type structure on the site.

For such a device, it is necessary to find free space and think through its organization so that smoke does not enter the house and disturb the neighbors. You can build a capital installation from new materials - steel sheets. You can also use unnecessary household items for these purposes, such as:

• an old refrigerator from which all the mechanisms and systems are removed, leaving only the box with the door. It is important that the refrigerator door is in good working order and ensures a seal in the smoking chamber.
• A large barrel in which the bottom is cut out or it is positioned horizontally, then a hatch is made in the side of the vessel. On the walls of the hot smokehouse there are corners or other fastenings on which you can support the grates or secure beams for hanging smoked meats.
• Metal wardrobes or tool boxes often used in manufacturing plants or factories.
• Large diameter metal pipes (from 0.5 meters).

There is no limit to imagination here; it is only important to follow safety precautions and not use containers or equipment that can be toxic and poisonous to humans.

Attention! As a rule, a stationary hot smokehouse can accommodate at least five kilograms of meat or fish.

It doesn’t matter whether the smokehouse is being built from scratch or ready-made devices are being modified for it, you need to take into account the following design features:

1. The internal dimensions of the smokehouse are determined by the dimensions of the products that will be loaded into it, as well as their volumes. That is, for chicken legs or fish - this is one size, pork legs or whole chicken carcasses require increasing the parameters.
2. The transverse size of the chamber is calculated taking into account the gaps between pieces of smoked products (5-7 cm).
3. The height of the hot smokehouse should allow loading in two or three tiers - this will save time and energy resources.
4. The minimum vertical size of a hot smokehouse is calculated as follows: the gap from the wood chips to the pallet + the distance from the pallet to the lower tier of grates or the lower edge of suspended carcasses + the carcass itself + the distance to the next tier of carcasses + another carcass + the gap to the smokehouse lid. As a rule, stationary smokehouses are not made below 100 cm.
5. The door of the smokehouse must be large, because through it they not only unload and load carcasses, but also fill in sawdust, clean the tray and bottom, and stick out the grates.
6. It is most convenient to use a design in the form of a cabinet with several shelves. It is made from profiles (corners, pipes, strips) and sheet metal. To connect the parts of the smokehouse, drip or continuous welds are used.

Attention! The larger the smokehouse, the more wood will be needed to operate it. This fact should be taken into account when calculating the size of the device for hot smoking.

If you are smoking food for the first time, here are some helpful tips from experienced smokers:

1. Firewood for the hearth can be of any kind; the smell of its smoke should not penetrate into the closed smokehouse.
2. As a smoke producer, a small fraction of wood is used - sawdust or chips, the size of which does not exceed seven centimeters. Larger fragments may not smolder - they will not have enough temperature.
3. It is better to remove the bark from the tree, as it sometimes gives unnecessary flavor to meat or fish.
4. It is recommended to use alder, juniper, oak, beech, apple, cherry, pear, and hazel for hot smoking. It is optimal if the wood type is hard. Coniferous varieties are not used for hot smoking, since when heated they release resin and the products inside the smokehouse become very bitter.
5. You can smoke not only lard, meat and fish. Vegetables and fruits such as pears, apples, cherries, apricots or plums turn out very tasty in a homemade smokehouse. Eggplants, tomatoes, mushrooms are no worse - you need to experiment to diversify your menu.
6. Before cooking, food is marinated; no one puts raw meat or fish in the smokehouse. You can use anything as a marinade: salt, spices, herbs, lemon, soy sauce, etc.
7. After marinating, the products to be smoked should drain and air out, so they are hung in a shady place, protected from flies.
8. To make more smoke, you can moisten the sawdust or add a bunch of green grass to it.
9. Smoked meats will turn out more beautiful and golden brown if you first grease them with vegetable oil.
10. Checking the temperature inside a hot smoker is simple: you just need to drop water on its lid. The drops should not boil, since the temperature inside the vessel is maintained at 60 to 90 degrees. Boiling water means you need to reduce the heat under the smoker.
11. Fish carcasses or pieces of meat are not placed close to each other in a hot smokehouse; there should be a gap of 5-7 cm between the pieces. This distance will ensure normal smoke circulation and uniform cooking of smoked meats.

Simple recommendations will help you decide on the type of hot smokehouse, build it yourself and prepare delicious delicacies. Do not forget about safety precautions both during the manufacturing process of a hot smokehouse and at the stage of its operation: after all, the smokehouse is powered by fire.

You can also see the design options in this video:

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