Smokehouse is equipment for cooking meat, lard, fish, sausage using hot or cold smoke. Typically, the process takes from 4 hours to several days (depending on the method) and it can only be shortened by choosing a unit that operates on current. An electric smokehouse prepares semi-finished products 2–3 times faster, and the products in it acquire an equal golden color and juiciness.
Design, purpose and use of an electric smokehouse
The electric smokehouse device for heat treatment of a product with smoke is a metal container with a hermetically sealed lid. A chip is placed at the bottom, which, when heated by the heating element, smolders and produces smoke. Inside the container there are grates for semi-finished products, as well as a tray for collecting fat. Small models are produced for apartments that do not take up much space. work surface kitchen table. They process few products. You can also make a household smokehouse yourself using available materials.
Purpose of smoking equipment – quick cooking fish and meat products with the preservation of beneficial microelements and proteins, especially with the cold processing method.
The units are used at home and in production. The professional model has enormous advantages, expressed in wide functionality and automatic control process.
Features and Benefits
For a smokehouse with a heating element, certain operating conditions are not created. A home electric container for processing a product with smoke is valued by culinary enthusiasts for its simplicity and ease of use on a balcony, loggia or plot. The main condition is free access to a 220 V outlet.
The advantages of a DIY electric smokehouse include:
- Durability. Household models made from of stainless steel, resisting corrosion;
- Compact and light weight (up to 5 kg). By building a small unit or buying it in a store, it can easily fit in a car and prepare aromatic delicacies at your dacha;
- Safety. Using a ceramic electric heater and reliably insulating the wires, the unit is safe to use;
- Cooking low-calorie food. Since the products are prepared without adding fat and, when smoked, they are, on the contrary, freed from it, the food is low-calorie, healthy and tasty;
- Possibility of being absent when preparing the product. Set up your device and go about your business!
By purchasing household devices in a store, a lover of smoked meats receives more advantages, since they have automatic or semi-automatic control modes, as well as a temperature control option. For those who can install the thermostat and thermometer themselves, homemade smokehouses are no worse than store-bought models.
Types of electric smokers and a brief description of devices for cold and hot cooking
Electric smokehouses are divided into devices with an open heating element and a closed one.
Units with a closed heating element are multifunctional. The wide heating surface allows you to smoke semi-finished products using any raw material, while it is used in smaller quantities than with an open heating element. The price of such equipment is 1.5–2 times higher than its counterpart. Not only a professional, but also an ordinary person with basic knowledge of electrics can make an electric smokehouse with their own hands.
Smokehouses differ in the method of preparation:
- Cold cooked;
- Hot.
The differences are the type of processing. A hot-smoked electric smokehouse (45 to 120 ⁰С) prepares heat-treated products, when in the cold method, food is dehydrated due to a long exposure to smoke at a temperature of 20–45 ⁰С. A stationary or mobile do-it-yourself cold smoking installation increases the shelf life of delicacies to 2 weeks.
The cooking time also differs: for the hot method – 2–4 hours, for the cold method – 1–2 days.
Some purchased models can combine 2 modes and also be used as an oven.
Do-it-yourself electric smokehouse - simple and fast
Almost anyone can build an electric smoker. Using an example, consider a device for cooking with smoke and an electric stove:
Before operating an electric smokehouse, it is recommended to first check it: determine the quality of the heating element, the concentration of smoke, the absence of ignition of sawdust and the location of the grates relative to the products.
The video below shows an electric smokehouse made from a gas cylinder
Features of cooking meat, fish and sausage
Any product can be smoked in an electrical device, but before doing this, the product must undergo preparation.
- Fish. It is soaked, gutted, in a weak brine (for 4 kg of fish - 250 g of salt). Mackerel or horse mackerel is rubbed with salt each separately, wrapped in cling film, pressed with a lid and aged for 1–2 days. Next, the fish is dried for 1–2 hours, cooled, placed on wire racks and smoked for 1–3 hours (depending on the size of the fish).
- Meat. Requires pre-salting. It is better to boil large pieces first and then smoke them. Do the same with homemade sausage. Simmering meat in an electric smoker takes 2–6 hours. You can reduce the time by rubbing pieces of fresh meat with salt.
The product must be kept until completely cooked, since re-smoking is not permitted. Meat or fish turn into inedible food.
There are 3 ways to salt food before smoking:
- Dry;
- Wet;
- Mixed.
The first extends the shelf life of the delicacy to 2 weeks, even with the hot heat treatment method. For lovers of tender and juicy meat, it is recommended to use the second or third method.
