Electrostatic smokehouse. Electric smokehouse Smokehouse with electric stove

Those people who adore delicious dishes, they simply won’t be able to resist trying the delicious home-made smoked meats made using a smoker. Such devices can not only be purchased in a specialized store, but also made with your own hands.

Several electric smokers on the market

On sale you can find the most different types electric smokehouses.

You can find a variety of types of electric smokers on sale. Each model has its own advantages and disadvantages. They differ in characteristics and price. Next, let's look at the most common electric smokehouses, which Lately are especially popular.

The Thermmix electric smokehouse is equipped with a very powerful heating element. Additionally, temperature control is installed. There are two different levels arrangement of pre-prepared products.

A huge advantage is that you can choose the most suitable temperature, taking into account the volume, weight and type of products to be smoked. You can smoke in such an electric smokehouse in any weather.

The design is additionally equipped with a special tray for collecting fat. It is made of material that is easy to clean and does not deteriorate over time.

The two-level Elektromash device is designed for short-term activation. The design has an enamel coating, which significantly increases its service life. You can put approximately 5 kg of food into the device chamber. The advantage is that you can cook different foods at the same time, since there are two different levels of grates. The heating element is additionally protected so that drops of fat do not fall on it.

It is worth noting that the design cannot be used for smoking meat. You can only cook cheese, fish and vegetables in such an electric smokehouse.

An electric smokehouse belongs to a high price category. The device is quite functional and has a higher cost than other models. The advantage of the design is that the chamber has double walls. Due to this, heat loss is minimal and, accordingly, consumption electrical energy several times less.

Using such a device, prepare the most different dishes from fish and meat. The interesting thing is that you can even cook frozen foods. The electric smoker comes with two baking trays - one deep, the other smaller, two flat gratings and two grates that can be used for smoking fish. All these internal elements are made of high quality of stainless steel.

The temperature is set automatically. The device turns off automatically using a timer. You can cook quite a lot of food at the same time. At the same time, you can cook different dishes.

Electric smokehouses Aroma are produced by the company TEMP. They cannot be called small, but the advantage of the device is that they can be used for both cold and hot smoking.

In this case, you do not need to buy any additional devices. The Aromat electric smokehouse was first released twenty years ago. Since then, nothing has changed in its design.

The design is one of the budget, universal smokehouses, which are designed for semi-industrial loading. Can be used both at the dacha and in a private home.

Due to its height and cylindrical shape, the Aroma smokehouse will take up too much space in the apartment.

Let's look at the operating principle of an electric smokehouse

The design and operating principle of an electric smokehouse is quite simple. In this version of the device, all used products must be placed in a special department. As a rule, future smoked products are hung using special hooks so that excess moisture and fat could constantly flow into the pan.

In a smoke regulator due to work electric heater Smoke begins to form from the wood chips. It passes through a charged grid with a pole high voltage. The ions quickly penetrate into products that are placed on the negatively charged pole. Thanks to this, smoking does not take much time and all products are cooked very quickly. During operation of the structure, all unnecessary smoke will exit through the chimney.

Making an electric smokehouse with your own hands

You can make an electric smokehouse with your own hands without any problems. You can find it on the Internet various schemes and drawings and use them to construct the structure. The cost of a self-made device will be several times lower, and the characteristics are no worse than those of most factory models.

What are the features and differences in the manufacture of smokehouses?

Each electric smokehouse has its own characteristics, so it’s worth familiarizing yourself with them in advance in order to make a truly suitable device.

For hot smoking

It’s worth talking separately about the benefits of hot smoking products. In this case, the finished smoked meats will turn out very juicy, because during cooking they will retain a sufficient amount of moisture. But dishes prepared in this way can not be stored for long.

If you do not additionally use preservatives or stabilizers, then smoked meats should be consumed within several days after preparation.

In this case, the products will be smoked at a temperature of 35-150 degrees. Most optimal temperature the indicator is considered to be 90 degrees. About five kilograms of food can be placed in a device with an average power of 500-600 W at a time. If you prepare a small amount of product, the smoking time is reduced.

For cold smoking

This smoking method allows you to increase the shelf life of finished smoked meats several times. Products prepared in this way can be stored for a couple of months. During smoking, products will be fumigated with smoke at a fairly low temperature - no higher than 25 degrees. All products are pre-salted and marinated.

Smokehouses for cold smoking have a more complex structure. In addition, they additionally need to be connected to the hood. Such structures are usually non-mobile, but may have special functions, for example, a liquid smoke generator.

Step-by-step description of the manufacturing process

Making your own electric smokehouse is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Devices of this type allow you to cook smoked meats several times faster. Moreover, the entire smoking process is fully automated.

The cost of factory models has recently begun to increase, so it will be easier to make the design yourself. Quite often, an electric stove or refrigerator is used as a base.

Required Tools

In order to assemble a sufficiently powerful electric smoker, you may need the following tools and materials.

• A thick metal barrel with a lid and a volume of 200 liters.
• Cable and electric hotplate.
• Four wheels.
• The container into which the wood chips will be loaded.
• A tray where the grease will drip.
• Thermometer, thermostat.

Housing with cover

First of all, you need to prepare the body. To do this, you need to clean the prepared container from the remnants of what was in it. For this you need to use detergents or soda. Due to this, the products will not be exposed to harmful substances that could have been stored in the barrel. Then the barrel must be checked for leaks.

