Do-it-yourself smokehouse from a 200-liter barrel: video, instructions

Design, diagrams and drawings of smokehouses from a 200 liter barrel

The designs of hot and cold smokehouses are different: in the first case, it is important to observe the location of the firebox under the main structure, and in the second, to install a pipe from the smoke source. This is precisely the main secret of installing a homemade smokehouse from a 200 liter barrel. Below are clear drawings of both options - you should start from the preferences of the owner of the site.

Hot smoking is characterized by a shorter shelf life of the prepared product: up to a week if the temperature is maintained at no higher than 5 degrees

The smoking method should be chosen based on taste preferences and cooking time. Meat products processed using cold technology are especially popular, but there are also fans of the hot method. On average, it takes from 2 to 14 days to prepare the first version of the dish, and from 20 minutes for the second.

The cold smoking technique preserves all vitamins and minerals inside the product, combining taste and benefits

What is a smokehouse?

The smoking installation consists of several elements:

smoking chamber - products intended for processing will be placed in it;
stove or firebox where sawdust will smolder and smoke will be produced;
chimney , which connects the smoking chamber and the stove (if it is necessary according to the idea of the author of the smokehouse). The length of the chimney depends on what type of smoking you plan to do. For hot smoking, 2 m is enough. If a cold method is assumed, then its length can be up to 5 meters .

Cold smoking of products occurs at a temperature of +18−220C. During hot smoking, the gas temperature reaches +350C and higher. It is produced over high heat.

Low-fat foods are most often smoked using the hot method For smoking fatty foods, the cold method is better.

What tools and materials will be needed

To make a smokehouse with your own hands, you will need a minimum set of materials and tools.

two hundred liter barrel – 1 pc.;
gratings or metal rods - 2-4 pcs.;
tray (collection of escaping moisture and fat, can be made independently from the bottom of the barrel) – 1 pc.;
bricks (for the stand) – 10-12 pcs.;
sawdust/chips (for filling);
chimney pipe (cold-processed smokehouse) – 15. -2 m;
additional capacity for smoke production (cold execution) – 1 pc.

Which barrel to choose

The main thing is the stainless steel body. This is necessary for the safety of materials and long service life. The original two-hundred-liter vessel can be either with or without a double bottom - in any case, this part will be removed using improvised means.

How to prepare a barrel

Preparatory work does not require special knowledge and skills. A two-hundred-liter stainless steel barrel itself is already a suitable material for creating a smokehouse. My only wish is to thoroughly clean the container from chemicals and dirt. It is also necessary to follow the instructions and not lose sight of the little things that are important for proper execution.

Smokehouse-barbecue

A universal design that combines two functions. You will have to work hard to manufacture such a device; this is a job most likely for an experienced welder.

This is just one of the options. As can be seen from the figure, the device consists of a regular barbecue or roaster, and a vertical smoking chamber. The grill can be closed with a lid and thus used as a chimney for smoking.

The smoking chamber is equipped with a door for easy access inside. At the bottom there is a tray for collecting fat, at the top there are crossbars for hanging food.

Such combined units can be made from either sheet iron or gas cylinders. Sometimes, according to the artist’s imagination, they are simply a work of park art and decorate summer cottages!

More details about such universal designs can be found in a separate article.

How to make a cold smoked smokehouse from a 200-liter barrel with your own hands

To make a cold smoked smokehouse, you need to move a two-hundred-liter barrel and the smoke source in opposite directions. The simplest way to make such a container with your own hands is the design shown in the figure below.

A self-built cold smokehouse from a two-hundred-liter barrel is a classic and not picky option. Creating such a design with your own hands is not difficult - you just need to follow the instructions.

The first step is to make a ditch about 30 cm deep for a two-hundred-liter barrel and 50 cm for a fire.
Place two recesses 1.5-2 meters from each other.
Cover the inner walls with refractory bricks, lay a pipe from the chamber to the opening of a two-hundred-liter barrel.
Remove the bottom from the barrel, place it in a shallower hole, and strengthen the structure with bricks for stability and long service life. Place a grate on top.
In another option, the container is drilled and iron rods are inserted into the holes - it all depends on preference. To prevent the smoke from flying away immediately, it is worth covering a two-hundred-liter smokehouse with canvas or matting.

