Cold smoking at home design. Cold smoked smokehouse. As a rule, cold smoking is prepared

The essence of food preparation is the treatment with chemicals during the sublimation of wood in conditions of lack of oxygen. The colloquial name is smoking. It happens:

Hotter. Food is exposed to smoke at a temperature of 70-150°C. The process is characterized by accelerated cooking of products (40-180 minutes). Stored at room temperature no more than 1-3 days.

Cold. Processing is carried out with smoke cooled to 20-30 ° C. Cooking time from several hours to several days. The product acquires a delicate aroma of smoke, refined taste. The shelf life reaches several weeks.

Mixed. Flue gas temperature 40-80°C. Processing within 4-10 hours. Validity 3-7 days.

After heat treatment, the products acquire a number of properties:

impregnated with aromatic substances that give the food a unique aroma and taste;
acquire a long shelf life due to the preservative properties of flue gases (bacteriostatic effect).

The most delicious and long-stored are products that have been processed on a home-made cold-smoked smokehouse.

From simple to complex

A do-it-yourself cold-smoked smokehouse can represent the simplest designs assembled from improvised means. Or show folk art devices that can compete with industrial models.

The most important difference from other types of exposure to smoke is the temperature of the gases. A homemade smokehouse must include a device that reduces the thermal component. Scheme of cold and hot smoking:

It can be seen that the design of cold smoke generation includes an elongated channel (chimney). Moving along the pipe, gases lose part of their thermal energy. Accordingly, the temperature decreases. This effect is put into most homemade cold smoked smokehouses.

It can be seen that a do-it-yourself cold-smoked smokehouse includes three main components:

source of smoke (smoke generator);
smoke channel (chimney);
container for food.

Hastily

How to make a cold smoked smokehouse under conditions of limited materials:

on a hike;
foray into nature (forest, river, lake);
at the camp site;
garden plot, etc.

One option is a simple cold smoked smokehouse based on rods and plastic wrap. It is not difficult to build such a structure. The main thing is to ensure a decrease in the temperature of gases from coals.

The design is based on the principle of a tent, wigwam, tent.

The power frame is made of poles. A polyethylene film is thrown over the top. Fish (meat, chicken, game) is fastened with twine. The source of heat is coal obtained from a previously diluted fire. Smoke - raw brushwood and branches with green foliage (but not grass).

Embers can be in a bucket or hearth. The latter is carried out in the ground in the form of a pit with an embankment. The benefits are obvious:

there is no need for special building material. The only thing imported is polyethylene film;
extreme simplicity of design;
speed of installation;
the ability to visually observe the processing process.

The disadvantage is constant monitoring of the focus. Open flame is not allowed, otherwise the whole structure will burn; the process can go from cold to hot. The need to provide coals and green branches during the entire cooking time. However, there is always a person in the company who is happy to devote himself to the process of making a smokehouse for cold smoking with his own hands.

A more complicated option is to make a chimney. This is possible in the presence of a slope. The length of the ditch will be 1.5-2 meters. Depth 30-50 cm. The trench is covered with branches with foliage, spruce branches of pine or spruce. The earth is thrown from above and covered with a film. The advantage is the release of time, due to the reduction of constant control.

This design of cold smoking is very convenient for cooking fish caught in the nearest reservoir. Cooking time is reduced, but not at the expense of taste and quality. The finished product can be stored for several days.

More complex designs will require imported overall parts. This will be a home smokehouse.

Stationary smokehouse samples

Making a cold-smoked smokehouse with your own hands near the house is an opportunity to diversify the diet of households, treat guests with a delicious delicacy and prepare food for the future. The presence of their own farmstead with poultry and the maintenance of beef cattle is the creation of a mini-workshop for the processing and further sale of various smoked meats on the collective farm market.

The design of the future smoke house depends on the tasks set - how to make a smokehouse of a certain size for processing food products. It can be a simple device assembled from ready-made components and parts. Or a more complex unit using electricity, an electronic control unit. In any case, you will need the ability to:

take measurements;
draw or read drawings;
own locksmith tools and welding equipment;
knowledge of electrical engineering is required.

improvised material

The design is implemented according to the scheme shown in the figure:

The most accessible parts are a 200-liter steel barrel, the body of an old refrigerator, an iron cabinet for tools or clothes. For the chimney, metal pipes with an inner diameter of at least 100 mm are used:

sewer collector;
penstock;
tin ventilation duct;
flexible corrugated pipe for a chimney from a fireplace or stove.

As a smoke generator, a hearth under a fire, arranged in a small pit, is suitable. The top is covered with a lid. More difficult is the use of a metal furnace with separate chambers. One serves as a source of heat, the other contains sawdust to produce smoke.

Important points during design and installation:

it is necessary to place a cold smokehouse at a distance from wooden or other flammable materials;
take into account the wind rose; the air flow should not clog the fire in the hearth and direct the smoke towards residential or outbuildings with pets;
it is required to ensure the slope of the chimney to create traction;
protect the location of the chimney and stove to prevent burns by curious children or adults.

The length of the pipe or trench under the chimney is 2-5 meters. This size determines the intensity of cooling and traction. In the winter or autumn-spring period, there will be no problems with lowering the flue gas temperature due to a significant difference between the environment and the heat flow.

More difficult in hot weather. Recall that the effect of cold smoking appears at 20-30°C. Warming up the air to 30-35°C can completely dampen the draft. Flue gases will not acquire the desired thermal background.

