For those who like to indulge in delicious fish: how to make a special smokehouse

Option #5. How to make a portable smoker from an old refrigerator

In most cases, old refrigerators are used by owners of suburban areas as cabinets in which all sorts of small items are stored. But few people know that it is quite possible to make a small-sized smokehouse from such a refrigerator. To do this, you should follow these steps.

Step one.

First, all the “insides” of the refrigerator are removed, leaving only the door and the box itself.

Step two.

A hole is made at the top for the chimney pipe.

Step three.

3 pairs of metal corners are attached to the side walls of the case at three different levels. The first two levels are covered with gratings and slats with hooks. As for the corners located below, they are needed for installing a tray in which heat will accumulate.

Step four.

The product will also require a strong tray for sawdust and an electric stove. The tile should be installed at the bottom of the body, and the pallet itself should be installed on top of it.

Step five

It is important that the door closes properly - this is necessary to minimize the entry of air

Drawings and models

Below we provide drawings and models for making smokers (smokers) with your own hands. You can also contact companies that will manufacture the product to order. You just need to provide the drawing (model) file.

Drawing of a large grill-smoker-smoker in PDF and SLDPRT format

Drawing of a smokehouse with a lid-house and a water seal in DXF and CDR format

Drawing of an octagonal smoker-smoker in STP, IPT formats

Drawing of a simple smokehouse with a water seal in PDF format

Drawing of smokehouse No. 1 with a water seal in DXF, PDF, KOMPAS formats

All drawings of smokehouses

Make a smokehouse with your own hands

In order to smoke fish, it is not at all necessary to purchase a special device for this. You can easily make it yourself. To do this, you need raw materials and a little skill.

What will you need?

To build a cold smokehouse, you need to prepare in advance:

• Approximately 2 meters of film.
• A flat piece of land, about 1 square meter in size.
• The stakes are about 2 meters high.

In order to make a hot smokehouse you will need a little more tools:

• Fittings and two metal sheets (61x156.5 cm, thickness about 2 mm)
• Bulgarian
• Welding machine
• Joiner's corner

Manufacturing process

Detailed description of the cold smokehouse manufacturing process:

1. The prepared film must be sewn to form a bag.
2. We drive stakes into the corners of a flat area.
3. At the top, the stakes need to be connected to each other by crossbars.
4. Opposite stakes must be connected diagonally with rods in several rows.
5. The fish must be hung on the rods so that they do not touch each other.
6. Place the bag up to the middle of the resulting structure, and pour hot coals onto the area under the fish and sprinkle them with grass.
7. Lower the film to the end, and press its edges with stones or something heavy so that smoke cannot seep through the cracks.

Now we will describe the process of making a hot smokehouse from the above materials:

• Cut the metal sheet with a grinder into 4 equal parts.
• Connect the two sheets using 90 degree welds. Then weld all the other parts to create a box.
• Treat the internal weld seams to ensure the structure is airtight.
• Take a thin sheet of stainless steel and cut it into four equal strips. The edges should protrude slightly beyond the box. Build a lid using welding.
• Make handles and rods for the tray into which the grease will drain.

For use in an apartment or house

The design of the home smokehouse is no different from the previous model. The device is the same - a seal, a device for collecting fat, juice from meat or vegetables. But there are a number of mandatory requirements:

1. Smoke removal. For this purpose, a fitting or tube must be provided through which excess smoke is removed through the hose. The use of ventilation is not advisable. The neighbors obviously won't like it. The exception is a private house.
2. Lapped (sealed) smokehouse lid. But its main purpose is the same - not letting smoke into the room and removing excess outside.

How to make it yourself

You can make a smokehouse for hot or cold smoking yourself.

Materials and tools

Stationary smokehouses are built from brick, stone, foam concrete, concrete blocks (hollow and solid), wood, and sheet metal.

Important! The main requirement for the smoke chamber, firebox and chimney is fire resistance. For the manufacture of these elements, non-flammable or heat-resistant materials are needed.

Pipes for the chimney need metal, but for the chimney in cold smoked smokehouses you can use plastic and ceramic ones.