Technology and methods of smoking

Almost all products can be smoked, with the only difference being that even freshly caught fish is suitable for the hot method, and before cold processing it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparation and make a so-called semi-finished product. Also, when choosing products for cold smoking, you should pay attention to their level of fat content. Dry meat or fish are not suitable for this method. During prolonged treatment with smoke, their fibers will simply dry out and become stiff. Pork and lamb are mainly cold smoked. Suitable fish include eel, sturgeon, salmon, and mackerel. Hot smoke is poured over poultry and beef, as well as bream, roach, and herring.

How to make a vertical hot smoked smokehouse from a 200 liter barrel

Before making a homemade smokehouse from a two-hundred-liter barrel with your own hands, it is important to study the structure and design. This kind of construction does not require much effort - it can be made from improvised means in just a few hours according to the step-by-step instructions provided:

The first step is to remove the bottom of the two-hundred-liter barrel - it will come in handy a little later. If the main material has an opening lid, it should be left.
To make it easier to navigate the markings of the two-hundred-liter structure, draw and cut out the door. Stepping 3-5 cm from the bottom of the barrel, draw a rectangle of an individually suitable size (about 200x400 mm).

Important! The handle on the smokehouse door should be made of wood - this will prevent you from burning your hands when servicing the two-hundred-liter structure.
Cut out the door and attach a hinge to one of the sides - the bottom of a two-hundred-liter smokehouse with wood chips will open easily.
The next step is to prepare the space for the pallet. It should be located just above the future smokehouse door, about 20-30 cm from the bottom edge of a two-hundred-liter barrel. Using simple nuts, fasten 12 mm bolts along the perimeter of the circle so that the container becomes a stop-limit for the pallet.
The tray, cut out with your own hands from the bottom of a two-hundred-liter barrel, is equipped with another bolt in the middle - this will help in the future to lift the metal circle to the top. Lower the finished structure onto the screwed supports.
To install metal rods - an alternative to a ready-made food rack - you need to drill holes parallel to each other. Insert rods into them as shown in the photo.
The last step is to equip the smokehouse stand. It is necessary to lay out a small fireproof platform, and install a structure on it for starting a fire and supporting the barrel, also made of bricks. The photo shows an option for making a smokehouse from a two-hundred-liter container and a cauldron.
If there is no cauldron of suitable diameter, a metal sheet is placed on the bricks inside, and a two-hundred-liter barrel is placed on top. A fire is lit under the smokehouse, which heats the structure.

A simple and high-quality smokehouse is ready for culinary exploits. This design option will bring a lot of pleasure to lovers of smoked meat products. It will fit perfectly into the design of the site and take up little space.

Smoking recipes: fish, chicken, lard, meat

To prepare low-fat products, it is better to use the hot smoking method with a smoke temperature of at least 43 °C. Meat and fish of fatty varieties are cold smoked, in which the smoke temperature does not exceed 25 °C.

During smoking, products become colored and acquire an unusual taste and aroma. The upper part dries and becomes shiny. The finished product must be cooled and left hanging for at least 5 days.

Smoked fish

For hot smoking, the fish is first cleaned, washed well and rubbed with plenty of salt. After a quarter of an hour, the workpiece is washed and placed on a wire rack in a hot smoked smokehouse.

Recipe No. 1. Buy fresh or frozen mackerel at the store. Carcasses must be intact, without damage. Thaw frozen fish and gut it. Rub the carcass with salt, sprinkle with spices and leave for 24 hours. Use alder shavings or wood chips for smoking.

First place small apple tree branches, currant and raspberry leaves on the grill of the smoking chamber. Place prepared fish carcasses on top. It only takes 20 minutes to cook mackerel.