Making a do-it-yourself smokehouse for cold smoking begins with the implementation of a draft design, the preparation of initial components and parts. Next, the location on the site follows. The connection of units and parts is made, based on local conditions - for welding, soldering, threaded fasteners or caulking.

Examples of products created by the thought of craftsmen are presented:

Building products for smoking

The device of a smokehouse on its own site can be a stationary outbuilding made of metal, brick or wood. Hence, a home-made cold-smoked smokehouse, assembled with one's own hands, should be located in a place where smoke will not reach housing and annoy pets.

Examples of folk art:

In addition to solidity and solid volumes, the difference between designs and simple devices, the presence of a chronometer counting the time from loading to unloading the finished product. A more advanced version is equipped with an electronic control unit:

time is counted down;
an audible signal about the end of the process is given;
temperature control inside the product;
a general analysis of gas formation is carried out.

A self-built unit is an opportunity to implement an entrepreneurial spirit:

But for this it is necessary to solve a number of problems. The main ones are the cooling of flue gases in hot weather and the creation of a constant flow inside the smokehouse.

The idea of lowering the temperature is shown in the figure:

The figure shows that the design resembles a moonshine still. But it is not the "pervach" that is cooled, but the flue gas. In practice, the scheme is implemented in several ways.

Water cooling. To do this, the pipe (or part) is immersed in a bath filled with liquid from a well or well.

Air cooling. The flue gas is partially mixed with air from the compressor (during expansion, the temperature decreases).

In any case, forced ventilation will be required. The scheme is presented:

In practice, this is the connection of an aquarium pump, or a fan from a kitchen hood, or ventilation for a bathroom:

You can make a smokehouse with your own hands based on industrial designs. But for this you need knowledge of welding:

Such a design will be able to implement the principle of hot and cold smoking:

An additional (or main) function is cooking meat: kebabs, steaks, chicken, etc.

Food preparation

Unlike hot smoking, cold smoked food products must be prepared in advance:

pickle;
marinate;
hold in a closed container with fragrant seasonings.

After salting, the semi-finished product must be cleaned of salt, rinsed thoroughly in cold water. It is possible that such an operation will be needed to remove excess marinade (initially a lot of vinegar was laid).

The operation of salting-marinating has the function of bacteriological treatment. In the process of exposure to salt, dehydration of the outer flesh occurs. Bacteria in such an environment cease to develop. But the meat can not be overexposed in brine. Otherwise, it will lose a lot of moisture, become hard.

Complex products - sausages, as well as fish, longer than 30-40 cm should be fastened with twine based on natural materials (hemp, linen). This method will allow sausage products to keep their shape. The fish will not fall apart.

A cold-smoked smokehouse, designed with your own hands, is the pride of the master. Double pleasure will be delivered by a properly prepared product.

There are many options for expressing your creativity. Even simple designs can successfully give food an unforgettable subtle taste.

- it’s a necessary thing, especially if you have a piglet waiting for its time in your shed, or a pond filled with all kinds of fish is nearby ...

And in order not to dream for a long time and not to swallow saliva, let's get acquainted with the technology of making a cold smokehouse with our own hands, and then HOW we will take it, and HOW we will build it - our own cold smoked smokehouse! To accommodate it, you will need a small plot of land, somewhere in 2-3.5 meters in total! And then the pleasures - the sea!

All the neighbors will be jealous, and friends and acquaintances will stand in line - everyone loves to eat smoked meats! So, for the benefit of ourselves and friends, let's start a new life, with this very useful and necessary unit!

Scheme of a cold smoked smokehouse

But before you start building your own smokehouse, you need to know a few very important points:

In order for the taste and appearance of a smokeable product to be pleasant, it is important to make it evenly fumigated and heated. If you do not pay due attention to this important aspect, then all smoked products can be fractionated, and this can already harm the body and significantly spoil the taste of the finished product.
Obtaining a "light haze", which means - without carbon monoxide, which should precipitate before reaching the smoking chamber. It is not in vain that doctors scare us with pyrolysis gases! The smoke must be thoroughly diluted with oxygen, and in order for everything to work as it should, already during the construction of the smokehouse, you must understand what and why you are doing.
It is necessary to ensure proper pumping of the product, which means that the smoke penetrating into the smokehouse should linger a little in it and saturate the drying product. After that, the smoke lightens and, rising up, leaves the smokehouse through the chimney, but, it is replaced by a new one, it lingers again and evenly saturates the entire bookmark with itself.

Features of cold smoking:

Smoking takes place at a working temperature of 30 to 50 C.
Properly smoked products have excellent keeping quality (they can be stored without a refrigerator for more than a year), exquisite taste and incomparable aroma.
Cold smoked products are devoid of all kinds of harmful properties and effects on the human body! Only one benefit and all sorts of unique range of flavors!
Cold smoking requires thorough preparation “before” and “during” smoking, sometimes it takes up to 5 days of preparation for smoking and up to 3 days of the product being in the smokehouse itself.
The cold-smoked smokehouse has a simple scheme and is easily “implemented” into life, requiring neither special conditions nor special materials. For it, a land plot from 2 to 3.5 m will be sufficient.

Making a cold smokehouse step by step

Let's start building a smokehouse:

The trench for the chimney must lie above the combustion chamber.

The pit for the smoking chamber should be 2-3 bayonets of a shovel deep, the smoke entering it should linger a little, and then, already cleaned, find its way up to the smoking chamber.
Cement the firebox floor well.

Lay out the WALLS under the smoking chamber with bricks so that the resulting structure protrudes slightly above the ground.

