How to make a smokehouse with your own hands and what materials are useful for creating it

Smoking food is a method known since ancient Paleolithic times. The man of that time was called intelligent because he learned to use not only weapons, a digging stick, and then a spear, but also fire. It was then that a variation of the first cold-smoked smokehouses appeared - animal meat was simply hung a little away from the fire. Rock paintings from the 12th thousand years ago, as research reliably confirms, depicted not only scenes of hunting animals, but also sweet moments of preparing and consuming food. And important decisions in the tribe, quite possibly, were made in such a small-family rock cave under the fragrant smell of smoked meat.

12 thousand years ago. An ordinary evening in the kitchen of a Paleolithic family

In fact, cold smoking at home has many advantages - such meat does not spoil for a long time and has a pleasant taste and aroma. Products, thanks to the gentle effects of low temperatures (and cold smoking usually involves treatment with smoke no higher than 35°C), retain beneficial substances and amino acids. Dehydration processes occur slowly, which means that the finished delicacy will retain its original structure and more essential microelements. What is easier and more profitable - buy a cold smoked smokehouse or try to make it yourself from scrap materials? On our portal agronom.guru you can always find a comprehensive answer to any question.

What are the features of the smoking process?

Nowadays, excess food can be canned or frozen for a long time. But in earlier times, in the absence of freezers and other devices, the only way to preserve fish and meat was smoking. This technology made it possible to prepare food for future use.

Using smoking technology, you can prepare products for future use Source tortini-msk.ru

Today, smoking is used as a way to add a richer flavor to foods. The technology makes it possible to prepare for future use not only fish, meat, cheese, but also fruits. Smoking is a technology for processing products using smoke. There are two types of cooking technology - cold and hot. Hot smoking occurs at temperatures of 50° and above. The limit for cold smoking is at the border of 40-50°, but usually the temperature does not exceed 35°.

A brick smokehouse can be used for several decades Source barbeku-kamin-i-pech.ru

During cold smoking, moisture loss occurs, and products processed using this technology can be stored for a year.

The smoking period varies significantly when using different methods. Hot processing time can be from 6 to 10 hours. When using cold smoking technology, the processing time for products can last from 5 days to several weeks. Cooking time depends on the products to be processed.

For cold smoking, special preparation of the smoke is used, and its cooling to the required temperature. For this reason, if you decide how to make a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands, then you should study all the requirements for this device and carefully fulfill them. This design should have two chambers - for cooling the smoke, and for smoking products.

The fire should not be very intense, otherwise the food will become saturated with toxic substances Source bestpechi.ru

The smoke is transported through a pipe 8 to 12 meters long. A smoke generator or fan is used to control the temperature and provide draft.

What kind of firewood can you use?

Firewood from different types of trees
Not all firewood can be used. Firewood from the following trees is best suited:

• plum;
• cherry (without bark);
• pear;
• Apple tree;
• dogwood;
• apricot.

If you need to give smoked meats a tart taste, then the following are suitable:

• elm;
• oak;
• nut;
• beech.

For smoking fish caught in heavily polluted waters, it is recommended to use the following wood:

• willow;
• broom;
• willow.

If there is no firewood from fruit trees or if the smokehouse is made in camping conditions, the following trees can be used:

• Linden;
• poplar;
• alder;
• aspen.

Coniferous trees and those affected by fungus are unsuitable for smoking. In addition, since the pores of the fungus are easily carried by the wind, all trees located within a radius of 50 m around the infected tree automatically become unusable.

Advantages of smoking technology

And there are several of them:

1. Products that have been subjected to the smoking process retain more useful microelements and other substances that are destroyed at high temperatures.
2. Exposure to smoke kills harmful bacteria and other organisms that pose a health hazard.
3. Smoke acts as a preservative on food, and as a result, its shelf life increases significantly.