The process of smoking at home has always been a rather labor-intensive undertaking, especially when it comes to the most delicious form - cold smoke treatment. It was necessary to monitor the temperature and quality of the process for long hours, maintain the proper operation of the smoke generator and, most importantly, control how accurately the flow of smoke was directed towards the meat or fish filling. The process can be seriously simplified if you make your own electrostatic smokehouse. The quality of processing will remain virtually unchanged, and worries and problems will noticeably decrease.
The secret of live smoking
It’s worth making a reservation right away - making an electric smokehouse with your own hands only makes sense for cold smoking. Despite the fact that enthusiasts are actively experimenting with hot smoking and even trying to cook kebabs using electrostatic devices, the best quality indicators are still obtained with smoke with a smokehouse temperature of no more than 45-50 o C.
In this case, the electrostatic amplifier provides two additional factors that are practically useless when processing food in a hot smokehouse:
- The electrostatic field accelerates both predominantly charged water molecules and existing polar organic compounds into smoke, including acids and lower alcohols. Thanks to this, the process of saturation of products occurs many times faster than in the absence of an electrostatic field;
- When a cold electrostatic smokehouse operates, there is no degradation or destruction of animal protein and fats, those basic building blocks that make up meat, lard or fish. In this sense, the process of smoking in an electrostatic field is very similar to drying, but with a higher processing speed.
- In hot smoking, moisture is intensively removed from the surface of the product, and even if the electrostatic field “throws” water vapor and acids from the smoke, all this is swept away by streams of hot air. Essentially, it is the process of frying meat or lard in hot air with the addition of smoke.
There are more than enough fans of both smoking methods, cold and hot, so every year more and more new methods and designs of electrostatic smokehouses appear. There are even schemes for smokehouses with a built-in unit for monitoring the temperature of the meat surface using a remote infrared thermometer and with an adjustable electrostatic field voltage. It is clear that such smokehouses are made mainly for processing large volumes of products; for yourself, you can make a small electric smokehouse with your own hands (photo).
Unlike large chambers with powerful electrostatic units, which require a barn, garage or at least a summer house, small-sized electric smokehouses can be used even in a city apartment. Naturally, the productivity of an electrostatic smokehouse is less, but the taste and quality of the product is noticeably higher.
Electric smokehouse device
The circuit diagram of the apparatus for electrostatic smoking is very simple and quite easy to assemble with your own hands. The design of the smokehouse consists of the following parts:
- Housings made of dielectric material, possibly wood, plastic or even paper;
- Electrostatic “radiating” mesh suspension made of steel, copper or brass wire;
- Smoke generating unit of a smokehouse or smoke generator;
- Flue flow cooling systems.
The main module on which the quality and performance of the smokehouse depends is the electrostatic field generator. There are a huge number of designs and different circuits of the electrostatic unit, but not all of them work equally successfully and provide a high quality product.
A removable wire hanger is mounted in the center of the body, onto which the products are directly attached. The radiating mesh is installed on the walls of the electrostatic smokehouse, and a smoke generator is installed in the lower part of the body. In powerful smokehouses, the smoke generating unit is removed together with the cooler in the form separate design outside the body.
Electronic generator using spare parts from a TV
Most cold smoking enthusiasts believe that the easiest way to make an electrostatic smoker with your own hands is from a TV scanner. Indeed, old transistor televisions used a frame scanning board. In modern TVs, its functions are performed by several chips and keys, so getting hold of such a board will not be easy, and the device will cost a lot.
In fact, the use of a board is not very suitable for such utilitarian purposes; it is important not only to obtain an electrostatic field for the smokehouse, but also to control its power. Otherwise, the smokehouse will work like a Russian stove, so most often a separate circuit is made, which uses only a high-voltage transformer.
You can assemble an electrostatic smokehouse with your own hands from an ignition coil from an internal combustion engine of a car. There is not much difference, but if in the previous case the maximum potential of the electrostatic field in the smokehouse is only 20 kV, then in a system with an ignition coil the total is 40 kV.
The currents are very small; if the insulation is broken, the trans from the TV can noticeably hit your hands, while the impact of a high-voltage generator on a coil from a Lada car will be equal in strength to the discharge of a powerful stun gun, as in the video
Therefore, if you plan to build a small smokehouse, then it is best to make its electronic part using a TDS17 transformer.