We boldly bury the chimney pipe with earth and compact the soil tightly.
Let's move on to creating a smoking chamber:

We stuff planks onto the base to make a very tight-fitting wooden canvas.

We install a small-diameter pipe in the roof of the smokehouse, which will bring the exhaust gases out.

By the way, for complete control, you can install a thermometer on the door, the indicator of which will be built into the smoking chamber.

And then the inevitable:

We do not swallow saliva - rather, we bring our "smoking" dream to life and - enjoy life in the form of a well-smoked piece of ham, fish, balyk or something else! What does your soul desire!

Useful video: Cold smoking

How to use the smoker correctly:

Let's go back to the cold smoked smokehouse scheme:

As you can see, the circuit is quite simple! The principle of operation is that hot smoke, passing through a long pipe, cools to the desired temperature, condenses, which means that all harmful components precipitate from it. Further, purified and usable smoke enters the smoking chamber. All condensate and particulate smoke will settle and go into the ground without harming our drying products. And in order for the condensate not to damage the smoking chamber, it should be securely installed on bricks or on wooden blocks of sufficient thickness.

One of the advantages of this scheme is the regulation of the supply to the smoke chamber. Adjustment is carried out thanks to the slate lying near the combustion chamber. It is worth pushing it a little and excess smoke will leave through the hole formed. Adjustment is carried out before loading products into the smoking chamber. As soon as we notice that a light fragrant smoke has come out of the smokehouse pipe, and not a black and smelly waste, then you can immediately slide the slate sheet into place.

The delay of smoke in the smoking chamber is carried out by throwing wet burlap over the chamber - a barrel, which is desirable to be laid on metal rods, since the burlap will become dirty, heavy and may fall on the smoked products and spoil them.

Also, the burlap must be moistened periodically and not allowed to dry completely, so that the smoke does not burst with a strong stream and does not spoil the taste and aroma of the product in the chamber.

The ground under the smokehouse should be allowed to dry thoroughly before each bookmark. If this is not done, then under the influence of condensate, the earth will become even more sour and become completely impenetrable. And this is fraught with the fact that condensate with solid harmful settled particles of smoke cannot penetrate into the ground. All this will fall down the pipe and completely destroy the entire bookmark!

In order for the product coming out of the smokehouse to have special taste and aroma properties, some effort should be made and some “tremulously kept” secrets should be used:

It would be more correct to regulate the smoke circulation not with wet burlap, but with freshly cut branches of shrubs or trees. For this purpose, currants, cherries, hazels, raspberries are ideal, but strong-smelling ones, such as lilac, pine, spruce, even birch and maple, are definitely not suitable. Essential oils, tar, sweet juice or gum that these trees secrete will soak the bookmark that it will be impossible to eat!
The thickness of the layer of branches superimposed on the smoking chamber should be about 30 cm (if the whole process lasts 3 days). According to the condition of the upper leaves, the readiness of the product is judged. Moreover, such a sign helps not to interfere in the technological process by opening the door (to check the readiness of the product).
To give smoked meats a special flavor, the bottom of the chimney under the smokehouse is covered with freshly picked currant leaves, and if you want to smoke the meat of an old animal, then combine currants with horseradish leaves half and half. An amazing result awaits you, in the sense of a pleasant surprise!

The principle of operation of a cold smoked smokehouse

Cold smoked smokehouses may have different design solutions, but they must fulfill their main task: to ensure “sterility” and a low temperature of the smoke entering the chamber with products. This can be done in only one way - by cooling it and settling / volatilizing carbon monoxide components.

This result is achieved by creating a route (tunnel) along which smoke moves. Therefore, all stationary cold smoked smokehouses consist of three main blocks:

hearth;
chimney;
smoking chamber.

Smoke can also be supplied with the help of a special device - a smoke generator. This method of cooking products allows you to reduce the smoking time. Thick smoke with a high density enters the chamber, which contributes to faster soaking of food. You can buy a smoke generator in shops for hunters and fishermen or make it yourself from improvised materials.

Construction types

Whatever the name of the cold smoked smokehouse: for fish, meat, lard, it is designed and works on the same principle. And you can cook any food in it. It is important to comply with the requirements for their installation or suspension.

Do-it-yourself cold-smoked smokehouse can be built from a variety of materials. There are stationary and portable models, capacious and small-sized. For home use, small-sized structures are made. For this purpose, you can use buckets, barrels, pots, pressure cookers. There is a way to make a smokehouse from an iron.

Homemade masters do not pass by ownerless refrigerators

Cold smoking at home is a risky undertaking, as smoke and soot can settle on the exterior walls and interior items. Therefore, most often products are smoked on the balcony and a smoke generator is used for this purpose.

In summer cottages and territories of private households, durable stationary smokehouses are installed. All of them have the same design solution, which was mentioned above. But they can be built from different materials:

bricks;
foam block or gas block;
metal;
tree.

The chimney can also be arranged in different ways:

from metal or asbestos-cement pipes;
lined with brick or stone;
lined with wood.

The smoking chamber is the most noticeable element of the design, so much attention is paid to its design. Shelves and hooks, a smoke outlet pipe are installed in the food block.

Prefabricated smokehouse in nature

Stationary smokehouses can be temporary or solid buildings. A completely functional and suitable for cooking structure can be built on the river bank while fishing, in the forest, at a picnic.

Camping smokehouse device

I arrange a trench-type smokehouse in any place where there is a small hill. This is the best way to cook delicious food on the go.

