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If you like smoking, and there is no extra money for a good professional smokehouse, but there is an old washing machine, you can combine business with pleasure.
The washing machine will make an excellent smokehouse. And you can do it yourself.
Do-it-yourself smokehouse
If you decide that your oil lamp will be made from an old washing machine, you need to prepare the tool, read the instructions and act.
Do you want to do everything yourself? Dare!
Tool
What tools will be included in the set depends on the design of the future smokehouse and on which washing machine you will take as a basis. In general, you will need:
- electric welding machine;
- a hammer;
- plus and minus screwdrivers;
- angle grinder (grinder);
- drill or electric drill;
- roulette.
The first thing you need from consumables is an old washing machine: Soviet or modern, but vertical. Old horizontal type SMAs are also suitable.
What can you make a smokehouse from?
- If your choice fell on the Soviet typewriter “Oka”, then you can make a smokehouse from two elements: from a tank and a lid.
- If the usual horizontal SMA is taken as the basis, then only the drum is used.
- If you are going to make an electric smokehouse, then you need to buy a heating element with a power of 1000 watts or more.
And another important point is the grill grate on which you will smoke food.
Important! For the electric version, the power of the heater is important. If it is below 1 kW, then the sawdust will simply smolder, which means that fish or meat will not be smoked.
Alteration of a vertical washing machine
If you want to save on electricity and not fool around with buying a heating element, opt for a wood-burning option. It is made from the tank of the Oka top-loading machine. The tank is ideal for these purposes, as it is made of high-quality stainless steel. It will not burn out in a couple of months, and will last a long time.
Proceed like this:
- Turn the car upside down.
- Remove the engine and other parts that interfere with work.
- Remove all rubber and plastic parts from the pan that may become hot and smoke from the fire. This will prevent food spoilage.
- Arm yourself with an electric welding machine and weld all the holes that you find at the bottom.
Important! To close the hole from the activator, make a patch by first cutting it out of a stainless steel sheet. Weld on.
- Cut a hole in the wall of the housing – it can be square, rectangular or semicircular – as desired. Thus, you will make a firebox in which you will lay firewood.
- Next, look into the tank: there, at a distance of about half a meter from the bottom, fasteners should be provided on which the grill grate will be held. Make your future smokehouse functional and add fixtures 15-20 centimeters above the first level by welding – so you can adjust the degree of smoking or load twice as many products.
How is smoking done:
- Make a fire on the ground, pour dry sawdust on the bottom of the former car.
Important! Avoid resinous tree species – give preference to fruit varieties.
- Lay the grill grates.
- Lay food out on racks.
- Cover the tank with a clean cotton cloth.
- Put the factory cover on top.
- As a final chord, you will need to put the finished oil lamp on a blazing fire.
This design has a couple of disadvantages:
- The fire should be maintained – it can quickly go out.
- It is necessary to ensure that the fire does not flare up too much; the heat should be in moderation – neither too little nor too much.
Important! When using a smoker and working with an open flame, observe safety precautions.
Not everyone will be comfortable with a device from which you can’t move even a couple of steps. Therefore, the design can be improved. For this:
- Take a large heater – a round spiral with a power of 1000 watts or more.
- It should be attached to the bottom of the tank.
Important! In the case of the electric version, a firebox is not needed – do not cut a hole.
- Plug in the power cord and unplug it.
In order for such a smokehouse to work, you need to fill the bottom with sawdust, install a grate and lay out the products for smoking. Cover the machine with a cloth and a lid, turn it on.
When the spiral heats up to the maximum, the sawdust smoldering process will begin – and the products will begin to smoke. Home craftsmen are also advised to wrap the machine in a non-combustible piece of thermal insulation to minimize heat loss, and the heating element will warm up faster.
Alteration of a horizontal washing machine
When thinking about what you can make a smokehouse out of, pay attention to machines with horizontal loading. True, the smokehouse is not mounted from the body, but from the drum.
To make a compact, but fully functional smokehouse, proceed as follows:
- Remove excess parts from the drum.
- Look for a pot that you don’t mind, one that matches the diameter of the drum.
- Cut the bottom of the saucepan with a grinder, set it aside.
Attention! You can cut the front of the drum to widen it.
- Place the drum so that the hatch is on top. You need to weld its bottom and close up the holes.
Important! To cover the holes on the sides, wrap the smoker in non-combustible thermal insulation.
- Place the drum upside down on the pan and boil them together.
- Install a heating element inside at the bottom.
- Now it remains only to provide the fasteners on which the gratings will be located.
- Don’t forget to include a lid for the mini smoker.
The unit works in the same way as the previous one:
- Fill the bottom of the drum with sawdust from fruit trees.
- Install grates (round).
- Pack the products.
- Cover the drum with a cloth and lid.
- Connect to the network.
- Wait until the sawdust smokes – from this moment the smoking process can be considered started.
Attention! If you need a large smoking machine, you can make it from two tanks, having previously welded them together.
Now you know how to make a smokehouse not only from a Soviet round washing machine, but also from a modern one. And the video will help you not to make mistakes when designing:
Good luck crafting!