Electrostatic smokehouse for yourself, the simplest option
You can smoke lard and meat quite simply even in a city apartment, where there is no way to install and run a smoke generator, and even more so there is no way to get rid of the combustion products of wood chips. Therefore, home models of electrostatic smokers are made compact and low-power.
The main advantages of the electric smoking chamber option below are as follows:
- Very simple design;
- The minimum amount of materials and parts required for the manufacture of a smokehouse;
- Easy maintenance.
For your information! To obtain high quality smoke treatment of products in a smokehouse, it is necessary to use an adjustable electrostatic field
The basic principles and operating principle of a smokehouse with a controlled electrostatic field are presented in the video
Camera design
The smokehouse is a body with a diameter of 300-350 mm and a height of 600-700 mm; you can use a plastic or cardboard pipe of the appropriate diameter. At the bottom of the body, a metal base is made - a sleeve, preferably from an aluminum or steel container.
This design does not have a separate remote smoke generator; instead, a built-in model is used. Essentially, this is a tray with a built-in electric heater. Since the volume of the electrostatic chamber is small, no more than 70 ml of fine sawdust from beech or alder is used for one session. As a heater, you can use a Chinese soldering iron with removed handle, instead of a sting, a copper wire bent in a spiral is laid.
The main amount of smoke in the smokehouse is formed due to the sublimation of dry shavings upon contact with a heater coil heated to 350-400 o C. As a result, the smoke produced for electrostatic smoking is colder, more humid and richer than that produced by thermal decomposition of wood. Most of the smoke is cooled on a cone plate at the bottom of the smoker.
In order to avoid smoke leakage, a tee pipe is installed in the upper part of the lid, onto which a container for collecting condensate and a miniature fan are placed. Some of the air and smoke from the electrostatic chamber is pumped out through a PVC tube in order to create a vacuum and prevent the leakage of odors and smoke.
Electrostatic unit design
The electrical part of the smokehouse consists of three parts:
- Electrostatic high voltage generator;
- Pendants for meat and fish;
- Grid guide.
In the upper part of the smokehouse, a grate is installed on ceramic insulators, on which a pendant with products is placed. The negative electrode of the electrostatic generator is connected to the grid. Whatman paper with glued wire is placed along the walls of the smokehouse; this is a positive electrode. Sharpened pieces of the same wire are soldered onto the wire; they direct the flow of charged molecules towards the products.
Generator circuit
The most complex part of an electrostatic smoker is the electronic circuit for the high-voltage constant voltage generator. The electrostatic generator circuit is shown below.
The circuit is based on a TDS17 high-voltage transformer. To form rectangular pulses, a circuit assembled on NE555 from a powerful field-effect transistor IRF3205 is used; the operating frequency of the driving circuits is about 10 kHz, but it can be adjusted using a variable resistor R5. As a result, the potential of the electrostatic field on the smokehouse grid can vary within 10%. To power the circuit, an EN 8 142 series assembly is used.
A stranded copper wire with a diameter of 1 mm is used as the primary winding; ten turns are wound directly onto the magnetic core. When setting up a high-voltage field generator, you may have to swap the connections so that the output produces the polarity required for the smokehouse.
Operation of an electrostatic mini smokehouse
Before starting, the products are hung on the smokehouse suspension for a relatively short time, 5-7 minutes. turn on the blower fan. So that there is no breakdown electric field, meat - lard must be dried, and even wet excess moisture napkin.
Sawdust is loaded into the smoke generator box, a “soldering iron” is inserted and the electrostatic system terminals are secured. Next, the smokehouse is closed with a lid and the heating is turned on; after the lower part of the body is filled with smoke, the power generating system is turned on. In order for the smoke to concentrate on meat products, it is necessary to adjust the level of the electric field potential, otherwise most of decomposition products will settle on the walls of the smokehouse.
Conclusion
The above diagram of an electrostatic smokehouse is remarkable in that it does not oversaturate the products with resins and volatile substances. To obtain an average level of saturation, it is enough to operate the smoking chamber for 45-60 minutes, whereas in classic version the smoking process would take several hours.
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 for home use on one's own.
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 a small electric smokehouse is quite suitable, into which you can load up to three kilograms of products. 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. More suitable for home use electronic smokehouse with a potential of 500–600 W. 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.
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, 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 prepare 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?
Using an electric smokehouse at home is not difficult. This simple design allows you to cook 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 are more suitable. 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 on an electric smokehouse delicious dishes pretty quickly. 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 food is poured. wood sawdust, 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 fresh with salt. Any product should be simmered until it is completely cooked, since repeated treatment with smoke makes the food inedible.
