Do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse, options, drawings

Although nutritionists claim that smoked meats are harmful to the body, this does not stop lovers of such products. Someone buys delicacies in the store, while someone prefers to cook them on their own. There is nothing complicated in the device of a hot smoking smokehouse. We will tell you how and from what a do-it-yourself smoked smokehouse can be made.

Hot smoking is a simple and affordable way to process food. There are many options for organizing such a smokehouse with your own hands. Some require professional skills, for others, the materials available in every home will suffice.

The principle of hot smoking

The principle of operation of the smokehouse is based on the effect of hot smoke released from wood chips during heating. You can cook both raw foods and prepared semi-finished products. Thanks to smoking, products acquire a bright taste, delicate texture and beautiful color.

When organizing smoking, wood chips or sawdust are poured onto the bottom of a metal container. Above the sawdust, a tray is installed to collect fat. In the upper part of the smoking chamber, products are attached to sieves or rods. You can increase the capacity by using hanging blanks.

Important. During hot processing, the products become soft and crumbly. To prevent them from falling down, the blanks are wrapped with twine. Use a thread made from natural materials, such as linen.

The container is set on fire – it can be a fire, a gas stove or a barbecue. An electric heating element (tubular electric heater) is also suitable. The main thing is to cause the wood chips to slowly smolder without igniting it. The temperature is controlled by the intensity of the woodchip heating.

To measure the temperature, it is better to use a special thermometer built into the top of the smokehouse. In its absence, the temperature is regulated only on the basis of experience.

By changing the temperature and time, you can cook not only fish and meat, but also cheese and fruits. The temperature in the oil lamp is maintained from 50 to 140 ° C, and the process can last from 30 minutes to 10 hours.

What is the difference between hot and cold smoking

The main and significant difference between the methods is cooking temperature. This affects the complexity of the smokehouse design. The higher the temperature used, the simpler the device. For example, when cooking at temperatures over 100 ° C, an ordinary metal bucket with a lid is suitable as a smoker.

The answer to the question of which method of smoking is best depends on the goal you are pursuing. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. If we consider the technical side of the issue, then the hot method will be in a winning position.

Advantages of the hot method:

• simplicity of the device;
• taste qualities;
• less time for complete preparation of the product;
• in some cases, no preliminary preparation in the form of salting is required.

Disadvantages:

• short shelf life;
• loss of some useful substances;
• more carcinogens than cold smoking.

Products prepared by the cold method have a long shelf life – at least 1 month and fewer carcinogens.

Firewood selection

The wood of different trees has its own unique characteristics that give meat or fish a special flavor. This means that, ideally, it is desirable to choose a separate type of wood chips for each product. Here are some examples:

• Alder is perfect for smoking fish.
• Oak wood chips are used for smoking meat.
• For the preparation of game and fish, a pear or beech is recommended.
• If you want to smoke berries, nuts or vegetables, use cherry wood.

Due to the high resin content, it is not recommended to use conifers. The smoke of coniferous chips will spoil the product – the taste will become bitter, and the color will be dark.

Types of smokehouses

The main difference between hot smoked smokers is in the way the wood chips are heated. There are two of them:

1. External.
2. Interior.

For smokers with external heating, the heat source is located outside the smoking chamber. To cause heating of sawdust, they are placed on an open fire, gas or electric stove.

Oil lamps with internal heating have an electric heating element inside the chamber. It not only supports the smoldering of sawdust, but also increases the temperature in the chamber.

In addition to grouping according to two main features, oil lamps can be divided according to size and place of use.

• Mini smokehouses.
• For an apartment.
• Electrocopter.
• Automatic.
• Stationary

Mini smokehouses

These smokers are the most common, as they are small in size and weight, do not require additional devices for smoking. Mini oil lamps are used in apartments, private houses and cottages. Popular with fishermen, hunters and tourists. Due to their small size, such oil lamps are easy to transport, which is why they are often called portable or mobile.

Since the smokehouse is in contact with open fire and food, the quality of the metal must be high. The best option would be to make a stainless steel oil lamp, but plain metal is also allowed.

The optimal thickness of the metal is 1,5-2 mm, based on the fact that the smokehouse should retain its shape, but not be too heavy. By design, such a smokehouse can be with or without a water seal.

For apartment

For smoking at home, it is better to choose ready-made solutions, for example, multicookers with a smoking function. They are fully automatic, which is very convenient. Their disadvantage is that they are more expensive than homemade products.