It is impossible to carry out work on constructing a smokehouse without the use of hand and power tools. You will need:

• Bulgarian;
• screwdriver;
• metal scissors (if you don’t have a grinder);
• screwdrivers;
• pliers;
• measuring instrument: tape measure, square, ruler;
• construction bubble level;
• welding machine (for the manufacture of metal smokehouses).

Additional materials will require self-tapping screws, bolts, a metal disc, and drills. At the stage of preparation for the construction of a smokehouse, the availability of tools is checked and the required materials are purchased.

Fish smokehouse drawing

The smokehouse project includes all the elements listed in the diagrams for hot and cold smoking. But before building the device, its dimensions, location, and material of manufacture are chosen. It is advisable to place stationary smokehouses in windless areas of the site. Mobile devices can be installed in any convenient location.

A site plan is drawn by hand indicating the distances to buildings and other large structures. Choose the most suitable place to place the smokehouse and mark it. If desired, you can sketch a sketch if we are talking about a solid brick structure.

But for the most part, all stationary smoke chambers look the same: in the form of a birdhouse type house. According to your taste, choose the roofing option (single-pitch, gable, flat) and finishing materials for the walls and roof.

Photo 2. An example of a drawing of a hot smoked smokehouse for fish, with dimensions and explanations. The firebox below can be organized in various ways.

Making a portable hot smokehouse

What is required to build a smokehouse:

• two identical metal tanks with a capacity of 50-60 liters;
• 4 bolts with a cross section of 6-10 mm;
• metal rivets 8-10 pcs.;
• 4-5 metal plates (can be cut from stainless steel);
• 2-3 metal rods with a cross-section of 4-5 mm, length 40-45 cm;
• wire for making hooks and gratings;
• metal cup or frying pan;
• metal lid for the tank (can be replaced with a piece of burlap);
• 6 bricks.

Tools for performing the work:

• grinder with a metal disc;
• riveter;
• screwdriver with drill.

Sequence of work

1. The body is made. The bottom of one of the tanks is cut off with a grinder. Place this tank on top of the second one. Using a riveter, rivets and metal plates, two products are pulled together into a single structure.
2. Making a firebox. A wall of 3 bricks is erected in the selected location. Opposite it, at a distance of 30-40 cm, a second similar one is built.
3. Manufacturing of gratings. Thick wire is cut into equal pieces and tied together with thinner wire.
4. The tray is made of stainless steel. Cut out a rectangle of the required size and bend its sides to form sides.
5. Drill holes for the rods. They put them out.
6. Screw in the bolts at the installation level of the pallet (5-7 cm from the bottom).
7. The smokehouse is assembled: a tray and grates are installed inside, the tanks are placed on brick walls. Cover with a lid or burlap.

What is special about a fish smoker?

Fish is smoked both hot and cold. The first allows you to get a smoked product quickly: within 1-3 hours. This is how mackerel, herring, herring, stellate sturgeon, cod, and sterlet are often prepared.

Cold smoking is a much longer process, taking from 3 to 7 days.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to this. The advantage is that the finished product has a more subtle aroma and taste.

The downside is that if there is no control over the temperature of the smoke and its stability over a long smoking period, the products begin to deteriorate. Most often this happens in the summer season.

Reference. Cold smoking is optimal for storing fish for future use. White fish, chum salmon, sturgeon, omul, perch, and cod are prepared in this way.

Masters know some useful tips to improve the quality and appearance of the product:

1. It is not recommended to use lattices or nets for hanging. In this case, there will be no stripes on the fish from constrictions and crossbars.
2. In the smoke chamber, ropes or metal wire are stretched in several tiers, to which the fish is hung by the tail using hooks. Or they string it behind the head with twine, fishing line, or strong thread.
3. Experienced fish smokers always install control devices in the smoke chamber: thermometers, temperature sensors, thermostats.

Hot smoking scheme

The easiest way to create a hot smoked smokehouse. The circuit of this device includes several elements:

• smoking chamber;
• rods for hanging fish;
• fat tray;
• supports for the grease tray;
• a lid with a hole or pipe for smoke removal;
• damper on the pipe for smoke removal;
• hearth

There are no grates in a hot fish smoker, as they will leave indentations in the finished product. Grates are also undesirable because if accidental spontaneous combustion of shavings and wood chips occurs, the fish may burn. The fireplace is located under the smoke chamber, and the shavings are poured onto the bottom inside this container.

