Do-it-yourself smokehouse from a barrel: hot smoking, how to make a smokehouse, how to smoke

Content

1 Barrel selection and preparation
2 The principle of hot smoking in a barrel
3 Varieties of hot smoked smokehouses from a barrel
4 Schemes and drawings for a do-it-yourself smokehouse from a barrel
5 How to make a horizontal hot-smoked smokehouse from a barrel
6 How to make a hot smoked smokehouse from two barrels
7 Vertical hot smoked smokehouse from a 200 liter barrel
8 Do-it-yourself electric hot smoker from a barrel
9 Other options for DIY barrel smokehouses
10 Rules for smoking in a barrel
- 10.1 What can you smoke in a barrel?
- 10.2 Smoking time and temperature in a barrel
11 Advice from professionals
12 Conclusion

A smokehouse made from a barrel with your own hands allows you to save on the purchase of a unit and get the opportunity to cook hot smoked meat and fish. The manufacturing process is not as complicated as it seems at first glance. The main thing is to familiarize yourself in detail with the operating principle of a home smokehouse, the options for its arrangement, and follow a clear algorithm of actions.

Barrel selection and preparation

In order for a homemade barrel smokehouse, made with your own hands, to be reliable in operation, you must adhere to the following tips for selecting and preparing it:

To make a smokehouse, it is better to use a metal barrel; plastic containers are not suitable here, they will not withstand high temperatures when smoking products. Wooden containers should be used for cold processing.
The volume of the metal barrel should be 200 liters. Before starting work, a previously used container must be cleaned, chemical residues and specific odors must be neutralized. For these purposes, it must be burned from the inside using a blowtorch, then filled with water and left for several days.
If the metal container is completely sealed, then the lid should be cut off; it is perfect for collecting fat that drains during the smoking process. You will get a kind of baking sheet.
To store firewood at the bottom of the barrel, you need to provide a firebox. To do this, cut out a rectangular hole 30 cm wide and 20 cm long. A door is made from the resulting fragment of metal, hinges are welded, handles are installed, and a locking bolt is equipped.
To create a chimney, you need to make a round hole on the other side of the container. Under the blower, longitudinal holes are cut on the bottom, which will contribute to better combustion and quick removal of ash. But there is one nuance here: the holes should not be too wide, otherwise the firewood will fall out.

A barrel for a homemade smokehouse must first be fired to eliminate harmful substances from inside

The principle of hot smoking in a barrel

Before you make a barrel smokehouse with your own hands, you need to understand what the basics of hot smoking are and how they differ from the cold method of processing raw materials. This technology is distinguished by its safety, efficiency and speed of cooking meat and fish.The semi-finished products inside the barrel are treated with smoke from smoldering wood chips; its temperature averages 70 °C.

The duration of the smoking procedure can be 2 hours, up to 2 days. After cooking, the products have a pronounced pleasant aroma and taste, they are quite juicy, and can be consumed immediately. This is the main difference from cold smoking, where products are smoked for 4 days.

Varieties of hot smoked smokehouses from a barrel

The hot smoked smokehouse from a 200 liter barrel has a simple design; there are also modernized options that have additional options such as setting a specific temperature regime. The most common types of smokehouses are:

Vertical. This unit is simple to implement; the firebox can be installed inside the barrel, or be separate from the chamber. This installation can only be used for hot smoking.
Horizontal. The smokehouse belongs to the universal category; it can be used both as a barbecue and as a barbecue. According to the manufacturing principle, it is similar to a unit made from a gas cylinder, but with its own subtleties. The advantage of a horizontal smokehouse is the even distribution of smoke. But there is also a drawback - it has a weak degree of sealing.
From two barrels. One container is needed for making a firebox, and the other is a chamber for semi-finished products. The hot smoking device has proven itself to be practical and efficient, making cooking quick and convenient.

Schemes and drawings for a do-it-yourself smokehouse from a barrel

Anyone can make a smokehouse with their own hands from an iron barrel, if they have a diagram and adhere to the manufacturing technology.