With a normally working hood, it is permissible to use home-made devices. In this case, sawdust heating can be on a gas or electric stove.

Electrocopter

An electric smokehouse is a device in which the smoldering of sawdust or wood chips is caused by a built-in heating element. This allows you to automate and simplify the smoking process. If it is possible to regulate the temperature in the smoking chamber, by changing the heating of the heating element, you can smoke any food: meat, fish or vegetables.

The sizes of devices are varied both for home use and large-scale production. Small electric smoker options are available, such as domestically produced Greentechs. Since the device has its own electric heating, you can smoke on the balcony.

By design, electric smokehouses are simple, which allows you to make them yourself.

Automatic

In automatic smokers, the cooking modes of various products are set programmatically. They can be used both in professional kitchens and at home. Small models for home smoking are very convenient. After loading the products, the smoking temperature and time are set. After the program is completed, the device will turn itself off.

There are professional models on sale, for example, Bradley Smoker, but there are also domestic ones – Sikom. Their prices are very high.

Stationary

They are large structures made of metal or brick, so these options are more suitable for private houses or summer cottages. They can combine several ways of cooking products at once: barbecue, grill and cold smoking.

How to make a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands

The main difference between smokehouses is the way the sawdust is heated. Some are designed for external heating – gas, firewood, others have a built-in – electric heating element. The rest of the design and composition are similar:

• Smoking chamber.
• Sieves or rods with hooks for products.
• Capacity for collecting fat and moisture.
• Place for backfilling wood chips.

To determine the size of the future smokehouse, estimate the number of products that you will smoke at a time. In addition, consider the space between the hung products, which must be at least 5 cm, for the natural movement of smoke between them.

When deciding on the height of the smokehouse, rely on the following conditions:

• the height of the fallen sawdust is 3-6 cm;
• the distance from the chips to the fat collection tank is 6–12 cm;
• from the pallet to the products – 6–12 cm;
• when hanging products, take into account their length, together with fasteners, plus 3-4 cm to the lid of the smoker;
• if it is cooked on a wire rack, then add the thickness of the product plus 6–7 cm to the total size;
• wall thickness 1-1,5 mm.

Based on the proposed values, the average smokehouse should have dimensions of at least 50x30x30 cm for the street and at least 45x25x25 cm when smoked at home on the stove.

To control the temperature or smoking time, the smoker can be modified. You need to purchase special equipment for hot smoking. This can be a kit that includes a temperature sensor and a timer (timer), or you can purchase them separately.

Do-it-yourself smokehouse from a bucket

A bucket smoker is the easiest and most versatile to use. She can smoke food at home in the yard or take it with her on a hike.

To collect the resulting fat and juice, a small bowl is placed at the bottom of the bucket. Choose its diameter so that at the installation site there is a gap of 1-1,5 cm along the edges, for better passage of smoke from heated sawdust at the bottom.

Holes for rods are made in the upper part of the body, and gratings or grids are installed on them.

In the same way, you can build a smokehouse from a pan.

How to smoke in a bucket

The bucket is put on fire, and as soon as the smoke from the sawdust comes out, the bucket is covered with a lid. The temperature during smoking in the bucket will be around 200-250℃. Estimated time to completion will be:

• fish – from 15 to 30 minutes;
• meat – from 1 to 3 hours;
• vegetables – from 4 to 15 minutes;
• cheese – from 2 to 8 minutes.

Smoker with water seal

A smokehouse with a water seal looks like a regular one, but in its upper part there is a sealed groove, in the form of an inverted letter – “P”. Pouring water into the groove, the edges of the cover are immersed in the liquid, which provides additional tightness.

The water lock performs several functions:

• does not let air inside, preventing the ignition of sawdust;
• traps smoke under the lid and it can be removed through a fitting through a tube into a window or ventilation;
• creates a slight pressure in the smoking chamber as in a pressure cooker, which leads to a reduction in cooking time;
• strengthens the structure with thin metal, acting as a stiffener.

The lid of the smokehouse has a built-in smoke outlet. By connecting a hose to it, the escaping smoke can be removed to the ventilation or to the street.

If the other end of the hose is lowered into a container with a small amount of water, then the pressure in the smoking chamber will increase and the smoking time will be reduced.

The figure shows a drawing of a smokehouse with a water seal. You can make a smoker according to these dimensions from simple metal or stainless steel.

Welding work on stainless steel is carried out with special electrodes.