Photo 1. Two options for depicting hot smoked fish: b - incorrect placement on the grill, c - correct, in a suspended state.

The optimal dimensions of a hot smokehouse are 60x90x120 cm. A smoke chamber of this volume is spacious, it allows you to arrange 2-3 tiers of jumpers for hanging products. It is not necessary to build a smoke cabinet out of brick, concrete, or foam blocks.

For infrequent hot smoking sessions, deep and voluminous metal containers are quite suitable: barrels, buckets, pans, tanks, basins. The role of a pallet in such designs can be successfully performed by a frying pan, a sheet of metal, a foil container, or a piece of heat-resistant glass.

Cold smoking scheme

Construction of a cold smoked smokehouse will require more time and labor. The diagram of this equipment includes the same elements as the diagram of a hot smoked smokehouse. But the operating principle of the device is different.

To the elements listed in the hot smokehouse diagram, one more is added: the chimney. Its length must be at least 3 meters, so appropriate materials will be required: metal pipes with a cross-section of at least 100 mm.

Since the process of cold smoking fish is lengthy, a smoothly functioning firebox is necessary. It is traditionally laid out of brick or welded from metal. The firebox is essentially a mini-oven, firmly connected to the chimney, the opposite end of which is similarly connected to the smoke chamber.

Using a smoke generator

A compact device - a smoke generator allows you to eliminate the need for a firebox and chimney. This device (smoke generator) can be bought in a store or made with your own hands from improvised means that every owner has in his home.

The device has a “speaking” name, from which its function becomes clear: producing smoke.

The design of the device is simple. To make the simplest model, you will need tin cans, small-diameter metal tubes, a tee, a squeegee, and a compressor for an aquarium.

The smoke generator is connected to the smoking chamber through a transition link: a metal tube. The connection point is chosen arbitrarily, but is always located in the lower third of the smoke cabinet.

DIY cold smoked smokehouse: drawings

This construction is demanding, since the smoke, before reaching the food, must reach a minimum temperature and get rid of harmful impurities and soot. Therefore, any drawing implies the following elements:

1. A combustion chamber (smoke generator) made of metal or brick. Due to the length of the process, it must have a convenient ash pan and a door to regulate the flow of smoke.
2. Smoking chamber. The low temperature allows you to choose different materials, including wood. An ordinary barrel or an old refrigerator can play this role.
3. Chimney. Its minimum length is 2000 mm, maximum - 7000. A larger distance is a guarantee of problems with traction. The best material is metal pipes, their diameter is more than 100 mm.

Tools and materials

Cold smoking cabinets are usually made of wood. Laminated material with adhesive impregnation is not suitable.

Wood will inevitably impart a special aroma to products. It is better to make a smoking cabinet from alder, linden, aspen or other hardwood. It is undesirable to use coniferous wood due to the resin it produces, but spruce is allowed. After several uses, the wood smell will gradually go away.

In addition to wood, you will need the following tools and materials:

• hacksaw;
• hammer or screwdriver;
• nails or screws;
• bars for the frame, internal crossbars;
• hinges for fastening the door;
• door handle;
• a bolt or bolt - a regular latch will do;
• hemp rope or tow;
• roofing material if the cabinet will be installed outdoors;
• thermometer to control the temperature inside the cabinet;
• grates for food, rods with hooks;
• chimney pipe.

Types of smokehouses

There are many types of smokehouses in which you can hot smoke food. Each design has both advantages and disadvantages.

From the bucket

The simplest device can be made from an old steel bucket. Two grids made of stainless steel are inserted into the container. The first one drops to a level of 10 cm from the bottom, the second one - a few cm higher.

The advantage of such a smokehouse is that it can be made from scrap materials in a few minutes: an old bucket and two steel grates are found in almost every home. The design is very mobile and can be installed in any accessible place.

The main disadvantage is that it can only smoke a few smoked meats at a time. This is enough for one person or a small family, but not for receiving guests. Another inconvenience is the lack of any design.

The simplest smoking device. All you need is a bucket and a food rack

From the refrigerator

Having slightly modified the old Soviet refrigerator, removing all the insides from it and arranging a smoke outlet, you can make a smokehouse.

This is a durable and reliable device for hot smoking products that you can make yourself. A tray with sawdust is installed below. A little higher is the same container for collecting draining fat.

