2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 13:15
A home smokehouse with a water seal will greatly simplify the process of cooking smoked fish or delicious meat. Cooking does not even require special skills and abilities in this area of cooking. Try to build the unit yourself using our advice.
What it is?
Smokehouses with a hydraulic lock are excellent devices that can be adapted to the preparation of various products. These designs have long been appreciated by lovers of picnics and country gatherings. In such a device, hot smoked products are prepared in a home kitchen.
To understand what a smokehouse is, you need to pay attention to some of the features of its structure
Externally, the structure is a box. There are brackets inside the box that allow you to hold special grilles. Products intended for cooking are placed on the grates
- The box is equipped with a lid with a hole for fume extraction. A tube is welded to this hole, which is designed to connect the hoses. If the design is used in the home kitchen or in a summer cottage, then the hose is brought out into the window.
- Special sawdust (wood chips) are placed at the bottom of the smokehouse. To prevent grease from getting on the fuel, a pallet is installed that is suitable for collecting it. For the convenience of using the smokehouse over a fire or stove, it is equipped with comfortable legs. A so-called water seal or lock is located at the top of the unit.
Why do you need a water seal?
The smokehouse water seal is a horizontal groove in the form of a U-shaped closed-configuration profile. A water trap is needed to prevent smoke from escaping through the openings between the edge of the case and the lid. Also, thanks to the water seal, air does not get inside, and without oxygen, the ignition of chips is impossible.
In some cases, if thin iron is used, the water seal can act as additional stiffeners. It reduces the possibility of iron deformation due to high temperatures.
In addition to the water seal groove itself, the smoker must be equipped with a suitable lid. In a waterlock design, this element is included in the lock system. The cover must be of exact dimensions, since its folded edges when covering the unit must be located exactly in the middle of the water seal trough. For ease of use, the lid is equipped with handles.
Views
There are several types of smokehouse with a water seal:
- home;
- Finnish;
- vertical;
- bunk.
The home smoker is equipped with thin hoses that can be used to bring the smoke outside through the window. If the device is made independently, then extension cords from a medical dropper can be used as such hoses.
Finnish options differ in design: inside the unit, products can not be placed on the grate, but suspended on special hooks. Hangers for hanging are equipped with special notches, thanks to which the products do not slip. This allows you to smoke several products at the same time.
The vertical design is similar in principle to the Finnish one: inside, you can also hang food on a hanger. However, the vertical structure can be varied with the grills for storing meat and fish. In terms of geometry, vertical options are round or square. The choice of one form or another is important in the independent manufacture of the unit: it is faster to make a round smokehouse, since there are fewer welds.
The bunk smokehouse allows food to be stacked on multiple grates. Such structures can be of both horizontal and vertical type. The grills inside should be located so that there is enough space for placing food.
Dimensions (edit)
When making a smokehouse with your own hands, it is important to focus on the typical sizes of popular options.
The popular vertical smokehouse with a water seal is characterized by the following parameters:
- height - 40 cm;
- diameter - 25 cm
- volume - 20 liters.
- pallet diameter - 23.5 cm;
- distance between pallets - 4 cm;
- pallet thickness - 1 mm.
Let's take a closer look at the parameters of a horizontal smokehouse, since this option is often made by hand. To determine the parameters, you need to know whether you will smoke fish in the unit. It is worth paying attention to this particular product, since a small device with dimensions of 450 * 250 * 250 mm is also suitable for cooking chickens, lard or meat.
Three parameters are included in the standard dimensions:
- length;
- width;
- height.
It is the length of the unit that should correspond to the length of the fish that you plan to smoke. For this product, focus on large parameters - 500-600 mm. In this case, the laid fish should lie at some distance from each other. The space between them is needed for better smoking of the product from all sides. According to experts, the best width for a smokehouse is 250 mm.
Now about the height . If it is planned to install several tiers of gratings inside the unit, take into account the distance between them, which should be at least 80-100 mm. For a better idea, imagine the same fish arranged on the shelves.
According to the recommendations of experts, the height of a two-tier horizontal smokehouse can be from 250 mm. The maximum height can only be limited by the volume of the product you will smoke.
Materials (edit)
When choosing sources, it should be borne in mind that the unit will be installed on an open fire and become very hot at the same time, therefore there is a risk of deformation of the product. Moreover, the larger the size of the unit, the greater the likelihood of distortion of the initial state of the product. It is for this reason that you are responsible for choosing stainless steel for the walls. The larger the unit is, the thicker its walls should be. This will extend the life of the device.