The diagram helps to understand the principle of operation of the device

Smokehouses may differ in structure

The device is suitable for processing both meat and fish

How to make a horizontal hot-smoked smokehouse from a barrel

The process of making a hot smoked smokehouse from a barrel with your own hands is as follows:

Make a mark for the lid on the side of the iron container and cut it out using a grinder. It can be round, square or rectangular in shape. Alternatively, you can cut the barrel into two parts.
Install metal strips to prevent the lid from falling inside the smokehouse. Both ready-made planks and a rim taken from another barrel will do. You can use rivets for fastening. First you need to bend the bar according to the shape of the container, make holes and dock it.
Install the hinges on the lid. First the holes are made and then the rivets are used. You need to do it first on one side, and then on the other. It is important here that everything is level, without distortions.
Secure the handle to the lid. Fastening occurs through holes using bolts.
Make a chimney from a pipe and fitting, placing it at the bottom of the smokehouse, on the side. To ensure the tightness of the structure, bolts are used for fixation. You can use a welding machine to join parts.
Install the grille inside the structure by drilling holes. Consider a stand. It is optimal to use a “goat”, but you can simply place the barrel in a pre-prepared place.

Advice! To avoid the cover from falling in the opposite direction, it is worthwhile to provide a limiter from a chain, fixing one end to a fixed part of the structure, and the other to the hatch.

How to make a hot smoked smokehouse from two barrels

Instructions for making a smokehouse from two barrels with your own hands with photos:

Prepare 2 metal containers, clean them of paint. It is better to take barrels - one large for the smoking chamber, the other smaller for the firebox. The design will look like the letter T.
In a large container, cut out the side wall along the entire length and 1/3 of the circumference.
Secure the lid on the hinges.
Make 10 mm holes for installing steel rods with a diameter of 8 mm, departing 1 and ½ such distances from the bottom of the smoking chamber. Make a tray and grates. Mount them on steel bars.
Place the smaller barrel in a vertical position. First, remove the top cover, cutting it so that it fits as tightly as possible with the smoking chamber.
Then cut out a door, where the larger hole will be for firewood, and the smaller one above the bottom will be for blowing and removing ash. They are attached to hinges.
Secure a metal grate inside the container between the doors; its thickness should be at least 5 mm. Install the chimney by cutting a hole with a diameter of 100 mm at the top at the back. Assemble all parts of the smokehouse.

Vertical hot smoked smokehouse from a 200 liter barrel

To make a hot smoked smokehouse from a barrel, you need to follow the following sequence of actions:

Cut off the top part of the sealed barrel. The resulting fragment is suitable for a pallet.
Make a door measuring 20x30 cm at the bottom of the container, connecting it to the barrel using welded hinges.
Make holes at the bottom for blowing and removing ash. Dividing the container into 3 equal parts, fix the bottom of 1/3 of the metal with a thickness of 4 cm.
In accordance with the dimensions of the pipe and fitting, make a hole for the chimney.
Weld the legs to the smoker to create an air space.
Make a tray from the lid to collect fat. You can install it on the rods, stepping back 15-20 cm from the bottom.
Make a base for the grille and install it. Reinforcement rods that are mounted on four sides of the tank are suitable as hinges. The main thing is that the grate can be reached without problems.
Make a lid for the smokehouse with a handle.

Do-it-yourself electric hot smoker from a barrel

You can assemble a smokehouse with your own hands from a 200 liter barrel according to the following scheme:

Prepare the container, clean it, wash it.
Install furniture wheels. They are mounted to the bottom of the container to simplify the process of transporting the smokehouse.
Install an electric stove. First you need to remove the cover from the device, remove all the “internals” from the body, leaving the heating element. Use screws to secure it.
Install a thermometer. After drilling a hole at the top of the barrel, install a mechanical device. According to its readings, it will be possible to determine the temperature inside a home smokehouse.
Install the tray. You can use a baking dish with a diameter of 50 cm as it. Place it in the middle of the tank using holes for fastening.
Install a chimney. An opening for smoke removal is made in the lid, its diameter is 5 cm. You can open the damper after 10-20 minutes of operation of the smokehouse, when the first smoke appears. To adjust the air flow, the hole is opened.
Place a container to collect sawdust. A metal grate is quite suitable here. Alternatively, you can use a cast iron pan.
Place a grate or rods at the top of the barrel for semi-finished products.
Connect the unit to the network.

Advice! If there is no lid, burlap is suitable for the smokehouse instead. When using it, the food will be cooked a little faster, which needs to be taken into account.

Other options for DIY barrel smokehouses

In addition to standard smokehouses, there are other varieties. Each of them has its own manufacturing features.