One of the disadvantages is the increased requirements for the refrigerator itself. The door must close tightly; cracks and loose gaskets are not allowed. No air should enter the chamber. Another drawback is that in addition to the refrigerator, other devices are required, for example, an electric stove on which a container with sawdust is placed.

You need to monitor the quality of the sealing gum. Otherwise smoking will not work

Made from stainless steel sheets

Externally, such a device resembles a metal suitcase of a given size. Inside the smokehouse there are welded corners on which the grates are installed.

This is one of the most famous types of hot smokers. It is used on hikes and at home; it does not require professional knowledge in manufacturing or specific care skills. This design can work for decades.

A significant inconvenience of a metal smokehouse is the inability to monitor the smoking temperature. Because of this, the product sometimes cooks or bakes and develops an unpleasant aftertaste. The reason for this shortcoming is the lack of a unified smoking technology. The smokehouse uses wood chips of different sizes and different humidity levels.

The thickness of the sheets must be more than 4 mm

Brick smokehouse

A smokehouse built from bricks is a tool for professionals. Most of the above varieties are considered mobile, they are easy to move from place to place and hide when there is no need for their immediate use. A brick smokehouse is a permanent installation that requires a foundation.

Refractory brick is the best material for making stationary hot smoked smokehouses. If construction and safety regulations are observed, such a structure will last for decades. However, to set up such a smokehouse, it is necessary to carefully select the location, maintaining a distance of several meters to the nearest residential building and plantings. And the construction of a brick smokehouse is comparable to the construction of a small house.

Installed permanently, on a slab or foundation

From two barrels

Depending on where the hearth with wood chips is located, this design can be used for hot and cold smoking. Another option is to equip the smokehouse with two barrels arranged in the shape of the letter “T”.

Arranging a structure for hot smoking from a barrel does not require specific skills. It is enough to use an ordinary grinder to cut the cuts and install the barrels. The smokehouse can be installed both indoors and outdoors, and you can cook any dishes in it.

The lower barrel houses the firebox, and the upper barrel houses the smoking compartment.

From one barrel

If you have a desire to become the owner of your own small smokehouse, and you do not want to deal with large stationary structures, the best option is to create a device for hot smoking products from an ordinary barrel. This capacity is present in many private households.

To create such a smokehouse, a minimum number of tools and additional materials are required. It can be installed in any part of the yard. It does not require complex foundations or construction work.

Often installed on a brick base, inside of which firewood burns out

Let's look at the main features of creating a hot smoked smokehouse using the example of a design from a standard metal barrel.

Types of wooden smokehouses and their features

There are two main types of wood smokehouses.
One is suitable for hot smoking, and the other is for cold smoking. Sometimes combined structures are used on the farm. They all differ from each other in manufacturing technology and temperature conditions that must be maintained in the smoking chambers. Depending on the chosen processing option, the taste result of the finished products will also be completely different.

Typically, a wooden smokehouse is designed in the form of a hut or a compact house with a pointed gable roof. The unit is available with flat and pitched roofs. In any case, each type of smokehouse consists of three basic elements:

• smoking chamber;
• combustion device (smoke generator);
• chimney.

A wooden smokehouse is made from hardwood, among which the greatest preference is given to:

• alder,
• linden,
• oak,

• birch,
• cedar.

To create the structure, you will need bars for the frame, plywood or edged boards for lining the chamber.

Expert opinion

Valery Garmash

Chef of the Grill House restaurant, griller

Wood blanks are pre-treated with a special antiseptic. However, it should be borne in mind that the manufacture and installation of a certain type of smokehouse will require an individual approach. This is due to various operating principles and design features.

Option #1. Cold smoked design

This type of smokehouse is made from a wide variety of materials. Below is a step-by-step guide to creating a simple design using plastic film.

Step one.

First you need to purchase the plastic film itself. Two meters of thick film (the kind used for greenhouses) will be more than enough. From one end, the sleeve of the purchased film is sewn up in such a way that the result is a kind of bag.

Step two. Next, you need a place where the mini-smokehouse will be located. To do this, you will need a small leveled area of ​​1 square meter. A two-meter stake should be driven into each corner of this site. At the top, the stakes must be connected to each other using crossbars

It is important that the structure is sufficiently stable

Step three.