You can use a thick sheet of metal as a cover.

Installation of heating elements

You need to remove the cover from the electric stove and remove the heating element from it, having first disconnected the wires. You can buy a new heating element if you have an old electric stove. Using special screws a heating element attached to the base in the central part of the barrel.

Be sure to attach a thermostat. It is installed slightly above the place where the heating element is located. The elements are then connected in series. It is best to attach the sensor at the top of the container, where the products to be smoked will be located.

In order to attach a thermometer to a future electric smokehouse, you need to drill several holes in the wall of the container and screw it inside the device. Using a thermometer, you can find out exactly what temperature is inside the smokehouse, and a thermostat will help you adjust it to the desired value.

Smoke generator device

The smoke generator is used for cold smoking. Its main elements are an ejector, a pump that pumps air and a combustion chamber. As a rule, for an electric smokehouse the smoke generator is made removable. You can purchase the design in a specialized store or make it yourself. With the help of the device, the smokehouse is converted from a chamber for the hot smoking method into a structure for cold smoking.

On sale you can find options for smoke generators with a lower ejector or an upper one. The second option is considered more functional. Models with a bottom ejector are usually used for small cameras, but they do not have their own natural draft. Together with a device with a lower ejector, a special pump must be running at all times. It is worth noting that in such structures wood chips very often fade, so they need to be constantly checked.

In order for an electric smokehouse to work properly, you need to take care of the smoke outlet and the supply of a sufficient amount of air. To do this, several holes are drilled in the lid of the container. You can make one hole larger and install a chimney in it.

The ideal option would be a small metal tube through which the smoke will slowly evaporate outside.

It is worth making sure that a sufficient amount of air enters the device. To do this, several additional holes are drilled in the base of the container. When smoke just begins to form, you need to close the holes made in the lid. Otherwise, the smoking process will not be of sufficient quality.

To make an electric smoker self-made fully and at the same time safely worked at home, it is necessary to install a water seal or, in other words, a water lock. The element is used to trap smoke or other odors. Thanks to this, they will not penetrate into the living space.

The smoke will be exhausted using a fitting that is attached to the lid of the container. A special chimney pipe must be connected to it. The end of the tube is brought out into the hood or vent. As a last resort, you can use an open window.

Designs with installed water locks can also be used outdoors.

Grate and tray

During smoking of products, fat will drain from them, which should fall into the tank provided for this. You can use a small baking dish or iron container as a tray. You need to install the tray in the middle of the barrel, after making several holes on the sides.

Before installing grates or hooks, it is worth deciding how future smoked meats will be placed inside the container. The grille is initially installed in the upper part. Then, if necessary, it will be possible to attach hooks to it, which are made at home from small twigs.

Sawdust container

As a container for wood chips, you can use a mesh with small cells or, for example, a pan with a volume of five liters.

Advantages of an electric smoker

Electric devices for smoking a variety of products have a huge number of advantages. The main ones include the following:

• The design has relatively small size. If we talk about a household electric smokehouse, then it can be installed even in a small Kitchen Cabinet. The devices are quite compact and do not take up much space.
• They are easy to use. In order to prepare delicious smoked meats, you do not necessarily need to have experience or special skills. You just need to choose the most suitable temperature regime and strictly follow the instructions provided.
• Smoked meats cook very quickly. Due to the fact that the lid is rubbed as tightly as possible against the walls of the container, preparing homemade smoked meat will take an average of half an hour. All the heat is retained inside the smokehouse, so you can cook even fairly large pieces of food.
• Smoked meats are prepared without temperature changes. The desired mode can be set either manually or the smokehouse can be left to operate in automatic mode.
• Electric smokers are completely safe and have a long service life.

How to use it correctly

Before placing certain foods in the smoker, they must be carefully prepared. For example, fish is cleaned and soaked in brine. For 4 kg of fish you need to take about a glass of salt. Some types of fish need to be generously rubbed with salt, wrapped in cling film and, pressed with a lid, left for two days. Then the fish is dried for a couple of hours and completely cooled. Only after this can you begin the smoking process.

What can you cook in an electric smoker?

With an electric smoker you can cook a wide variety of smoked meats.

Most often, meat and fish, cheese, homemade sausages, vegetables and even some fruits are prepared.

The finished product is not only very tasty and aromatic. It does not contain any harmful components and additives that may adversely affect human health.

In order for the use of an electric smoker to be completely safe, and the prepared products to be truly tasty, you should adhere to some simple rules.

• It is necessary to ensure that the food does not touch the walls or heating element during smoking.
• Absolutely all elements that can become electrified must be carefully isolated from the device body.
• During cooking, do not touch food with your hands.
• Humidity indoors or outdoors should not be more than 80%.

Cooking in an electric smokehouse is very simple, regardless of whether the model is factory-made or self-assembled.

“Oh, I wish I could go out into nature with barbecue!” - sometimes you can hear the enthusiastic exclamations of the people around you. And then you yourself want to experience the happiness of a green lawn next to a lake or river, so that rosy meat smokes on the grill. Lovely, and that's all. Therefore, usually on weekends you can see how vacationers make such forays into nearby forest plantations, taking with them kebab makers, smokehouses and barbecues. Everyone wants to enjoy the magnificent delights of freshly smoked food. But what kind of yummy food and smoking equipment is best to take with you, let’s talk about it.

