Do-it-yourself smokehouse - instructions for beginners. How to make a smokehouse cold and hot smoked?

Many of us dream of having our own smokehouse, but for various reasons postpone the implementation of this venture. The main reason is the price. Cold smoked smokehouse will cost a significant amount. For hot it’s cheaper, but more often we prefer cold smoked dishes.

We are stopped by the complicated technology of preparing such dishes. Nevertheless, the quality of everything that is prepared with your own hands, of course, can not be compared with anything. Therefore, we often dream of having our own smokehouse in the countryside.

From my own experience I can say with confidence that everyone can create this technically simple unit. On the Internet there are a wide variety of homemade smokehouse options for every taste and budget.

What to choose

Those who have never encountered such a device should take into account that different technologies are used for cold and hot smoking. Accordingly, the smoking equipment will be different.

For hot, you can use a small iron box with a lid of any shape. The denser the lid, the faster the process will go. At the bottom of the box is placed a grill with small holes. Wooden chips from alder, oak or aspen are laid under it. You can use almost any tree here.

Pine and spruce are not recommended due to the high resin content, which gives a strong resinous flavor.

There should be sufficient distance between the grate and the bottom so that the grate does not touch the tree. We cover it all with a tight lid and set it on fire. It is possible on open, it is possible on a gas burner, and it is possible on ordinary coals for barbecue.

Nothing can burn here, since the wood chips are pre-soaked in plain water so that the process of decay rather than burning takes place. In no case should the tree burn.

Everything will take from twenty to forty minutes. Then you can post a photo of the smokehouse made by yourself on the Internet and discuss your own recipes. All this, of course, is worth doing yourself.

A cold or hot answer to the question is quite simple. Who likes what. For example, I have two smokehouses of my own design in the country, which for many years satisfy my culinary fantasies.

Features of cold smoked

For cold smoking, a more complex device is used, which can be made by yourself. First of all, the question arises - what to make a smokehouse from.

The most optimal of stainless metal. However, it must be borne in mind that such an aggregate consists of three main parts. The main part is the smoking cabinet itself. Then the so-called smoke generator, which produces smoke for smoking.

Smoke enters the smoking cabinet, where the process of cold smoking takes place. The process can be called a cold conditionally, since for a high-quality product preparation a plus temperature of about twenty degrees is needed.

If everything happens outdoors in the cold season, it is necessary to provide for the heating of the smoking cabinet. For this, an ordinary lighting lamp is suitable. LED lamp does not fit, it does not produce enough heat.

An important element for quality cooking is a drying cabinet.This device eliminates excess moisture.

The drying process can be done outdoors. In this case, it will be necessary to fulfill all the necessary conditions for drying the product in the open air. It is possible to combine a drying and smoking cabinet in one space.

What is the easiest way to make a smoking device?

The most empty option is an ordinary barrel, which can be found in almost every household. The larger it is, the more efficient the smoke generator should be. For home production, a smokehouse from a barrel of fifty to one hundred liters is quite suitable.

If there are no barrels in the household

In fact, any metal box from household utensils will do. For example, an old refrigerator. Smokehouse from the refrigerator is an acceptable option. Here you can combine a smoke chamber, smoke generator and dryer in one housing.

For those who like to build forever

It is quite possible to build a brick smokehouse with your own hands. Here the flight of fancy is unlimited and all equipment can be combined in one space.

It is best to build in the same place where the barbecue is located or nearby. This is the most reliable and durable option.

From my own experience

I have my own step-by-step instructions on how to make a smoke-cured smokehouse with your own hands. The main and most cumbersome part of the structure I made of glued wooden panels, bought in a hardware store. Pine for this quite fit.

Using screws I assembled a cube measuring 80 by 80 centimeters, one meter high - this is the size of the finished panels. Above is a dense lid of the same wood. From the inside, the entire space was covered with thick aluminum foil, since wood, especially pine, produces a lot of resin, which is not very good for food.

I drilled a hole in the lid with a diameter of 50 millimeters for the chimney. An ordinary plastic water pipe came up. On the side attached a smoke generator.

Let us dwell on its design

I went the most optimal way and bought a finished device. It was easier, as the kit included a small compressor that helps pump smoke into the smokehouse. The compressor can not be used.

If the design is made correctly, then the smoke will come in sufficient quantities and without additional devices. But with a compressor more reliable. Such a generator is easy to make yourself.

How to assemble a smoke generator

Any metal pipe with a diameter of 80-100 millimeters will do. In its lower part we make several holes. Then on a metal surface, an old frying pan will do for this, pour a little pre-soaked wood chips and kindle it.

When the tree flames up, or rather begins to smolder, we cover it with a pipe. The holes should provide the necessary airflow to support the smoldering process. Ideally, the bottom of the pipe should be brewed and one large hole made to fill with wood chips and air flow.

In the side of the pipe, you must first make a hole at the level of two-thirds of the bottom and insert a horizontal metal pipe there so that it connects the smoking cabinet and the smoke generator.

We cover the upper part with a tight lid and make sure that smoke does not ooze from loose connections. If everything is done correctly, then all the smoke will flow into the smokehouse and the process will go on efficiently and quickly enough.

How to install an additional compressor

For this, a conventional aquarium compressor with a plastic tube, through which air passes under slight pressure, is suitable. This tube must be inserted into the transverse pipe that connects the generator and the smoking cabinet. It is best to provide an additional fitting. All joints must be very tight. Now you can smoke.

Drying cabinet

It is best to use a special drying cabinet, which will save our product from excess moisture. It is also quite possible to make it yourself. I bought a plastic box with a tight lid of 20 liters. A small fan inserted into its side. Any of those that are in your household will do.

We put, or rather hang, the pre-salted product in the oven. Turn on the fan and wait 2-3 days until completely dry. Now it’s not customary to do this outdoors, preferably in an oven of any design.

It should be borne in mind that the stronger the air flow, the faster the preparation for smoking will pass. It is also important what the ambient temperature is. In the summer, you can’t put the dryer in the sun, but it is better to find a cool place somewhere in the barn or cellar. If everything is done correctly, the smoking process will take about 40-50 minutes.

You can smoke for a longer time, but here you can go too far and then your dish will get a bitter taste. There are an infinite number of recipes on how and how much to smoke a particular product on the Internet.

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