Good afternoon forum users! Take in your ranks)). After reading the forum, I finally decided to start smoking. The desire was long and lurking somewhere deep in his beloved). But I really didn't manage to do everything. Three months ago I bought myself a smokehouse with a water seal, similar to that of Elena Tim. When buying, I proceeded from the practicality and size of the smokehouse. The smoker should be sturdy and suitable for versatility. You can take it on a hike or to friends in the country or use it at home. Smokehouse height is also important. It is supposed to smoke differently, and whatever would fit, the height would not be superfluous. Better to have a small stock. Basically 3 heights are 200mm - 250mm - 300mm. The choice fell on 250mm)). The golden mean). The thickness of the metal, in this case, stainless steel also plays a role. 1.5 mm is not enough (flimsy and not serious), 3 mm is a lot (too heavy a smokehouse will turn out and it is difficult to carry).Well, 2 mm is just right in my opinion. Although already from experience of use, when heated on a gas stove, the bottom bends slightly. Certainly not critical for smoking, but the fact remains. After the smokehouse has cooled down, the deformation disappears. The sides of the grease collector could be made higher (probably they regretted the stainless steel)) From experience of use, a lot of fat and juice flows down and the height of the side should be higher. At least 20-25mm. And I would also like to say about burrs. I got a smoker with sharp edges around the perimeter of the smoker. There are metal burrs everywhere on the walls of the water seal and on the lid. In case of a careless or sudden movement, you can cut off or plant a metal splinter. So I cleaned the sharp edges with a file. He also removed the bevels on the legs of the stand. When the manufacturer cut the legs, he left sharp edges on the cut. Again I removed the burrs with a small file. Well, the technical part is kind of described. I turn to practical).
After watching and reading everything about smoking in tyrnete, the idea was born to make a universal smokehouse (hot and cold smoking in one bottle). This requires some kind of capacity. The capacity can be: a barrel, a box, a stainless steel metal box or even a corrugated cardboard box. There are many options. To spoil the existing smokehouse (cutting a hole for the smoke generator is not technologically advanced). I tried to make a container (smoke box) - from a bedside table. Isn't it a box? An ordinary bedside table with 2 doors that are hung in the kitchen. The width seemed too large to me, so I cut off the excess and left only the necessary, just like Michelangelo)))). Left one door and a small spacer. Here's what happened.
In the right wall of the smoking box I drilled a 22 mm hole for the smoke generator tube and 2 holes 5 mm each for its fastening. I inserted the pins from the smoke generator kit into the holes.
I adapted 2 shelves for the smoking chamber from a broken refrigerator. And attached a handle on top for convenience.
If you move the top shelf to the very top. You can attach hooks to it and, as an option, hang products on them for further smoking (for example, fish by the head)).
Assembled here is what happened LxWxH 495mm x 290mm x720mm
The smoke generator itself. You can of course do it yourself. There are many links on the internet. I wanted something durable stainless steel, for long-term use, so to speak, and not just once. So that after use, it can be cleaned and washed with water, dried and removed before the next use. The principle of the smoke generator is the effect of a smoking pipe or a hookah. Smoldering sawdust emit smoke, which is blown into the tube (inserted into the smoking container) by air from the compressor. As if the compressor blows smoke into the smokehouse. It is important to have a mount for the smoke generator. With this holder, it can be attached to almost any smoking container.
The appearance of the smoke generator. The corner bracket is also the bottom of the generator. It is collapsible for cleaning. At the bottom left of the wedges, which fixes the position of the corner mount. To disassemble, you need to pull out the wedges and pull the corner mount to the right along the tube.
In work, so to speak. On the right, the compressor supplies air to the fitting, and smoke comes out of the pipe on the left. Sawdust is ignited through a hole in the center of the pipe.
Option for attaching a smoke generator to a barrel (as an example)
A compressor from the aquarium, which operates on 220V, goes to the smoke generator. Compressor with only 6 watts. Produces 8 liters per minute (complete with a smoke generator). The air supply is regulated by a black round twist on the body. Accordingly, the consumption of chips will depend on the air flow rate. More air is supplied - the sawdust will smolder faster. And vice versa.
Initially, the power cord was short and had to be lengthened. The figure shows an elongated version of the cord.
In the marching version, if there is no 220V network, you will have to use an inverter (converter 12V to 220V). The inverter is sold separately. For example, this one.
The set includes wires with crocodiles, which you cling to the battery. Each wire has a specific color. It is difficult to confuse.You insert the plug from the compressor into the inverter.
Wires to the inverter. Crocodiles - red for the positive terminal, black for the negative terminal.
The smoke generator makes it easy to get smoke. I loaded the necessary sawdust, set it on fire and the process started right there. True, the temperature of the smoke at the exit will not be high, about 25-35 degrees. The smoking time is not limited. One full load is 3-4 hours of continuous smoking, depending on the size of the chips. Air pressure power (power is regulated by the compressor). For home use, where we are talking about 3-10 kg. product, you do not need to smoke for so long. 6-8 hours should be enough. If it is necessary to smoke for a day or more, then it is not necessary to smoke continuously. Can be divided by 2-3 times.
My thoughts out loud. In order for the smokehouse to become a hot-smoked smokehouse, the smoke must be heated. To do this, you can temporarily put the bottom of the container - ten (do not forget about fire safety), or you can have an electric stove with several heating modes. You will have to select the heating mode empirically. The air heated by the electric stove rises upward and heats the smoke from the smoke generator, drawing it up. Warm air and smoke mixes inside. Hot smoking turns out. To control the temperature in the smokehouse, you can install a thermometer (there are even wireless thermometers) for different tastes and colors)) Then, by setting the desired heating on the electric stove, you can control the hot smoking process, maintaining a certain temperature inside the container. Accordingly, stock up on the necessary sawdust, and most importantly - patience)) and create goodies.
Maybe the respected members of the forum have any thread of thought about the smoke building)) from the available means? Write, we will discuss. I would be glad for criticism and valuable corrections. So to say, I told a little theory, shared my thoughts))) I hope that I told it in an accessible and understandable way. I plan to test my "brainchild" in the near future.
Well, and lastly - a small recipe)) I found it on the Internet. I liked it for its simplicity and accessibility. And most importantly, everyone can improvise it for themselves.
Smoking ribs, lard of meat. Everything is like grit in one bottle. Everything is marinated and prepared at once)).
First, we make a marinade for even salting.
Lavrushka tastes
Onions taste
Lard seasoning or other seasoning
peppercorns and regular peppers to taste
salt - 6 liters-glass.
sugar tastes
At the bottom of the pan we put twigs (large) of fruit trees
Marinate for about 15 hours
After marinating, cook in the same marinade with twigs
(after boiling the marinade) - cook for another 20-25 minutes
it is better to cook and marinate with ribs, which we put
down on twigs, and on the ribs - bacon or meat
At the bottom of the pot, the temperature rises faster and the ribs begin to cook faster (earlier) than the meat or lard that lies on the ribs. With this order, both the ribs and meat will cook more evenly in the brine. The ribs will start to cook earlier, and the lard or meat will not boil later.
then - the sacrament of smoking))
smoke 1-1.5 hours
grates before smoking, rub with raw (peeled) potatoes (so as not to stick)))
Well, something like this.