Opposite stakes must be connected using diagonal slats in approximately two to three rows.

Step four. Fish already prepared for smoking should be hung on these slats

It is also important that the bodies of the fish do not touch each other.

Step five.

The prepared plastic “bag” must be pulled over this structure to approximately half its height. After this, the site should be filled with 1/2 a bucket of hot coals, on top of which green grass should be laid.

Step six.

After this, the film is already lowered to the very ground, and pressed down with something from below so that the mini smokehouse with your own hands is airtight. That's it, the design is ready and, as you have seen for yourself, the costs for it are very insignificant.

In the future, if necessary, fresh grass is added - the fact is that there should always be thick smoke inside the smokehouse. After three to four hours, the plastic “bag” is removed and the fish is ventilated. If there are fish with large carcasses, then the next day they need to be smoked again.

How to make a barbecue out of metal with your own hands

Previously, we gave detailed instructions on how to make several options for a metal barbecue yourself; in addition to this article, we advise you to read this information

Pros and cons of wood

Among the main advantages of wooden smokehouses are the ease of assembly with your own hands and the ability to give the structure any shape. The camera body can be decorated with carved decor or tinted with special impregnations.

Wooden buildings are lightweight and mobile. If necessary, they can be moved; even one person can cope with such a task.

pros:

• environmental friendliness of the wooden blanks used;
• quick replacement of damaged structural fragments;
• the ability to assemble a structure without the use of welding tools;
• low cost and availability of building materials and components.

Minuses

• Wood is susceptible to fire, but this can be avoided with proper operation of the smokehouse. To reduce the negative impact of atmospheric manifestations and sudden temperature changes, the external structure should be treated with special varnishes and impregnations.

Interior diagram

A grate and hooks are installed in the smoking cabinet. Products are placed on them.

How to make a tray onto which fat will drain during smoking?

If the drip tray is not used, the grease will drip directly onto the smoldering wood chips and this will ruin the taste of the food. The pallet is easy to make. Its size should be slightly smaller than the size of the bottom. It is placed with the curved side up.

Photo 2. Home smokehouse disassembled. The grease tray is installed on the grate.

The pallet is placed on the grill. It is best to do it with the possibility of removal. This will allow you to regularly wash the element, which will not interfere with the loading of wood chips.

Making legs

The legs help to conveniently install the grids on which the products will lie. First, 4 U-shaped pieces of wire are cut. Transverse pieces of wire are attached to them by welding. One grid is located at the bottom. Its legs are placed on a pallet. The upper mesh is welded with legs to the frame of the lower one.

The grating is made from reinforcement by cross-welding. Hooks are made by bending wire.

Reference. Smoked foods are much healthier than fried ones. This is due to the fact that during smoking, fat is released from products, which can be deposited in the body in the form of harmful cholesterol. In addition, smoked foods last longer than fried foods.

Additional items

Handles are installed on the sides of the device for easy movement and delivery to the fire. After welding, sand the seams, edges and bends well. This will prevent scratches from burrs and sharp edges while smoking.

Smoke generator

Not only a separate firebox, but also a compact smoke generator is used as the main source of smoke. This device can be made on your own or purchased in specialized stores.

The smoke generator consists of simple functional modules, with the help of which the smoking process and the intensity of the smoke entering the smoking chamber are regulated. Installed on the outside of the smokehouse: behind or on the side.

Expert opinion

Valery Garmash

Chef of the Grill House restaurant, griller

There are various options for homemade smoke generators. They have a similar principle of operation, but differ in the elements from which the devices are assembled.

From a used fire extinguisher

It is considered the simplest, but at the same time reliable option. To assemble the structure you will need the following parts:

• empty fire extinguisher;
• chimney;
• air compressor;
• nipple;

• long exhaust for smoke removal;
• transition tee;
• union;
• copper tube with a diameter of 14 mm.

The top of the fire extinguisher is cut off; later it will be used instead of a lid. The lever does not need to be removed; it will act as a handle. Two holes are drilled in the lower part of the body for connecting tubes. One will serve as a chimney, the other will supply air.

From a thermos

For a homemade smoke generator you will need an internal flask, which is removed from the thermos. The housing itself is not required during manufacturing. A hole with a diameter of 30-50 mm is made in the upper part of the container. A pipe of the appropriate size is then welded into it.