What can you cook in smokehouses?

When going on vacation, you need to prepare the ingredients in advance and, of course, the smoking apparatus itself. Where will you spend time - on the forest edge or on the veranda country house, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is to have pickled foods and a fire or electric smokehouse near you. This concludes the arrangement, and you can move on to cooking. And smoking the delicacy to a brown crust and juicy pieces will not be particularly difficult.

Meat of any living animal, poultry and fish is suitable here. These are chickens and turkeys, veal and horse meat, pork and lamb, rabbits and geese, trout and carp, and even perch and crucian carp with any vegetables to taste. The list can be endless. But making specific dishes out of them, so much so that you’ll lick your fingers, is already the highest skill.

What kind of delicacies can be prepared in home smokehouses? Let's list:

• Grilled chickens.
• Poultry legs and breasts.
• Turkey thighs and wings.
• Pork shoulders and tenderloins in their own juices.
• Lamb carcass with vegetables.
• Pork, lamb and beef kebabs.
• Any red and white meat.
• Hot and cold smoked trout.
• Any types of red, river and high-quality fish without a specific lake smell.
• Cheese, sausage, semi-finished products.
• Vegetables with mayonnaise - tomatoes, onions, cabbage, horseradish with garlic, eggplant and others to taste.
• Fruits - apples, melons, bananas and the following are preferred.
• There are many other delicacies sold in stores, running in paddocks and pastures, and growing in garden beds and trees.

We won’t delve into the intricacies of restaurant and kitchen menus, but rather solve an important question: “How and where to choose and buy, and perhaps even make your own smokehouse for home use?”

Types of electric smokehouses

As we figured out, there are two types of smokehouses. This:

1. Fireplaces with “smoke” - the same barbecue, fireplace and stone, brick and metal stoves. They are sometimes made hastily from iron buckets and barrels, boxes made of thick stainless steel and simple “chernukha” or laid out from improvised materials. building material with built-in grill for placing and smoking game. You can also build such a miracle smoke maker from an ordinary piece of steel pipe.
2. Electric smokers are ovens with versatile functions, connected to 220 or 380 volt outlets and cooking food at a certain temperature.

Everything is clear about homemade and outdoor smokers, but with mains smokers alternating current need to get to know each other better. After all, in order to eat beautifully and tasty, you need to be able to understand them correctly. To do this, just study the functions of the electric furnace and choose the right one when purchasing. Consider the following brands of electric smokers:

• RoyalSmoke - for both home and industrial use.
• "Sikom" is a kebab maker with a grill and electric rotating skewers.
• Fansel - for home cooking of smoked dishes of any complexity.
• Iterma - both for hot and cold cold working meat and fish in the apartment.
• Istoma Big Smack is an oven for processing and smoking food using electricity in the apartment and in the office dining room.
• Alto Shaam is a smokehouse with several sections for home use and in catering kitchens.
• Napoleon APOLLO is a grilling and smoking unit from a Canadian manufacturer.
• Green Glade - for barbecue and grilling in small spaces.

Also on the market are all kinds of ovens and cabinets, barbecues and stainless steel caskets, blowers and grates, coal, oxygen and wood, multi-tiered and single-level, with and without fillers. A huge number of Russian and foreign electric smokers can be purchased in specialized online and offline stores.

Cooking in an electric cold smoker

To subject game to quick or long-term smoking processing, you need to know the rules and technology. And today we will discuss two methods of cooking. But first, electric hot and cold smokers must already be installed and connected in the kitchen. With their help, you can develop an entire industry in the field of small business, preparing meat and fish not only for yourself, but also for people.

The first, most time-consuming and responsible method is cold smoking of products. It involves a long process of processing, over 7 days, chopped pieces of meat from 2 to 4 kilograms at a low temperature of up to 20 degrees Celsius. Carcasses in an electric box are dried slowly, freed from moisture and saturated with smoking substances, due to which the product is preserved.

The smokehouse itself requires proper supervision during operation. It is necessary to maintain and regulate the regimes so that they remain normal and monitor the products. Thus, after cooking, the food will be stored for a long time in the refrigerator or freezer and used as intended.

Cooking in an electric hot smoker

Everything is much simpler with hot processing. The factor plays a huge role here instant cooking, and you don’t have to wait long. Naturally, the temperature in the oven is set much higher than during cold smoking, approximately from 50 to 100 degrees hot.

The game should already be marinated, cleared of hair, hard skin and rubbed with spices. After about 2-6 hours, depending on the meat, such food is taken out of the oven and immediately served. If you fry poultry or fish, the smoking process takes from 20 to 40 minutes. At home with quick method During hot cooking, you also need to keep an eye on the food and turn it over on the grate tiers every 10-15 minutes and sprinkle it with water or wine (to taste). Accordingly, the parameters of the grill cabinet also need to be monitored.

Electric smokehouses at home

Electric smokehouses for home smoked are brimming with features and are easy to adapt to any feast. Some brands of such devices are suitable for installation not only in the kitchen, but also with the help of extension cords on balconies, verandas, country loggias and even outdoors, where you can smoke food.

The electric barbecue has an automatic timer that starts for a certain time, after which it turns off and signals about food intake. Also, ovens and smokehouses from the mains have setting toggle switches temperature conditions, in which pickled relish is prepared.