Recipe No. 2. To get a high quality product from this recipe, you will need an electric smoker . Clean the mackerel and rub with salt both inside and on top. Place the dish with fish in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Place fruit or alder sawdust moistened with water on a tray in the electric smoker. The highlight of this recipe for cooking fish in a smokehouse is adding a small amount of black tea, a lump of sugar and juniper berries to the sawdust.

Blot the salted fish with a napkin and drip lemon juice into the cut belly. A piece of lemon placed inside will give the fish a piquant taste. Grease the carcass with vegetable oil. Place on a wire rack.

Cooking mackerel in an electric kettle begins without a tray with sawdust. 10 minutes after the start of cooking, place sawdust in the chamber. Cook the fish for another 20 minutes with smoke. Turn off the device and leave it closed to cool. After 30 minutes you can taste the amazing taste of fish.

Smoking mackerel in a smokehouse, video:

Now you know how to smoke fish in smokehouses of different designs.

Smoking chicken in a smokehouse

The most important point when preparing smoked chicken is marinating . Wash the carcass well and remove excess fat. Dry with napkins. Make small cuts in the skin and push the cut garlic cloves into them. Mix your favorite spices with salt and thoroughly rub the chicken inside and out with this mixture. Prepare foil, wrap the chicken in it and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours.

Remove the chicken and let it come to room temperature for at least 2 hours. Prepare your home smokehouse for use. Free the carcass from the foil, tie the legs and wings together so that they do not stick out to the sides. Place the chicken in the smoker and begin cooking. When hot smoking, one hour is enough to cook chicken.

Recommendation! Check the chicken carcass for doneness by making test cuts. If the meat is ready, clear juice will be released without blood. Before use, remove the skin from the carcass - it has absorbed many substances harmful to the human body.

First, the fire in the smokehouse must be stronger in order to reach the desired smoking temperature and make the wood chips smolder. Then you just need to maintain the smoke formation process and the cooking temperature until the meat is cooked. Now you know how to smoke chicken in a homemade smokehouse.

Smoked lard

You already know how to build a smokehouse for cold and hot smoking. Now the time has come to get acquainted with recipes for making lard. The marinade will help add flavor and a special aroma to the lard. It is best to make a dry marinade. For 2 kg of lard you will need 250 g of coarse salt, a spoonful of ground black pepper, chopped dry bay leaf (1/2 pack), 5-6 cloves of garlic and fresh dill. You can take dry dill.

Cooking steps:

Cut the lard into strips . The width of the pieces should be no more than 6 cm.
Mix salt with dill, bay leaf and pepper.
the resulting mixture well onto the pieces of lard on all sides.
Place strips in a row, skin side down, and sprinkle seasonings on top. Place chopped garlic cloves between the pieces of lard.
Cover the lard on top and press tightly with a weight.
After 3 days, remove the salt from the lard and hang it on hooks to dry. The lard should not be exposed to sunlight.

This smoked lard recipe is the simplest. To prepare the product by hot smoking it will take only 20 minutes.

It takes longer to smoke lard in a smokehouse using the cold smoking method. Sometimes the smoking time reaches 36 hours.

Recipe for smoking homemade sausages:

Make homemade sausages using your favorite recipe. To prevent the sausages from leaking juice and losing their taste, they must be smoked immediately after filling. Smoking takes about 3 hours. All this time, you should maintain a small flame in the hearth and sufficient smoke production. It is best to use firewood from fruit trees.

Smoked meat

To prepare delicious pork, make a brine. Add 50 pcs to 11 liters of cold boiled water. black pepper, 0.5 liters of coarse salt and 15 pcs. bay leaf. The salt should completely dissolve.

Pieces of meat are placed in a cold marinade. In the cold season, the preparation for smoking is kept in brine for 5 days, and on hot days the meat is soaked for 3 days.

Important! Be sure to ensure that the pork pieces are completely covered with the brine. The dishes must be intact, without chips.

The meat, ready for smoking, is stuffed with garlic and tied with twine. The time has come to learn how to smoke meat in a smokehouse yourself. If you have a barrel smoker, hang the meat on hooks at the very top of the chamber and cover the barrel with burlap.

DIY wood lathe. - there is more useful information here.