With a firebox inside

This option is only suitable for hot smoking products. You can assemble a home unit using the following technology:

Place the barrel vertically.
Make several holes in the bottom of the container to improve airflow.
Cut a rectangular opening at the bottom of the barrel. Firewood will be stacked through it. From the resulting fragment of metal, make a door with hinges. It can be strengthened by using an iron strip, fixing it on the free edges.
At a distance of 1/3 of the entire height, arrange another bottom.
Install a chimney on the side of the barrel, making a hole for the pipe.
Place the grate at the top of the smoker.
Make a perforated lid from a metal or wooden circle.

Universal

To assemble a hot-smoked smokehouse from a barrel with your own hands, you need to follow the same sequence of actions as when making a vertical structure, with the exception of the firebox.

Smoke generator - a simple and effective solution for producing and supplying smoke to chambers with semi-finished products

A hole is made in the wall of the tank for a pipe that comes from the smoke generator. When placing the smokehouse on a specially designated area for it, the pipe can be installed at the bottom of the barrel.

With a blowtorch

To assemble a smokehouse with your own hands using a blowtorch, you must:

Make preparations by cleaning the container.
Using a welding machine, weld the rods that will be used for smoking products.
Make a hole in the bottom of the tank and weld a coupling with internal thread. Prepare a piece of pipe where one end is welded tightly and the other has a thread.
Make a lid for the smokehouse; its diameter should exceed the diameter of the barrel. For convenience, provide a handle.
When the smokehouse is ready, the products are loaded and a blowtorch is pointed at the pipe.

From a wooden barrel

This version of a home smokehouse is not only functional, but also decorative. To create it, it is necessary to equip a channel for the passage of smoke, like a firebox, in the ground, hiding it under a layer of soil.

A smokehouse made from a wooden barrel, with the right approach, can become part of a landscape design

At a time when the smokehouse is not in use, it can be covered with a lid, on which it is good to arrange a flower bed. You can even decorate it with a piece of lawn. To increase decorativeness, a wooden barrel is decorated with natural stone.

Rules for smoking in a barrel

In order for hot smoked products to have a pleasant taste and aroma, you should adhere to certain recommendations. It is also important to buy only fresh products.

What can you smoke in a barrel?

In a homemade smokehouse you can cook fish, homemade meat, game, poultry, and sausage. To impart a special taste, fruit wood, grapevines, and juniper berries are used as fuel. Hardwoods are also suitable for smoking.

Smoking time and temperature in a barrel

The process of hot smoking semi-finished products involves maintaining the temperature in a certain range – 80-120 °C.It is at such indicators that a number of necessary processes can occur: protein denaturation, the appearance of smoky particles inside the raw materials used, the formation of juice and fat. The duration of the heat treatment period is 40 minutes - 3 hours.

Depending on the type of semi-finished product, the time and temperature inside the barrel are different:

To cook fish, temperature 80-120 °C, 40 minutes - 1 hour.
For smoking homemade meat, the temperature is 90-110 °C, 2-3 hours.
For game, the temperature in the smokehouse should be between 90-120 °C, and the process time should be 3 hours.
For poultry in a barrel, the temperature should be from 80 to 100 °C, and the time should be 30 minutes - 1 hour.
To smoke homemade sausage, the temperature is kept within 60-120 °C and the time is 1-2 hours.

Advice from professionals

A home smokehouse made from a barrel allows for thermal treatment of raw materials with smoke, the temperature of which varies from 80 to 120 °C. There are some tips for using this design:

Before manufacturing, the container for the smokehouse must undergo thorough preparation; there should be no traces of paint or specific odors.
It is not worth using coniferous trees as fuel due to the large amount of resins; this will only worsen the taste of the products.
To prevent the finished products from becoming bitter, you should not put too much wood in the firebox. 1-2 handfuls of wood chips are enough.
You need to light the wood chips only after loading raw materials into the smokehouse.
To adjust the temperature, it is necessary to either reduce or increase the smoldering of the wood chips.

Video on how to make a smokehouse with your own hands from a barrel:

Conclusion

A smokehouse made from a barrel with your own hands is a great way to get tasty and aromatic smoky products in your dacha.It’s not difficult to make, the main thing is to decide on the design option and follow the manufacturing technology.