When arranging a smokehouse, it is important to follow fire safety rules Source samogon82.ru

How to choose the right firewood for each product

Each type of wood has its own combustion characteristics and imparts its own flavor to products. The choice of sawdust and firewood depends on the product to be prepared. Do not use only firewood or wood chips. For proper combustion and the formation of smoke in sufficient quantities, it is necessary to take sawdust and firewood in equal quantities:

1. Alder is ideal for meat, fruits and vegetables.
2. Oak sawdust is suitable for red meats such as pork or beef.
3. If you need to cook game or fish that lived in the swamp, you should use willow for smoking.
4. Cherries or wood from other fruit trees are used to smoke berries, nuts or vegetables.

An open fire is not suitable for smoking Source build.4-u.info
Sea buckthorn, maple and juniper wood is also suitable for a smokehouse.

If you use birch, alder and bird cherry wood, you must first get rid of the bark, otherwise the finished product may taste bitter. Aspen or conifers cannot be used for smoking.

During the smoking process, you should carefully select firewood, otherwise the taste of the product can easily be spoiled Source www.dzivei.lv

It is very important to solve the problem of how to make a cold smoked smokehouse safe. To do this, it is necessary to take into account the following point.

During the smoking process, the wood must not ignite or char, otherwise the finished product will contain harmful carcinogens. To avoid this situation, it is necessary to close the chamber lid tightly to block the access of oxygen to the fire.

You can prepare sawdust for smoking yourself or buy it Source i1.ytimg.com

Stationary and mobile smokehouses

Today you can buy a cold smoked smokehouse in two versions – stationary and mobile. A stationary smokehouse is usually delivered on a turnkey basis. Most often these are houses like these with a smoke cooling system. They are installed on a pedestal on a personal plot or the territory of a country house.

Stationary cold smoking smokehouse Stationary cold smoking systems can be made to order in different versions, for example, they can be monolithic brick buildings.

Custom brick smokehouse

Types of smoking structures

The vertical or shaft structure has the shape of a hut, where the hearth is located below and food is hung at the top. In such a smokehouse it is impossible to use the fumigation method and regulate the formation of smoke.

A tunnel smokehouse requires a suitable location for the hearth and chimney. Despite the installation time, this design can be used even in wet weather. The tunnel smokehouse is suitable for hot and cold smoking.

Cold smoking technology is best used in cool weather; the smoke will cool down better. In hot weather, a temperature sensor should be installed in the smoking chamber Source swoidom.com

The chamber smokehouse is large in size, and when installing it, you should ensure an inclination at an angle of 10° to 30°.

Common components for cold and hot smoked smokehouses:

• Firebox. It burns wood chips and sawdust of special species.
• Cover for smoke generator. This component can be installed on the front or side wall, or on top.
• Chimney pipe. The length of the chimney duct allows the air to cool to the required temperature.

For cold smoking, a long chimney should be installed Source krrot.net
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in grills and barbecues

• Smoking chamber. This is where the smoking process takes place.
• A metal grate with small cells of about 3 mm is installed at the entrance to the smokehouse, and does not allow soot to penetrate into the smoking chamber.
• Crossbars . They act as hangers on which you can hang hooks with food.
• Lid . It is necessary to install a chimney in it.
• Pallet . It collects fat and other liquid.

To accumulate fat at the bottom of the smoking chamber, install a tray Source img.youtube.com

Smoking recipes: fish, chicken, lard, meat

To prepare low-fat products, it is better to use the hot smoking method with a smoke temperature of at least 43 °C. Meat and fish of fatty varieties are cold smoked, in which the smoke temperature does not exceed 25 °C.

During smoking, products become colored and acquire an unusual taste and aroma. The upper part dries and becomes shiny. The finished product must be cooled and left hanging for at least 5 days.

Smoked fish

For hot smoking, the fish is first cleaned, washed well and rubbed with plenty of salt. After a quarter of an hour, the workpiece is washed and placed on a wire rack in a hot smoked smokehouse.

Recipe No. 1. Buy fresh or frozen mackerel at the store. Carcasses must be intact, without damage. Thaw frozen fish and gut it. Rub the carcass with salt, sprinkle with spices and leave for 24 hours. Use alder shavings or wood chips for smoking.

First place small apple tree branches, currant and raspberry leaves on the grill of the smoking chamber. Place prepared fish carcasses on top. It only takes 20 minutes to cook mackerel.

Recipe No. 2. To get a high quality product from this recipe, you will need an electric smoker . Clean the mackerel and rub with salt both inside and on top. Place the dish with fish in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Place fruit or alder sawdust moistened with water on a tray in the electric smoker. The highlight of this recipe for cooking fish in a smokehouse is adding a small amount of black tea, a lump of sugar and juniper berries to the sawdust.

Blot the salted fish with a napkin and drip lemon juice into the cut belly. A piece of lemon placed inside will give the fish a piquant taste. Grease the carcass with vegetable oil. Place on a wire rack.

Cooking mackerel in an electric kettle begins without a tray with sawdust. 10 minutes after the start of cooking, place sawdust in the chamber. Cook the fish for another 20 minutes with smoke. Turn off the device and leave it closed to cool. After 30 minutes you can taste the amazing taste of fish.

Smoking mackerel in a smokehouse, video:

Now you know how to smoke fish in smokehouses of different designs.

Smoking chicken in a smokehouse

The most important point when preparing smoked chicken is marinating . Wash the carcass well and remove excess fat. Dry with napkins. Make small cuts in the skin and push the cut garlic cloves into them. Mix your favorite spices with salt and thoroughly rub the chicken inside and out with this mixture. Prepare foil, wrap the chicken in it and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours.

Remove the chicken and let it come to room temperature for at least 2 hours. Prepare your home smokehouse for use. Free the carcass from the foil, tie the legs and wings together so that they do not stick out to the sides. Place the chicken in the smoker and begin cooking. When hot smoking, one hour is enough to cook chicken.

Recommendation! Check the chicken carcass for doneness by making test cuts. If the meat is ready, clear juice will be released without blood. Before use, remove the skin from the carcass - it has absorbed many substances harmful to the human body.

First, the fire in the smokehouse must be stronger in order to reach the desired smoking temperature and make the wood chips smolder. Then you just need to maintain the smoke formation process and the cooking temperature until the meat is cooked. Now you know how to smoke chicken in a homemade smokehouse.

Smoked lard

You already know how to build a smokehouse for cold and hot smoking. Now the time has come to get acquainted with recipes for making lard. The marinade will help add flavor and a special aroma to the lard. It is best to make a dry marinade. For 2 kg of lard you will need 250 g of coarse salt, a spoonful of ground black pepper, chopped dry bay leaf (1/2 pack), 5-6 cloves of garlic and fresh dill. You can take dry dill.

Cooking steps:

• Cut the lard into strips . The width of the pieces should be no more than 6 cm.
• Mix salt with dill, bay leaf and pepper.
• the resulting mixture well onto the pieces of lard on all sides.
• Place strips in a row, skin side down, and sprinkle seasonings on top. Place chopped garlic cloves between the pieces of lard.
• Cover the lard on top and press tightly with a weight.
• After 3 days, remove the salt from the lard and hang it on hooks to dry. The lard should not be exposed to sunlight.

This smoked lard recipe is the simplest. To prepare the product by hot smoking it will take only 20 minutes.

It takes longer to smoke lard in a smokehouse using the cold smoking method. Sometimes the smoking time reaches 36 hours.

Recipe for smoking homemade sausages:

Make homemade sausages using your favorite recipe. To prevent the sausages from leaking juice and losing their taste, they must be smoked immediately after filling. Smoking takes about 3 hours. All this time, you should maintain a small flame in the hearth and sufficient smoke production. It is best to use firewood from fruit trees.

Smoked meat

To prepare delicious pork, make a brine. Add 50 pcs to 11 liters of cold boiled water. black pepper, 0.5 liters of coarse salt and 15 pcs. bay leaf. The salt should completely dissolve.

Pieces of meat are placed in a cold marinade. In the cold season, the preparation for smoking is kept in brine for 5 days, and on hot days the meat is soaked for 3 days.

Important! Be sure to ensure that the pork pieces are completely covered with the brine. The dishes must be intact, without chips.

The meat, ready for smoking, is stuffed with garlic and tied with twine. The time has come to learn how to smoke meat in a smokehouse yourself. If you have a barrel smoker, hang the meat on hooks at the very top of the chamber and cover the barrel with burlap.

DIY wood lathe. - there is more useful information here.

Place a bucket of water next to the barrel to periodically wet the burlap. During the entire smoking period, swap the pieces several times.

Arrangement of the smokehouse

Cold smoking technology involves saturating products with smoke as a result of fumigation. Before entering the smoking chamber, the smoke is cleared of carbon monoxide. Before organizing cold processing of meat or other products, you should carefully study the instructions on how to make a cold smoked smokehouse.

Drawings of structures for smoking Source stroylegko.com

Preparing the site

The smoking process involves the use of fire. First of all, you should choose a place where, in the event of an emergency, the fire will not harm people or buildings. There should also be a place near the smokehouse to place food.

It is also worth considering the length of the chimney (3 m), width (30-50 cm), and height (25-27 cm). There should be good traction between the fireplace and the chamber. Sometimes it can be affected by differences in the temperature of the smoke and the environment. In order to increase draft, smoke exhausters are used.

It is best to install a tunnel smokehouse on a slope Source pbs.twimg.com

Smokehouse from a barrel

There is a simple way to solve the question of how to make a smokehouse from a barrel. It involves using a trench as a chimney. The beginning of the trench is located as deep as possible in the ground. This will give you the opportunity to get good traction. The walls of the trench are reinforced with sheets of iron, slate, or lined with bricks. The top or ceiling of the chimney is sprinkled with soil. At the end of the chimney there is a barrel. At the bottom there should be a sheet of metal with holes made through which smoke should penetrate. This sheet is designed to store fat. It should be smaller than the barrel itself so that smoke can freely penetrate into the smoking chamber. In the barrel itself it is necessary to place a grate on which meat or fish should be hung. The top of the container is covered with burlap, a wooden lid or a sheet of metal. You can also use a pipe instead of a trench.

Before use, the smoking barrel must be thoroughly cleaned Source ad-cd.net

If the question arises of how to make a smokehouse with your own hands at home for long-term use, then you should give preference to a brick building. This structure can be used for its intended purpose for several years.

Place for the hearth Source i.ytimg.com

See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in gazebos and grill houses

The design of a brick smokehouse is no different from a regular one, and consists of a place for a fire, a chimney and the smokehouse itself. The fire chamber and chimney pipe inside are lined with refractory bricks, and the upper part of the structure can be made of wood. The smoking chamber is equipped with grates for fastening products and a door. Clay is used to strengthen the chimney. A ceiling should be installed in the chimney, which will make it possible to control the draft.

Also, to solve the problem of how to make a smokehouse at home, you can use the body of a refrigerator that has failed. You can use a potbelly stove as a place for a fire. Sometimes smokehouses use an electric stove. Sawdust is placed on it and kept on until smoke comes out. This method requires special attention.

Any available materials are suitable for arranging a smokehouse Source 270076.ru

Best instructions

To make a home smokehouse with your own hands, you do not need specialized knowledge or even experience in craftsmanship. To create such devices, familiar materials and standard tools that every owner has are suitable.

Made from polyethylene film

The simplest option for cold smoking can be created from classic polyethylene (better take the film used to cover greenhouses). The action plan is:

1. We are looking for a flat area. We require an area of ​​about 1 sq.m.
2. We fence the area with long stakes (1.5-2 m high).
3. We connect the pegs with transverse beams for stability.
4. We fasten the opposite stakes with additional horizontal crossbars in 2 or 3 rows.
5. We hang food on stakes so that they do not touch.
6. We stretch polyethylene over the entire structure, leaving a small distance to the ground.

The smokehouse is ready for use. All that remains is to scatter the burning coals in the center and cover them with grass. Then the film is stretched close to the ground and securely crimped. The products will be ready after 2.5-3 hours.

When working with such a device, the finished products must be ventilated after smoking. And it is better to re-process pieces that are too large.

Made of wood

Also intended for cold cooking. It is located on a convenient piece of land with a slight slope. The construction of such a smokehouse is carried out according to the following instructions:

1. We dig a shaft in the ground for the chimney 0.3-0.4 m wide and 5.5-6 m in size.
2. We lay a pipe with a cross-section of 0.2-0.3 m in the shaft and run it from the fireplace to the smoking apparatus.
3. We lay a brick firebox (or a welded one made of metal sheets). The shape is like a cube, the sides of which will be about 3.5-4 m.
4. We connect the firebox to the pipe.
5. We install a valve on it (on the opposite side of the firebox) to create and regulate draft.
6. We make a dense chamber (without holes) from the boards, where the cooking will take place.
7. Inside the compartment-chamber we install a valve, grates/hooks for food and a tray.

From a 200 liter barrel

Creating a smokehouse with your own hands for cooking using the hot method from a barrel is the easiest. The manufacturing principle is as follows:

1. We remove the bottom of the barrel and install it in the chosen place.

2. We will equip the interior. Devices for displaying animal and poultry carcasses are attached.

3. You can also mount a pair of gratings in the barrel, one of them will be placed at a distance of 25-30 cm from the soil surface, and the other slightly higher.

4. The base of the barrel is strewn with wood shavings or sawdust.

The structure is ready. The hearth is located in the center of the base of the barrel. All that remains is to lay out or hang the food, spread out the burning coals and close the container with a lid.

Expert opinion

Valery Garmash

Chef of the Grill House restaurant, griller

There is a more complex, but improved version of this smokehouse. We will need two barrels, each with a volume of 150-200 liters. They are welded together in a "T" shape. The lower one serves as a container where you plan to place the firebox, and the upper one becomes the smoking compartment - the grates/hooks should be firmly fixed in it.

Made of brick

This is the most difficult to create, but also the most aesthetic modification of a smokehouse for hot smoking, which you can make with your own hands. To create this option, follow the instructions:

1. We prepare the foundation. Its depth should be about 0.4 m; we use pieces of reinforcement, reinforced wire, metal rods, etc.
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2. We make a chimney at a distance of 2-2.5 m from the smoking compartment.

3. We lay a pipe along the trench (pull it to the fireplace).

4. We set up a sealed combustion chamber. You can use metal (take a ready-made box or weld it yourself) or brick.

5. We connect the firebox to the pipe.

6. After the foundation hardens, brick walls are laid. As you work, do not forget to build metal rods into them.
7. We equip the finished structure with a tight lid.

Our smokehouse is ready. All that remains is to add burning coals and test it in action.

Made of metal with water seal

Take a two-piece sheet (2 mm thick) and mark it: 350 mm for height, 400 mm for length and 300 mm for width. If after measurements the workpiece turns out to be larger than the required dimensions, it needs to be cut.

To bend a sheet, you need to mark and make slits about half a millimeter deep.

Substituting the profile, bend the edges up with your hands.

The first preparation is completed. Now we need the side walls. First, they should be adjusted in size to the resulting base, then placed on tacks from the sides and middle.

You need to make more pot holders so that the smokehouse does not “spread” when the cooking process begins, but you shouldn’t do too many either: 3-4 per side.

The box is assembled. The next step is to boil the seam under water so that the smoke does not escape.

Beat off the scale and grind the seams.

Make a water seal. To do this, use the 25th corner at 45 degrees.

When it's ready, put it on hold. Measure 5 mm from the outside edge of the smokehouse body.

The corner must be lowered to this distance, because the condensate that collects from the lid will go directly into the water seal, but it should not get inside. The result of the work should be a gap, a protrusion.

Then, after each “tack” (three are enough - top and bottom), check that the angle is at 90 degrees.

All 4 finished (boiled and ground under water) corners look like this:

Next we make the pallet.

First, a blank is made: for flanging, cuts are made half a millimeter deep, and the corners are removed.

Then the edges are inserted one by one into a vice (if there is none, then in any other convenient place) and bent.

Small irregularities can be dealt with with a hammer. You can place a corner to make it easier to see where problem areas arise.

Boil and sharpen the corners.

Weld racks of reinforcement 70 mm high with a distance of 30 mm from the edges on which the grille will rest. It is not advisable to use wire - ordinary knitting wire will “lead” depending on the temperature.

At the bottom there will be legs made from a 40x40 square profile pipe. Inside, they are boiled on 4 sides by about a centimeter, otherwise they may deteriorate in the future due to high temperature.

Place the tray inside the smokehouse.

Make sure there is a 1 cm gap on each side, this will make it easier for the smoke to escape.

Make a grating using a semi-automatic welding machine. To begin with, it is better to completely make blanks: for the frame, stands, handles, jumpers - all of the same size.

Apply at 90° and cook.

Place jumpers using a 20x20 profile every 2 cm.

The result should be rods.

Weld the posts at a distance of 2 cm from the edges. The grid for the first level looks like this:

On the second there are 7 cm high handles made of reinforcement, so that it is convenient to take.

Check that both grates fit easily into the smokehouse. The distance between them is 7 centimeters, large fish fit perfectly.

All that remains is to make the lid. Prepare a sheet 520x440 mm. In the middle there is a 0.5-1 mm slot. From the center - 180 mm, make a groove and leave a flange of 40 mm.

Brew the sides. Attach the sides.

The lid should look like a house. The height to the top edge is 12 cm, the height to the side edge is 4 cm. Thanks to this structure, condensate accumulating on the lid will flow to the edges.

The height of the handle is 4 cm, the length is 10 cm. It is not necessary to use fittings here.

From the lid to the water seal there will be a distance of 1-1.5 cm.

The finished smokehouse looks like this:

How does the cold smoking process work?

Cold smoking technology is used to prepare fatty foods. First, the meat or fish is sprinkled with salt and left for 5 days. Then the raw materials are removed from excess salt. To do this, you need to fill it with cold water and let it sit for several hours.

The soaked pieces of meat and fish are dried with a towel and hung indoors to dry a little. During this period, it is worth carefully monitoring insects that may lay larvae.

For cold smoking, 20% firewood and 80% sawdust are used. Firewood is laid out in the center of the hearth, and wood chips and sawdust are poured on top. Do not spread sawdust in an even layer on the bottom, otherwise they will quickly burn. The mixture should smolder slowly and produce a lot of smoke.

As a result of the cold smoking process, the finished products retain their elastic texture and acquire a pleasant aroma Source countrel.ru

How to Prepare Smokehouse Drawings

You don't need to be an engineer to assemble a smokehouse yourself. To understand the assembly mechanism, you just need to decide on the material for manufacturing, the type of smokehouse and select the appropriate drawing.

However, even the finished drawing will have to be slightly adjusted to the size of your smoking chamber.

If we are talking about a stationary brick smokehouse, then you will have to work on the drawings yourself, or turn to professionals to develop an individual project.

Organization of the hot smoking process

Very often, site owners wonder how to make a hot smoked smokehouse with their own hands. The design is practically no different from the previous one, with the exception of a shorter chimney. A container with sawdust is placed above an open fire or electric oven. They should not burn, but smolder slowly. Smoke penetrates into the smoking chamber where the products are located. A tray must be placed at the bottom of the barrel or other container to collect fat. There must be holes in the roof of the structure through which smoke can escape.

Design options for hot smoking Source 1000000diy.ru

To solve the problem of how to make a hot smoked smokehouse, you can use a regular barrel, inside of which the firebox will be located.

Firebox inside the smokehouse Source stroy-podskazka.ru

Varieties

The most common are 2 options for smokehouses with their own design features:

1. Vertical (shaft). The easiest to manufacture, taking up little space. The smokehouse looks like a kind of cone; products are located on its top. The disadvantages include inconvenient adjustment of the smoke volume.

2. Horizontal (tunnel) . More difficult to produce, requiring a suitable site, preferably on a slope.

Mini smokehouse

For those who are wondering how to make a small smokehouse, a bucket or metal box is suitable.

A bucket smoker can be placed above an electric stove Source o-remonte.com

The sawdust is located at the bottom of the bucket. A grate is installed above them. At the top there are hooks or a grate for food. The bucket is covered with a lid with holes for smoke to escape. The container is set on low heat. After smoldering begins, food is placed in the bucket and the lid is closed. In a mini smokehouse, the smoking process lasts from 30 to 60 minutes.

Small volumes of the smoking chamber allow you to get the finished product very quickly Source stroy-podskazka.ru

Also, a bucket or box can be placed on the grill with burnt coals after frying the kebab.

Ready-made design for smoking products Source stroy-podskazka.ru

Interesting fact about smoking

And finally, an interesting fact: it is believed that smoking with pine sawdust is prohibited, because the increased resin content in coniferous wood will give the smoked product a bitter taste. During the time of the Russian Empire, our ancestors in the White Sea region often used fir cones when smoking food.

And in the Volga region, pine sawdust was used for similar purposes. Unfortunately, the recipes for making the products have not survived to this day, but this fact once again proves that it is necessary to experiment in order to get a decent result. Therefore, do not be afraid to try new things, make only the most delicious and high-quality smoked meats.

Advantages of a DIY smokehouse

Every owner of a summer house or private home has thought at least once in his life about the question of how to make a smokehouse with his own hands. Manufacturers offer a large selection of ready-made designs with additional functions. Such smokehouses are not cheap, while you can make a smokehouse from a barrel or other available materials without additional capital investment.

A barrel is an ideal container for setting up a smokehouse on the territory of a summer cottage. Source cdn.instructables.com

It doesn't take much time to make the structure. Making a smokehouse can take anywhere from an hour to a day.

All homemade devices are easy to use and do not require much effort to prepare food.

If you use high-quality materials and follow the instructions, the smokehouse will serve its owners for a long time.

All designs are very simple, they can be made from the simplest materials.

Before starting work, you should carefully study the instructions on how to make a smokehouse and follow all safety rules during installation and operation of the structure.

Smoking cabinet Source u8.filesonload.ru

Review of the most popular models

The best option is to do something in between, for example, build a smoking container yourself, but buy a generator.

Merkel

Here it is quite justified to remember about. German quality and assembly guarantees the longevity of the device. Moreover, the manufacturer offers an extended factory warranty.

Smoke generator "Merkel": delivery set

The budget model will cost about 3.5 thousand rubles.

"Bradley-Smoker"

And if you are planning a large party or are engaged in individual production of smoked meats on a small scale, then you can pay attention to the Canadian one.

Eclectic smoke cabinet with automatic smoke supply "Bradley-Smoker"

The electric smokehouses of this company are fully automated. A person just needs to set the necessary parameters, and the system will do the rest itself: from choosing the smoke generation option to the temperature, and will give a signal after the task is completed.

Choosing a ready-made smokehouse

Sometimes there is no time or desire to make a smoking structure. When choosing a ready-made factory-made smokehouse, you should consider the following points:

• the metal must have a thickness of at least 4 mm and be coated with an anti-corrosion compound;
• sometimes the materials for smoking structures may contain toxic impurities;
• when choosing a smokehouse, you should pay attention to the volume of the chamber;
• There are models that simultaneously support cold and hot smoking;
• if the model is equipped with a draft regulator, it will help control the temperature inside the chamber;
• each smokehouse must be equipped with temperature sensors;
• there should be several shelves inside the chamber;
• the buyer must require a quality certificate and a manufacturer's warranty for the product.

A smokehouse manufactured at a factory can be small and compact Source i.pinimg.com
You should not place food in the smokehouse for the first time. The chamber should be saturated with smoke odors, and subsequent use will bring good results.

Recommended types of wood for smokehouses

Only those rocks that have an extremely low resin content are suitable for building a house:

• cedar,
• alder,
• birch,
• oak,
• Linden,
• aspen.

Cedar is suitable for a wooden smokehouse.
When choosing materials, you need to pay attention to the size and number of knots, since when heated they will fall out, which will compromise the integrity of the chamber.

The following wood shapes are commonly used:

• planed boards;
• bars of different sections;
• plywood with a thickness of at least 8 mm;
• lining;
• block house.

It is prohibited to use layered boards saturated with adhesive compositions - chipboard, OSB, MDF. When heated, they will release toxic substances that are hazardous to health. Moisture and high temperatures will cause the fabrics to delaminate.

Wood needs to be pre-impregnated with an antiseptic; compositions such as Pirilax, Pinotex, Senezh Ecobio are suitable. To speed up the work, you need to arm yourself with a screwdriver and a jigsaw; you will also need a tape measure and a building level.