How to build a smokehouse of brick?

Brick smokehouse is a reliable, durable construction, which can for a long time please its owners with meat and fish delicacies. Such smoked products are strikingly different from store products and have a unique taste. It is not surprising that many dream of building this facility in their country house with their own hands. This is real if you follow the instructions and the basic rules of construction.

The smokehouse works on wood fuel, therefore any products that are smoked (lard, meat, hams and others) are exposed to soaking with burning firewood. From here a unique smell and taste of the received dishes. Of course, you can restrict the construction of the simplest smoke chamber, and the smoke will come into it from the chimney stove.But it is better to make a reliable device in accordance with fire safety standards, and place it on the site where it will not only delight you with delicious dishes, but will also become an original design element if you approach the process creatively.

Self-made brick structures may have the following differences:

• main purpose and functions;
• size and volume of the camera;
• internal organization.

It is better to build large smokehouses in the form of individual buildings. They can be beaten in a certain style using the original design. When cooking in a cold way for the operation of the smokehouse, it is necessary to supply equipment that supplies smoke, while in the device for hot cooking the firebox is located under the smoking section.

If you are going to build a smokehouse, you have to decide which structure is needed - stationary or to be moved.

It is necessary to clearly understand what parts it consists of:

• the combustion chamber;
• chimney;
• smoke box;
• lattice;
• grate;
• doors;
• roof;
• blew;
• stand for draining fat.

The principle of operation of the smokehouse is quite simple. Firewood is laid in the firebox, forming smoke in the process of burning, which enters the smoke compartment through the chimney channel. The ash is under the firebox. Products are hung or laid out on a grid, and fat is collected in a pallet mounted under the grill. The important point is the choice of a place for the smokehouse. It must be located away from the dwelling and the economic block so that the smoke could not get into the living quarters. It is also necessary to consider that it was convenient to deliver food and dishes to it.

For those who do not have construction experience in this area, you will need a well-defined scheme of works. Drawings, as a rule, include a list of necessary tools - a shovel, spatulas, solutions for the construction of the foundation. For the smokehouse - doors, grates, cover. The method of laying bricks is important.

Installation begins with laying of the base.The selected site is cleared of debris, foreign objects and foliage.

The work involves the following steps:

• marks the place for the smokehouse with wooden stakes and a rope;
• for a medium-sized construction, a pit is dug 35–40 cm deep, 50 cm wide, 30 cm long;
• to create a concrete cushion, sand and rubble are placed and tamped to the bottom of the moat, the surface should be as even as possible;
• put a steel mesh on top;
• on top of the concrete mix is ​​poured.

It is important that the solution is completely dry, it can take from 1 to 3 days. Then carry out waterproofing with roofing felt or similar material.

After this begins laying brick.

• An earthen mortar is applied with a trowel on a dry foundation.
• The chimney is first laid. At the brick, a poke is lubricated in order to create the maximum filling of vertical seams, as the stone under pressure is used to shift to the seam.
• Excess clay mixture is cleaned with a trowel. Lightly tap the brick with a hammer so that it lies down correctly. Ordering (laying) requires regular measurements of the corners of erected walls - this prevents the appearance of irregularities.Ideally, check every new row.
• It should be borne in mind that in relation to the firewood, the smoke channel should be located at an angle of 8 degrees, and its walls should reach a height of 25 cm. At the end of the laying work, thorough grouting is done.

The smoking compartment can have any shape. The main thing is a quality lined stone. For an average garden stove, a 1x1 meter chamber is enough.

On the top of the smoke compartment are pins designed for hooks., and the grate, in the bottom - a cleansing filter in the form of natural linen fabric. The camera must have a cover to adjust the smoke. When installing the roof should leave holes for ventilation. At the end, install doors and nets, hooks for placing products.

The firebox is made of thick sheets of iron 40x35x35 cm. It should be in the opposite side from the smoke chamber, at the other end of the chimney. With him, she connects to the side and back. The outer part of it is also encased with fireclay, refractory bricks.

A performance check may reveal some flaws. If the smoke does not leave the building quickly enough, this may mean that the seams are badly sealed.A well-made smokehouse heats up quickly enough, and the products placed in it for 20–30 minutes browse and turn golden.

It is necessary to correctly calculate the number of building materials for the workflow, because this will greatly facilitate the work.

To make a smokehouse with high quality and avoid mistakes, professional craftsmen advise you to adhere to the following rules:

• A new row should always start at the corner of the structure;
• joints between bricks should not exceed 12 mm, later they are sealed with mortar;
• for optimum thermal insulation, the zone of 2–3 rows, where the ash chamber is usually located, is covered with pebbles;
• to clean the lower channel of the chimney it is necessary to make a door at the level of 3 and 4 rows of bricks;
• special attention is paid to the chimney narrowing and cutting (when laying 6–12 rows);
• the uniformity of heating of the furnace stove depends on the correct laying of bricks of the 8–11 series;
• at the level of 23 rows it is supposed to hang the products, therefore, along with the masonry, two metal rods are installed;
• The hole for the chimney pipe measuring 13x13 cm is made from brick halves.

The procedure must be carried out in compliance with the dressing. For the stability of the construction, the seams of the lower rows are covered with bricks. Each row must be checked level, also applies to already erected walls. Skilled craftsmen sometimes even check individual bricks, if there is a suspicion of drops.

It is undesirable to make a metal chimney at your own smokehouse, although it will be cheaper. It is better to use refractory bricks, because the smell and taste of cooked dishes depends on it. All parts of the smokehouse from wood are also processed not with cement, but with a solution of clay.

Such a structure can be successfully used for both hot and cold smoking. It includes a combustion chamber and a chimney, so when burning fuel gases escape through the chimney. But before they should be directed to the hot smoked compartment. In order to use the method of cold processing of products, a metal container with prepared sawdust is placed above the firebox. Wood, smoldering, emits smoke and, thus, is smoked, then it also goes through the chimney.Sawdust made of cherry wood and apricot tree are used as fuel.

No less practical is the outdoor grill with the option of a smokehouse. This design is practical and versatile. With it, you can cook any food, smoke and fry meat, dry mushrooms and fruits.

A brick smokehouse is a durable, environmentally friendly and heat-retaining design. Do-it-yourself installation is quite acceptable if the main technologies are not violated. Then you can talk about a really high-quality device that is relevant to most of the owners of dachas and private houses.

Step-by-step instruction on the structure of the smokehouse - in the next video.