Place a bucket of water next to the barrel to periodically wet the burlap. During the entire smoking period, swap the pieces several times.

How to make a horizontal hot smoked smokehouse from a 200 liter barrel

To make a horizontal smokehouse from a two-hundred-liter barrel, it is important to make efforts to achieve better structural stability. This option is good because this design is more convenient to maintain and convenient to load products. To make a homemade smokehouse in this design, you need to do the following:

The first step is to make a stand for the future smokehouse with your own hands. Since the barrel lies horizontally on it, you will need iron rods welded into a single structure approximately in the same way as shown in the photo.
Important! For special stability and strength, the stand is made in the shape of a stool with crossed legs. The corners screwed to the bottom of the future two-hundred-liter smokehouse help increase stability.
Mark a cover that covers almost the entire length of the structure. The width of this element should be approximately a quarter of the circumference of a two-hundred-liter barrel. Cut it out and attach it to the hinges - this will allow you to open the structure and conveniently operate the smokehouse.
The internal structure of a horizontal two-hundred-liter smokehouse is no different from a vertical one. First of all, wood chips are placed at the bottom, then a tray for fat, and the very top is a place for food. In this design, the grill is more suitable, since food can be placed on it more economically without much loss of space.
It is worth cutting an outlet on the side - this will help you control the amount of smoke entering the barrel with your own hands.

Do-it-yourself horizontal smokehouse is ready. This option will fit perfectly into any landscape design and will faithfully serve the owner of the summer cottage. With minimal effort, you can get excellent results.

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.

How to make a smokehouse from two 200 liter barrels

For the next option for making a two-hundred-liter smokehouse, you will need more than one barrel. The first container will serve as a source of smoke, the second – a chamber for food. All stages can be performed without special preparation with your own hands. The step-by-step construction of the structure is presented below:

The first step is to prepare the food chamber. Cut out a door from one of the barrels, the entire length and width of a third of the circumference, as shown in the photo.
Secure the lid to hinges or hinges for convenient opening of the smokehouse. It is worth paying attention to the chimney.
Equip the internal compartment of the food chamber according to the previous scheme: tray, rods or grate. Cut holes in the bottom to allow smoke to enter a two-hundred-liter container.
Place the second barrel vertically. This will be the base of the 200L smokehouse. Cut a hole so that the horizontally placed food chamber is stable on the stand. The docking is shown in the photo below.
The last operation is making the door at the base. The lower vertically placed two-hundred-liter barrel is equipped with an opening valve. A fire will be built inside it. By placing the part on hinges or hinges with your own hands, you can achieve a more convenient design. The smokehouse is ready.

Smokehouse for gas stove

This homemade metal smoking apparatus can be used even in a city apartment, in the kitchen. However, it is intended only for hot smoking. Its design is even more complex than previous versions. You will need metalworking skills, a welding machine and plumbing tools.

To make such a smokehouse with your own hands, it is advisable to use stainless steel - after all, you will use it at home, and not in country or camping conditions. From a steel sheet we make a simple box the size of your gas stove. We weld the corners and provide carrying handles on the sides.

We make an internal grid from steel wire or welding electrodes. The design can be very different. In this photo, the grill holder and grease tray are a single structure. Putting it inside the drawer and taking it out is, of course, convenient, but it may not be convenient when you have to clean it all from grease.

Next you need to make a water seal. It is designed to seal the interior of the smokehouse so that air does not penetrate there and smoke does not escape. It is visible in the photographs. This is a simple groove along the entire top edge of the box, it is welded from a U-shaped profile so that a continuous groove is formed around the entire perimeter. Water is poured into it during smoking.

Finally, we make the lid. As can be seen in the figure, its edges should fit into the water seal. At the top of the lid we make handles and a pipe - a fitting to which you will attach a tube to remove excess smoke. Lead the end of this tube into the kitchen ventilation or just into the window.

How to use:

at the bottom of the smokehouse we pour a layer of sawdust or chips from deciduous trees, willow or alder,
put a grate with a tray on the wood chips,
place pre-prepared products on the grates,
close the lid, pour water into the water seal, attach the smoke tube to the fitting on the lid,
We put it all on the gas stove.

