Smoked products cooked at home are environmentally friendly and tasty. You can get such a product yourself. You can use one of the many varieties of smokehouses for this, which can be made from different materials. However, the smallest way, which involves a minimum amount of cost, is a smokehouse from a barrel.
Smokehouse device
The smoking chamber may have different material in the base, however, the design should have two compartments, one of which will burn wood or wood shavings with the formation of smoke, while the other will have to load salted fish, cheese, meat or other products. These compartments can be divided among themselves by a chimney, and in an alternative embodiment, they can be placed one above the other. In the first case, you will get cold smoked products, because the smoke will move along the pipe, having time to cool. If we are talking about the second case, then the products will be prepared by the method of hot smoking. These manipulations are carried out at elevated temperatures.
The smoking chamber, depending on whether it is intended for cold or hot smoking, may have some differences. If we are talking about cold smoking, the design will have a wood-fired portable stove, which is made of brick or sheet metal. The smokehouse itself consists of a barrel in which there are hooks or a grill for arranging products. The latter can be in one or more tiers. The top of the smokehouse should be covered with a hardwood lid. You can use a jute bag for this. The lid will eliminate the escape of smoke, and water vapor will begin to be released. The furnace is connected to the chamber by a pipe, the length of which will determine the temperature of the smoke. Firewood for this version of the smokehouse should be not rotten and dry. As the most suitable option are branches of fruit trees.
If you use a smoke-cured smoking chamber, then the smoke generated during the smoldering of sawdust or wood chips will be used. They are stacked at the bottom of the camera. A wood-burning stove is installed under the smoking chambers, which should assume the possibility of smoke removal. Due to the fact that as a result of hot processing fat is released from fatty varieties of fish or meat, a pallet must be installed under the grill, which should provide a gap between the walls of the chamber. This is necessary for smoke to escape.
Preparing to make a smokehouse
The process should not be started if you have not prepared all the necessary materials and tools, the main element is a metal barrel, the volume of which can vary from 100 to 200 liters. It will be required for the arrangement of the lattice, it must be copper or steel, for the manufacture of legs, corner trimmings are suitable. But a piece of pipe, the diameter of which is 10 centimeters, is suitable for a chimney. Do not forget about fittings with a diameter ranging from 6 to 8 millimeters. You will need to trim it. Prepare a sheet of iron that is 4 millimeters thick. He will go on manufacturing the bottom of the smoking chamber. You will need to make a door that will close the combustion chamber, for this you will need to prepare the hinges. In the process, you can not do without an angle grinder and a welding machine.
Masters recommendation
If you will make a smoke chamber with your own hands, you should prepare a barrel, the walls of which should not be covered from the inside with residues of chemicals and substances with a strong odor. If the product is dirty, you can burn it with a blowtorch or rinse it well.
Technology of work
If the barrel is sealed, it must be removed from the lid using a welding machine or grinder. The lid can be used later for the manufacture of the device pallet. The lower part of the product will act as a firebox, it is necessary to make a door in it to load fuel and exit the chimney. Holes for the door should be prepared with a welding machine or angle grinder, adhering to approximate dimensions that are 20x30 centimeters. The cut out part can be used to make the door, and the hinges, as well as the handle, are to be welded to it. The latter should have a valve. After this element can be mounted on the furnace.
The nuances of making a smokehouse
When the smoking chamber is performed, in the bottom of the barrel it is necessary to make longitudinal holes that will serve as a blower. They are used to remove ash from the furnace. Having retreated 1/3 of the barrel height, you need to weld the bottom of the smoking chamber using sheet metal. In order to exclude the possibility of burnout and to ensure uniform distribution of heat, it is best made of steel, the thickness of which is 4 millimeters.
The chimney will be inserted into holes that are made along the diameter of the element. This component of the structure must be located on the opposite side of the furnace. The pipe must be bent and well welded. Its height should be small, otherwise the thrust will be too strong. Under such conditions, the temperature will be high, which will cause active release of juice and fat.
Drawings of smoking chambers will help you to make work without errors. In order for the device to be stable, you need to weld the legs from below, they will allow you to create a gap between the soil and the furnace, increasing the quality of fuel combustion.
What the master needs to know
You can not do the furnace directly in the barrel, stacking it with a brick in the place where it is convenient. In this case, the bottom of the chamber will be the bottom of the barrel itself. This will increase the volume of the smokehouse. The front wall of such a firebox should be laid out in half, through the holes it will be possible to lay firewood. In order to ensure smoke removal, you need to leave a hole in the masonry at the back.
Using sheet steel or the barrel lid, you can make a pallet, its diameter should be less than the diameter of the product by 5 centimeters. This will circulate the smoke. To install this element inside the walls, you need to weld two pieces of reinforcement, placing them crosswise. The bars should be located with a retreat of 15 centimeters from the bottom of the smokehouse. Some craftsmen weld a loop made of reinforcement to the pallet, this allows you to more conveniently cope with the removal of the element.
Additional work
If you are making a smoke chamber, the photo of which is presented in the article, then in the upper part you need to make supports for the grill. They are made of reinforcement, giving the form of loops. You need to arrange them on four sides. These elements must not interfere with the recess of the pallet. If you make loops in 3-4 tiers, this will increase the volume of product loading. It is important to maintain a step between the gratings, which should be about 15 centimeters. The grill can be made of a sufficiently thin wire, which is fixed on the frame. In order to smoothly bend the most thick wire, it is necessary to wrap it around the product, cut it, reducing it by 7 centimeters. The lattice can be made of thin wire, the step between the elements should be 3 centimeters.
Smokehouse operation
Before you make a smoke chamber with your own hands, you must prepare all the necessary materials. However, it is also important to know how to use the device. For its operation, you can use any firewood, they can be coniferous. Smoke from the combustion will be diverted outside, while for smoking you can use smoke coming from smoldering shavings of hardwood. This will allow you to get products with a beautiful golden hue and a delicate taste that will not give off bitterness. The design of the smoking chamber was described above, however, it is important to take into account the fact that the taste of future products depends on the correct operation. Thus, you can do the shavings yourself by cutting a dry tree, such as plum, apple, alder or cherry plum branches. If necessary, the material can be bought in departments where garden products are sold.
Conclusion
Smoking chambers for the home are often quite often performed by masters on their own. Before using such a device, the chips must be laid on the bottom of the smokehouse with an even layer, and a pallet should be installed on the reinforcement located crosswise. The grate should be located at the place where it is supposed to be placed, and the products are laid on it. They should be tied with cotton thread or twine. The top is covered with a bag or lid.
Once you know how to make a smoke chamber, you can begin the process, but it is important to follow all stages of the technology. Only then will the device work properly for the entire life cycle.