The principle of operation of the smokehouse is based on the property of smoke rising up as it cools. Therefore, the hearth is always arranged in a lowland, and a food chamber - on a hill. And connect them with a chimney, airtight as much as possible. To cover the trench, any improvised materials are useful:

tree branches;
boards;
dense fabric;
tarpaulin.

The block for products and the hearth should be at a distance of 3–5 m. In this case, smoke will enter the chamber, the temperature of which is 25–30 ° C. Therefore, even flammable materials, such as plastic garbage bags, are suitable for sealing the smoke cabinet.

Smokehouses from improvised materials

For the device of a cold smoked smokehouse, objects and materials available in each household are suitable.

Metal barrels. Including from under oil and fuel.
Old refrigerators.
Washing machines.
Bucky.
Buckets.

All these items can be used to build a smoke cabinet in which food will be smoked. The hearth (stove) is laid out of brick or stone. You can make a fire in a metal barrel or other non-combustible container. You can also make a firebox in the ground: dig a hole and cover it on top with a sheet of iron.

Cold smoked smokehouse device

The chimney is arranged in a ground or underground way. To implement the first option, pipes or a tunnel built of bricks will be required. An underground chimney is a trench covered from above with any suitable material:

slate sheets;
corrugated board;
boards;
plywood and other lumber;
tarpaulin.

In the southern regions, it is wiser to choose an underground method of supplying smoke to the smoking chamber. In a ground chimney, it will slowly cool under the hot rays of the sun. As a result, the products may "cook". Recommended chimney parameters for cold smoked smokehouses:

length 300 cm;
width 40–50 cm;
height 25–30 cm.

Video: cold smoking in the refrigerator

The device of a cold-smoked smokehouse from a barrel

To build a smokehouse from a barrel you will need:

a barrel without a bottom;
barrel lid;
bricks;
shovel;
metal mesh with a mesh of no more than 20x20 mm;
metal sheet measuring 1x1 m;
boards or sheets of slate.

Selecting a location for installation

It is desirable to install a smokehouse away from residential buildings. This is due to the duration of the smoking process.

On average, it takes 3-7 days to cook cold-smoked products. All this time, smoke must enter the chamber. If the chimney and smoke cabinet are located near the house, things and finishing materials will absorb the smell.

Scheme of the ideal location of the smokehouse

The place for the smokehouse must also meet other requirements:

be spacious enough to place a supply of firewood and sit next to the hearth;
located away from the green zone and flammable materials.

Construction stages

Step 1. Design. On a piece of paper draw a diagram of the future smokehouse. The structure should look like this:

firebox 70x70 cm in size;
chimney 3 m long, 40 cm wide and 30–40 cm deep;
a square structure of two rows of bricks on which the barrel will be installed.

Step 2 Markup. Using a tape measure, pegs and a rope, mark on the ground all the distances indicated on the diagram.

Step 3 Excavation. With a bayonet shovel at the locations of the chimney and firebox, they remove the top vegetation layer of the earth, strictly adhering to the marking of the site. With a shovel, soil is excavated to a depth of 30–40 cm. The walls and bottom of the trench are leveled, and they are compacted. If you plan to build a durable smokehouse, lay out the chimney and firebox with bricks or stones.

Step 4 Hearth device. It is necessary to install a damper above the furnace, with the help of which they will regulate the intensity of burning fuel and smoldering coals. For this purpose, any flat metal sheet is suitable. It should fit snugly against the top edge of the firebox to prevent drafts.

Just laying a sheet of metal on the ground, it is impossible to achieve a snug fit. Therefore, it is recommended to build a "neck" along the perimeter of the hearth, consisting of 1-2 rows of bricks.

Step 5 Smoke chamber device. In order for the smoking chamber to fulfill its function, the barrel must be properly equipped: install 2-3 tiers of grates in it. They are made of metal mesh or wire. You can also use products suitable for this purpose. For example, grates from an old refrigerator.

In order to place the grates inside the barrel, they need supports

If the smokehouse is being built as a temporary structure, two rows of bricks are installed inside the chamber, located opposite each other. Grids are fixed between the bricks.

If they want to make the design more convenient to use, bolts are cut into the walls of the barrel and tightened with nuts. To hang products in the upper part of the barrel, through holes are drilled and a strong wire is pulled. S-shaped hooks are hung on it.

Step 6 Chimney device. The excavated ditch, which will serve as a chimney, is covered from above with selected materials.

Step 7 Installation of a smoking chamber. At the opposite end of the chimney from the firebox, a barrel is installed so that there are no gaps between it and the recess in the ground. To eliminate them, you can use clay, soil or cement-sand mortar.

Do-it-yourself smokehouse from foam blocks

A smokehouse made of foam blocks, bricks or concrete blocks is a beautiful and reliable structure. The construction of this assistant will take a lot of time and require financial investments. The smoke chamber can be designed in such a way that it will become a decoration of the backyard. But even without additional decor, solid buildings with laconic brickwork look impressive and presentable.

For the construction of a smokehouse, a large list of materials will be required.

The main building material: foam blocks, bricks, hollow concrete blocks.
Silicate brick for the device of a fire chamber.
Firebox door.
Blower door.
Grate.
Grids for the camera.
Tray for collecting fat.
A bar with a section of 60x60 mm for mounting a truss system.
Reiki 20x30 mm for roof lathing.
Boards 20x100 for roofing.
Roof cladding material: corrugated board, ondulin, metal tile. slate.
Portland cement M400.
Sand.
Gravel.
Metal pipe with a section of 80 mm or 100 mm for a chimney in the smoking chamber.
door with frame

To perform the work you will need tools:

shovels shovel and bayonet;
for sawing wood: hacksaw or circular saw;
screwdriver;
roulette;
pegs and rope;
bubble level at least 80 cm long;
Master OK;
container or concrete mixer for mixing the solution;
buckets.