The design of a smokehouse for a gas stove is described in more detail here.

How to make an electric smokehouse from a 200 liter barrel

To make an electric hot-smoked smokehouse from a 200-liter barrel, you also do not need a load of special knowledge - all operations are performed at a basic and understandable level with your own hands. First of all, it is important to prepare a 200-liter barrel: wash the container and clean it thoroughly. Below are step-by-step instructions for making the structure:

Furniture wheels, which will become the main assistant in transporting a two-hundred-liter container, will not be superfluous.
The first step is to drill four holes along the circumference of the barrel. Insert hooks there or tighten bolts for the tray container. Install the grille a few cm lower and secure it.
Install the electric stove on the grate without a lid and unnecessary parts - you only need a heating element. Secure with screws.
Drill a hole in the wall of a two-hundred-liter barrel and install a thermometer inside.

Important! The thermometer will determine the temperature inside your home electric smokehouse. This homemade design element will help you safely and quickly find out the data necessary for cooking.
Install a smoke vent in the lid of the smokehouse yourself.
Place a grate or metal rods for food in the upper part of the future smokehouse.

To start the smokehouse, you need to connect the electric stove to the network and load the food chamber with meat.

User reviews

As for me, the most successful option for a homemade smokehouse. Convenient to use, smokes well. A spacious unit that can even be prepared for sale. The only thing is that we adapted it for an electric heater. Safe and comfortable. They also installed not just one thermometer, but several, in different places. It is convenient to control the temperature throughout the chamber.

We have been preparing fish and meat in this smokehouse for several years now. Economical and efficient.

I like the idea of a stand on wheels. You should try to hide the unit from the rain. There are no complaints about hot smoking. The dishes turn out amazingly tasty. Everyone likes it. And there is no doubt about the quality, unlike store-bought ones.

I read about an idea with a water seal for a vertical smokehouse made from a barrel. I decided to improve my device. The result exceeded expectations. The thing really works. Smoked meats cook even faster, the smoke is preserved and evenly distributed in the barrel.

We have a primitive design for hot smoking from a barrel. We just put it on the fire and place the food inside. Cover the top with whatever you need. But after seeing cool photos of smokehouses, I wanted to make such a masterpiece. The assembly process is clear. I think I can handle it. Nothing complicated, the main thing is desire and a little time.

I assembled the smokehouse according to the second option, horizontal. It turned out to be a cool device. We smoke everything in it. For the holidays we cook shish kebab and fish on the barbecue. I added shelves on the side for dishes. Convenient to put in and take out food. I also placed shelves for fuel on the legs below. I installed a grease tray with handles to make it easier to remove, and inserted a thermometer into the lid. The wheels on the stand are the bomb. When necessary, I rolled it out of the garage and then hid it back. We've been using it for almost a year now. The paint did not burn through, the same beautiful smokehouse remained.

Tips for using a smoker

In addition to a properly made smokehouse, it is advisable to adhere to some recommendations during the cooking process:

During smoking, you need to periodically ensure that the wood chips do not burn, but smolder, because food should be cooked under the influence of smoke, and not high temperature.
It is necessary to avoid interrupting the smoldering process, as this may negatively affect the taste of the finished product: wood chips should be poured into the stove as necessary.
If the design includes a filter, it must be wetted periodically.
When setting up a smokehouse outdoors, it is advisable to protect it with a canopy. Thus, you can use the device in any weather.

Having figured out how to make a cold smoked smokehouse with your own hands from a 200 liter barrel and examined the drawings with photos and step-by-step instructions, anyone can repeat one of the designs. Also, in the process of making a smokehouse, you can show your imagination and make changes by making this or that device for yourself. Only a properly designed smokehouse and adherence to smoking technology will make the product truly tasty and aromatic.