For hot smoking, the temperature ranges from 45 to 120 °C, and the cooking time lasts 2-3 hours. When cold, the readings do not rise above 25 °C, and the process continues for several days.
Hot smoking technology is most often used due to the fact that it requires less cooking time. However, such a product has a short shelf life. After cold smoking, food looks fresher much longer and is never covered in mucus.
Making your own electric smokehouse
Even a non-professional who does not have deep knowledge of electronics can build such a device.
To create an electric smokehouse with your own hands, you can use a small old refrigerator and an ordinary electric stove. First, the cooling system is removed from the device for storing perishable products, and all insulating elements are removed. Then several holes are made in the housing to allow steam to escape. The tray where the fat will drain must be made of sheet steel. It can be replaced by a heat-resistant baking sheet, preferably from an old gas stove.
A tray is placed on the electric stove, onto which sawdust is first poured. With minimal air flow, the likelihood of wood particles igniting is reduced. Therefore, there is no need to constantly monitor the operation of such a smokehouse.
Before you start using the device, it is recommended to test it. This will help you more accurately determine the distance between the food and the installed grill, as well as the amount of time required for cooking.
Making an electric smokehouse is not easy, but it can be done. Below we will look at ready-made options.
Review of factory models
ThermMix
The maximum power of such an electric smokehouse is 1.25 kW. The kit includes the following items:
- working tray – 2 pcs.;
- container for fat;
- a powerful heating element of the unit (1.25 kW), equipped with a heating regulator, which makes it possible to smoke food in any weather (the tray in which fat is collected is located directly above the heating element and fits tightly to the walls of the device body).
The structure is made of cold-rolled steel sheet with a thickness of 0.6-1 mm. The outside of the metal is powder coated.
Before you start using the smokehouse, you need to wipe internal surfaces alcohol solution, then turn on the device for 60 minutes.
Smoking time is directly dependent on several factors:
- number of products;
- air temperature outside.
For fish it may take 20 minutes, for meat - 2 hours.
The price of an electric smokehouse is 2.3 thousand rubles. 
Greentechs
Even a beginner can use this two-tier model. The products are prepared very quickly and are incredibly tasty. This smokehouse does not require a fire. All you have to do is add sawdust, hang the food, snap the lid on and turn on the electricity. Fish is smoked in 30 minutes, lard in one hour. The body is made of cold-rolled steel sheet with a maximum thickness of 0.7 mm. The outside of the metal is powder coated.
The device is equipped with special protection for the heating element against grease. The device can simultaneously smoke up to 5 kg food products. Half an hour of work requires 1.5 cups of sawdust. The useful volume of such a smokehouse reaches 16 liters. System dimensions – 310x285x450 mm, total weight – 5 kg.
The complete set of the unit includes the following elements:
- lid;
- tray;
- fat collector;
- secrets of smoking;
- instructions.
The steel body of the smokehouse has a polymer coating. The heating element is built into the very bottom. Above it there is a tray that protects against grease. To install the grilles, metal corners are welded to the body. To make it more convenient to transport the smokehouse, the structure together with the lid is equipped with special handles.
In stores, the price of an electric smokehouse starts from 1,500 rubles.
Most smokers require an open fire to heat the sawdust or a smoke generator to operate. But there are smokehouses that do not need fire. The device is heated by electricity. If there is no desire or opportunity to purchase a branded device, then you can make an electric smokehouse with your own hands.
Combined electric smokehouse
These installations are convenient to use in a city apartment. They have advantages over conventional devices:
- installation on a balcony is possible;
- no need for a gas stove;
- heating the device using electricity allows you to automate the process by installing temperature sensors and time relays.
In factory-made home smokehouses, heating is carried out using tubular electric heaters. In DIY devices, in addition to heating elements, electric stoves are used.
Reference! A heating element is a heating device in the form of a straight or curved tube filled with insulating material. Along the axis of the tube there is a nichrome spiral. It is connected to the network and heats up when electric current passes through it.
Eat different variants location of heating elements:
- under the bottom of the smokehouse, while wood chips are poured onto the bottom of the smoking chamber;
- at the bottom of the chamber, and sawdust falls directly onto the heating element;
- at the bottom of the chamber, but a tray with sawdust is placed on the heating element.
In the latter case, if the dimensions of the device allow, it is possible to use a conventional electric stove as a heater.