At the preparatory stage, a cold smoked smokehouse project is chosen. They are determined with the dimensions of the smoke chamber and the type of foundation. The foam block is a lightweight building material, so a powerful foundation is not required. The smokehouse can be installed on any of the following types of foundations:

slab;
shallow-depth tape;
columnar.

The project below uses a slab base. The smoke chamber is recommended to be located above the firebox and at a distance of 2.5–3 m from it.

Construction stages

Step 1. Markup. Pegs mark the dimensions of the foundation. The base in length and width should exceed the dimensions of the smokehouse by 10–15 cm, which are calculated based on the parameters of the selected building material.

Markup and foundation - the basis of all the basics

Step 2 Excavation. Within the limits of the markup, the top layer of soil is removed and a pit is dug 35–40 cm deep. The bottom and walls of the pit must be even.

Step 3 Dumping under the foundation. A 5 cm layer of sand is poured at the bottom of the pit, leveled and rammed. After that, 7–10 cm of gravel of the middle fraction are poured and this layer is compacted.

Step 4 Plate reinforcement. From the bars of the reinforcement, a mesh is connected with a mesh of 20x20 cm. It is laid on gravel.

Foundation pouring

Step 5 Formwork installation. From suitable lumber, shields 30–35 cm high are assembled and placed vertically with the help of jibs made of wooden bars.

Step 6 Concrete preparation. A mortar is mixed from cement, sand and gravel. The optimal proportions of cement and sand are 1:3. Filler (gravel) should be at least 30% of the total volume of the mixture.

Step 7 Foundation pouring. Concrete is poured into the formwork in layers. Seal the solution by piercing it with a rebar. This procedure helps to release the air. The last (top) layer of the solution is leveled using the rule. If not, you can use a long board with even ends.

Wall masonry

Step 8 Formwork dismantling.

Step 9 Smokehouse wall masonry. The smoke chamber is a small house, so the first row of masonry should be a rectangle with an opening for installing a door. All further rows are an extension of the first. At the level of the 2nd row, a piece of pipe is embedded in one of the walls, which will be the exit to the chimney.

Step 10 Installation of the truss system. The roof of the smokehouse can be flat, single-pitched at an angle of 4–5 °, double-pitched. Choose any option you like.

Roof installation

Step 11 Sheathing of the truss system with boards. Provide a hole for the flue pipe.

Step 12 Lathing installation, which is designed to provide a ventilation gap between the roof boards and the roof cladding material.

Step 13 Installation of roofing material.

Step 14 Chimney installation.

Step 15 Door frame installation.

Step 16 Door installation.

Step 17 Smokehouse equipment with grates and hooks. The hearth is made of bricks. It must be equipped with an ash chamber with a grate and two doors: blower and furnace. A metal pipe is installed in the upper part of one of the furnace walls.

Finished building

The chimney is mounted from metal or concrete pipes. If the firebox is located below the chamber, you can lay out a brick chimney.

In order to ensure high quality smoking, it is recommended to be guided by several tips for operating the smokehouse.

Cold smoked pork is a delicacy that is not ashamed to serve guests to the table

The fire in the furnace should burn evenly.
To obtain a rich and pleasant aroma of finished products, wood chips and shavings of plants such as juniper, birch, alder, branches of berry bushes are used.
In order to prevent the fuel from igniting, it is slightly moistened before being placed in the furnace.
If the ground chimney is very hot under the rays of the sun, wet burlap or other dense fabric is thrown over the pipes.

There is nothing difficult in building a cold smoked smokehouse. A wide selection of materials allows you to make yourself a temporary assistant within an hour, and a solid one in a few days.

In addition to hot smoking, the method of cold or universal preparation of products is used. Each has its pros and cons.

Cold smoke processing - delicate taste and aroma, less accumulation of carcinogens from smoke in food, the shelf life of the finished product increases. Cooking time is 3-7 days or longer.

Hot - the fastest way to get the finished product (40-120 min.). Food is served not cooled down - "hot, hot". But the shelf life does not exceed five to seven days at a temperature not lower than 5-7ºC.

The universal occupies an intermediate position between the other two.

Types of simple smokehouses

The simplest device known since ancient times is an amateur smokehouse from an open smoking fire. It is a hearth dug in the ground or made from a fence with an earthen parapet, stone or damp logs. A lattice of small rods of fresh wood is arranged on top.

Previously, before laying out the crate, a fire is lit in the hearth to create coals (like a barbecue). Further, after the burning of firewood and the accumulation of a sufficient number of smoldering charred poles, chips of deciduous trees (alder, birch, aspen) are laid. It is allowed to use small dry brushwood (without foliage). The crate is being set up. Fish is laid out (meat, lard, chicken, game). Buried in branches with green foliage.

In winter, in the absence of foliage, it is possible to use spruce branches of spruce or pine (cedar). But it is necessary to lay a layer of branches. Otherwise, when heated and in contact with food, the released resin will add bitterness to the product.

Along with the simplicity of design, which is important in the field, the cooking process will be a very troublesome task:

it is necessary to monitor the absence of an open flame;
it is important that smoldering coals do not suffocate due to a small influx of fresh air;
do not make a mistake with the amount of coal or wood chips;
properly organize the hearth.

The depth (from the top cut) should be at least 25-30 cm. The transverse dimension is 40-60 cm.