Industrial electric smokehouses

Industrial electric smokehouses have much more energy than home smokers and require greater power. Food is loaded into them in large quantities, up to almost 200 kilograms at a time. But such cabinets exist in order to process a lot of meat, poultry and fish.

They are supervised by trained operators during operation. Therefore, the technological process of cold and hot smoking does not stop for an hour, except in those minutes when it is necessary to load fresh carcasses into containers to continue the heat treatment.

More details about factory and home electric smokehouses

And, of course, let’s take a closer look at the differences between home and factory ovens for preparing smoked delicacies. In terms of direction and method of work, there is practically nothing. But their characteristics differ very much.

1. Firstly, industrial smokehouses are mostly stationary, that is, not mobile or portable, and take up much more space in specially equipped workshops. There are transportable models on wheels if the farmer cooks while traveling to his residence. And home electric smokehouses can be carried in your hands and moved from place to place. Also, home stoves huddle on small space, without blocking the passage, somewhere in a corner or on the kitchen table.
2. Secondly, the service life of stationary boxes is regulated for tens of years and is designed for huge loads of manufactured goods. But for budget home appliances, the warranty lasts no more than a year, and here everything depends on the ability to handle them and on the responsibility of the owners.

What is a grill and how do you cook on it?

With this approach, the food is evenly heated on all sides, excess moisture and fat are melted out, and the meat becomes juicy and soft. A grill is also a name for food sandwiched on both sides by grates, which is located close to the heat source and is processed almost simultaneously on all sides. Over the fire, pressed between metal gratings The mat is turned every 10 minutes, changing top and bottom. The barbecue was taken from here and repeats the complete design of classic grill cooking, only in smaller sizes. In nature, this method uses coal and firewood, and in kitchens, propane or electricity.

Where is it more comfortable - in nature or in the kitchen?

Well, here it is better to choose personally, based on convenience, receiving guests and personal desire - who and in what place would like to have delicious gatherings with fried meat. In nature, of course, there is romance and the specific effects of smell and taste. In stone and iron smokehouses on wood or coal, they say the food is much softer, juicier and tastier. Based on experience, we can agree with this statement, but on the other hand, the electric smokehouses that exist today are equipped with everything necessary to cook chicken legs or pork in the same rosy and appetizing way.

What are the advantages of home electric smokers?

After reading reviews about electric smokers on the Internet, we can conclude that if you take good model in the middle price category and adapt it for constant cooking of meat and fish dishes, then it will not only be tasty, but also economical. There is no need to prepare coal with firewood, and immediately without preparing the heat, after connecting such a device to the AC network, you will have a wonderful breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table.

Which electric smoker should I buy for my home?

It’s better to spend money once, but buy a valuable item for the home - this rule applies specifically to home electric smokehouses for an apartment. The more expensive and significant the brand, the more likely it is that this device has passed a full and accurate test at the manufacturer and is capable of smoking for you for a day and night a variety of the most delicious food.

Even a woman can accomplish the task of “making a smoking apparatus with her own hands.” To do this you need:

• Have the necessary components on hand. Buy and prepare everything in advance;
• Have clear plan assembling the smokehouse (in your head or on paper - there is no difference);
• Strictly follow the given instructions. Flight of fancy in in this case may waste time.

The process of assembling an electric smokehouse for a home takes a maximum of one day.

An electric smokehouse consists of two main parts - the body and the heating element. The heating element receives electricity from the network and heats the container with sawdust. The sawdust emits heat and smoke, which cooks the meat.

Method number 1: classic electric smokehouse

The simplest apparatus for hot smoking meat. Consists of a minimum number of parts.

What will you need?

• Metal barrel with lid (200-250 liters)
• 4 wheels for moving the barrel
• Electric stove (heating element)
• Cable for connecting the stove to the electrical network
• Thermostat
• Thermometer
• Container for wood chips
• Container for collecting fat during the smoking process
• A metal grate on which the meat will be fried.

How it works?

The metal barrel is the body of an electric smokehouse. An electric stove is a heat source that heats up a homemade smokehouse.

The first step is to separate the heating element from the stove.

Let's take a burner from an electric stove as a heater.

The heating element is installed down the barrel and heats the container with sawdust. The heat rises from the sawdust, heating the meat. The thermostat regulates the temperature inside the housing. And the fat from the meat drips into the container provided for this. As a result, the meat is baked until crispy.

Build process:

1. The barrel is thoroughly cleaned of dirt and grease;
2. The wheels are attached to the bottom of the barrel. This is done so that the smokehouse is easy to move;
3. 6-7 holes are made in the lower part of the barrel for air intake;
4. The heating element is installed at the bottom of the barrel and secured with screws in the center. It is obtained by separating from electric stove. Be sure to leave two wires for power supply from the network;
5. The heating element is connected to the thermostat;
6. The sawdust container is placed 7-8 centimeters above the heating element;
7. The thermometer is installed on top of the barrel. The thermometer shows the real temperature inside the device;
8. A meat grid is installed at the very top of the barrel. A little lower is a tray for fat, which will drain there while heating the meat;
9. The device is closed on top with a lid, in which you must make round hole for smoke to escape. A hollow cylindrical metal element is suitable as a chimney.
10. It's time to experiment with meat! The electric smoker is ready!