On the connected chimney, in its upper zone, 4 cm from the flask, a hole is drilled for a pipe with a diameter of no more than 6 mm. This opening is necessary for connecting a flexible hose from the compressor.

Holes are made in the lower part of the flask for ignition and pouring out wood ash. Condensation will escape through this gap. The operation of a smoke generator from a thermos is as follows: a fuel filler is poured into the bottom of the vessel and ignited, an air mass is pumped into the nozzle from the compressor, which displaces the accumulated smoke into the smoking cabinet.

Every owner of a summer house or country house can build and install a smokehouse on their site. In order for your creation to serve properly for a long time, you must strictly follow the manufacturing technology and fire safety rules.

Types of smokehouses for hot smoking

Despite the general principles of operation and schemes of hot smoked smokehouses, there are many varieties of such devices, of different sizes and made of different materials.

Wood smokehouse

In the courtyard of a cottage or in a country house there is a place to make such a hot smoked smokehouse with your own hands, in which you can fry kebabs and at the same time cook smoked meats. The extension of the chimney of this barbecue-smokehouse is equipped with a smoking cabinet with a door and built-in hooks for grates.

An installation that runs on wood using only natural draft can be made independently from a potbelly stove. If it is used only as a smoke generator, then the stove body is made from a piece of thick-walled pipe Ø100 mm and 500 mm long. The potbelly stove is connected to the smokehouse with a short section of water pipe 1-1.5″. If a potbelly stove is connected to a smoking cabinet with a longer pipe in which the smoke will cool, you will get a cold or semi-hot smoked smokehouse.

Wood smokehouse diagram

Vertical and horizontal smokehouse

Smoking installations differ in the location of products:

• Vertical. In them, the height is greater than the width and several shelves are installed with meat or smoked products are hung on hooks from above, under the lid. These installations can be of any size. The temperature during hot smoking is higher on the lower shelves, which affects the cooking time.
• Horizontal. These devices have only one grate for food. These are small, low-capacity units.

Diagram of a vertical and horizontal smokehouse

Stationary smokehouse

The stationary smoking device differs from the usual one in its large dimensions. It is made of thicker metal or brick, and instead of a fire, a stove is made under the smoking chamber. The smoke from it can go directly to the food or through the chimney, and the sawdust heats up and smokes at the bottom of the chamber.

Mini hot smoked smokehouse

To use in the kitchen of a city apartment, you need a small device. This smokehouse is made from bix for sterilizing medical instruments. A similar device can be assembled with your own hands, also from a cauldron or a duck pot:

1. Two flat sprat jars are placed on the bottom along the edges;
2. sawdust is poured between them;
3. a fat tray made of thin iron or a disposable baking tray is placed on the jars;
4. a lattice is made from wooden rods of such a size that it is held in the narrowing of the walls at a height of 5-10 cm above the pallet;
5. Food is placed on the grill, the duckling is covered with a lid and placed on low heat.

Mini smokehouse diagram

Designs of two cylinders: 50 and 27 l

On a barbecue made from two gas cylinders, smoking occurs using a hot method. Products are placed only in the main 50 liter cylinder-fryer or in both containers. In summer, coals in a large cylinder keep the heat for more than a day. If this time is enough, both containers are used for smoking. If not, coals are periodically added to the brazier from a smaller cylinder, which serves only as a firebox.

The 27-liter container can be installed both horizontally and vertically. In the first case, while smoking is taking place in a large cylinder, you can fry shish kebab in a small one. In the second option, you get a stove for a cauldron.

Features of making a smokehouse from two cylinders

The manufacture of a smokehouse from two cylinders is carried out similarly to the previous version with the following clarifications:

The chimney is welded to the brazier. There are designs with a pipe installed instead of a valve, above it, on a cylindrical surface. The optimal option, which gives the best traction, is considered to be an installation location on the bottom, at its highest point. It is the most labor-intensive, however, it ensures the quality of the device’s operation.

• To make it possible to cook in a cauldron, one bottom of the 27 liter tank is cut off. Instead, they install a stove cover with rings or simply place a cauldron. A handle is welded to the lid obtained from the bottom.
• Do not forget to install dampers between the cylinders and at the top of the pipe.

Do-it-yourself vertical smokehouse from gas cylinders

But the engineering thought did not stop there. They decided to make the bulky structure more compact by placing it vertically. Now you don't even need legs. True, it is difficult to cook barbecue, but smoking will be in full swing.

In this scheme, a 27 liter cylinder-firebox is installed on its own shoe-stand, which does not need to be cut off, as in previous options. Above it is a 50 liter container with a pipe.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Doors are cut out on both cylinders, combining them with the installation of hinges.
2. Cut holes for connecting each other and the pipes.
3. A pipe is welded to a large cylinder on one side. On the other side, a damper regulator is installed.
4. Weld two containers through a piece of pipe.
5. Install gratings.

How to make a smokehouse with your own hands: from simple to complex

When making smokehouses from metal, make sure that it does not react with food when exposed to fire.

Attention! It is unacceptable to use barrels of fuel, lubricants, paints or chemicals, or galvanized metal.

From the bucket: diagram

If you want something smoked right here and now, then you can make the simplest apparatus literally on your knees, without any special skills or tools. To do this, you will need a steel (by no means galvanized) bucket, a large-diameter metal dumpling maker, thick foil or a steel “bowl” and a lid.

Photo 1. Schematic illustration of the internal structure of a hot smokehouse made from a bucket.

Pour wood chips into the bottom, place a “bowl” or foil on it, which will collect dripping fat, and place food on the grate. Close the top with a lid. Place the entire structure on the fire and wait for it to cook.

Pros: high production speed, minimum required tools and skills. Cons: small volume, unaesthetic appearance, risk of spoiling food if you choose the wrong bucket.

Refrigerator device

It is quite possible to give an old refrigerator a second life. To do this, it is necessary to remove all non-metallic “filling”, leaving only the body. The wood chips can be heated with an electric heating element, stove, or fire - in this case, the former refrigerator will need to be placed on supports.

Photo 2. Inside the body of the old refrigerator there are already special grates on which it is convenient to lay out products for smoking.

Pros: large volume of product loading at one time. Cons: it is difficult to achieve the required tightness of the chamber, there is a risk that the metal will begin to emit harmful fumes.

"Suitcase". Drawing with dimensions

This smokehouse is a rectangular box made of stainless steel or ferrous metal, which is why it received its name. If you have a vice, grinders, pliers, welding clamps and welding itself, it’s easy to make the device yourself. You just need to decide on the size of the camera.

And then there are two possible options. The first is that you order cutting and/or bending of metal from a company, and they bring you a ready-made “constructor”, which all you have to do is weld. The second is to buy metal, cut it yourself, then weld it at the seams according to the drawing.

Photo 3. Three-dimensional drawing of a smokehouse in the form of a stainless steel suitcase. Dimensions are indicated in centimeters.

The grating is welded from perforated or wire. It should be approximately 20 cm above the wood chips, take this into account when making internal stops. The pitch of the grate rods is 3 cm. A tray for fat is required. It looks like a top cover. The only difference is that the stand is placed at the bottom of the box, has a handle and curved edges. When making it, carefully weld the corners.

The lid is made of a sheet of metal so that its curved edges extend beyond the limits by 5–7 mm, and a handle is welded on top. A smoke exhaust fitting is required.

If desired, you can make a water seal - cut at 45°C and welded around the perimeter with a continuous seam and a corner flange inside. When smoking, water is poured into it and prevents smoke from escaping.

It is recommended to assemble the “suitcase” smokehouse in the following order:

1. weld the lattice supports to the end walls from the inside and the handles from the outside;
2. manufacturing (welding) of the “box”;
3. pallet production;
4. production of internal grating;
5. production of a cover with a fitting;
6. making a water seal (optional).

Be sure to try on each subsequent part after making the previous one, and make adjustments for deformation.

Pros: mobility, high smoking speed for a relatively large number of products, ease of care, durability. Cons: It is impossible to control the temperature during smoking.

A smokehouse is made from a barrel in the same way, in this case the body is already ready, all that remains is to make a tray, a lid and stops for vertical or horizontal loading of products.

Brick "cabinet"

The choice of advanced smokers or those who need to smoke a lot at once.

As a rule, the firebox is built separately from the brazier, and the stones ensure the most even distribution of heat.

Pros: food tastes better, stationary design is durable. Disadvantages: high labor intensity and price during production.

Variation for smoking at home

If you want smoked fish in the winter, but you can’t get out into nature or into the countryside, you can make a variation of the smokehouse for home use. Here its basis can be a cauldron or a traditional duck dish. This cone-shaped container allows you to comfortably place the grill and tray without a lot of fasteners.

The presence of ears is desirable not only on the sides, but also near the lid. Drill a hole in the lid of the cauldron. The required diameter is 1 cm. A chimney will be built through it.

Insert the fitting into it with the thread on the inside. It is secured there with a nut. A dense tube made of rubber is placed at the upper end. In order for the lid to fit very tightly to the container, you need to make holes for the bolts, and also lay out a paronite gasket. Here's how to make a smokehouse on your own and without investment.

An example of a cauldron converted into a smokehouse:

A fitting is formed on the upper side that removes smoke from the kitchen.

You also need to create a tin pan yourself and equip it with sides. Fat will accumulate in it. The baking tray is positioned so that there is a gap for the smoke coming from the sawdust to enter. They are usually placed at the bottom of this container.

After these operations, you can prepare the grate. A fish carcass is placed on it. The device is placed on a low flame. The tube is lowered into a 3-liter jar of water. There is another similar tube there, already going into the ventilation or outside. This way you will eliminate smoke in the apartment.

Conclusion

Household smokehouses are not replaceable in homestead conditions. The slaughter of pigs or chickens requires timely processing. If your freezer is full and you need to process meat, a smoker will come to the rescue.

For greater safety, it is better to use the cold method, so the product can be stored for about a year in the basement. Fishermen, hunters and all lovers of high-quality and tasty food did not ignore the smokehouses. Do not rush, succumb to the alluring odors, and complete smoking ahead of schedule, this is life-threatening. It is advisable to equip each product with a thermometer, paint it with fireproof paint, and decorate it.

If you don’t have the time or desire to make a smokehouse yourself, then buying a ready-made device will not be difficult. Manufacturers have tried to create entire lines of smokehouses for industrial and domestic use. In the latest models there is no need to light a fire or pull pipes; heating occurs thanks to electricity or gas. All details are thought out to the smallest detail; the build quality is difficult to replicate at home. Those who love the comfort of home and are sensitive to the adjacent area can be advised to build brick smokehouses combined with a hob, oven and open barbecue.

Types of smoking

There are two smoking methods:

• cold
• hot

From the name it follows that these smoking methods differ from each other in temperature conditions.

Hot smoking

With hot smoking, fish is cooked over smoke at temperatures above 90 degrees.

Cooking time takes on average 3-4 hours. When cooked, the shelf life of fish is about 5-6 days.

This method has a number of advantages:

• The cooking process takes much less time than cold smoking.
• Due to the fact that the fish is cooked at a high temperature, it has a pleasant smoky aroma.
• Hot-smoked products are not as fatty as cold-smoked products.
• Due to the cooking technology, it acquires a delicate and juicy texture.

Cold smoking

The cooking temperature during cold smoking should not exceed 40 degrees.

Preparation time is 2-3 days. The shelf life is 30 days from the date of preparation.

Cold-smoked fish has a denser texture and tastes like dried fish.

Preparing firewood

The taste and smell of the final product largely depends on the composition of the wood chips. A variety of ready-made raw materials for smoking are sold in stores, but you can prepare firewood yourself.

If work is being done in the garden to form crowns and trim fruit trees, there is no need to rush to throw away branches and twigs. After drying well, they are crushed and used for their intended purpose. Smoked meats acquire a particularly appetizing aroma from apple tree shavings.

The wood chips must be dry and clean

Grapevines are often used for smoking and cooking barbecue in the Caucasus. The smoke from the smoldering vine gives the delicacy a delicate fruity taste and golden color. In summer cottages and garden plots in the more northern zone, this heat-loving crop is also quite common. With annual pruning, a lot of unnecessary branches remain, which can be dried, crushed and used in a mixture with sawdust.

To add spicy notes, sprigs of juniper, rowan, and acacia are added to the wood chips. They not only enrich the product with a bright aroma, but also additionally have a bactericidal effect.