Tips for using a smoker

In addition to a properly made smokehouse, it is advisable to adhere to some recommendations during the cooking process:

During smoking, you need to periodically ensure that the wood chips do not burn, but smolder, because food should be cooked under the influence of smoke, and not high temperature.
It is necessary to avoid interrupting the smoldering process, as this may negatively affect the taste of the finished product: wood chips should be poured into the stove as necessary.
If the design includes a filter, it must be wetted periodically.
When setting up a smokehouse outdoors, it is advisable to protect it with a canopy. Thus, you can use the device in any weather.

Source

Drain valve and steam generator

You will need a drain valve if you have a large flask. For a 10-liter bottle (which actually holds no more than 7 liters of mash), there is no particular need for it. And for the convenience of emptying a 40-liter container of stillage, it can be very useful.

It is better to use a faucet made entirely of brass with a rotary lever. You can even connect a garden hose to it and drain the used mash down the drain or onto a compost heap in the garden.

If you want to equip your apparatus with a steam generator, with the help of which you can distill even very thick wort, which will certainly burn when heated normally on the stove, it is not difficult. A fitting is screwed into the can 3 centimeters above the bottom, ensuring its tightness.

From the inside of the can (this is when a wide neck is important), a bubbler or spiral is installed on the fitting, reaching to the middle of the container. A steam line is connected to the outside.

Option #1. Making a smokehouse without using a welding machine

The advantage of this method is that you do not need a welding machine. The initial stage of work is cleaning the surface of the barrel.

We mark the side of the barrel and use a grinder to cut off a part.
This will be the hatch of the future smokehouse. How to cut a barrel is everyone's business. You can cut a small rectangular hatch or cut the barrel in half. It all depends on the option and drawing you choose. Barrel for making a smokehouse
It is necessary to attach strips to the sides that will secure the lid and prevent it from falling inside. Metal strips from another barrel or specially purchased strips will do.
Next, we move on to those same supports.
They should be bent to the shape of a barrel and pressed with special clamps. Drill holes for the rivets and rivet them. Fastening the hatch and fixing strips for it
The procedure is performed twice, on both sides of the structure.
The next step is to attach the hinges for the hatch.
Use the same technology as for the hatch supports, i.e. attach the hinges using rivets. Try the manipulations on one side first, and then repeat on the other. Attaching hinges for the smokehouse hatch
Then the handle is attached to the hatch. You can use old copies removed from the refrigerator, cabinet or other furniture. It is necessary to drill holes and secure the handle with screws.
We make a chimney.
Any pipes or fittings can be used as the material for this part. The main thing is that they are fastened well with bolts, since this method of making a smokehouse does not involve the use of welding. The chimney is made from a pipe of suitable diameter
The only thing left to do is install the insides of the smokehouse. You will need to install supports and guides for the grille. Select a suitable position for the fasteners and drill holes on the side. Insert supports.
You can treat the surface of the barrel as follows: light a fire inside and let the paint burn, brush and remove any remaining burning. Then degrease the surface and coat it with high temperature resistant paint.
The holding frame can be assembled from metal corners and fastened with bolts.
Finished smokehouse made without the use of a welding machine

What products are smokehouses suitable for?

In homemade smokehouses for the cold smoking method, you can smoke a wide variety of products from a barrel with a volume of two hundred liters.
Meat and fish semi-finished products, sausages, cheese, and lard are very tasty. You can also smoke your favorite fruits and vegetables. The main thing is to properly prepare certain products for the smoking process. It is important to strictly follow the chosen recipe so that the smoked meats have an excellent taste and pleasant aroma. In addition, it is worth following simple tips that will help you smoke a wide variety of foods correctly.

Stationary smokehouse for a summer cottage

This is no longer just a functional item for smoking something and treating friends. Such a smokehouse is essentially an architectural structure and an element of decoration for your dacha. A qualified stove-maker will be required, full-scale construction work will be required, with the development of drawings, preparation of the foundation, and so on. What can happen in the end, you can see in the photographs.

It is clear that the functionality of such a smokehouse is limited only by your imagination. The structure can be combined with a stove, which will be used for everyday cooking. A stationary grill may be provided. A fruit drying chamber can be equipped. And so on.

Here is a wonderful video of how a master makes a smokehouse for a gas stove: