How to build a smokehouse for cold smoking?

Smoked meat or fish is a delicious delicacy. In order to pamper yourself with such a dish regularly, it is not necessary to go shopping. Smoked goodies can be cooked right at home in a self-made smokehouse. In order for culinary dreams to turn into reality, it does not take much time. It is only necessary to study in detail the technology of self-manufacturing structures for smoking or buy ready-made.

Before you start building a smokehouse, need to familiarize yourself with some of its features.

• Smoking should be carried out at a temperature of 30-40 degrees.
• Properly cooked foods can be stored even without a fridge for a year.In this case, the taste will remain the same, but the quality will not deteriorate.
• The process of cold smoking can take up to eight days. Moreover, it is divided into several stages - this is preparation, smoking itself, which lasts up to five days, then for another three days the product is in the smokehouse itself.
• It has a fairly simple scheme that can be realized without spending a lot of effort and materials on it.
• In addition, to taste the dishes was pleasant, you need to make a uniform process of fumigation and temperature. Otherwise, the meat, fish or bacon will be spoiled.

Cooking smoked meat at home allows you to get delicious dishes, in which quality you can be sure. The same can not be said about the quality of purchased dishes. The process consists of processing food with smoke by means of cold and hot smoking. Products are the most diverse - this is different types of meat, and fresh lard, and fish, and even delicious cheese. Smokehouses, too, come in two forms: hot smoked or cold smoked. They can easily be used for cooking in the country, at home, even fishing. But for all this it is necessary to pick up equipment for domestic smoking.

One of the most common models is a mini-smokehouse. This design is universal, it has a small weight and is quite convenient and easy to use. Most often used such a device in the campaigns and suburban areas. It has a constant heat, so the quality of all the materials that are used to create it is high. It uses stainless steel, the thickness of which reaches three millimeters. In addition, it is resistant to corrosion and high temperatures.

The mini-smokehouse is heated by an electric or gas stove. In some cases, heating can be performed even at the stake. However, the shelf life of products made in this device is very small. At home they can be stored for a couple of days, but in field conditions where there is no refrigerator or cellar, food should be consumed immediately.

There are also electric models that look like a regular microwave oven. However, they can only be used at home, but not in nature. In addition, this design is small in volume, so there will not fit a lot of products.

The designs of such smokehouses allow you to cook delicious food even in the kitchen of a small-sized apartment. You do not need to go anywhere. However, there are several requirements for such smokehouses.

It is necessary that it had a chimney. For this purpose there is a special fitting in the cap where the hose is put on. Then it is displayed in the window, so that extra smoke goes out into the street, and does not fill the room. If this is not done, then it will go through the ventilation pipes to the apartments to the neighbors.

Another mandatory feature is the water seal, which is a recess between the lid and the wall of the container, which is filled with water. This does not allow smoke to get here.

If there is no water seal, then you need a sealed cover. It also does not allow smoke to leak out.

The source of such smoking houses is the electrician. They are used most often in restaurants and food production. Their load can be from 40 to 200 kilograms of products. Automation of such models is easy to use, so it does not require great skills from the person who is engaged in cooking.

All that is needed is to put small chips or sawdust, to put a pallet.This is done in order to excess fat and moisture flowed there. Then you can put on the grill all that should be smoked. Then the program is selected and the device is connected to the network. This process may well take from half an hour to one hour of cooking.

For cooking in the fresh air in the best way suitable household unit with water trap. Its design is practically no different from the standard smokehouse. The only difference is the water lock, the purpose of which is to prevent smoke and unpleasant odors from getting out.

Using this device allows the smoke to continuously get into the chamber where the product is smoked. It prolongs the process of so-called cold smoking for a couple of days. The smoke generator has a very simple device. This is a model that connects the chamber, where smoke is produced using sawdust, with a smoking chamber. The connection is made using pipes. Since the design is very simple to manufacture, it can be constructed independently.

A thermometer helps to control the desired temperature level not only in the smoke chamber itself. There is also the possibility of measuring the temperature of food that is smoked. The thermometer itself, installed inside the smokehouse, is a probe, in the middle of which is a tube. Its length is fifteen centimeters. At the end is a display or indicator. The temperature for the preparation of a particular product is different, it is necessary to take this into account when cooking.

This type of smokehouse is more suitable for use in summer cottages. They are also very often used for production workshops. They come in different sizes and are made of different materials. Also differs in the set of functions that are in the smokehouse.

The device quality home smokehouse is quite simple. The principle of its operation is that all ingredients are processed with fragrant smoke, not exceeding a temperature of thirty-two degrees. Hot air, which passes through the whole pipe, cools and condenses at the same time, that is, harmful components are precipitated.After this stage, the smoke already goes into the chamber, and the condensate goes into the ground, without harming the smoky products.

This ability to adjust is a big plus. It occurs due to the fact that there is a slate near the furnace. Spreading it out, you can release unnecessary smoke through the existing hole. It must be adjusted before all products are loaded into the smoke chamber. Making sure that the smoke is fragrant and does not cause any harm to the environment, you can put the shutter back.

If you want to keep the smoke inside, then this can be done with the help of a burlap burst that is placed on the iron rods over the top. Burlap must be wetted every couple of hours.

Also a significant role is played here by the correct process of preparing products, which is divided into several stages.

First you need to prepare a salt solution, filled it in a container with water at a ratio of 40 grams per liter of pure water. After you have to mix everything thoroughly. Then you can lay in the brine products intended for smoking. If it is a small fish, then it must be held in the solution for three days, if it is a very big fish or young pork, then the process will last four days. For more rigid meat, for example, beef, the time is extended for one more day.

The next step will be soaking the meat, which lasts from 6 to 24 hours. It all also depends on the product. Readiness is checked by pressing your finger on it. If the meat is supple and soft, then it is ready.

After you can go to the curing products. For this you need to water completely glass from it. If there is no time, you can blot the surface with a towel. Then you need to put the product in a box or cage, wrapping it with gauze so that the flies do not fly, because the deferred larvae are not destroyed with such smoking. This process takes a couple of days. Then the blanks are placed in the smokehouse. After that, you can begin to smoke.

Such a cooking option, such as cold smoking, implies an affordable and simple cooking of products both in the country, as well as on fishing and even in the apartment. However, in order to get everything tasty and good, you need to choose the right equipment.

For fishing or hunting, you can take a mini-smokehouse. It is very popular because it has a small size and is easy to carry. Smokehouse dimensions can be 300 to 300 or 200 millimeters, while the thickness of the steel from which it is made is about 1.5 millimeters.

You can also take homemade brick or wood smokehouse. In this case, their sizes will be larger. Such designs can be placed only on your site. Carry them impossible.

The choice of purchased models is very diverse. There are many options for ready-made designs.

Among the purchased models one of the first places is occupied by the Finnish smokehouse. The device has good quality materials. Its base consists of stainless steel, which is most often used in the food industry.

It does not oxidize and does not rust. The smokehouse has a hydraulic lock, due to which it is completely sealed, so the smoke does not enter the kitchen. The thickness of its bottom is two millimeters, which allows it to withstand different temperatures. This model has many positive reviews, because the finished product exceeds all expectations.

Such a smokehouse is made of cold rolled steel sheet. It includes a thirty-two-liter tank, a smoke generator, and a compressor.

Sawdust is placed in the smoke generator. The smoke that they emit enters the smoking container through a hose. It is regulated by an electric compressor. Terms of smoking - from 5 to 10 hours. Such a device has many advantages: the design is compact, so it can be stored anywhere, used both in the city and in the country. Smokehouse sold completely ready to use. Customer reviews design has only positive.

Building a smokehouse with your own hands has many advantages. It must be installed away from the hearth, and the connection to make using a long pipe for the chimney.Smoke coming out of the smokehouse is very useful in the fight against garden pests. They do not withstand the great smoke of the air and die.

Self-made smokehouse can also be made from scrap materials that do not require cash costs. You can even use a regular barrel for this. It is better if it is new or made from a simple piece of tin pipe. If the owner wants to make the smokehouse more solid, then for this purpose suitable material such as brick or wood. This design will allow you to smoked slowly and efficiently. Plus, it will serve the owner for years.

If there is a desire to buy, rather than build a smokehouse, the question immediately arises, which of them is best. Hurry with the purchase is not worth it, it is better to understand all the options. Choosing a smokehouse, you should also not forget about its weight. For example, if the box has a wall thickness of 6 millimeters and dimensions of 500 x 500 x millimeters, perhaps this option will not suit you.

Also, the choice depends on how the smokehouse will be used. If for recreation on fishing, then you need to take the option where the metal is equal to 8 millimeters.Such a smokehouse is very easy and convenient and will serve until it burns through its walls.

For use at home, you can take a heavy stainless steel smokehouse, where the body will be up to two millimeters thick. It will last for many years, especially if the body is reinforced with additional ribs. To cook smoked meat at home, you must buy a smokehouse, which will contain a hydraulic gate to solve the problem of smoke evacuation. It can easily be transported from the house to the country, while closing the pipe with improvised means.

Smokehouses made from different materials. They can be made from wood, and from bricks, and even from an old barrel. It is worth considering in more detail the design for their manufacture.

Externally, a brick smokehouse resembles a small house, which can also become an excellent decoration of the garden plot. But before purchasing materials you need to make drawings and on the basis of them to buy materials. This will require:

• brick or foam concrete blocks;
• combustion chamber or silicate brick;
• cast iron door for her firebox;

• double-glazed windows for natural lighting, with the windows to be done on the north side;
• sand and cement for mortar;
• wooden beam for truss system;
• sheeting or metal roofing;
• chimney;
• door.

There is another material used for the smoke chamber - it is natural wood, which is not only an environmentally friendly product, but also a material that does not emit harmful substances. To create a home smokehouse fit such wood as oak or cherry. The main thing is that they have a structure that will not be afraid of any negative impacts of nature.

For its manufacture, you must purchase the following materials:

• parallel bars;
• boards up to ten centimeters wide, whose thickness will be one centimeter;

• boards for roof slopes;
• permeable roofing material;
• brick for firebox;
• solution;
• waterproofing;
• chimney pipe;
• sheet of metal to put in front of the firebox.

The construction of portable smokehouse is very simple.

It requires the following components:

• smoke generator or stove;
• a compressor used to force smoke into the chamber;
• smoking chamber;

• sealed and tight box, the bottom of which put sawdust or small chips;
• thermostat so that you can adjust the temperature, because for each product it is different;
• fan.

Before proceeding to the manufacture of smokehouse at home, it is necessary to make drawings of the future structure. Only after that, using the developed scheme, you can build a smokehouse for cold smoking yourself. First you need to decide on the dimensions of the structure, and then choose a place for it.

Choosing a smokehouse of brick, you need to make a project of this design. This will save time and choose the right place to install. The site should have a length of four meters, and it is better if the place is with a slope, so that the chimney passes at the right angle. Having made the necessary calculations, you can dig a trench.

First you need to lay the foundation. Then in the place where the smokehouse will be located, it is necessary to remove the soil. The pit should be up to 60 centimeters deep. Then formwork is installed in it, which should be 25 centimeters above the edges.Reinforcement is being done, and in the center of the pit a regular bucket is put, so that after pouring the concrete a recess is obtained.

For the walls used red brick. The size of the smokehouse depends entirely on the wishes of the owner. In the middle you can make a small window with access to the north side, so that direct sunlight will not harm the products.

The roof of the brick smokehouse is easy and convenient in arrangement. To make it, you need to build a truss system. On them are laid either OSB boards, or moisture-proof plywood. And only then the tile keeps within on an equal basis.

For the construction of the furnace, you can use a refractory brick or a ready-made furnace of metal. You will need a refractory tube to divert smoke from the firebox to the smoking chamber. Its diameter must be very large, so that the smoke slowly goes out and, cooling down, leaves particles of soot on its walls. Above the hole where the smoke comes out, grates are placed and products that need to be smoked are suspended.

To build a wooden smokehouse, first of all, you need to dig a trench for two bayonets in depth. It should accommodate a pipe, a chamber for the firebox and the smokehouse itself.The smoke, falling into the pit, lingers there and is cleared, and then rises in the smokehouse.

The door on the furnace need to make cast-iron and securely closing. Its base is made of brick, and the walls are slightly up above the ground. Then a wooden structure is put on it. The trench where the chimney is located is covered with earth, and then it is well rammed. This is necessary so that the chimney and smoke are cooled.

From the bars of wood make the basis for the camera. Then flat boards are nailed to it, which should fit very tightly to each other. This is done so that the smoke does not come out through the cracks. Then a hole is made in the roof into which the pipe is drawn.

Any smokehouse, even if made in haste, should consist of a smoke generator, a smoke channel and a tank used for smoking products. If, while on a hike or in a camp site, I wanted smoked meats, you can make a smokehouse with rods and plastic film.