The instructions provided are the easiest way to assemble a smokehouse with your own hands. The device is easy to use, mobile, and, best of all, immortal. Why? But because in the event of a breakdown, any part is easily replaced with a similar one. This is precisely the huge advantage of a smokehouse assembled by yourself rather than a professional one.

• Where to find a metal barrel;
• Original methods of producing a heating element;
• Do-it-yourself homemade smokehouse based on a gas cylinder;
• What is the sawdust container made of?
• How to heat an electric smokehouse.

Where can I find a metal barrel?

A home electric smokehouse will last as long as the quality of the metal barrel is. Barrels of 200-250 liters are either paint, oil, or gasoline. Therefore, you can find them in the area of ​​construction sites or hardware stores.

When the treasured container is found, it must be thoroughly cleaned of its internal contents. If there was paint in the barrel, wash it with water and detergent, if machine oil- Throw wood at the bottom, set it on fire, and then rinse it with water. Finished barrel for hot smoking it must be sealed and clean.

Methods for producing a heating element

The heating element is also produced by hand. You can get it:

• From an electric stove
• From the iron

Household electric stoves contain a heating element that is easy to remove. To do this, you need to open the case, remove all the insides and carefully remove the desired part. A standard tile is opened with a screwdriver, which is used to unscrew four screws in sequence. The heating element must have two holes for wires. Through them the connection to the electrical network is carried out.

From the iron - original way creating a smokehouse

You heard right! An ordinary iron (than simpler model, the better) is quite suitable for obtaining a heating element. In the case of an iron the necessary element There will be a surface for ironing clothes. Our task is to separate the metal socket from the body.

Disconnect the heating element of the iron

You can check the operation of the heating element using wood chips. They are placed on the heating element, and the wires are connected to the network. After 5 minutes, a characteristic smoke should emerge from the wood chips. Smoke indicates a rise in temperature metal surface. That's what we need! The primitive design is ready!

The heating element can be used in any smokehouse with your own hands - either based on a metal barrel or based on a gas cylinder.

Homemade smokehouse based on a gas cylinder

The basis of a high-quality smokehouse for the home is a solid body. It must be sealed, clean and resistant to temperature changes.

The basis for a DIY smokehouse can be an empty gas cylinder. Before using it for its intended purpose, you will have to do a little magic. Namely, cut top part balloon with a handle. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. We fill the bottle with fresh water;
2. We draw the outline along which we will cut;
3. Cut off the top of the cylinder with a saw or other tool;
4. Remove the lid and drill a round hole in the center to allow steam to escape;
5. We insert a hollow cylindrical metal object into the lid. It will act as a chimney;
6. Close the smokehouse back with the lid.

The body is ready. Now you can get to the insides. Namely, fastenings for a container for sawdust and a bowl for fat. They can be made using ordinary metal circles. To do this, you need to make several recesses in the body, on which these circles will be placed. A container for sawdust is placed on the bottom circle, and a bowl for fat that will be released from the meat is placed on the top circle.

A heating element is installed at the very bottom of the housing - a source of heat for the meat. First, be sure to make several holes for the wires that will connect it to the electrical network. The network can be either portable or shared. The heating element can be obtained either from an electric stove or separated from an iron (see “methods of obtaining a heating element”).

The hot smoked smokehouse based on a gas cylinder is ready! It remains to check how it works. To do this you need:

1. Pour fresh fuel into the sawdust container;
2. Install a metal mesh on top of the housing. Place pieces of meat on it;
3. Close the smokehouse with a lid;
4. Connect to the network.
5. Take a sample of the resulting meat.

The video shows another version of a smokehouse from a gas cylinder:

Sawdust container

The sawdust container is the place where the fuel for smoking is placed. It is in it that the wood burns, the heat from which rises to the top and heats the meat. Therefore, the device must be made of non-toxic and durable material.

A cast iron pan or bowl is ideal as a container for sawdust. These are in every summer resident’s home set.

DIY sawdust for electric smokehouse

Hot smoking fuel plays a huge role. During operation of the device, sawdust is burned, whose smoke rises to the top and interacts with the meat. On the right sawdust, the meat turns out aromatic and is fried to the right condition.

Smoking lovers agree - there is suitable sawdust, and there is not so much. This is due to the type of wood from which the fuel is obtained. Tree sawdust, which releases resin during combustion, is considered unsuitable.

Sawdust from:

• Birches
• Alders
• Juniper

The listed tree varieties imbue the meat with a unique aroma during combustion.

The owner of the smokehouse can either cut sawdust with his own hands or purchase fuel in the store. High-quality sawdust for smoking is distinguished by its bright color (birch chips are rich beige, alder chips are bright gray) and have a pleasant smell.

Ready-made wood chips

A DIY smokehouse is an indispensable device for country house. From now on, you and your family will enjoy delicious, healthy and aromatic personally prepared meat.

Lovers of delicious food will not resist the temptation to try a fragrant piece of smoked meat or fish on the smokehouse. Often such smoking devices are made independently for home use.

Features and Benefits

The electric smokehouse is suitable for cooking meat products, fish, sausages and lard. Such designs are used both for home use and for preparing smoked products in production. When choosing an electric smokehouse, you should think about the purposes for which it will be intended. If you do not plan to take it for smoking a large number of products, then quite a small one will do an electric smokehouse that can load up to three kilograms of food. Improved models are suitable for cooking up to 15 kg of meat, fish, lard or sausages. Such designs are often used in small workshops or restaurants. For industrial use choose models that are designed for even 500 kg of products.

When choosing a smokehouse, you should consider its power, since the cooking time of the product will depend on this. For home use, an electronic smokehouse with a potential of 500–600 W is more suitable. When choosing a large design, it is worth considering that you can cook more food in it, but such models are not portable and are difficult to take with you on a picnic. If the smokehouse has a heating element, then it does not require the creation of certain operating conditions. When installing such a design, the main thing is that there is access to a 220 V outlet. These designs are very convenient for home use.

An electric smokehouse has the following advantages:

• long service life;
• compactness – the structures are not very heavy (about 5 kg). Such a unit, small in size and weight, can easily be transported with you in a car when going out into nature to cook aromatic dishes in it;
• complete security;
• using such designs, you can get a lower-calorie product; cooking is carried out without adding fat;
• There is no need to be near the smokehouse while cooking food. After setting up the device, you can go about your business.

Kinds

When choosing a smokehouse, it is worth finding out which models are suitable for hot smoking and what is special about cold smoking. You need to decide which model is suitable for preparing sausage or lard in an apartment or private home. When hot smoking, the temperature can be up to +120-150 degrees, the cooking time of the products can be up to several hours. For cold smoking, the cooking process will be much longer. It will take not one, but several days to prepare the dish. Products are smoked without high temperatures up to +25 degrees. Mini-designs are more suitable for home use; they can cook up to 3 kg of aromatic, smoky dishes.

Hot smoking

It is worth considering the benefits of hot smoking meat or fish. With this method, dishes turn out more juicy, since moisture is retained in the products during the smoking process. But having prepared the dish in this way, it should not be stored for a long time. Without the use of preservatives or stabilizers, hot smoked dishes are not stored for a long time; it is worth eating these products within a few days. They smoke food at temperatures from +35 to +150 degrees, most often choosing the optimal temperature for cooking is +90 degrees. Up to 5 kg is placed at a time into a home smoking unit at a power of 500–600 W. If you loaded a small amount of food, the cooking time is reduced and can be a few minutes, but with a maximum load you should wait longer - up to about half an hour.

Cold smoking

With this method of preparing dishes, their shelf life can be much longer. Dishes prepared using the cold smoking method can be stored for up to several months. During the cooking process, the meat is smoked at low temperatures up to +25 degrees for several hours; for fish it is necessary to increase the processing temperature to +40 degrees. Before fumigating foods, they must be well salted. Cold smoked models are usually more complex. They should be connected to the hood. Units for cold smoking are most often immobile, but can be equipped additional functions type of liquid smoke generator.

The combined design can be called successful. This model allows you to cook food both hot and cold. You can find models that have a removable power unit. You can take it with you on picnics and cook food over a fire. The two-level model is divided inside by grates on which food is laid out, which allows you to simultaneously cook, for example, meat and vegetables or use other recipes.

Review of finished products

When choosing a smokehouse, you should look at what models exist, read consumer reviews and choose a more convenient and suitable option specifically for each buyer. Judging by what buyers say, universal stainless steel models are more suitable for home use; with their help, you can cook a variety of dishes at different temperatures. When choosing a model, you should pay immediate attention to its volume, how tightly the lid fits to the body, and ventilation.

The Hanhi smokehouse received good reviews. The Finnish smokehouse Hanhi is available in 10, 20 and 30 liters. The 20 liter model is equipped with an electric heating element. The material for this model is stainless steel with a thickness of 2 mm; all products have a special tray where fat will be collected. There is a thermometer on the lid of the structure that allows you to adjust the temperature during operation of the unit. Using a special chimney exhaust you can not be afraid of the smell of smoked meats in the room while the unit is operating. Although judging by the reviews, the smell of smoke in the room is still slightly present. The products are smoked in the Finnish Hanhi smokehouse for an hour.

For cold and hot smoking, you can choose the Idyll electric smokehouse. The product looks like a cabinet with a control panel installed on it. The unit stands vertically, which allows it to take up little space, no less than would be occupied by a medium-sized refrigerator. The unit operates from the network; all you have to do is connect it. The smokehouse has dimensions of 500x600x1300 mm, the weight of the device is 9 kg. Products weighing 25 kg can be loaded into the unit at the same time; up to ten loads can be made in one day. It will take up to 3 hours to prepare hot smoked dishes. Using the cold smoking method, it will take 2-3 hours to cook meat products and up to 90 minutes for fish products.

Which is better?

Use an electric smoker in home use not difficult. Such simple design allows you to prepare smoked dishes at home. You can cook food either in a ready-made smokehouse or in a device made by yourself.

To make your device last much longer, you should follow these rules:

• Regularly clean the smokehouse from residual fat, soot and dirt. In this way you can get rid of foreign odors and eliminate their spontaneous combustion;
• It is worth installing the device far from possible sources of ignition, in a place protected from the wind;
• for sawdust, fruit and deciduous trees, such as cherry or alder. Do not use sawdust coniferous species, since the smell of resin can spoil the taste of the dish.

How to make it yourself?

Making a smokehouse yourself is not as difficult as it might seem. You can cook delicious dishes quite quickly on an electric smokehouse. For fatty foods, the cold smoking method is more suitable, in which during the cooking process the foods are fumigated with smoke, and excess smoke flows down. It is better to cook fish, chicken wings and vegetables using the hot smoking method. At high temperatures, a crust will form on the products, but the inside will remain juicier.

Although electric smokers are not very expensive, the general interest in them has caused their prices to begin to rise. Therefore, it is worth trying to build a smokehouse with your own hands. Often a refrigerator or electric stove is used as a base. If you have non-working appliances at home, you can make the device yourself. In order to make a smokehouse from a stove or refrigerator, it is worth drawing a drawing.

Detailed diagram designs will help a novice craftsman make a homemade device.

To make a device with your own hands, you need the following:

• remove the cooling system device, remove the casing;
• A hole should be drilled on top of the housing in order to install a chimney pipe. You can connect a chimney to the pipe, then bring it closer to the hood. If you do everything correctly, you can smoke food indoors without the smell of smoke;
• An electric stove is placed at the bottom of the body, a tray is placed on it, where the sawdust will slowly smolder;
• a sheet is installed above the sawdust tray where fat from the food will drain;
• In order to place or hang food for cooking, you should install a grill or hang hooks.

Homemade design consists of two functional parts: a heating element and a housing. The heating element receives electricity directly from the network and heats the container where the sawdust is poured, it is from them that the heat and smoke will come. It is worth attaching a thermometer to the outside of the structure, which will allow you to monitor the temperature during the smoking process.

How to use it correctly?

Before placing food in the smoking unit, it is worth preparing them. If you take fish for smoking, it should be gutted and soaked in brine, for which you take a glass of salt per 4 kg of fish. Horse mackerel or mackerel is rubbed with salt and wrapped in cling film, pressed on top with a lid and kept for two days. The fish is then dried for two hours, cooled and placed on a smoking rack. The fish is smoked for one to three hours depending on its size.

To prepare delicious juicy meat, the product should be pre-salted. If the pieces of meat are large, they should first be boiled and then placed in the device. The same method is used when smoking homemade sausage. The meat is simmered in the device for 2–6 hours. To reduce the cooking time of meat, you can rub it with salt. fresh. Any product should be simmered until it is completely cooked, since repeated treatment with smoke makes the food inedible.

Sometimes you really want to treat yourself to smoked dishes, but the price of these products is not affordable for everyone, and even if you do fork out for such a pleasure, there is no guarantee that it is safe for the body. A homemade electric smokehouse will help you avoid the use of harmful additives, preserve the natural taste of the product, and also save money.

Pros and cons of a homemade device

An electric smokehouse assembled on its own has a number of advantages, the main one of which is the ability to build equipment from scrap materials and unnecessary things without extra costs. This unit will be able to work autonomously, and the thermostat will provide temperature control. Smoking products in this device does not require special culinary skills, which makes the process accessible to anyone who wants to treat themselves to such delicacies.

However, this type of device also has its drawbacks, the main one of which is power. It may be smaller than that of a professional electric smokehouse, which makes cooking time longer. Also, devices in stores look much more aesthetically pleasing than those made by yourself.

Store-bought models allow you to smoke at home or outside, regardless of weather conditions; they can be placed in the kitchen or balcony. There is still an opportunity to purchase a smokehouse that does not require sawdust: they are replaced with special fuel briquettes. Making such a device yourself is much more difficult.

Necessary materials and equipment operation features

To understand what materials and equipment are needed for assembly, it is worth understanding the design of an electric smokehouse. It includes a housing and a heating element, which is powered from the mains and increases the temperature in the container with sawdust, as a result of which it begins to smolder. It is important to decide on the number of products that will be smoked; the size of the device depends on this.

The housing must be sealed, with a well-fitting lid. For this purpose, a bucket or barrel made of metal, a 20-liter saucepan, a tank and other objects of a similar shape are suitable. The lid of the body should be easily removed quickly so as not to release smoke, and it should also be easy to put back on.

Give preference to containers that are made of stainless steel; ideally, use food-grade stainless steel.

When assembling the structure, it is important to provide for the presence of several chambers in the main container: one for products, the other for sawdust. A heating element or a “potbelly stove” is suitable as a heating element.

Will still be needed following materials and tools:

• small wheels – 4 pcs. to move the smokehouse to the desired location;
• thermostat – will provide temperature control inside the device (it is better to choose devices with a temperature range from 20°C to 90°C degrees);
• electrical cable;
• a container into which the fat will drain (bowl, tray);
• thermometer;
• a pallet in which wood chips are placed;
• metal drill with a diameter of 10 mm;
• drill;
• screwdriver;
• metal scissors;
• screwdriver;
• a grid or bar with hooks on which products will be placed.

Step-by-step manufacturing instructions

An electric smokehouse can be built from a metal barrel, a gas cylinder and a refrigerator.

From a barrel

Most often, an electric smokehouse is assembled from a barrel, since this is the most available material. Manufacturing takes place in several stages:

• You need to prepare the device case. The container is cleaned of any remaining contents and thoroughly washed with soda or detergents for dishes. This will prevent food from getting in and getting soaked. harmful substances, which were stored in a barrel. After this, it is checked for leaks.
• Fastening the wheels. Using a tool, drill holes in the base of the barrel and secure the wheels to the bottom of the container.