The rigidity of the structure will be provided by a water seal and a gable or round cover . In the gable version, a stiffening rib runs in the center, which will reduce the risk of product distortion.
If the appliance is intended to be used only at home, consider the size of the existing hob. The horizontal smokehouse can be placed both along the length and across the width of the plate.
In addition, it is important to consider the frequency of use of the unit. If it is supposed to smoke infrequently, then steel of 1 mm is allowed to use. Such a "stainless steel" will cost less if the source is bought at a hardware store.
Components
If we consider the designs of purchased options, then all of them are made according to a similar principle and are equipped with standard accessories that allow it to be used even on an electric stove. Some of them affect the functionality of the smoker, and some do not. For example, a thermostat affects the uniformity of temperature distribution during smoking. It will automatically distribute heat throughout the interior and eliminate the need to monitor the process.
Some production models are equipped with automation that helps to clean the unit from contamination.
The following accessories have a small effect on functionality:
- removable legs;
- thermometers;
- forceps;
- hooks of various configurations and lattices;
- smoke generator;
- asbestos cord.
This and components can facilitate the smoking process . Using these or those accessories, you can be sure that homemade smoked meats will meet all the requirements and turn out to be delicious.
Often, as a lid for a smokehouse with a water seal, you can use not the standard version of a straight shape, but a "house" design. A powerful stiffening rib on the lid provides serious protection against all kinds of deformations and bending of the structure during strong heating.
How to do it right?
If you have the necessary materials and tools, making the unit yourself is not so difficult. A competent drawing will facilitate the process of making the unit with your own hands.
Use a grinder to create stainless steel blanks . Next, connect the two blanks so that a right angle is obtained between the sheets. Use a welding machine and a special carpenter's angle that will achieve accurate straightness. Connect all parts of the body, checking the accuracy of the corners. Then attach the bottom.
Make a cover that should be exactly the same size as the manufactured unit. Provide a branch pipe in the cover. Drill a hole, insert the tube and weld it in a circle. Provide handles inside the case for the grille to be installed on. Attach the U-handles with a weld on the inside. The grid can be made from strips of steel or rods, which can be cleaned electrodes.
The odor trap is made of steel sheets bent into rectangles (approximately 360 * 90 mm). Weld these pieces to the top of the base of your home smoker. The top of the channels should line up with the top of the device body.
Provide a pallet that should be slightly smaller in size than the body . It is made from a sheet of steel to which the legs are welded. The edges of the sheet should be curved upward.
How to use?
Try your DIY machine right away. If the seams are leaking, you can correct the flaw. First, fire the product over low heat. If you decide to cook chicken or fish, keep in mind that it must be pickled. The products must be dried from the brine. Undried foods will turn out to be cooked, not smoked. Place wood chips on the bottom of the smoker. If the device is used at home, on a gas stove, place the wood chips in front of the burners. Install the pallet, and above it the grate. Experts advise placing thin twigs from a fruit tree between the grate bars: they will prevent the product from sticking to the grate.
Close the unit with the lid and fill the water seal with water. Light a gas stove fire or turn on an electric apparatus. Wait for smoke to appear from the pipe and turn down the power of the fire. Cook the food without opening the lids for about 20 minutes.
Owners opinion
The opinions of the owners of different device options are divided. If there is an opportunity and appropriate skills, then it is better to make a smokehouse with your own hands. If the unit is supposed to be used often, then a stationary powerful unit is advised, if you rarely smoke, make a metal structure according to proven schemes. In the absence of welder skills, the unit can be made from the body of an old refrigerator.
A small, portable version of the device may be more convenient to purchase from a store . There are many options presented on the shelves, they differ in price, performance and appearance. Still purchased smokehouses can operate on coal, electricity, gas or open fire. Reviews indicate that electrical options have become widespread in home use.
Useful Tips
It is undesirable to move the smoker from place to place until the smoking process is complete.
Experts advise to stand for about 30 minutes after the end of cooking. Thus, you can exclude the ingress of smoke into the room and protect yourself from burns. During this time, the products will absorb more smoke and get the desired condition.
Some experts advise washing the smoker immediately after cooking . This will keep the device clean and ready for the next procedure.
If the device is supposed to be used outdoors, it is not recommended to place the unit, removed from the fire, on wet grass or ground.
Ready-made examples for inspiration
The photo shows one of the successful examples of a smokehouse with a water seal, which can be used both in the apartment and on the street.
And in this photo, the device is of a vertical type. It can also be used outdoors and at home.
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