A more relaxed process of preparing delicious food is provided by a home-made hot smoked smokehouse. Conventionally, they are divided into two large groups: stationary installation or mobile. The first type is mounted on the site near your home. The second is a compact design. Due to its small size and light weight, it allows you to transport or move from place to place, take it with you on a hike or a picnic.

mobile design

A hand-made portable smokehouse for hot smoking is a product in the form of a metal rectangular box or a cylindrical shape. The smoking scheme is shown in Fig. 1

The figure shows that the heat source (fire, gas or electric stove) is outside the structure. The task is to heat the sawdust inside to a state of charring. In this case, hot smoke will be released, enveloping the food. The latter are located on gratings or hooks. The released fat flows into a container (baking tray). The penetration of air into the structure is prevented by a water seal.

In practice, the simplest devices are made without water seals. As a container are used:

bucket 10-16 liters;
food tank 20-25 liters;
medical decommissioned autoclaves of cylindrical and rectangular shape.

One or two lattices are arranged inside. Material - wooden rods (Fig. 2), part of the building mesh (for reinforcement or bricklaying). the container is located on supports (brick, stones, logs). A fire is made under it (Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6). As a cover, if there is none, burlap, a piece of tarpaulin, branches with green leaves are used.

Fig.2 Fig.3 Fig.4 Fig.5 Fig.6

Advantages of this type:

there is no need to make a container - the first product that comes across is used, suitable for making a smokehouse;
no special place is required - creating a fire pit, as for a regular fire;
allows you to cook fish, meat, game and other products.

A more serious product is a do-it-yourself smokehouse for hot smoking, made of metal using a tool. Most often, a rectangular shape is taken as the basis. This type is distinguished by a simple cutting of a sheet of metal. It is easier to cut, bend (Fig. 7, Fig. 8, Fig. 9).

Fig.7 Fig.8 Fig.9

But from a smoked lover you will need:

elementary skills in the use of locksmith tools;
handle soldering or welding machine;
ability to make drawings (sketches).

When choosing a material, preference should be given to stainless steel:

resists many chemical components found in smoke;
does not oxidize at high temperatures;
has less adhesion to fatty acids, soot, soot - easier to clean after a fire;
does not rust;
has a longer service life.

But stainless steel is harder to work with. The material is more brittle, has less plasticity. Hence, it is harder to bend. Microcracks often form at the bend. The way out is the use of high-temperature solders or welding with a stainless electrode.

Another material is cold rolled steel. It is used for automobiles or in the production of household appliances. Plastic, bends well, but rusts, oxidizes. One of the protection options is the use of high-temperature paint or varnish. The basis is organosilicon compounds. Racks up to heating 600-650°C. With such a coating, a do-it-yourself smoked smoker will be reliably protected.

A mobile structure for hot smoking can be used indoors, observing fire safety rules. Heat source - gas or electric stove. The output of sublimation products (smoke) is provided through a tube into a kitchen hood or window (Fig. 16).

For the processing of serious volumes, stationary installations are used.

Stationary installation

Conditionally can be divided:

made from improvised materials;
designed and made from new materials.

For such structures, before starting the design and production part of the process, it is necessary to estimate the costs. Determined by the volume of processing products. Do-it-yourself home-made hot-smoked smokehouse will justify itself in operation at least once or twice a week with a load of two or more kilograms of semi-finished products.

After carrying out such an analysis, you can solve the problem: how to make a smokehouse for hot smoking yourself. The first step is to use simple available parts or design a device from scratch.

improvised materials

The food preparation scheme remains the same (Fig. 10). The dimensions of the structure change, respectively, the mass increases. The place of a bucket or tank is occupied by a 200-liter iron barrel, the body of an old refrigerator or a metal wardrobe from a manufacturing enterprise (Fig. 11, Fig. 12, Fig. 13). The advantages of this design:

low initial costs for the material of the main components of the fume hood;
a small amount of improvements;
simplicity of design;

Fig.10 Fig.11 Fig.12 Fig.13

A do-it-yourself hot-smoked smokehouse made from new materials is an opportunity not only to provide your home, family and relatives with a delicious product. This is the creation of a small business for the production of smoked delicacy.

The design of the smokehouse device must be started from the reverse. That is, knowing the approximate needs for the finished product, having determined the priorities of demand from consumers, we proceed to the calculations. The internal volume of the chamber is determined by the maximum dimensions of the individual products:

Example. The average size of a chicken carcass is 30x18x18cm. For the passage of smoke, it is necessary to leave a distance between adjacent products of 5-7 cm. The design is two-level. One-time loading - 24 carcasses. 12 chickens (3 x 4) are placed in one row. The maximum transverse dimension of the chamber will be: (5+18+5+18+5+18+5+18+5) cm = 97 cm.

Minimum vertical dimension: (10+20+30+10+30+10) cm = 110 cm

By increasing the internal dimensions, the convenience of loading and unloading is improved. But the consumption of sawdust and firewood is increasing. From here, you should choose the golden mean - to ensure economical fuel consumption, sawdust and conditions for cooking food.

A home smokehouse used for small businesses is made of sheet metal and a profile (corner, pipe, strip). The main form is in the form of a cabinet (Fig. 14). This ensures the convenience of loading and unloading. Another option is a brick structure (Fig. 15).

Fig.14 Fig.15

An important factor is the choice of location for the location of the structure. We must not forget the original name - chimney. Therefore, the wind rose should be taken into account. Otherwise, all the smoke may be directed towards the house or buildings where pets are kept.