• Preparing and installing the heating element. Remove the cover from the electric stove and remove the heating element (if you did not purchase it separately), disconnecting the wires. Using screws, attach it to the base of the barrel in the center.
• Attaching the thermostat and thermometer. The thermostat must be installed above the place where the heating element is located and connected in series. It is better to place the sensor itself in the upper zone of the barrel in the place where the products will be located. When connecting, opt for wires with a cross-section of 2.5 to 3 mm. To attach the thermometer to the container, drill several holes in the wall and screw it inside the device. A thermometer will help you find out the temperature in the smokehouse, and a thermostat will help you adjust it.

• Placing the tray in the device. During the smoking process, fat is released from the products, which must drain into a special tank. They can serve as a baking dish with a diameter of 50 cm. This tray is installed in the middle of the barrel, making several holes in its walls.
• Organization of smoke exit and air intake. Drill several holes in the barrel lid (diameter about 5 mm), or one (diameter about 5 cm), and install the chimney. For this purpose would be better suited a metal tube that allows the smoke to slowly evaporate from the container. It is important to ensure that air enters the structure. A few drilled holes in the base of the barrel will ensure this process. At the moment when the smoke just appears, it is necessary to close the hole on the lid, otherwise the smoking will be of poor quality.
• Fastening containers for sawdust. Both a mesh and a pan with a capacity of about 5 liters will do here.
• Installing grates or hooks. You need to decide how you will place the products to be smoked in the device, and install a grate or bar in the upper part that has holes for attaching hooks to it. The latter can also be made with your own hands from small twigs with a cross-section from 3 to 5 mm, twisting them.

• Checking the device. It is better to immediately check your brainchild to identify any defects or breakdowns, while adhering to safety rules.

From the refrigerator

If you don’t have a barrel at hand and it’s gathering dust in the garage old refrigerator, then it is also suitable for assembling an electric smokehouse. It is better if it has small dimensions.

What is needed for this:

• Get rid of the cooling system and insulating components by disconnecting them from the device.
• Install an electric stove or heating element on the bottom of the refrigerator.
• Lead the terminal block out through the hole where the compressor used to be and connect it to the switch.
• Heat-resistant dishes (baking tray, tray) are placed directly above the electric stove.
• A container for sawdust is placed on the heating element. Ideally, this should be a 5-liter pan, which will ensure the operation of the electric smoker for ten to twelve hours.
• In the upper part of the refrigerator you need to make a hole with a cross-section of about 5 cm and insert a tube into it to allow the smoke to escape.
• Place one or more nets, attaching it from the inside to the walls of the equipment. If you do not plan to place products on the grid, but want to hang them, then you need to secure the bar with hooks.

• Close the device door tightly and turn it on.

There is a small catch in this method: products can only be hot smoked.

To make it easier to adjust the temperature, you can take the switch from the stove outside and attach it to the side. It is better to install such a device in places protected from strong wind. If you are going to smoke food in winter, you should take care of additional insulation of the device. To do this, use pressed mineral wool.

From a gas cylinder

WITH gas cylinder you'll have to tinker. First you need to check it for the presence of gas residues. To do this, apply a soap solution to the opening of the cylinder. Lack of reaction indicates that the container is empty. If bubbles form, it means there is gas left in the cylinder.

To empty the contents of the cylinder, you need to turn the tap on it gas wrench No. 5 and No. 3. It is better to carry out this procedure at a distance from residential premises. When all the propane has evaporated, attach a small tube to the hole and pour water into the container - this will allow you to safely saw off the lid with a hacksaw. Next, the container is washed with a mixture of water, ammonia and ammonia.

It is very important to wash the container well and several times and only then proceed with further manipulations to avoid an explosion.

Remove the sawn-off cap from the cylinder. Make a hole in it and attach a metal pipe. You can purchase a special module that is made of corrosion-resistant steel. Weld a handle to the lid for ease of use.

Next, weld the small legs to the base. Now you need to find dishes for sawdust and fat that drains from food. You can make them yourself using metal circles. To secure them, make a couple of notches in the container. At the top there is a container for fat, and at the bottom for sawdust.

Then you need to secure the mesh or bar with hooks by making several holes for fastening them at the top of the container. A heating element is installed at the very bottom. It can be removed from an old stove or iron or purchased separately in a store. Make a hole in the cylinder for the cable to exit so that you can connect the device to the network.

Once everything is secured, you need to check how the smokehouse works. Place the sawdust in a special container, close the lid and plug in the device.

Other options

There are other household items from which you can build an electric smokehouse. For example, this is an old iron, a heating tank, washing machine old model (not automatic).

Safety precautions

An electric smokehouse can be a dangerous device, so it is imperative that it be checked before use.

You need to pay attention to:

• smoke concentration;
• whether there was a fire in the sawdust;
• whether the heating element is working properly;
• are the food racks positioned correctly?
• Are the wires insulated?

It is also important to consider the following points:

• in the place where the assembly takes place, the humidity should not exceed eighty percent;
• It is not allowed to touch the products to the walls of the smokehouse and the electrode grid;
• the electrical elements of the device must be isolated from its walls;
• Do not touch the equipment body during operation;
• Products are removed only when the equipment is unplugged.

An electric smokehouse, assembled with your own hands, will bring festive dishes with an exquisite aroma to your diet, and most importantly, healthy dishes. This device will be a source of pride and joy for you and your family.