This construction is not complicated at all, but it needs to be done correctly. The framework is built of poles, a film is poured on top, and smoking products can be placed on skewers.Coals from a burnt campfire will serve as an excellent source of heat. For smoke fit fresh branches with foliage. You can build a hearth, digging a hole in the ground or taking for this ordinary bucket. The advantage of such a smokehouse is the speed of construction and the absence of purchased material. The disadvantage is that it is necessary to constantly monitor the focus.

This version of the smokehouse is perfect for those who go to the country for a while and do not want to build a full-fledged smokehouse in their area.

You can also pay attention to such a structure as a smokehouse from the barrel. Wood or other material is perfect for its foundation. You can not use only plastic. At the barrel remove the bottom for the free passage of smoke. In the lower part of it you need to make a compartment where the firewood will be placed. Here you will need loops that will be put on the door. So the compartment can be closed.

In the bottom of such a barrel, several holes are made, which will serve as a blower, as well as a place to remove ash from the furnace. At the height of one third of the barrel, an iron sheet must be welded, which will serve as the bottom for the smoke chamber.For it to last longer, the sheet should be about 4 millimeters thick.

When there is a smokehouse available, you can begin the process of cooking. However, you must consider some tips. In order to smoked have high taste, you need to make a lot of effort.

Smoke can be regulated not only with the help of damp burlap, but also with fresh branches of trees or bushes. For this fit currant or cherry, which have an incredible aroma. You cannot use such tree species as pine or lilac, as well as birch. After all, they contain essential oils, sweet juice and tar, which can soak products, thus they will be unsuitable for consumption.

The layer of branches laid on top of the smokehouse should be approximately 30 centimeters. This is enough for three days. By the state in which the top leaves are, you can determine the readiness of products.

When starting to prepare firewood for smoking, you need to know that trees such as pears or cherries are best suited for this. However, before use, they must be cleaned of bark. If smoking occurs in the forest, then aspen or linden can be used as firewood. To give smoked meats a tart taste, you can take a nut or oak. In order to smoke a fish that has a smell of silt, you must use willow or rakita.

Coniferous trees cannot be used, otherwise they can spoil all the products. Also, if trees are infected with any fungi, they should not be taken either.

Also do not forget about the preparation of products. Before you start smoking, you need to marinate the meat well. To do this, any method known in cooking is suitable. Marinating must be done one day before the smoking process. Also, the meat can be simply rubbed with salt and spices. The finished product is best preserved in the refrigerator.

It takes much less time to cook fish. It just needs to be well gutted and cleaned. Then hold in salted water to eliminate the unpleasant smell of fish. Then soak it in a saline solution, and in an hour it will be ready to smoke. Almost any fish is suitable for smoking, both small and large. As a rule, the choice depends on the size of the smokehouse itself and the presence of the necessary functions in it.

Chicken meat is a bit softer than pork, so four hours are enough to marinate. Salt and sugar are used for the marinade. Many add wine and spices. This adds flavor to the bird. But you can do with a classic set of spices for chicken.

For marinating lard, a solution of salt, garlic and various spices is used. Marinating lasts two weeks. This is one of the longest-running processes. However, do not forget to periodically turn the pieces so that they are equally fragrant and appetizing from all sides. Rinse well before smoking.

It is also worth knowing at what temperatures and how long a particular product is prepared. When using hot smoked products, they accumulate in different ways.For meat and fat, the temperature varies from 100 to 150 degrees, and the smoking time is two or three hours of cooking. The fish is cooked for approximately one hour at a temperature of 70 degrees, which then rises to 100 degrees. The chicken is smoked at 110 degrees for about two hours.

If cold smoking is used, the temperature of smoking reaches 30 degrees Celsius. Because of this, the cooking process takes a lot of time. But the result will please anyone. After all, such products are not only very tasty, but also stored for a long time. For example, chicken ham smoked for up to four days, and then another three weeks kept, hanging in a dry room. But they are stored for several months.

2-3 days will be enough to smoke a ham, but lard is smoked for 7-10 days until it becomes golden brown.

To build a smokehouse for cold smoking will not be difficult and will not take much time. It is necessary only to make the correct calculation and choose a place for the smokehouse. And then you can please yourself and your family with delicious smoked meats, without being afraid to poison yourself with a low-quality purchased product.

How to build your own smokehouse for cold smoking, see the next video.