Since the thickness of the metal is small, it is necessary to carry out welding work carefully. We recommend reading the article “How to weld thin metal”.

Do-it-yourself barrel smokehouse

The construction of a hot-smoked smokehouse from a 200-liter barrel begins with the fact that the container must be washed. Further:

1. Cut out the top.
2. In the middle or below, make a door for loading wood chips. You can not make a door if you fill the chips through the top.
3. Drill several holes in the wall, stepping back 10 cm from the bottom and top. They are designed to install rods on which grates will be installed at the top and a dropper to collect fat at the bottom.
4. The pallet is placed on the lower rods, while its width should be 10-15 mm less than the diameter of the barrel.
5. The smokehouse is installed at a height of 20–30 cm from the ground and a fire is made under it. The temperature in the smokehouse depends on the strength of the fire.
6. The barrel is covered with a metal lid or sheet, and in their absence, dense burlap is also suitable.

For the manufacture of a smokehouse, any sealed container of a round or rectangular shape is suitable. For example: water heater, iron cabinet, safe, gas bottle. The design of the smokehouse can be either vertical or horizontal.

Brick smokehouse

This type is already more difficult to build, but if you have a desire to make a smokehouse with your own hands and there is enough space in the country, then you can handle it. The advantages of brick construction include:

• You can build a small complex for hot and cold smoking with a grill and a barbecue grill for frying barbecue.
• Gives you the opportunity to equip a nearby recreation area.
• A properly built smoked brick smokehouse will last a long time.
• High quality finished products.

The disadvantage is the high cost of construction and the complexity of construction.

The construction of a smokehouse can be divided into several main stages:

1. Determination of the place of construction of the smokehouse.
2. Make a diagram or make a drawing, this will allow you to calculate the amount of brick and material.
3. Foundation pouring. Ready-made blocks will do – this will speed up the work.
4. After the foundation has dried, proceed to the construction of the hull.
5. It is better to make the main body of red brick, and use refractory for the firebox.
6. Installing doors. They will help regulate the combustion process.
7. Chimney construction. Be sure to install the valve (gate).

At the end of construction, warm up the entire structure without products. This will get rid of foreign odors.

Options for homemade smokehouses

From Bixa

As a homemade oil lamp, a medical biksa (sterilization container) is often used. It is made of stainless steel, which is good for hot smoking, and is quite airtight.

From the fridge

It is not difficult to make a smokehouse from the refrigerator with your own hands. Since the body is almost ready, it remains to be slightly modified. Since the temperature in the chamber is high, it is necessary to remove all plastic parts inside the case. The door seal does not need to be removed.

The holes left from the removed parts must be repaired, leaving 1-2 small ones for ventilation. On the walls, make fasteners for installing a fat collection tray and grates for food.

A heater or tile is installed below so that a container with sawdust can be installed on them.

Smoker from a gas cylinder

To independently make a smokehouse from gas cylinders, you need to be able to work with a welding machine.

As a result, you will get a universal device that allows you to smoke hot and cold, cook in a grill and barbecue, and, of course, fry shish kebab.

In addition to these features, it is quite easy to add one more. If you cut a circle in the upper part of the firebox, then you can install a cauldron, which will expand the number of cooked dishes.

By the same principle, a smokehouse is made from a pipe.

Finished smokehouses

The range of ready-made smokehouses for the home is extensive. Even if you do not have a summer house or a country house, then a ready-made smokehouse that can be put on a gas or electric stove and get a similar result will be a great solution for you.

The best solution would be to purchase a hot smoked stainless steel smokehouse – it is durable and easy to clean. The small size of the oil lamp allows you to take it on picnics, fishing or hunting.

Advantages of ready-made models:

• metal with a thickness of at least 1 mm with an anti-corrosion coating or stainless steel;
• absence of toxic impurities in the composition of materials;
• several shelves in a smoke container;
• temperature control;
• support for hot and cold smoking modes.

Write Your Review

Tamara, Rostov-on-Don

My husband and I often cook various dishes and, for a change, we decided to try a hot smoked smoker, as we have heard that you can smoke at home. Found your site and decided to buy. Since there was fresh fish at home, we immediately set to cooking. The fish turned out juicy, soft and, as they say, “smoky”. Cooking does not require special knowledge, which pleases. The purchase was satisfied.

Finished products are easy to use, as is the hot smoking process. Positive feedback on the purchase, talking about a really useful purchase.