The installation of forced pumping with smoke allows you to increase the productivity and quality of smoking. To do this, a supercharger (fan, compressor) is built into the circuit. The advantage is an increase in the flow of hot smoke into a container with a large volume (Fig. 17). Products warm up faster, cook and soak in the aroma of smoke.

for cooking products, it is better to use chips of deciduous trees and shrubs: alder, cherry, oak, juniper, pear, apple tree;
the size of the wood should not be larger than 5-10 cm; large fractions are more difficult to heat up to the sublimation temperature (charring);
the optimum temperature inside is 60-90°C; check: the water that has fallen on the lid should not boil.

There are many design options. A smoker, designed by oneself, can cook not only fish and meat. A real delicacy is smoked vegetables or fruits (Fig. 18). For example, potatoes, eggplants, noble mushrooms, apples, plums, apricots.

We hope that the above examples and tips will help answer the question: how to make a hot smoked smokehouse. The editors of the site and our readers will be grateful to the craftsmen who shared their experience on hot-smoked designs made by their own hands. You can leave your opinion in the "comments" block.

A do-it-yourself smoking chamber is made from improvised materials - a barrel, an old refrigerator or wooden boards. Depending on the volume of the camera, there are household ones with less performance and functionality, and for small businesses, a larger volume and with a lot of settings.

Each smokehouse has three main parts - a smoke generator, a chimney and a smoking chamber. In cold-smoked devices they are three separate units, in hot-smoked devices they are assembled in one housing with a smoke generator and a smoking chamber, which is an integral part of any smokehouse.

Reference! In large enterprises, stationary units of a different type are used, consisting of a large number of nodes and assembled at the place of operation.

At home and in the country, household appliances with a volume of up to 200 liters are mainly used without automatic control of temperature and smoking time.

Depending on the specific conditions and capabilities of the owner, they can be made of different materials and different sizes.

Fish smoking chamber

Fish is a product that is more delicate and demanding on cooking conditions than meat:

Smoke enters the chamber for cold smoking cooled down. Its design and principle of operation do not differ from the installation for cooking meat.
Smoke heated to a temperature of 60-120 ° C enters the hot smoking installation and cools down inside or is formed directly in the chamber. Therefore, the distance between the upper and lower grates in should not be more than 50-60 cm, otherwise the product will remain raw at the top and burn at the bottom.

The dimensions of the smokehouse depend on the size of the fish:

small and medium-sized fish - 45x25 and 25 cm high;
large fish - no less than 50x30 and a height of 25 cm.

Advice! For hot smoking fish, you can use a chamber of any height, but do not fill it completely.

Easy to make is a smokehouse from an old refrigerator. It has the main parts of the chamber - metal walls, a door and metal grills for products. You can use such a device for both cold and hot smoked smokehouses.

It is easiest to use this unit for cold smoking:

remove the freezer in a single-chamber refrigerator;
close the holes left from the tubes and wires with wooden plugs;
make a hole in the wall for the chimney;
install gratings at the required level.

To use the refrigerator as, it must be redone:

Dismantle the freezer, thermostat and lamp. Seal the remaining holes.
Remove all plastic parts, heat insulator and sealing rubber. When heated, they release substances that impair the taste of products and are harmful to health.
Instead of sealing rubber, install wooden planks of the same thickness. You can also change the door frame.
Screw the corners under the shelves with products to the walls with bolts. They can be replaced with steel bars that are inserted into the drilled holes.
Install an electric stove at the bottom. An old cast-iron skillet with sawdust is placed on the stove.
Above the pan is a pan to collect fat. Its size is 10 cm smaller than the bottom of the refrigerator.

Advice! It is better to use old Soviet-era refrigerators. They used thicker metal. The ideal option is a ZIL refrigerator with a lock on the door.

An easy-to-make smokehouse is obtained from a metal barrel. It is better if it has a removable top cover, otherwise it will have to be removed. Such a device is used for both hot and cold smoking:

Remove or remove the top cover. Wash the barrel from the remnants of the contents.
At a height of 10 cm from the bottom, a hole for the chimney is cut.
4 holes with a diameter of 12 mm are drilled in the walls at the same level for two crossbeams in one row - at a height of 20 cm from the bottom for a tray that collects dripping fat and the required height for installing grates or hooks with products. The required number of steel bars or reinforcement with a diameter of 10 mm is cut off
A pallet is installed on the bottom row of rods. Its diameter is 10 cm less than the inner diameter of the barrel. For easier extraction, hooks or loops are attached to the pallet, which are attached to the top edge of the container.
Grids are made. They can be made from steel rods, wooden sticks, and when cold smoked from the shelves of an old refrigerator.
The assembled smokehouse is covered with a previously removed lid. If there is no cover, then a wooden shield or sheet of metal is used instead. Instead of a lid, it is allowed to simply cover with a tight bag, and for tightness it is moistened with water.

Information! In hot smoking installations, a chimney hole is not made. Instead, sawdust is poured into the bottom of the barrel, and a small fire is made under the barrel.

Wooden cold smoking chamber

An easy-to-make smokehouse is obtained from wooden boards. Structurally, it looks like a wooden box with a door. For personal use, an installation size of 1x1x1 m is sufficient.

For this you need:

bars for the frame 50x50 mm;
lining or ordinary boards for wall and roof cladding;
temperature sensor (thermometer);
door hinges, handle and latch;
pipe or rod for hanging products.

Important! Lumber must be taken only of hardwood, except for birch.

Before starting work, it is desirable to make a drawing of the installation. The manufacturing sequence is as follows:

a structure frame is assembled from wooden slats:
three sides, the bottom and the roof are sheathed with boards;
a pipe for hooks with products is fixed in the upper part;
on opposite walls, at the same height, slats for grills with smoked meats are fixed;
a door is assembled from lining and bars;
hinges, a handle and a latch are screwed to the door and it is installed in the chamber;
a thermometer is inserted into the drilled hole.

If the chimney is laid in the ground, then the chimney hole is cut out in the bottom, and if a smoke generator is to be used, then the chamber is installed on a brick stand and the hole is cut out at a height of 50-100 mm above the bottom.

Features of smoking chambers for different types of smoking

There are different types of smoking, differing in smoke temperature:

20-35°C - cold;
35-70°C - hotter;
70-120 ° C - baking in smoke.

For cold and hot smoking, devices of different designs are used:

during cold smoking, smoke is produced separately by a smoke generator and enters the smokehouse through the chimney;
during hot smoking and baking, smoke is produced inside the smoking chamber by heating the sawdust poured onto its bottom.

The cold smoker consists of three main parts:

a smoke generator that produces smoke;
a chimney, passing through which the smoke is cooled and cleaned of moisture and tar;
a smoking chamber into which cooled smoke enters and in which products are located.

The container must be tightly closed to achieve maximum concentration of smoke.

In the smoking chamber for cold smoking, the temperature of the smoke does not exceed 35 ° C, so it can be made of any materials - metal, wood and polyethylene, stretched over a frame made of plastic or wooden slats. Brick and other porous materials are not recommended - they absorb moisture and tar from the smoke, which after a while begin to rot and spoil the smell of smoked meats.

Lattices for stacking or hooks for hanging products are installed inside the smokehouse.

Advice! Smoked meats are placed tightly for maximum smokehouse performance, but so that they do not touch each other and the walls of the chamber.

Smoke heated to a higher temperature enters the hot smoked smokehouse. Often it is produced directly in the smoking chamber. Such a device is made from steel sheets or an old barrel:

the smokehouse is mounted on a stand made of bricks;
sawdust and chips are poured at the bottom of the chamber;
products are placed on hooks and grates, the smokehouse is closed;
a fire is made under the installation, the bottom heats up and the sawdust begins to emit smoke.
Such a device can be made stationary, with brick walls and a steel sheet bottom.

Important! When hot smoked from meat and fish, fat begins to drip. Therefore, a mandatory element of such devices is a fat collection tray. It is located above the sawdust and is 5-10 cm smaller than the internal size of the unit.

Universal smoking chambers allow you to smoke products in both ways:

In the cold smoking mode, a smoke generator is installed next to the machine. The smoke produced in it cools in the chimney and cold enters the food.
In hot smoking mode, smoke is produced inside the body. Sawdust is poured to the bottom and heated by a fire or electric stove located under the oil lamp.

For such work, you can redo the usual hot smoked smokehouse. A chimney hole is made in its body, and in hot mode it is closed with a wooden plug.

Important! In hot smoking mode, do not open the lid until it has completely cooled down due to the risk of sawdust catching fire.

Smoking chamber for small production

Smoking installations designed for small businesses differ from devices for individual use in higher productivity, operation in automatic and semi-automatic modes and the ability to carry out various types of smoking.

Manufacturers produce similar devices designed for 100 kg of products or any other number of products, at the request of the customer.

Such devices are produced in various configurations, with different characteristics and performance and can cook up to 10 tons of smoked meats per day. Loading and unloading is carried out fully automatically or manually.

In mini-smoking sheds, temperature, humidity and other parameters are regulated during operation. These units are capable of cooking meat, fish and other products in various modes, with and without smoke:

cooking;
drying;
roasting;
baking;
different types of smoking.

These devices are made of food-grade stainless steel and installed in household plots and small farms, and finished products are sold in nearby stores or among regular customers.

A heat chamber is a specialized device designed for a certain type of raw material and cooking method. Chambers are designed for heat treatment of small batches of products.

To improve the quality of products, it has a large number of sensors, regulators and additional mechanisms - heating elements, fans and others.

Blowing with warm air and smoke speeds up the cooking process and allows you to conduct it in automatic mode. The following diagram shows the direction of air movement in the heating chamber:

All dimensions and building instructions should be double-checked before use.
Watch the temperature of the chamber for cold smoking up to 40 degrees, with hot smoking up to 140 degrees.
It is better to smoke in the morning, with light wind and complete absence of precipitation.
At the bottom of the smokehouse, it is better to put a drip pan for draining fat.
It is better to use sawdust from fruit trees, resinous rocks cannot be used, they will not heat at the right temperature.
Do not open the smoking chamber unless absolutely necessary.
Do not overdo it with sawdust, 200 grams is enough.

Cold smoking at home design. Cold smoked smokehouse. As a rule, cold smoking is prepared

From simple to complex

Hastily

Stationary smokehouse samples

improvised material

Building products for smoking

Food preparation

Scheme of a cold smoked smokehouse

Useful video: Cold smoking

Related video: Features of hot and cold smoking fish

The principle of operation of a cold smoked smokehouse

Construction types

Prefabricated smokehouse in nature

Smokehouses from improvised materials

Video: cold smoking in the refrigerator

The device of a cold-smoked smokehouse from a barrel

Selecting a location for installation

Construction stages

Do-it-yourself smokehouse from foam blocks

Construction stages

Types of simple smokehouses

mobile design

Stationary installation

improvised materials

Fish smoking chamber

Wooden cold smoking chamber

Features of smoking chambers for different types of smoking

Smoking chamber for small production