Do-it-yourself hot smoked smokehouse from a pan

Finally, after the annoying cold, summer has arrived. You can take a break from all this pot-and-pan fraternity and enjoy eating fresh herb salads. The main thing is not to forget to visit the market and get some good meat to cook the traditional summer barbecue. What if you don’t limit yourself to kebabs? How to serve more variety of dishes on the table? Smoke it, of course!

Types of home smoking

Cooking food by smoking it has been known for a long time. In Rus', this method of processing products became known already in the tenth century. There was a tradition of smoking foodstuffs with thick smoke on Spirit Day to ward off evil spirits. But not only mysticism and the traditional way of life contributed to the popularization of this method - all surplus products were processed in this way in order to preserve them for a long period.

Reference! Smoking is one of the types of heat treatment of products. During cooking, the dish is saturated with smoke, the formation of which occurs from the incomplete combustion of sawdust.

There are several types of smoking: hot, semi-hot, electrostatic, liquid smoke:

1. Hot smoking. The cooking process takes place at a temperature of over ninety degrees, moisture does not leave the product, it is simply saturated with melted fat.For such smoking you need a metal box with a tight-fitting lid. The product turns out very juicy, with a rich aroma. But you can’t store it for a long time.
2. Semi-hot smoking. The smoke temperature during this type of smoking is 40–60 degrees, the whole procedure takes from 12 to 48 hours. This type can be called intermediate between hot and cold.
3. Cold smoking. It occurs at a smoke temperature of up to 30–40 degrees. The procedure usually lasts several days, but smoked products can be stored for much longer. During the smoking process, the products heat up a little and become saturated with the smell of smoke. Since this is a time-consuming procedure, you need to maintain the required temperature all the time.
4. Electrostatic smoking. This technique is used exclusively in industry, when you need to smoke a lot of products and quickly. The basis of this type of smoking is the acceleration of smoke diffusion in an electrostatic field. The finished product should be kept in the refrigerator for several days.
5. Liquid smoke. This is a special type of food processing. One might say that it is not smoking at all in the usual sense. There is no smoke, but there are woody scents. After treatment with liquid smoke, the product is subjected to heat treatment.

How to make a smokehouse with your own hands from a saucepan

These days, stores offer a huge selection of different smokehouse options. You can buy it for both cold smoking and hot smoking. What to do if you went out into nature, for example, to a river, caught some fish, decided to smoke it, but there is no smokehouse? The simplest options can be made from available materials.

In the past, the smokehouse was built using special technologies. A high column was laid out of brick, the upper part of which was tightly covered.All cracks were sealed. Two holes were made in the column itself. One for products that were hung on hooks, and the second for fuel. Today it looks simpler.

For cold smoking

The simplest smokehouses made from old pans are suitable exclusively for hot smoking. To make a cold smoked smokehouse, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort.

The essence of the method is that the source of the smoke itself is located at some distance. There is no point in digging a pit as usual. It is much easier to use a store-bought smoke generator. And although we are talking about home-made designs, the beauty of a ready-made smoke generator is that it is possible to constantly monitor the temperature of the smoke, and you can make its supply automatic.

But if you have a desire to build yourself a smokehouse according to all the rules, then you can use the following scheme:

• it will be necessary to dig a shaft for the chimney, the width of which should be 0.3 meters and the length - 6 meters;
• inside the dug ditch you need to lay a pipe with a diameter of 0.2 meters and stretch it from the hearth to the location of the smokehouse;
• you need to lay out a firebox from brick (if possible, weld it) - its shape should be cubic, with a side of four meters;
• the firebox is connected to the pipe;
• a plug is installed to create traction;
• a sealed smoking box is knocked together from boards;
• Grates are placed inside the smoking chamber.

As you can see, it will take a lot of work, but... It's worth it!

For hot smoking

To create a simple smokehouse you need:

• large saucepan;
• an old barbecue that has fallen into disrepair;
• a pair of bricks;
• old grate;
• metal mold for dumplings.

The costs are 920 rubles.

What to do with all this goodness? It's simple! We install the grill. We place bricks inside.

Place a pan on top of the bricks.

Place a wire rack inside the pan. It will serve as a support.

Place the dumpling maker on top of the grill.

That's all! Our miracle smokehouse is ready. You can smoke it!

What else is needed?

Naturally, you will need wood chips. It is recommended to use wood chips from fruit trees. Alder chips are not for everybody. It imparts a sour taste to products. A bag of wood chips lasts for a long time, because you only need a small pinch, the main thing is that it covers the bottom a little.

Important! To reduce the concentration of harmful substances, the wood chips must be moistened. Smoke, passing through the upper moistened layer, leaves all harmful components there.

Try not to overdo the amount of wood chips. This will not only negatively affect the taste of the product (it will acquire excess bitterness), but can also provoke health complications. Unpleasant sensations may occur in the stomach and pancreas.

You should not buy ready-made wood chips in the store. It's better to prepare it yourself.

Here are a few different woodchip options:

1. Aspen chips make the product very delicate in taste.
2. Oak chips have a pleasant and persistent aroma.
3. Birch chips (taste is not for everyone) - it has a very pleasant aroma, but there is a tar taste.
4. It is best to use fruit species - plum, pear, apple tree.

Never take wood chips from resinous wood. Pine, fir and spruce have a very bitter taste.

Often, to add a special flavor, juniper branches, mint leaves, currant or cherry leaves are added to the wood chips.

In addition to wood chips, you need fuel. It can be coal or regular firewood.It is better to use an integrated approach so that there is always a stable heat and a small fire.