An electric smokehouse for sausage is no different in design and principle of operation from an electric smokehouse for fish. In an electric smokehouse, regardless of its design, you can smoke any product; the temperature and processing time vary.
Before smoking, products must be salted or kept in a marinade, and sometimes boiled. After processing, smoked meats need to be left to mature for 30 minutes to several hours.
Hot smoked electric smokehouse
Most electric smokers are designed for hot smoking. They have smaller dimensions and consist of one block - a smoke generator and a smoking chamber. Usually they are combined in one building:
- there is a heating element at the bottom of the smoking chamber;
- sawdust is poured onto it, which emits smoke when heated;
- a tray for collecting fat is located at a distance of 5 cm from the sawdust;
- at a height of 10 cm from the pallet there are grates with products;
- the entire installation is covered by a front door or top cover.
Such settings are higher than usual. To the size of the device installed on gas stove, the height of the heating element is added - 2-3 cm. When independently designing a hot smoked smokehouse, this must be taken into account in the drawing.
Reference! To turn a regular hot-smoked smokehouse into an electric one, you just need to place it on an electric stove.
The following diagram shows the main dimensions and internal organization electric smokehouses.
Converting a vertical smokehouse into an electric smokehouse
Vertical electric smokers have enough space to install an electric stove with a container for sawdust inside. The easiest way is to convert it to electrical device, made from a barrel with a capacity of 200 liters or make such a smokehouse from the refrigerator.
Step-by-step assembly instructions consist of the following points:
- at a height of 20 mm from the bottom, a Ø 10 mm hole is drilled for the wire;
- the plug is disconnected from the electric stove;
- the tile is placed on the bottom of the barrel, and the wire is passed through the hole;
- the plug is connected to the wire;
- A frying pan without a handle is placed on the electric stove, onto which sawdust will be poured.
Cold smoked electric smokehouse with smoke generator
Cold smoked smokehouses have a more complex structure. In these devices, smoke is produced separately, in a smoke generator, and enters the smoking chamber through the chimney. Passing through it, the smoke cools and enters the smokehouse.
Its structure is no different from conventional installations. This DIY smokehouse can be made from any smoking cabinet and an electric smoke generator.
It is a hermetically sealed cylinder with a capacity of 3 liters. There is a heating element in the lower part of the body, and sawdust and wood chips are poured into the upper part of 2/3 of the volume.
When heated, the wood chips release hot smoke, which enters the chimney and then into the smokehouse to the products. The temperature of the smoking process depends on the length of the chimney.
The power of such a device is 0.1-2 kW, and the average electricity consumption is 4 kWh per day. The greater the power of the heating element, the faster the heating occurs, but at the same time hotter smoke is released. Therefore, it is advisable to install a thermostat in the smoking chamber that turns off the heating when the temperature is exceeded. There is enough smoke inside the chamber to keep smoking going.
A type of electric smoker is. Like other devices, you can make it yourself.
Interesting! In the first half of the 20th century, some cars had similar installations installed instead of a gasoline tank, only the wood chips were heated not by electricity, but by firewood.
Factory-made electric smokehouses
There are many companies that produce electric smokers. Among them are the electric smokehouses “Dymka” and “Solinger”.
Hot smoked electric smokehouse “Dymka”
Electric smoker "Dymka" Russian production made of food-grade stainless steel with a thickness of 0.8 mm and is capable of smoking 7 kg of food at a time. Inside the housing there are grates and trays for wood chips and fat. The lid is sealed with a water seal, and there is also a smoke exhaust pipe. This design ensures that there are no odors in the room.
The smokehouse has a built-in heating regulator and a thermometer mounted on the lid. This allows you to maintain the required temperature during the smoking process. The power of the heating element is 1 kW, which ensures heating of wood chips to 250-300°C.
Some models are equipped with an additional tank, which is installed instead of the lid. According to the manufacturer’s description, this allows you to smoke fish and sausage up to 80 cm long in a suspended state.
The installation has the following parameters:
- smoking chamber capacity 20 l;
- diameter 25 cm;
- height 41 cm;
- structure height 63 cm;
- weight without food and wood chips 7.8 kg.
Smokehouse "Solinger"
The Solinger smoking chamber is made of stainless steel. The tank capacity is 20 liters, which is enough for simultaneous smoking of 5-7 kg of products.
The smokehouse has a flat bottom, 2 mm thick, which ensures even heating and is suitable for use with stoves different types- gas, induction and conventional electric.
The lid is sealed using a water seal; it also contains a tube for connecting a smoke exhaust hose.
